Photoshop Tutorials

Tips on Making the Best Digital Wedding Photography even Better

Don — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:21:29 +0000

Brides and grooms alike are now enlisting the expertise of professionals to get the best digital wedding photography for that special occasion. And why not? They would surely want to have the best photo taken so that the memories will be preserved as long as they live.

More and more people are now shifting to the use of digital cameras to take pictures of their wedding. One of the reasons for this is that the quality is better compared to the traditional camera. Another reason is that the photos can be stored not only in their hard-bound albums but also on albums online.

Today, people are more dependent on their computers than ever before. With computers, they can easily upload their wedding pictures and share them with family and friends all over the world. You do not have to rely on snail mails just to send your pictures. They are being sent and viewed the minute you have them in your computer.

This is one of the many advantages of digital photography. If taken properly, you are assured that you and you partner will never regret having used digital photography for your wedding pictures.

Below are some of the tips to get the best digital photography for your wedding.

1. Choose the right background.

Photos can really look great once they are shot with the perfect background. You can use the decorations in the church and in the reception areas as a back draft for your photos. Be sure to fix some scattered decorations so that they will appear simply perfect on photos.

Always remind the photographer to check if the view is good when taking pictures. It does not mean that you have to stand on the same corner or place. The best photographer is able to make even the simplest of background look great on photo if it is taken in the right angle.

2. Look out for any kinds of glass.

Glasses tend to cause reflections in photos. May it be an eyeglass, window or wine glasses. One way or another, they will cause a reflection or brightness to reflect back on the camera it is included in the picture.

To avoid this, the position of the camera can be altered so that it will not directly hit the glass. The photo can be taken sideways or downwards but never on eye level.

3. The perfect timing.

Persons being photographed should not always be looking at the camera. And they do not have to be smiling at the lens too.

One way of doing it is to wait for the right moment so that you can have a candid shot at them. You will see that catching persons on film when they are in their candid state is much better than having them wearing a fixed expression. Candid moments make photos look real and natural.

4. Review each photo.

To maximize the memory that your digital camera has, it is best to review every shot taken. There might be duplicates that can be removed so that you can free more space for a different shot.

You will probably want the best and the maximum number of digital wedding photography shots so you need to make the most of the capacity of the digital camera.

The best wedding photography is made even better now with digital cameras. This is one thing that you definitely should have on your special day.

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Don — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:32:18 +0000

Mount Revelstoke National Park, originally uploaded by Don Guindon.

Balsam Lake at the trail head in ‘Meadows in the Sky’ parkway. Located in Mount Revelstoke National Park

What is a Selection Mask and How Do you Edit It?

Don — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Adobe Photoshop software has many masking applications in its program. These masks allow you to make changes to the image you are working with and add various effects to certain areas of the image, without changing or adding the effect to the whole image. Experts liken masking to putting masking tape around your room when you paint to protect areas of the wall you don’t want to paint. Masking software in Photoshop works on the same idea.

Layer masks and selection masks are two popular masks used within Photoshop. Many people use layer masks exclusively, and they are certainly the most commonly used mask. Selection masks, however, are an important and under used part of the program. Instead of just masking and editing your layers, selection masks allow you to control the selections you make and elect to only edit or protect the parts of the image you have specifically selected.

One type of selection mask that is easy for new users to try out is a so-called “quick mask.” When using a quick mask, you can make selections on your image using your paintbrush tool or pencil tool instead of using your lasso tool, which can be unwieldy when working with small portions of an image.

To get started, select an image to work with, and open that image within your Photoshop program. Now, open your marquee tool and select part your image.

Now, it is time to open your quick mask tool. It is in your toolbox, near the bottom right side - it has a white circle on a gray background. When that is done, everything that you have not selected should turn red - make adjustments to your selection if necessary.

Now, it is time to open your pencil tool or paint brush tool; whichever you choose to use. With that open, change your foreground color to black in your tool box and draw around the image. This will make the mask larger while unselecting the image at the same time. This will give you a larger are to work with while get your mask to exactly the right size, without damaging anything around what you have selected. Now zoom into your masked area and change the foreground color to white. White will make your mask smaller and re-select your image. Using your pencil or paint brush again, carefully remove the edges of the mask that go outside your image and cover areas that you do not want to be covered. When you are satisfied that your mask is adequately covering what you it to cover, and not covering anything else, click the “standard mode” button in your tool box - right next to the quick mask button. This will seal your mask, and your image should be protected.

Some people prefer to change the way their quick mask works. If you want to change the setting, double click on the quick mask icon to open up a dialogue box. In here, you change the opacity of your mask. You can also change which area is highlighted in red when you first select your object - if you want your select to be highlighted, rather than everything NOT selected, then change the “color indicates” box from “masked areas” to “selected areas.”

There are plenty of other functions for selection masks, like alpha channels, but the quick mask will allow you to get used to using the utility and seeing how it best works for you. Like many Photoshop applications, it requires some trial and error to master it completely.

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Stay in Comic Book Character - How to Draw those Comic Balloons in Photoshop

Don — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Adobe Photoshop software is a dream come true for graphic artists and comic book artists. With the help of the software, even budding comic book artists can transfer their imaginations to paper (or screen) with relative ease, as long as they devote the time to getting to know the program. So, you have some comic book characters created and a story line in mind, and you know how to draw the characters, but how do you create those dialogue balloons to let you characters engage in witty banter? Drawing a basic comic dialogue balloon in Photoshop is not difficult and requires just a few steps.

To get started, first you will need the image of the character that will be doing the talking. You can use either a character you have drawn, or a pre-existing image to practice with. Whatever you choose, open the image within your Photoshop program. With the image open, create a new layer and title it “balloon” or something else easy for you to remember. Now, select that layer and with it open, open your “elliptical marquee” tool.

Using the elliptical marquee tool, draw the shape you want for your speech bubble; usually oval is the shape used by comic book artists, but this is your comic, and you can make the rules. Once you have drawn your balloon, which will look pixilated at this point, open your “lasso” tool. Use your lasso tool to draw the part of the balloon that extends to your character’s mouth and indicates the words are being said by that character. This part should connect the balloon itself.

Now you should have the outline of your comic balloon drawn, and it is time to fill it in with color. Open you “swatches” palette and choose the color you want the inside of your balloon to be. White is the most common choice, but you can pick whatever you like - just remember that text has to show up against this background. With your color selected, open you “paint bucket” tool and use it to completely fill your balloon with color.

At this point, you need to get rid of the outline of your comic balloon. Click “control” and “D” at the same time, and your balloon will be de-selected and the lines will disappear. Now, open your “layer palette” and select your balloon layer with the palette open. Turn on the “blending options.” A dialogue box should appear titled “layer styles.” Go to the “stroke” option box at the bottom and change the size to 1 pixel. The position should be set at “outside” and the blend to “normal” with an opacity setting of 100%. “Color” should be the “fill type”, and the color should be black. With these settings applied, you can close that dialogue box. Your comic balloon should now be outlined with a thin, solid, black line. If you don’t like the appearance of the line, you can change the weight of the line or the color.

Now, the balloon is ready to add your text. Simply select the balloon layer, open your “text tool” and type away. You can make adjustments to the text color, size, and font within that tool.

If you want your characters to be thinking instead of speaking, you can use these same tips to create comic thought balloon. When you open the elliptical marquee, draw a balloon that has a more cloud like appearance, instead of using a straight line, to create this effect.

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Pick Up That Pen Tool! Handy Device to Trace Images and Vectors

Don — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Photoshop is a truly amazing art editing and creating software program that has applications too numerous to count. But it is this sheer scope of what a person can accomplish while using Photoshop that puts many people off. All of the bells and whistle that come with the program can be downright daunting, and many people fall into the habit of performing one or two “safe” tasks and never bothering to learn everything the program can do for them. The pen tool is one such aspect of the Photoshop program. The mere words strike fear into the hearts of many of a Photoshop user, but those who have mastered the tool swear there is no going back. Using the pen tool doesn’t have to be complicated; it simply takes some patience and practice.

For the uninitiated, the pen tool performs many of the same functions as the lasso tool - it can help you select portions of images for editing or help you crop images. But it can really do so much more for you. It can help you create real vector graphics, it makes perfect, sharp edges, and it can even allow to you “draw” freehand. To begin using the pen tool, first you should select it from the tool palette. From there, there will be several flyout options for you to choose from. First, you will find the Freeform Pen Tool, which is used for freeform drawing. Unless you have a steady hand and actually want to draw a picture, the lasso tool is better used than the freeform pen tool for selecting areas of graphics. Next, you will find the Add Anchor Point Tool, which, as the name suggests, allows you to add anchor points to already existing paths. The next tool is the Delete Anchor Point Tool, which is used to delete anchor points. The Convert Point Tool allows you to change the curves on paths by changing the direction of the lines, or remove the curves on a line (which you can do by clicking on an anchor point while using this tool). The Path Selection Tool lets you move entire paths, and the Direction Selection Tool allows you to move line sections and anchor points. To use these last two tools, you must select what you wish to move, and then drag it to the right spot.

To make using all of these applications easier, you should turn on the automatic add/delete function in the main menu. With this function turned on, when you place you curser over a path, it will automatically perform the function of the specific pen tool devise you are using. This allows you access all of the functions of the pen tool much easier.

How you use these tools will depend largely on the tasks you wish to complete. Some applications may be of no use to some users and indispensable to others. The only way to discover which functions of the pen tool will be most useful to you is to experiment with the pen and see what you can do. If you’re new to Photoshop, seek out the opinions of other people in your field about which pen tool utilities are the best. The only thing to do then is practice, practice, practice. Many seasoned Photoshop pros liken learning to use the pen tool to learning to ride a bike or driver - it takes some learning and practice, but once you have it down, it become second nature. Buckle down and give the pen tool a whirl, and soon you’ll be creating vectors and images with the best of them!

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You’ve Got to Glow - How to Create This Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Don — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Among the many effects you can use Adobe Photoshop to create in an image is to make the image glow. You can use this tool to make backgrounds, foregrounds, text, or any part of an image glow, but for beginning purposes, it is easiest to learn this tool by experimenting with making a whole image glow. Once you master that, you can refine your skills to better suit your purposes.

To get started on making your image glow, choose what you want to work with, and open that file in Photoshop. If the image is not saved as an RDF file format, then you will need to convert it in Photoshop. Once you have selected your image, open the filter tool. Click “filter”, then “render,” then “lighting effects.” This will open the lighting effects box. In the box, choose a light type. Omni is a standard one to work with, but you can experiment with different light types to get the lock you want to achieve. Apply the changes; close the dialogue box, and you’re done! Your whole image should now be glowing.

If you don’t want to work with an image, but rather you want to make some kind of glowing graphics, you can do that using the Photoshop polar coordinates filter. A simple way to start is to create a glowing swirl. To do this, first open a new file and then select “create a new layer.” For simplicity’s sake, while you’re learning, set the foreground color to black and the background color to white.

Next, you want to fill your screen with gradient. Open the gradient tool and then using the tool, trace from the bottom left corner of the screen to the top right - your screen should now be filled with gradient. Now, open the wave window by clicking “filter”, then “distort”, and then “wave.” You will need to change a number of settings in the wave window. The number of generators should be set at 9, and the wavelengths should have a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 110. The amplitude should be set at a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 37. Both the vertical scale and horizontal scale should be 100%. Under type, select “square” and under undefined areas, select “repeated edge pixels.” Apply all of these settings and close the wave box.

Now, go back to filters, and this time click “distort” and then “polar coordinates.” In the window that opens, change the settings to “rectangular to polar” and set the value at 100%. It’s time to invert the colors now. Go to “image”, then “adjustments”, and then “invert.” Now adjust the curves and the sliders in the same way, by opening the image file, then adjustments, and the choosing “curves” or “levels.” There’s not right setting for the curves and sliders; simply set them to however you like them.

You should now open the blending tool and set the layers panel to “multiply.” Go back to the filters mode and select “distort” and “twirl.” In the window that opens, change the setting to 100% and the angle to -80%. Now go to “layers”, then “flatten,” and then “image.” Viola! You should now have a glowing swirl.

You can use your swirl however you like, be it in print media or for online computer graphics. You can also apply the principles you used to make the swirl to making other glowing graphics in Photoshop. As any Photoshop user knows, mastering techniques on the program takes plenty of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it is worth it.

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Top Features Practically Every Photoshop User Loves

Don — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Many users have found Photoshop to be one of the best photo editing tools. The program offers an array of creative projects for users to indulge in, as well as editing tools to correct photographs. There are many features of the Photoshop software that is more attractive than others. Most users have the same likes and dislikes of Photoshop’s features, and there are certain features that all users love. The first favorite feature of many consumers is the File Browser. The File Browser gives users quick access to automated tools and metadata editing. The Photomerge feature is also a commonly loved feature. Photomerge was introduced in the Photoshop Elements software, but has since become a popular feature of Photoshop. This feature is enhanced to accommodate larger images. It also automatically arranges multiple images to create a panorama.

Next on the favorite’s list are the custom keyboard shortcuts. Users can create custom keyboard shortcuts, add new keyboard shortcuts, save and share shortcut sets, and print a reference chart of their shortcut keys. The Filter Gallery is also an attractive feature for many consumers. The Filter Gallery is located under the Filter menu, and it gives users a visual way of selecting effects filters. It also allows users to compound multiple filter effects and apply them in one step. Many people also love the History Palette in the Photoshop software. The History Palette can help users remember how to perform a technique, record time-tracking information, and create a legal record.

Text on Path is another beloved feature of Photoshop. The Text on Path tool allows users to put type on a path or into a shape. Another favorite feature of many Photoshop users is the live histogram feature. This feature gives updates in real time as the user edits images. Users also like the feature that allows them to customize picture package layouts. The Photoshop software has a dialog box that allows visual editing and creation of new picture package layouts. So, users can create pictures of different sizes, such as 3X5 and 4X6. Saving files, as a Web Page Gallery and PDF File, are another attractive feature, because saving files in either way allows easy transference to a web page. Saving a file as a PDF also gives users the chance to save their comments on designs and photos.

The last favorite feature of Photoshop users is a feature called “scrubbers.” This feature is a user interface control that allows users to enter numbers without removing their hand off the mouse. Although, often overlooked, many consumers love the Color Replacement Tool of Photoshop. The Color Replacement Tool helps users replace unwanted colors in photos, and is most commonly associated with removing red-eye. Although Photoshop shapes are a simple feature to the software, the shapes tool is one of the most loved features of Photoshop. The shapes tool helps users develop creative designs as well as enhance their pictures. The shapes tool is simple, but it is one of the most needed tools in the Photoshop software. The shapes tool allows users to create fun projects, such as wanted posters, collages, digital scrapbooks, and greeting cards.

All of the features of Photoshop are used to advance the software as well as give users simple photo editing solutions. Users find much pleasure from using the software, but there are certain features that consumers like more than others. Photographs are a major part of many people’s lives, and Photoshop helps them enhance the photographs as well as preserve them. Photoshop was developed to make editing photos simple and fun. Most of the consumers’ favorite features are the features that make editing their photos easier and add excitement to the software.

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Sharpen Your Tools in Photoshop

Don — Sun, 25 May 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Among the many tasks Adobe Photoshop software allows users to complete is sharpening images so they really pop. When working with digital images, the images inevitably lose some of their focus and edge, becoming slightly soft and blurry. Sometimes photographs do not capture the true color of an object, making images look washed out and bland. Using Photoshop sharpening tools, you can take these images and make them crisp, sharp, and bright again.

One Photoshop sharpening tool that is often underused is the Unsharp Mask filter. Many people don’t quite understand how to make this feature work for them, but once you learn it, it can be indispensable in helping you clean up your images. This tool can be used across an entire image, or on specific sections of the image that you select. Leaning a few basic facts about the Unsharp Mask feature will help you make the right choices for your project.

Unsharp Masks works by reading the contrast levels between adjacent pixels. When the tool discerns a high contrast level, it reads that as an edge, and automatically increases the contrast. Of course, not all highly contrasted pixels represent edges, so you will need to create the settings for your tool based on the image you are working with. Close up images that require some amount of soft focus, like a close up shot of someone’s face, requires a much different amount of sharpening than a wide, landscape shot. You also need to consider how the image will be used - will it be printed with a continuous tone printer, like a Durst Lambda, a halftone printer, like an inkjet or printer, or will it be used online? You should make allowances for the quarks of the output method’s reproduction process.

To use Unsharp Mask, first you will need to set the radius. The radius will depend on the image you working with. Keep in mind that the radius does not directly correspond with the sharpening halo. A radius setting of two does not select two pixels, but rather tells Photoshop to look for contrast two pixels outward from a point. Larger radius settings will cover larger sections of the image, however.

Next, set your volume control, or amount. The amount tells Photoshop how much sharpening to use on the image. The smaller your radius setting is, the larger amount of sharpening you will need to use.

The last step is to set your threshold. The threshold tells the program how much contrast to ignore and stops you from over sharpening your image.

Most users start out with a base setting of 200% for the amount, zero for the threshold, and then they experiment with radius settings until the desired result is achieved. But remember, this is only a guide. You will be ruled by the image you are working with.

If you are a new user, and Unsharp Mask is a little complicated for you, you can still sharpen images by sharpening the layers. Simply duplicate the background and set the blending mode to Soft Light, for slight sharpening, or Hard Light, or increased sharpening. Then run the High Pass filter. If you need to adjust your sharpening, add a Hide All layer to make things sharper, or a Run All layer to make things smoother. You can use you paint brush to add local contrast and sharpening to the image.

Whichever tool you choose to use, remember to consider the image and how the image will be used before beginning. If you’re a new user, sharpening layers might be your best bet - Unsharp Mask makes permanent changes to your image, while sharpening layers allows you to un-do the work you have done without harm to your image.

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Shadows and Highlights-It’s Not about Makeup, It’s About Photoshop

Don — Sun, 18 May 2008 09:06:21 +0000

There are many ways to adjust the Shadow and Highlights in your images. Photoshop has a great shadow and highlight adjustment feature that works to fix the lighting in your images. An over or underexposed area can be corrected in your images. Shadow and Highlight adjustment works well with images photographed with the source of light coming from behind and creating a dark foreground. This adjustment can also work to bring out the details hidden by dark shadow portions in images captured in bright overhead light. The overall exposure is not corrected, but Shadows and Highlight adjustment brightens up or darkens pixels based on the brightness of the surrounding pixels.

Another great feature of the Shadow and Highlight command is that it has a Midtone Contrast slider, Black Clip and White Clip choices that allow you to change the complete contrast of the image. To get used to the Shadow and Highlight Adjustment, open an image that needs improvement. When the dialog box comes up, the correction is applied to the preview. If you do not see the correction, be sure that the Preview box is checked.

To change the amount of correction for your Shadows or Highlights, move the Amount slider. For lighter shadows and darker highlights, you will want to choose a higher percentage. If you like, you can enter a value in the percentage box. Once you like the results click “OK” and you are all set.

If you should desire more control, go to the Show More Options check box in the dialog box. A plethora of sliders will come up. To increase or decrease the range of tones adjusted in the Shadows and Highlights drag to Tonal Width. You can decrease the range of tones lower the percentage. A really low percentage will fix the darkest parts of the shadow or the lightest parts of the Highlights. A higher percentage will give you a big range of tones. Midtone areas will be included. Initially, you will want to start with the default setting of 50%. You can figure out what percentage is best for you from that starting point. If you don’t want midtones and highlights to be too light, take the Tonal Width percentage of the Shadows down. If pesky artifacts begin to show up, reduce the percentage.

To decrease the amount of pixels, pull the Radius slider. You will be illuminating the surrounding pixels for adjusting the shadows and highlights. The right amount of pixels is based on the specific image. You will need to adjust the slider to see the results. A very small Radius will cause your subject to lack contrast. On the other hand if your background is bright or dark the Radius may be too large. Try setting your Radius to approximately half of the size of the most important image in your picture.

If you are dealing with a color image, use the Color Correction to fix the colors in the adjusted parts of your image. By adjusting the Amount of Shadows to Highlights, you might discover colors you could not see before. To de-saturate images vales need to be lower. Saturation calls for higher Color Correction values.

When working with grayscale image you can adjust the brightness by moving the slider right to lighten the Shadows and Highlights. Move the slider left to darken. To adjust the Midtone Contrast of Shadows and Highlights, move the slider left to take away contrast of right to add more contrast. Be careful when you are adjusting the Midtone Contrast because you may get some darken shadow areas and highlights that are too light. There are many ways to adjust the Shadow and Highlights in your images.

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Retouching your Pictures with the Photoshop Tools at your Disposal

Don — Sun, 11 May 2008 09:06:21 +0000

You no longer have to be totally photogenic to look great in pictures! That is great news for those of us that may not like what shows up in photographs. Surely you have photos from holidays past where folks have red eyes or that gothic building you were so in love with was obscured. No need to fret. You can recapture you memories by touching up your photos in Photoshop.

Photoshop has an abundance of tools for whatever picture ailments you may have. To rework those eyes and get the red out, you will need to first calibrate your monitor. Open up the image and go to “Image>Duplicate” to create a second image and close the original. If you are using Photoshop 6 or an earlier version, click on View>New View. If you are using Photoshop 7 got to Window>Documents>New Window and your image will appear in another window. Focus in with zoom on one of the windows so that the eyes are as large as possible. The other window should be set to 100%. After you have created a new layer, choose the eyedropper and pick up the iris color. On the new layer, paint over the iris of the eye without covering the eyelids.

Next, you need to choose Filters>Blur>Gaussian and use one pixel to soften the edges. The layer blend mode needs to be moved to Saturation and the red will leave without taking out the highlights. Sometimes the eyes will appear to be too gray and look empty. If you run into this problem, create another saturation layer and switch the blend mode to Hue. If Hue turns the color too dark, take the opacity level on the Hue layer down a bit. Once you are satisfied with your corrections you can bring the other layers down.

If you are working on the pupil area of the eyes, it I best to use the burn tool. A few clicks of the burn tools should take the pupil color down to the proper level. Be sure to use the eraser tool to get rid of any over-spray there might be before you merge the layers.

Do you have a few blemish-plagued pictures that you like, except for the less than perfect facial blemishes? Well, you no longer have to hide those photos when company comes over. Fix them up with Photoshop and no on ever has to know that you kid had a little acne outbreak. Or, maybe you did not get any sleep the night before your graduation. You can fix your facial imperfections in a matter of minutes.

First you need to open the image and go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Next you need to put the radius high enough to cover up any facial imperfections. Stick with one or two pixels. Then click OK to apply the Gaussian blur to the photo. Go to the History palette and click on the small arrow that in the history palette and pick New Snapshot. Name the photo blurred and go back to the History palette and pick the first snapshot. Revert it back to the first image state and it should save the filename. Next you have to click on the square beside the blurred snapshot to make it the source of the history brush. Make a new layer and choose the History button. Using a soft brush, paint on a new layer. This will take the paint from the blurred snapshot and apply it. Once you are satisfied with your handy work all you need to do is click on Layer>Merge>Down and the retouched layer will join with the original image, creating a new photo. Remember that once you have merged the two, that is it. No more changes can be made. So be sure you are absolutely happy with what you have created.

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