With all that we can do today in Photoshop a lot of the techniques we used to use to get it right in camera “back in the film days” have been over shadowed. But today I think they are as important as ever. In the following video I point out how I think about a scene when shooting it, how I approach it technically, and how I use simple tools like filters and even a flashlight to improve my images before they ever see post processing. Again don’t think I don’t post process. I do. I truly believe there is a time for HDR, all the plug-in’s under the sun, etc. Some of my images receive a lot of post processing but honestly fewer then most think and often I find it funny that the questions I get about whether something was “Photoshopped” or “HDR” are often on images where I’ve done it in camera first! And images that receive a lot of artistic post processing benefit from doing it right in camera first and creating the best image for what you want to say later via post processing. Every single image shown has it’s contrast and saturation adjusted in Raw processing as I set my camera parameters to give me a flat image with the most information available out of the camera.
Both shoots discussed in the video show a few before and after images that I normally wouldn’t have taken to begin with. Again knowing when/what to shoot and when/what not to and how to make photos in tough situations so is very important. And admittedly post processing is a big tool in the arsenal of tricks but we aren’t discussing that today. If you take anything away from this it should be this- knowing when and when not to take photos is the sign of a true experienced photographer but knowing what tools to use to reduce the “when not to” times is huge and sign of a professional! So listen to me discuss two recent shoots and hopefully you will get a few tips that will help you improve your own photography.
Sometime in the next few weeks I’ll do a “what’s in my bag” post to further discuss the tools I use in the field.
The following tutorial shows how to create wall art from an image with a simple white background. It uses the Select Color Range feature to create a selection and mask. You may use any method you choose to create a selection for the mask but for this specific type of image Select Color Range is the quickest and most effective.
Photoshop brushes are something that most Photoshop users take for granted. But you can do so much with them if you learn how to create your own brushes. Custom brushes are extremely simple to create and can be used to add signatures, textures, art, and more to your images.
When I first saw this technique over a year ago I thought “bingo” it’s Polar Coordinates in Photoshop. Well it is, and it isn’t. It took some trial and error (because that’s how I learn best) behind the computer but I figured it out. There are other tutorials out there on how to do this and some suggest that you need special software. That’s not the case at all. All you need is a panoramic image or an image cropped to panoramic that has some symmetry from left to right and at least 1/3 sky at top. I find it best to shoot an image with this technique in mind. Follow along on the tutorial and try it on your own images. I’m using an image that I presented as a small world on the old photoblog (see links to the archives above) over a year ago.
Photoshop actions are very simple to create and use but their power and speed in use is great. Follow this tutorial to learn how you can create actions quickly and easily.
This simple technique takes less then a minute but gives you the option to create b&w line drawings, charcoal style art, or painterly color images. Follow along with the tutorial and you will see how easy this is to do. With a few adjustments after completion there are a lot of things you can use this process for so experiment and see where you can take it.
The Adobe Labs Pixel Bender Plug-In demonstrated in this tutorial is available from Adobe at this link. You must have Photoshop CS4 in order to use it. Additional filters for the plug-in can be downloaded from the Pixel Bender Exchange also linked from that page.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO SEE SOME BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGES-
After I issued the recent challenge to light paint still life subjects I had several people, via email and online posts outside this blog, express that they didn’t know how to use layers and layer masks in Photoshop. While doing so isn’t necessary for participating in the challenge, knowing how can definitely be a big help in creating unique images. I have created a video tutorial to show readers how to use layers and layer masks in the short video linked below. Make sure to view it in full screen mode. Enjoy.
