Archives For PhotoShop

Metlako Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

Post-processing with a Histogram – Highlights

Jay Patel —  August 13, 2012

Here’s a shot from Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. In an earlier post, we talked about using histogram to capture details in the highlights. Here, we’re going to talk a little bit about bringing out details in every part of the image.

After RAW processing, the photo looked like this:

Notice the lack of details in the water. We can use the lasso tool to draw a selection around the highlights in the water, and then look at the histogram to see what’s happening in that area (see image above). In this case, the histogram shows that the water is not overexposed – but the peak pretty narrow, and skewed to the right. There’s not a lot of detail in the water, and the highlights are pretty bright. We’ll blend a second exposure for that area and see if we can reduce the brightness just a bit – pull that peak apart with a little more contrast.

There are a variety of options for fixing the highlights. We might use an adjustment layer and a mask to bring out the details in the waterfall. Or, we might blend two exposures – one for the highlights in the water and the other for the surrounding forest. Either option will work just fine. Here’s the finished image after blending. The histogram for the selected area is wider, which shows that we have much better detail in the water.

To learn more about Layer and Mark check our iHDR webinars and our eBooks:

In Tutorials , , ,
permalink
Workflow Series Collection

The Workflow Series

Jay Patel —  August 9, 2012

Price:  $21.00 (10% Discount)

Format:  eBooks, PDF format

Collection:  Waterfalls, Coastlines, Mountains, Details & Macro

Requirement:  Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or greater

Add to Cart

Continue Reading…

In eBook Collections , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink
San Gregorio State Park, California (CA), USA

Photoshop How To: Lower Contrast Images

Jay Patel —  May 21, 2012

Sometimes we find ourselves photographing a scene where the light conditions are just perfect. We can capture the entire dynamic range with a single exposure, so no special filters or bracketing is necessary. But when you open up your raw file, it often appears to lack the contrast and details that you remember seeing while you were out in the field. This happens because the contrast and sensitivity of our eyes adjusts based upon the light conditions. The dynamic range of the sensor remains fixed. So, low contrast scenes end up using only a fraction of the dynamic range of the sensor, and this creates a flat and unappealing image. Here is a video that show how we deal with lower-contrast scenes like this one:

Layers and Mask are valuable tools that have the potential to dramatically improve your photography. To learn more about Layers and Masks, check out our webinars.

In Videos , , , , ,
permalink
San Gregorio State Park, California (CA), USA

Quick Tips: Targeted Adjustments in Photoshop

Jay Patel —  April 30, 2012

In many cases, a photograph will require small adjustments to specific areas to bring out the details and colors throughout the image. We refer to these area-specific changes as “targeted adjustments.”


Here’s a shot from San Gregorio Beach in California. In this finished image, each area of the image looks correctly exposed…but the camera didn’t capture it this way. Because the light over the entire scene was somewhat uneven, the camera underexposed some areas and overexposed others. This is a typical problem for nature photographers who can’t control the light over a large area. The image below shows what I mean.

To restore details, colors, and contrast in each part of the image, I used layers and masks in Photoshop. You can see all the layers and masks I used to make targeted adjustments below. I also used the clone tool to remove the distracting elements in the scene. Varina and I both use Wacom Intuos tablets to draw masks, for cloning, and to make adjustments. (Actually – neither of us uses a mouse anymore. A graphics tablet can do anything a mouse can do – and much more.) A stylus gives us far more control over minute details… which means we can work faster and more precisely.

Once I’m finished making changes, I flatten the layers and save the file. Targeted adjustments allow me to bring out rich details and colors in my photographs, and to produce a more appealing finished product.

To learn more about Layer’s and Mask check out our webinars below:

In Quick Tips , , , , , , ,
permalink
Nature Photography and iHDR Workflow Recordings

Photoshop How To: Layers and Mask

Jay Patel —  April 23, 2012

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

Here is a photo of St. Mary falls in Glacier National Park. You can see exquisite details and vibrant colors in every part of the image. But did the image come out looking like this, or did we have to make adjustments to the original? Most landscape photographs require some amount of post-processing for a natural look, and this photo was no exception. I made selected adjustment to the image using layers and masks in the photograph. The video below explains the adjustments I made and why I felt they were necessary.

Layers and Mask are valuable tools that have the potential to dramatically improve your photography. To learn more about Layers and Mask check out our webinar below:

In Videos , , , , , ,
permalink
St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

Why do you need Photoshop Layers and Masks?

Jay Patel —  March 26, 2012

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

We are often asked why we need to understand Layers & Masks in Photoshop? After all, we can always blend or adjust images using HDR software, right? Here’s a quick explanation.

Overexposed Highlights

After iHDR Blend

Take a look at the two images above. Notice that the highlights in the image on the left are overexposed. You can’t see any detail in the white areas in the water. In the second image, I corrected the overexposure with our iHDR workflow. I can create a similar blend using an automated HDR tool. But this is not a finished image. I want to take it further. I think the image needs some corrections to improve the contrast in the rocks, and to help focus the viewers attention on the water itself. To accomplish this, I used different layers and masks to limit each adjustments to a specific region. The image below show all the layers and masks I used, and the areas I targeted with each adjustment.

Adjustment Layers and Masks

It is true that I can accomplish the same adjustment without layers and masks in Photoshop, but adjustment layers combined with masks allow me a lot more freedom. I can fine-tune the adjustments I made on each layer without destroying the other layers. I can make adjustments to a single layer without having to retrace my steps. I can turn layers on and off to see what effect they have on one another. And I can add to or subtract from each mask to refine it at any time during the workflow.

I often save the image as a PSD file – with all those layers and masks intact – and return to it a few days later. In this way, I can keep track of all the adjustments I’ve made.

So, layers and masks let me take my blended image to the next level, and they allow me to preserve the processing steps I used to create the image. As my workflow gets more complex, layers and masks allow me to keep track of each adjustment, and gives me much greater control.

To learn more about Layers and Masks, check out Session 2 of our Nature Photography and iHDR Workflow Recording: Histograms and RAW Processing

In Q and A , , , , , , , ,
permalink
Histograms

eBook: What the heck is a Histogram?

Jay Patel —  January 30, 2012

Price: $10.00

Format: eBook, PDF format, 37 pages

Size: 21.9 MB

Requirement: Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or greater

Add to Cart

Continue Reading…

In eBooks , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink
Clifton Gorge

Photoshop Actions

Jay Patel —  December 8, 2011

When Jay and I have a series of steps that need to be accomplished in Photoshop over and over again, we build an action. The image you see above has a simple frame around it. If you look at any of my photographs on social networking sites – like Google+ or Facebook – you’ll see the same frame again and again. A few years ago, I built a simple action that would create that frame automatically. So now, every time I finish processing an image, I just click a single button. The image is re-sized, converted to the sRGB profile, framed, labeled, and saved in my portfolio. It’s quick and easy. When I prepare an image for my website, I do the same thing. One click and it’s done. Actions are a perfect solution to handling any repetitive tasks in PS… and we get questions about them all the time.

A few weeks ago, we hosted a hangout on Google+. We invited G+ community members to join us for a brief tutorial and a discussion about Photoshop Actions. We stared off by walking through the steps required to build a very simple action in Photoshop – and then we talked about saving, loading, and running actions. Afterwards, we took questions from the group. By the time we finished, we’d talked a bit about editing actions, and the limitations of using actions in PS.

Of course, we understand that many people can’t join us when we host a hangout… so, we recorded it for you. We’re posting it here for those who are interested. We hope you enjoy it!

In Videos , ,
permalink
Many Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

FREE Actions: Creating Frames and Watermarks

Varina Patel —  October 3, 2011

Today, we have a little gift for you. We’ve added a couple of new actions to our free collection and you can download the whole set for your own personal use! Feel free to adapt and change the actions to fit your needs!

People frequently ask us how we create the frames around the images we post on the web. So, we took some time to put together a collection of framing and watermark actions for those who might be interested in using them. You can download the complete set with this link:

http://www.photographybyvarina.com/free_downloads/actionsbyjayandvarina.zip

Just save the file on your computer, and then open Photoshop. Click on the drop-down menu at the top of the Actions Palette, and choose “Load Action”. Then, just browse to the location where you saved it and click on the file. It will appear in your list of actions. To run the action, just open any photograph and hit the play button.

Please be sure to use the “Save As” or “Save for Web” option to save your finished file. You don’t want to save over your original file!

Each of these actions will resize, convert to sRGB (for accurate color in most browsers), and sharpen your image. You can choose from a variety of action to produce a frame or a watermark to your specifications.

Black Frame – Create a black frame around your image. It can be personalized with your name or a title – or gibberish. Whatever makes you happy.

White Frame – Same as the black frame. Only it’s white. Go figure. :)

Overlay Copyright – Maybe you don’t want a frame. Some people prefer to place a copyright message directly on their image. This action does just that – creating a smooth, dark band underneath your personalized copyright text so that it stands out clearly on any photograph.

Overlay Watermark Letter or Symbol – This action produces a letter or copyright symbol that appears as a watermark on your photo – you can choose the font, size, and position for the watermark.

And the newest actions? Here you go!

Logo w/Black Background - This one actually allows you to use your own logo as a watermark on your photo – the sample image is at the top of the post. How cool is that? The action prompts you to choose the logo image file from your computer. Use this one if your logo has a black background…

Logo w/White Background - … and use this one if your logo has a white background!

And that’s all folks! We’d love to hear from you if you are using and liking these actions. Remember, each can be customized for your personal use. Have fun with them!

In Tutorials , ,
permalink

iHDR Workflow Overview

Varina Patel —  September 19, 2011

Heaven's Gate

We get lots of questions about how we blend our images. For photos with an extremely wide dynamic range – like the one you see here – we blend two or more exposures for a finished image. We use a manual technique that we’ve worked together to develop over the years. The process involves creating and refining masks to achieve a natural look. It would take too much time to explain the entire process – our recorded webinars teach the entire process in about 9 hours – but we’ve put together a brief video that shows our basic workflow.

You can purchase the webinars recordings at:  iHDR Webinar Recordings

In Videos , , , , ,
permalink