Digital Photography Easy

How to smooth skin in Photoshop

2009-08-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

Retouching skin is rarely an easy task. There are no absolutes when it comes to making skin look the “right” color, smoothing out wrinkles, or reducing blemishes and blotchiness. This tip will take you through one popular technique for smoothing skin texture for a younger, smoother look.

Step 1: Duplicate the background onto a new layer.

Anyone who as taken one of Jason Hoppe’s Photoshop retouching classes knows he is a strong advocate for non-destructive retouching techniques. As usual, we’ll preserve the original photo by duplicating the background image onto a new layer. Simply drag the thumbnail in the Layers palette to the New Layer icon.

Step 2: Apply the Surface Blur filter.

The Surface Blur filter was introduced in Photoshop CS2. Rather than blurring your entire image, the Surface Blur filter provides a “smart” smoothing effect that protects areas of contrast or detail. Notice in our example how the skin is smoothed, yet the pupil edges in our subject’s eyes remains crisp.

Choose Filter > Blur > Surface Blur

Blur the new layer to the point where the skin imperfections are no longer noticeable, but no further than that. The Radius option specifies the size of the area sampled for the blur. The Threshold option controls how much the tonal values of neighboring pixels must diverge from the center pixel value before being part of the blur.

Step 3: Add a Layer Mask. Reveal eyes, eyebrows, lips, etc

To finish up this quick technique, we add a layer mask to our newly blurred layer. This way we can use the blurred layer to smooth out skin blemishes while allowing the crisp details from our model’s eyes, lips and hair to show through. You can approach this step in two different ways:

Option 1: Reveal everything on the blurred layer and carefully expose the areas of detail from your underlying image. For this approach, choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All, or click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of your layers pane. The layer mask will be indicated by a white icon to the right of your layer, and painting in black on that mask will expose your underlying image.

Option 2: Hide everything and carefully paint over your original image with the smoothed skin layer. For this approach, choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All, or Option/Alt-click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of your layers pane. The layer mask will be indicated by a black icon to the right of your layer, and painting in white on that mask lets you reveal your newly smoothed skin.

Whichever approach you pick, you should end up with a layer like the one shown above — a virtual halloween mask that smoothes out the skin, yet with holes that let the sharper details of the original face’s eyes, lips and eyebrows show through.

Tip: To keep your subject looking natural, adjust the opacity of the blurred layer to a level that lets some of the skin’s original texture peak through — usually between 50%-80% opacity.

This is one quick way to create smoother, younger, skin in Photoshop.

Source: This tip comes directly from Jason Hoppe’s sell-out workshop last Wednesday: Photoshop - Retouching Skin. If you live in the Seattle-area, make sure to check out creativetechs.com/miniworkshops for a list of upcoming topics. There is also an excellent book that dives deeply into the subject of retouching skin in Adobe Photoshop: Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies by Lee Varis.

Via [creativetechs.com]

Configuring Photoshop Color for Print Result

2009-08-07T03:51:00.000-07:00

Photoshop: Go under the Edit menu and choose Color Settings.

This brings up the Color Settings dialog

One of the benefits of choosing North America Prepress 2 is that it turns on warnings (for example, it looks for a profile mismatch) and gives you the opportunity to fix it. For example, if you set your camera to shoot in Adobe RGB 1998, and Photoshop is set that same way too, they match, so it's smooth sail-ingno warnings appear. However, if you open a photo you took six months ago, it will probably be in sRGB, and that doesn't match your Photoshop workspace (it's a mismatch). So, I recommend that you reopen the Color Settings dialog, go under Color Management Policies, and change your default setting (from the RGB pop-up menu) to Convert to Working RGB. Then, for Profile Mismatches, turn off the Ask When Opening checkbox. That way, your old photos will automatically update to match your current working space when you re-open them in Photoshop.

Okay, so what if a friend emails you a photo, you open it in Photoshop, and the photo doesn't have any color profile at all? Well, once that photo is open in Photoshop CS2, you can convert that "untagged" image to Adobe RGB (1998) by going under the Edit menu and choosing Assign Profile. When the Assign Profile dialog appears, click on the Profile radio button, ensure Adobe RGB (1998) is selected in the pop-up menu, and then click OK.

Create Animation Using Adobe Photoshop

2009-08-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

First sure open image

Now press the "Jump to Imageready" button, alternatively you can press CTRL+SHIFT+M.

Ok now you will see your two layers in Imageready. At the bottom you will see the Frames area, this is what we will be using to create our blend between images. Firstly select the "Duplicates current frame" button.

Now you want to goto over to your layers and press the eye icon to make one of them invisible, so you have two seperate images on the two frames.

Now create a third frame, and make it so that it shows the same as frame one.

Now we need to use the Tween tool I explained earlier. The tween tool is located directly left of the "Duplicate Current Frame" button.

Click onto frame two, and then choose the tween tool. This will bring up a menu. Its upto you what settings you use, the more frames you have the bigger filesize the end result will be. I'm going to go for three frames.

As you can see this has added three frames between frame one and frame three, each one slowly blending into the next. Now, move to your end frame and repeat the same tweening steps again. This should give you the same results as me.

You can now press the Play icon (two across to the left of the tween icon) to view your animation upto now. With the hard work now being done, we can simply choose to change how long each frame stays visible. Its usually a good idea to not change the time of the frames that are in the "blending stages" as this will result in a choppy animation. You can change the time of each frame by pressing the little arrow next to where it says "0secs" and clicking on your desired time. I have choosen a two second pause for each of my images once the blending has finished as you can see below.

Once your happy with your finished product, you save it by going to File, Save Optimized As (remember as a .gif), and then choosing a file name and place to save your new animation.

For full article and better resolution image, Visit http://www.tutiki.org/w/index.php/Basics_Of_Animation

Make Your Amateur Photos More Professional

2009-07-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

Note: This is my favorite tutorials

With everyone and their grandmother having a digital camera you can make almost anybody look like a professional photographer, well, better-than-amateur at least. You can use this simple process on almost any photo you take.

Let’s start with our regular, old, point-and-shoot photo. This one was taken with a little higher-end camera, but it can still use a lot of work.

First, we’re going to sharpen our image a bit using the Unsharp Mask [Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask]. We don’t want anything too drastic, so I used some low settings. Amount: 40%; Radius: 0.9 pixels; Threshold: 1 level. You basically want enough to make a difference, but you don’t want any glowing or hard edges.

Now we’re going to add a Levels Adjustment layer [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels]. When the Levels dialog opens, just click on Auto. A lot of people frown on the Auto Levels, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, they’re a lifesaver.

Next step is to add a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment layer [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast]. Increase the Contrast a little bit, 10 is usually a good standard amount. Too much and it looks fake.

One more adjustment layer… the Hue/Saturation Adjustment layer [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation]. Increase the Saturation very slightly. I usually never use more than 5-6.

Now you can probably already see how much of a difference these few steps make. One of the features of Photoshop CS is the Photo Filter Adjustment layer. I went ahead and added a Photo Filter Adjustment layer [Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter], with the default Warming(85) setting.

It’s a subtle change, but it usually makes the photo look nicer.

You can stop now and still end up with a nice photo, or you can continue on to add a little bit of background blur.

I’m going to start by duplicating my Background Layer [Ctrl + J]. Then go to [Filter > Blur > Lens Blur]. I left the settings default, and just lowered the Radius down until I get a decent, but not too drastic blur.

Now add a Layer Mask to your blurred layer [Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All] and paint the focal areas black to hide the blur. Once you’re done, you can even alter the opacity of the blurred layer to reduce the amount of the blur.

Here’s a comparison to the original:

Via [photoshoplab.com]

Unsharp Mask Sharpening Technique

2009-07-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

Almost all digital images need some degree of sharpening to bring out detail in the subject.

Sharpening filters bring out detail by increasing the contrast of pixels next to one another. More advanced image editing programs offer several options such as Sharpen, Sharpen More, Sharpen Edges, Smart Sharpen and Unsharp Mask (USM). Unsharp Mask gives you a lot of control over how an image is sharpened. Even basic editing programs, such as Picasa, offer a Sharpen feature, though it usually sharpens all parts of an image equally, giving you no control.

A photo may benefit from selective sharpening. You select an area with a programs selection tool and only sharpen the selected area. The important thing is not sharpen an image too much.

Original

Sharpened

Over sharpened

Unsharp mask-tutorial

The Unsharp Mask filter corrects the softness often visible in digital photos. It also corrects blurring that occurs when an image is reduced in size.

Unsharp mask slliders

This tutorial is illustrated using Photoshop. Click image for a larger view of the Unsharp Mask options.

Begin by opening an image then selecting the menu and sub menus Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask.

Check Preview so you can watch changes take place the sliders are adjusted.

The Amount Slider increases the contrast of image pixels.

The Radius Slider determines the number of pixels near edge pixels that are influenced by the amount of sharpening.

The Threshold slider is used to prevent introducing noise.

The degree of sharpness depends on the settings used. Programs such as Photoshop also let you “fade” the effect to reduce the overall sharpness. Experiment a bit until you are satisfied with the degree of sharpening.

The results of using Unsharp Mask filter are more pronounced when preparing an image for online viewing. You may need to use different settings when preparing an image for print.

Via [digicamhelp.com]

Another Trick Color Correction

2009-07-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

before and after

As you can see above, the top photo needs a little help. That picture was taken in the middle of the afternoon, and it was cloudy outside, giving it that really blue hue. I wanted to try and bring some color back into the picture and make it look a little more natural. I also wanted to accomplish this in less than 5 minutes!

Once you have your image open, go over to the layers palette and click on the Adjustment/Fill Layer menu and choose "Curves...".

create a new curves layer

Now, I'm not gonna get into color theory because a) I don't really know anything and b) there is so much information out there that you can read that is much better than anything i could tell you.

Essentially, since we are in RGB color mode, there are 3 "channels" of color: Red, Green and Blue. And the Curves layer lets you adjust those channels individually.

So let's go to the blue channel first since blue is the overriding color in this photo and that's what we're trying to correct. To pull some blue out, just click and drag the curve up.

adjust the blue channel up.

OK, some of the blue is out, but the picture is a little dark, so let's bring up the other channels to add more light and color to the image. Go to the green channel and pull the curve down to increase the green levels in the photo.

it's not easy being green

Now go to the red channel and increase the red levels in the photo, giving the skin a more natural look and balancing out the overall image.

seeing red

Of course, every image is different, and you will need to do some tweaking to get everything to your liking. If you want, you can also adjust the opacity of the curves layer to tone down the amount of correction.

adjust your opacity

That's it! Obviously, you can get pretty crazy with curves, so experiment as much as you want. It is a really powerful way to edit your images. I hope you're able to use this technique on your pics!

Via [stevekarsch.com]

Photo Color Cast Correction

2009-07-24T02:45:00.000-07:00

By squaredd
A quick way to get rid of unwanted color casts in your photographs.
Page 1 : Getting started...
Here is a quick and easy way to get rid of unwanted color casts in your photographs. It is the method they taught in a recent Photoshop seminar for Photographers I attended and it works like a charm on almost any image. This tutorial is for Photoshop users so I am uncertain whether it would translate to other programs such as PaintShopPro. I'm going to present it in a barebones fashion, no explanations of the theory behind it, just the steps involved in action. So without further ado, let's get right to it!

Page 2: Halfway there...
First open your photo in Photoshop and duplicate it. (Just so at the end you can toggle and see the difference between start and finish.) For this example I am using tampadan's Mother and Daughter photo because of the strong yellow/green cast it has.
Once the image is opened and duplicated go to Image - Adjustments - Threshold and move the slider all the way to the left until you are left with just a little blob of black about 5 pixels across, no smaller. Move the cursor over it (you will have defaulted to the eyedropper tool) and hold Shift and then click on the blob. This will set a marker on your image.

Now go back to the Threshold slider and pull it all the way to the right until you are left with just a small blob of white 5 pixels across and Shift/click on it too. Again this will set a marker, and it will be numbered #2. When doing this pick make sure the white blob is not one made by a shiny highlight in your image. For example the glint off of glasses or any reflection off of metal is not good to use. (You can click on and off the Preview checkbox in the Threshold dialog to see what you are picking.)

Cancel out of the Threshold dialog box. Don't worry about the markers disappearing, they'll come back.

Page 3: Finishing up....
Go to Image - Adjustments - Curves. In the curves box you will see three eyedroppers.
It is suggested that you preset the white point in the Curves dialog. Do this by double clicking on the white (right) eyedropper, then set the RGB values to 240. This prevents any real trashing of detail by over whitening. There is also a theory that you should change the RBG values for the black (left) eyedropper to 20, but I think that is really more of a personal preference on your part.

Now chose the left eyedropper (single click on it), the dark levels one, then go to your image and click on the marker, #1, you set when you had the threshold levels to the left.
Then click on the right eyedropper and click on the marker you set with the light, or right threshold level, the one marked #2.
Next is the middle eyedropper. This is the only real judgment call you are going to have to make. You need to click on an object you recognize that shouldn't contain any color at all. A grey object preferably. Perhaps the tire of a car, a grey stripe in a shirt, the pavement of a road, etc. In this example I used the daughters shirt up near the collar. (If you are stuck then go to the Info palate and take the eyedropper for a tour around your image. Look at the RGB numbers. Find a spot in your image where they are as close to being equal to each other as possible (because equal parts of red, green and blue equal grey) and click there.

If you are not entirely pleased you can try clicking the middle dropper in another grey area for a different result. Remember that you should only be using the eyedroppers that help. Sometimes a color cast is wanted, like in a sunset, or a fire. In that case just use the ones that help, probably the middle and black ones.
Finally, toggle back and forth between the original and the adjusted images to make certain that you are satisfied with the results, then save. If you follow these steps then you images should come out well color balanced in less than 5 minutes worth of easy work!
Source Worth 1000 Photoshop Trick [worth1000.com]

Add Another Dimension

2009-07-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

This tutorial will teach you to create stunning effects using glows, loads of Colour Dodge, and lots and lots of neon – hot pinks and lemon yellows are prominent here. You’ll also learn how to utilise white in all the right places, so that white areas look less like negative space and more like the result of added energy and light.

This tutorial stresses the importance of strong colour. The background of this piece contains a faint fl oral pattern, which is key, but very subtle. It does not call your attention or stand out on its own. Rather, it serves its purpose as a background correctly. In addition, another dimension is added using flowers and scanned imagery, giving the image a truly organic feel. So keep in mind the importance of strong colours and solid composition in all your work and you’ll see instant results.

Click here to download support files

Click here to download the tutorial for free

Via [www.computerarts.co.uk]

Fantasy Art

2009-07-24T01:32:00.000-07:00

Fantasy Art tutorials are enormous, so here is one more, called “Plasma” (Star, not the TV!) which I hope you’d enjoy.

1. Make a new canvas, we used 600*480 px here, but the size is of course optional.

2. Select the Gradient Tool, using two shades of blue (see below), fill your canvas, so that the darker colour will be on top.

3. Take a photo of a girl. Traditionally I am using Becca’s photo from her Deviant Art account, but you can replace her with any semi-sitting figure of your choice. Crop the figure and paste her unto your canvas. In needed, resize her so that she will fit in.

4. To get rid of the visible crappy cropping, and to give the girl more emphasis, add blueish glow to her by going to Layer >> Layer Styles >> Outer Glow and applying the following settings:

This is what you would get:

5. Make a new Layer. Make sure your primarily and secondary colours are black and white. Go to Filter >> Render >> Clouds

And, if needed apply the clouds effect a several times to achieve the desired randomly “clouded” effect.

6. Reduce the opacity of the layer to semi-visible.

7. Press Ctrl+T for free transform, and then right mouse click and “Scew”. Drag the left corner of the clouds layer, as shown on the illustration below:

Press “Enter” when you are done, then Ctrl + D to deselect the layer.

8. Duplicate the clouds layer. Select the upper layer and go to Edit >> Transform >> Flip Horizontal.

9. Select the girl’s layer from layers panel and drag it to the top, so that it would be your utmost upper layer.

Remember to remove the parts where layers turn to be on top of one another.

10. Take a photo of a lake with water circles. We used this one from Digital Free Photo, but again – this is optional.

Paste the layer unto your composition, so that the circles in the water will be “around” the girls or your main figure.

11. Using the Eraser Tool, remove the lower part of the girl’s layer, so create the illusion as if she is really sitting inside the water and the water circles are “from” her.

12. Set lake’s layer blending options to Luminosity.

13. Drag the Layers of the clouds on top of the water later and using eraser tool with soft edge (100px) remove the sharp parts, so that only the “steaming” clouds will remain, no edges.

14. Now to the hard bit – creating the plasma cycles.
Make a new layer (this is important) and place it on top of all the others.

15 Using the Elliptical Marquee tool, draw and ellipse. While the ellipse on the new layer is selected, Right-mouse-click and choose “stroke”. Apply the settlings below for the stroke effect:

16. Press Ctrl + T to free transform, and then right-mouse-click >> Prospective. Try to distort the round layer you have to it would look like the line is surrounding or flowing around the girl.

17. Using the Eraser tool with big soft edge, remove the “farther” part of the round, behind her head, like this:

18. While this layer is selected, go to Layer >> Layer styles >> Outter glow and apply the following glow settlings:

19. Duplicate the layer a several times and each time transform the round using the prospective settlings, so that the circles chaotically surround the main figure’s body.

20. Remember to leave the “front” part of the circle visible and erase the “back” part of it. This is more or less what you should have by now:

21. Flatten the Layer.
22. Go to Image >> Adjustments >> Levels and apply the following settlings to give the image an overall bluish hue:

23. Duplicate the layer.
24. While the upper layer is selected (and your background colour in the palette is set to white), go to Filter >> Distort >> Diffuse Glow and apply these glow settings.

25. Reduce the opacity of the “glowing layer” to 20% (or less, depends on your image).
26. Flatten the layer again to merge both layers into one.

27. Using some star brushes (download free on deviant Art resources page), apply the stars chaotically around and allover the glowing cycles.

28. Select the background layer (the artwork, not the stars) and to to Renters >> Lightening effect, apply the following spot light effect twice.

29. Get back to Stars layer, and go to Layer >> Layer Styles >> Outer Glow, and add the following glow using white #ffffff colour.

30. Duplicate the stars layer.
31. Go to Filter >> Blur >> Radial Blur and apply these settings.

You may choose to reduce the opacity of this layer if you feel the rounded blurred effect is too strong. That’s it, your artwork is ready:

Via [pswish.com]

Coloring Effects

2009-07-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Today we will have a photo edit tutorial and sure, it is simple and easy to follow as usual. I think you may see this in many music album CD cover and some artist poster or wallpaper. Ok, let’s start then.

This is the photo that I found in Google image.

If you wish to use mine, just download here.

Step 1

Open the image in PS.

Step 2

Go to the bottom of the layers palette and click on the Hue/Saturation option. Set the setting as below:

Step 3

After that, you may get this:

Step 4

Create a new layer and set it to Soft Light Blend mode. Choose a 48px hard brush and paint the new layer as shown below. You can choose the colors you like.

Step 5

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur > 90 pixels.

Step 6

Yup, youâ€™re done! Itâ€™s easy and now you can edit your photo yourself easily. Thanks!

Tips:

The lower the saturation will decrease the color more.
So, the lower the saturation will increase the visibility of the painted color.

Via [kailoon.com]

Changing Hair Color

2009-07-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Author: Yulrp
Level : Intermediate
Environment : Adobe Photoshop CS 2

Steps for Changing Hair Color

1) Choose a good image

Good Hair Image

2) Choose the Pen Tool to select a particular area of hair. After that press Ctrl+Enter to make selection.

Pen Tool

3) Add a new layer(Ctl +Shift + N) and paste(Ctl+ V) the copied area on the same place.

Paste copied Hair on same place but New Layer Fig 1.A

Paste copied Hair on same place but New Layer Fig 1.B

4) Go to the Image menu,choose >Adjustments>Variations>and choose any good color you want. Here I have choosen green color. Now you will see that the edges will be very sharp,we need to merge it with the real hair. To do this, choose the eraser tool, reduce the opacity value to around 20 %and erase sharp edges.

Erase sharp edges using eraser tool

5)Now our Green colored hair is perfect. Check out the image below:

Green Shade on hair

You can use the same method mentioned above to make a different shade. Check out the image below:

Brown Shade on top portion of hair
Via [www.cgshelf.com]

Repair old photos with Photoshop

2009-07-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last week my aunt sent me some old photos of me as a kid. She had found them in an old box and kindly scanned them for me, though the truth is that they arrived to my email inbox in a pretty bad shape. I’m not sure if it was due to the conditions the original photos were in or my aunt’s poor skills at scanning, but I immediately felt the urge to launch Photoshop and give those images the color, light and sharpness they used to have 25 years ago. If, like me, you also have some old pictures you’d like to rescue from oblivion, here’s a basic Photoshop tutorial on how to restore old photos.

1. Open your old photo. This is me and my cousin just a few years ago. Before actually starting the job, duplicate the background layer to avoid permanent damage to the original image.

2. As we’re going to work with small details, I’d suggest you zoom in the image to a reasonable level so that you can work comfortably. Then select the Healing Brush tool (highlighted in the screenshot) and work following these steps: press Alt and click to select a proper color tone, release the Alt key and now click on the area you want to repair with the previous selected color. The Healing Brush tool works perfect for large areas that have a similar color: walls, doors, etc.

3. Other elements in the picture (spots and small scratches on faces, clothes, skin) will need special handling. In those cases, select the Clone Stamp tool and use just like the Healing Brush: Alt+click to select source color, click to apply it. Work bit by bit and be patient, this is not a competition. Mastering the Healing Brush and Clone Stamp tools can take a while, so don’t give up, keep on trying and undo any step if necessary.

4. Once the photo is free from dust, scratches, spots and other artifacts, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels or press Ctrl+L to open the Levels tool. Feel free to tweak settings until you obtain the desired result, or simply go for the Auto mode, which is what I did in this case.

5. Your old photo should look much younger now!

Restored photo

Original photo

Via [http://en.onsoftware.com]

How to: Apply a cartoon effect to your photos

2009-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you don’t need a complicated effect to spice up your images in Photoshop. This suite is powerful enough to have special filters that do almost the whole work by themselves, turning a dull image into a cheerful, lively shot. This is the case of the Poster edges filter, which enables you to apply an original cartoonish effect to your photos. Follow these simple steps and see how easy it can be!

1. Open the image you want to work with – ideally, a portrait.

2. Duplicate the background layer by dragging it to the “New layer” icon.

3. Go to Filter > Artistic > Poster edges and apply the effect to your image. As the effect has a preview window, you can easily adjust settings until you obtain the desired result.

4. Now go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and increase both values for a more cartoonish look.

5. Your effect is ready!

Via [http://en.onsoftware.com]

How to: get a tattoo done in Photoshop

2009-07-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Summer is traditionally the season when most people get their tattoos done. In a way it makes sense, because you usually wear tank tops and shorts, and can therefore show them off. But if you haven’t made up your mind yet, why don’t you try a Photoshop tattoo instead? It’s the perfect way to check how the design will look on you before actually using needles and ink. Plus, it can be redone and erased any time!

1. The first step is obviously opening the images of the person and the tattoo you’re going to work with. You can use your own photo or a friend’s. As for the tattoo, search Google Images for “flash tattoos” and you’ll find tons of designs.

2. Move the tattoo onto the photo with the move (V) tool and resize it with Ctrl+T to make it fit the body. Use also the Distort and Perspective tools if necessary (both under the Edit > Transform menu) so that the tattoo looks as realistic as possible.

3. Now change the tattoo layer blending mode to Multiply and you’ll see that all the white in the original tattoo magically disappears.

4. Finally reduce the tattoo’s opacity, apply a blurring effect to make it look even more real, and you’re done! As you can see, the effect works both with black and color tattoos.

Via [http://irwandiaz.blogspot.com]

Add a water reflection effect to your photos

2009-07-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Water is usually an attractive element in pictures, creating beautiful effects and reflections. But if the water area in your photos doesn’t look that great, don’t worry: you still have an ace up your sleeve. Simply launch Photoshop and follow this tutorial to create a nice water reflection effect on any image you have – as long as there’s already water on it.

1. Open your photo and duplicate the background layer. This is always the first step in all Photoshop works as it enables you to work on the picture without ruining the original.

2. Use the Marquee tool (M) to select the area outside water and press Ctrl+J to duplicate it on a new layer.

3. Use the Move tool (V) to drag this area to the bottom of the picture, just where the water reflection should appear.

4. Water is not an exact copy of reality, so we need to add some special effects to the reflection. First, create a new layer and fill it with blue. Then select the reflection in “Layer 2″ (Ctrl+click on the layer’s thumbnail), go back to the blue layer and click on the Add layer mask button. This will create a mask with the same size as the reflection. Lower the blue layer’s opacity to around 40%.

5. Duplicate “Layer 2″ and go to Filters > Blur > Motion blur. Apply a blur effect with a 0º angle and the appropriate value in pixels, until you obtain something similar to this image.

6. Now copy the mask from the blue layer to the blur layer by holding Alt while dragging the mask from one layer to another. Apply a Gradient effect to this layer (”Foreground to background”) from the shore edge to the bottom. This will make the reflection more crisp near the shore and more blurred on the edges.

7. Create another new layer (below the blue one) and copy the same mask onto it just like you did on the previous stage. Grab the Gradient tool again (”Foreground to Transparent”) but this time go from the bottom to the shore line.

8. Your picture is done! The effect can be worked further by adding some extra gradients or even trying the Distort > Displace filter to create waves, but this result is good enough already.

Source

Colorize a black and white image in Photoshop

2009-07-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Black and white images have their own special beauty, but some people still prefer colored ones. If you’re among them you’ll probably be interested in this simple Photoshop trick which lets you color any black and white photo. The process is long and tedious, but pretty straightforward. Plus you can fully customize each color you use, and therefore add an original final touch: a vintage photo, a fantasy image with surrealistic colors… anything goes!

1. Open the image you want to color and change to Quick Mask mode by clicking on the marked icon.

2. Grab the Brush tool and start painting over any area you want to color. In this case, we’ll start by coloring the skin area, so we want to cover every single bit of skin that appears on the image.

3. When you’re done, go back to Normal mode (press Q) and the photo will display a selection. Go to Select > Inverse to make this selection fit around the areas you just painted.

4. Now click on the Adjustment layer button in the Layers palette (the one marked in the image below) and select Color Balance. Move the sliders in Shadows, Midtones and Highlights until you find the color you’re looking for.

5. Then simply keep on repeating all previous steps once again on different areas in the photo, until all the elements are colored.

6. Your image is finished!

Source

Common Digital Photography Mistakes

2009-06-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

Here are seven major flaws that I look for in every photo I evaluate, be they yours or mine.

1. Camera shake

Camera shake is evident in the first photo.

There’s some amount of camera shake in every hand-held shot. Using a fast shutter, you can minimize it, but it’s always present to some degree.

Pay attention to your shutter speed. If it’s faster than 1/60th of a second, your picture might come out reasonably sharp, but only if you’re at the wide angle end of your camera’s zoom range. If you’re at the telephoto end, you’ll need something faster than 1/250th of a second. But no matter what the shutter speed, if you want optimal results, use a tripod!

2. Misplaced focus

Focused on back, not eye or head.

Most of those soft, dreamy pictures don’t look artistic, just out of focus. It’s caused by the camera’s auto-focus system locking onto the wrong element in the picture.

That’s a killer issue for macros and close-ups, where clarity is the first thing a critic will look for, and sharp focus on the eyes is essential for portraits.

Read the manual on the various modes of auto-focus your camera offers, and use the one that will place primary focus where it will do the most good.

3. Empty skies

A blank sky does nothing to enhance a composition. It can be a sign of improper metering, poorly chosen perspective, or impatience.

Want great results?

Get up early or wait until the late afternoon to take that picture of a red barn standing in a field of waving wheat.

Editors note: a sky can be added to some photos when editing.

4. Titled Horizons

Watch the horizon when composing!

A tilt of as little as half a degree in the horizon can throw a fine landscape out of kilter. That’s why pro landscape photographers buy expensive tripods that have built-in levels. Digital photo editing programs make it much easier, since there are leveling tools built into them.

Make checking for a level horizon a top priority. If you don’t, it will be one of the first things you’ll hear about.

5. Bad Backgrounds

Trees and other “stuff” growing out of people’s heads, bright objects drawing attention away from the subject, blown highlights… the list is never ending.

The fact is, the background will account for 50% of the grade your picture gets.

It’s so important that I compose for the background first, and then figure out how to insert the subjects into it.

6. Direct Flash in People Pictures

Harsh shadows, washed out look and red-eye cause by direct flash

Skin, eyes, lips, and teeth are all reflective surfaces. Fire a flash directly at them, and you’ll have a maze of distracting harsh highlights and shadows.

A camera’s internal flash is like a half-sized spare tire useful only in emergencies. For quality results, use natural light or buy an external flash than works in bounce mode.

7. Over-Sharpening

The Unsharp Mask is both wonderful and the most destructive filter in your toolkit.

It’s often misused in attempts to correct camera shake or misplaced focus. In that mode it’s great for creating ugly halos at the edges of objects, and crunchy skies. Better not to use it at all than to over-apply it.

Original, sharpened, over-sharpened

Via [digicamhelp.com]

Mastering Pen Tool

2009-06-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Pen Tool makes appearances across almost the entire Adobe product range. Its function and behavior varies depending on the application, but by mastering it youll find you work quicker, smoother and with better results. This guide will give you a comprehensive basis for working with the Pen Tool in Photoshop.

Author: Ian Yates

Ian Yates is a graphic designer specializing in illustration and web design based in Spain. He works with clients far and wide and is proud to be part of the world's growing community of freelancers.

Functions

Pen tool : Click on the canvas to create paths with straight segments, click and drag to create paths with Bezier curves.

Freehand Pen tool : Click on the canvas and drag to draw paths freely, as though using a brush.

Add Anchor Point tool : Click on a path segment to add anchor point.

Delete Anchor Point tool : Click on anchor point to remove from path.

Convert Point tool : Click on an anchor point and drag to create bezier handles where there were none, click on an anchor point with handles to a remove them.

Keyboard Shortcuts

P : Select Pen tool or Freeform Pen tool, depending on which was selected most recently

The Cursors

The Pen tool takes on different forms depending on what you're doing when youre using it. Each one intuitively makes you aware of the action you are about to perform.

(Caps Lock to toggle between pointer and cross hair in some cases)

Prepared to begin path
while midway through creating or editing a path
When mouse is pressed
Add an anchor point to path
Remove anchor point from path
When hovered over begin point of path; to close path
When hovered over endpoint of existing path; to continue path, or (if path is active) to edit that point
Prepared to convert existing anchor point
Freehand Pen Tool
Magnetic Freehand Pen Tool
Direct Selection Tool; Pen Tool with Command pressed
Path Selection Tool; Pen Tool with Command + Alt pressed
When hovered over canvas with Ctrl pressed; prepared for options menu

Secondary Mouse Controls (with path selected and Auto Add/Delete checked)

Pen tool hover over anchor point : changes to Delete anchor point tool
Pen tool hover over path segment : changes to Add anchor point tool

Keyboard Controls

Hold Ctrl and click on canvas. Opens up an options menu.
Hold Shift to constrain movements to 45°, 90°, 135° or 180° while creating or editing anchor points and handles.
Select anchor point with Direct selection tool and click Delete. Anchor and adjoining path segments are deleted leaving two paths.
Pen tool + Option (Alt): changes to Convert anchor point tool.
Pen tool + Option (Alt) while editing bezier curve: splits curve (unhinges handles).
Pen tool + Command whilst creating path: changes to Direct Selection tool allowing repositioning of previously drawn anchor points.

Options

The Options Bar (Window > Options), usually located at the top of your screen, provides the most important options for whichever tool is selected. This is also true of the Pen Tools and their options are outlined below:

Presets: Allows presets to be saved for whichever tool is selected. Define the options as discussed below and save as a Preset to quickly come back to those settings later.

Shape Layers: while this is selected, paths created will contribute to a shape, visible within the Paths palette and within the Layers palette as a vector mask.

Paths: while this is selected, paths created will contribute to a path, visible within the Paths palette.

Fill Pixels: The third path type option, available while one of the shape tools is selected. While this is selected, paths created will become filled areas.

Pen Tool: Selects the Pen Tool.

Freehand Pen Tool: Selects the Freehand Pen Tool.

Rubber Band: Available from within the Pen Options dropdown while the Pen Tool is selected. Rubber Band gives a visual of the path youre about to create, without you having the cursor pressed on the canvas.

Curve fit: Available from within the Freehand Pen Options dropdown while the Freehand Pen Tool is selected. Value entered determines the accuracy to which bezier handles will be added to your freely drawn path. The higher the value, the more accurate your result will be. A value of between 0.5 and 10 pixels is required.

Magnetic: Available from the Options bar and within the Freehand Pen Options dropdown while the Freehand Pen Tool is selected. When selected, paths drawn will magnetize to pixels. The Magnetic settings as shown below, determine the width of the area the path is prepared to jump across, the contrast of the pixels necessary to attract the path and the frequency of anchor points added to the path.

Pen Pressure: Available from within the Freehand Pen Options dropdown while the Freehand Pen Tool is selected. When selected, the pressure applied to a graphics tablet (if youre using one) influences the pen width.

Auto Add/Delete: Available when the Pen Tool is selected; allows adding and removing of anchor points with the normal Pen Tool (see Secondary Mouse Controls).

Pathfinder Tools: These allow addition, subtraction, intersection and exclusion of the paths you create..

Layer Style: Available when Shape Layer is selected; this applies layer styles to shapes on a new layer (if chain link is unselected) or to shapes on the current layer (if chain link is selected)..

Other Shortcuts and Tips

(With path selected) Spacebar to give you access to the Hand tool. Move your screen without deselecting the path or changing tools.
Go to View > Snap To > Grid to allow precise creation of curves with the Pen Tool.

Best Practice Suggestions

Drag handles from the first anchor point when beginning a curved path.
Drag your handles around just one third of the curve youre creating for a smooth path.

Position anchor points on a curve where the paths begin to change direction, not in the middle of its curve.

Be sparing with your use of anchor points, fewer points = neater path.

The Exercise

This is all well and good in theory, but while these tips are fresh in your mind why not put them into practice? Download the Pen Tool Exercise file and follow the guides to create precise paths, using the hints and shortcuts covered in this article.

Via [psd.tutsplus.com]

A Guide to Touching Up Your Digital Photos

2009-06-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

One problem when starting out with digital photography was how to touch up my raw digital images.

Perhaps an image was slightly dark, perhaps it had to be rotated or cropped. Maybe some dirty spots had to be cleaned out and erased.

Digital photos usually require some form of manipulation before final output. So here's a short guide which I've compiled to help you touch up your photos.
Step 1: Start Up Your Image Editor

The first step, of course, is to fire up your favorite image editing program. For beginners, it's best to get a program like Ulead PhotoImpact. It's a great tool that allows you to achieve professional photo effects using simple, easy-to-follow steps.

Ok - with your image editor ready, open the picture you want to edit within the program and save a backup copy.

Step 2: Remove Red-Eye

If you're taking photos of people, chances are you may have taken a photo with red-eye problems. This is easily removed with image editing software. In Paint Shop Pro, select the Red-Eye Removal tool in the menu and voila, the program does all the work for you. In Ulead PhotoImpact, there's an equivalent tool called Remove Red Eye in the Tool Panel.

Step 3: Rotate and Crop

If you've taken a photo in a wrong orientation, it's easily corrected with little loss in quality by using a rotate tool. You'll also want to do some cropping of your photo to remove cluttered surroundings that draw attention away from your subject. For example, I find cropping very useful if my subject is occupying only the middle portion of the photograph. Cut away the two sides of the picture and you have a much more professional look.

Step 4: Play with Color

Don't be afraid to experiment with colors. Image editing programs put a lot of power in your hands. You can make the leaves purple, change the entire photo to black and white, add a sepia effect - almost anything you want. A good photo editing program will have automatic color balance options to adjust color defects in your pictures.

Step 5: Blurring Effects

Sometimes I like to add a blurring effect to my photos. What you can do here is to select areas of the photo which are unimportant and blur them out. This will bring more attention to the main subject of your photo. For example, if I had a picture of a flower and I wanted to play down the details in the leaves in background, I might add a blurring effect to the background.

Step 6: Sharpen Up

Sharpening the image is the next step in the photo touch up process. Contrary to popular belief, you can't actually sharpen an out of focus image. What I typically do when sharpening an image is to selectively sharpen. That is, I select a part of the image, maybe a person's eyes and sharpen only that area. Leave unimportant areas unsharpened.

Step 7: Resize

Depending on your needs, you may want to resize your photo. If you're emailing a picture to a friend, you'll want to resize the picture down to a much smaller size. If you're printing the photo on a greeting card, you can scale down the image to the size of a 4x6 print.

Step 8: Save Your Work

Ok, you're pretty much done. Remember to save your work in the appropriate image format. Use the large TIFF image format if you want to retain all details for subsequent image editing. On the other hand, you can use the JPEG image format if you want to just send the picture via email or upload them to your website.

Conclusion

Alrighty then! Now you know the secret to touching up and preparing your raw digital photos for output. I'd say that not all the above steps are truly necessary in a given situation. Remember to use your discretion to see which is necessary. Don't be afraid to experiment and learn - practice makes perfect when it comes to touching up your photos.

Tips To Prevent Digital Photos From Fading

2009-06-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Do you take a lot of photos and find that after some time, the prints start to fade out? Well, you're not alone. This is a very common problem amongst photographers.

To prevent your photos from fading, you need to have a combination of a good printer, good paper, as well as good ink.

This article delves into the specifics of preventing digital photo fade - so read on and find out more.

1. Get A Good Printer

The first thing you can do to ensure your digital photos last a long time is to print them using a good quality printer. HP, Canon and Epson produce good printers. Choose a little expensive printer or you can ask or search for the best printers for preserving digital photo quality upon printing and preventing fade out.

2. Select Good Paper

The other piece of the puzzle with regards to preventing digital photo fade is the printer paper. Try to choose paper that goes well with your printer. For example, Canon printers will usually have Canon paper to go with their printers. Selecting paper suited to the printer you use will help to ensure the best quality prints and prevent photo fade.

3. Store Prints In An Album

One important tip for preserving printed digital photos is to store them in an album. Storing them in such a way helps to preserve them and make them less susceptible to fading. Avoid those albums with plastic covers to hold each photo though.

Store prints in album to preserve them longer

4. Display In Frames Under Glass

If you display your printed photos, its good to display them in frames under glass. Try to go for anti-UV glass and also, don't expose the photos to open air. This helps to preserve the photos for a long time.

5. Keep Photos Out Of Sunlight and Humid Areas

Printed digital photos, if kept exposed to sunlight and humid air, will necessarily fade out due to chemical reactions. Keep those photos away from the attic and heater areas and you'll be safe.

6. Make Sure Prints Are Dry Before Stacking

After you print out digital photos, make sure you allow them to dry before stacking the photos together. When you stack photos which are not completely dry, chances are you'll cause damage to one or more of the photos concerned.

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you some good ideas on how to preserve and prevent your digital photos from fading out. Digital photos contain good memories of your family and friends, so don't let those memories get washed away! I've to run now ... until next time, have fun taking pictures.
Via [www.basic-digital-photography.com]