Smoke Photography Photoshop Tutorial |  |
- Smoke Photography Photoshop Tutorial
- Ultra Slow Motion of Dogs Shaking Inspired by Viral Photo Series (Video)
- How to Photograph Like a Pro (Video)
| Smoke Photography Photoshop Tutorial Posted: 29 Oct 2013 04:27 PM PDT Final Reminder: Only 1 day left! in the deal on the: Photoshop Actions Bundle at 93% Off In this tutorial, I will show you how to process your smoke photographs using Photoshop. This is a follow up to the tutorial on How to Photograph Smoke – Step-by-Step Tutorial. If you want to know how to photograph smoke, please read the previous article and then come back to this tutorial when you’re done. The main aim of this tutorial is to point out the key elements needed to bring out the smoke and make it more visually stimulating. I will be showing you my own methods that I learned through trial and error as well as tips from others. Photoshop has a myriad of tools that some professionals either don’t use or even know existed, so don’t be afraid to experiment.  Before and After Photoshop Editing For simplicity, I have written this tutorial with the novice Photoshop user in mind and hope it is quite easy to follow. To avoid confusion, I will not be using any Photoshop shortcuts, unless there is no other way to perform an action. If you know the shortcuts to the tasks I describe throughout the tutorial, then by all means use them. I use Adobe Photoshop CS4, which has some new tools and features compared to older versions. However, there shouldn’t be any confusion with control options as I will be using the most common tools which exist in all versions of Photoshop. If you don’t understand some parts or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below and I will be happy to clarify. Getting StartedI will be using the image below as the demonstration for this tutorial. It is the original RAW photo with no processing involved at this stage. As you can see, it has a few blemishes and does not stand out so much. We are about to change that in a few simple steps.  Sample photo to be used in this tutorial STEP 1 – Adjust RAW settingsNOTE: If you did not shoot in Raw format, then ignore this part and start from Step 2. Open the RAW file in Camera Raw (opening the file in Photoshop will automatically launch Camera Raw) and adjust the settings you require. Usually when I process my smoke photos, I tend to adjust only the basic settings such as the Temperature, Blacks, Contrast, Brightness and Clarity, but only if it is necessary. I find it easier to do everything in Photoshop with greater flexibility as you can isolate parts of the image. I adjusted the following settings only:
The results of these adjustments can be seen below. The circled areas are blemishes that I was not happy with.  RAW Adjustment Before & After, Circled Areas are Blemishes to Fix STEP 2 – Open image and create backup copyOnce you have opened your image in Photoshop, it is best practice to create a backup copy of the image. This is so that you have the option of starting over if you make any mistakes or just don’t like the results. Here’s how you create a duplicate layer: 1. Open the image in Photoshop 2. From the Menu Bar select the following: Layer > Duplicate Layer 3. Name the duplicate layer if you prefer. I tend to leave it as the default title “Background Copy” 4. Once you have created the duplicate layer you need to hide the original image. You do this by first selecting the image by clicking on it. If you did not rename the image when you opened it, then it should still be labelled as “Background”  Select Original Image 5. Now go to the Menu Bar and select: Layer > Hide Layers  In the Menu Bar select: Layer > Hide Layers Your layer should now be missing the ‘eye’ located to the left of the image. **[Photoshop Screenshot-Hidden Layer]** This has made the original image invisible while you work with the duplicate copy above it. Now select the duplicate layer and you are ready to start editing. STEP 3 – Highlight BlemishesNow you have your duplicate layer selected you need to check for any blemishes. Remember, the black background of the smoke photo must be 100% black – RGB 0, 0, 0. If you adjusted the blacks in Camera RAW then it may seem that it’s already pure black but, depending on the browser you are using, you may not be able to see it on your screen. However, if there are any flaws, they are likely to appear on other browsers. To check for blemishes, spots, glare etc, do the following: 1. From the Menu Bar create a Levels Layer: Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels For easy reference later, leave the name of the new layer as “Levels 1.” Also, make sure that the levels layer is located above the image layer you are editing, in this case the ‘Background Copy.’ If it isn’t, then just click and drag the levels layer above it.  Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels 2. Move over to the white levels slider and drag it all the way across to the left. This will highlight all the light colours of your image.  Drag the white slider all the way to the left  Highlighting the light colors shows you areas to clean up As you can see, the image on the left looks workable without any major blemishes. However, after highlighting the light colours you can see how much of the image needs cleaning up. STEP 4 – Remove BlemishesRemoving the unwanted blemishes is a very quick and simple task. 1. On the layer palette select the ‘Background Copy’  Select the Background copy 2. On the Tools Panel, Select the default Foreground and Background Colours by clicking the small Black and White icon. Make sure the Black is on top (Foreground)  Default Colors 3. Then select the “Brush Tool”  Brush Tool 4. Go up to the Options Bar and set both the Opacity and Flow to 100%  Opacity and Flow to 100% 5. Now brush over the blemishes making sure you don’t go over the edges of the main smoke image. You can make it easier to brush around the smoke by zooming into the image and selecting a smaller brush.  Brush Over the Blemishes 6. To zoom into the image go to the Menu Bar and select: View > Zoom In (shortcuts are displayed on the right)  View > Zoom In 7. Once you have finished perfecting the background, you need to delete the levels layer. If you need to adjust the levels then obviously keep it, but remember to bring the white slider back to its original position on the right.  Removing the levels layer effects There are many other ways to be more precise with this task, but this demo image has a simple shape and not much intricate work is needed, so I won’t confuse you by suggesting more on this tutorial. If you would like to know other methods then don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me directly. Leaving a comment will be ideal as others can benefit from the responses. STEP 5 – Adding ColourThere are a number of ways to add colour to your image, but if you have many smoke images to process and little time on your hands, there is a very quick but effective method you can use. All you need to do is adjust the “Hue” 1. Go to the Menu Bar and select: Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation 2. Move over to the Adjustment Palette and play around with the Hue adjustment slider until you find the colour you like.  Hue adjustment slider for color effects  Smoke Photo Final Product And voila! You have a beautiful smoke photo with added colour. I told you it was quick and simple…:-) If you want to get more creative, you can use the Brush tool and manually add the colour and gradient. This will require more skill and patience though. You can also create a gradient layer with two different colours and use Blending Modes like Overlay or Soft Light etc… The other methods require an entire tutorial of their own. I am working on creating Video Tutorials for each specific method. About the Author Photoshop Actions Deal Ending Soon:This deal includes 14 premium Photoshop actions sets that are currently being sold by PhotographyPla.net, adding up to 205 individual actions ($238 value). We reached out and were able to arrange a 93% discount for PictureCorrect readers until Thursday ($17). See what they can do here: Photoshop Actions Bundle Go to full article: Smoke Photography Photoshop Tutorial |
| Ultra Slow Motion of Dogs Shaking Inspired by Viral Photo Series (Video) Posted: 29 Oct 2013 01:21 PM PDT Some say that the secret to success in photography is finding your niche. A niche is a specialized area in a field in which you focus your work on. It is much more specific than a genre. Whereas genres cover landscapes, portraits, street photography, sports, etc., niches cover things like WWII veterans in modern day society, Arkansas state parks during the fall season, and still-lifes of objects that look like smiley faces. Many niches may seem strange and obscure, but all have an audience. If you don’t believe me, check out this unusual video that’s garnered over 1.4 million views in a week: Some photographers attempt to be a jack-of-all-trades by incorporating portraiture, landscapes, sports, black & white, and other genres into their portfolio. Despite being a seemingly good idea due to the flexibility it provides, it often isn’t. Employers and other potential admirers of your work like to see something new and fresh. By being the jack-of-all-trades, you’ll most likely be taking basic cliche photos in each genre. However, when you focus on one genre and explore it thoroughly, digging deeper and deeper, you’ll often find a unique style within that genre. Over time you will exhaust the cliche shots and be forced to create something new and different, leading you to discover your niche. Many, many photographers have found success this way. Carli Davidson, whose photos inspired this video, found herself photographing her slobbering dog. This led to a viral photo series, which led to this video, which also led to a book. Another dog-loving photographer, Seth Casteel, found a niche in photographing dogs jumping into pools. Over time his website exploded with people looking to buy his images and he published a book as well. (You can read more about him in this article.)  If this niche can find an audience, what other undiscovered niches can? It all boils down to trying new things and discovering your passion. Perhaps your thing is photographing expensive yachts or cross-processing your street photography images. Whatever it may be, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries and think outside the box. Go to full article: Ultra Slow Motion of Dogs Shaking Inspired by Viral Photo Series (Video) |
| How to Photograph Like a Pro (Video) Posted: 29 Oct 2013 10:45 AM PDT After a couple of years of producing tutorials, writer, producer, presenter, and photographer Kai Wong has met his fair share of professional photographers, and even a few modern legends. Through all of it, he has picked up on what it is that they all have in common, regardless of what types of subjects they shoot. In this video, he discusses how to photograph like a pro in any situation: The first illusion Kai strips away is gear – most of these encounters were part of the “Cheap Camera Challenge” – a recurring series which gets high-end professionals to shoot using low-end equipment. You might notice Vincent LaForet with a Lensbaby (we reported on that video a few months back), Chase Jarvis with a Legocam, and Douglas Sonders with a Holga. Despite popular opinion, a good camera has nothing to do with being a good photographer; an experienced shootist can capture a great image with anything.
What really sets a professional apart is their ability to visualize, understand, and communicate their artistic vision, as well as their determination to do whatever is necessary to get the picture. Whether it’s chasing a shot into the street or waiting motionless for it to present itself, premeditation, patience, and perseverance are the hallmarks of great photography. Kai boils it down to “confidence and control”. It’s no great mystery or impossible feat, but something that we can all accomplish through enough dedication, practice, and hard-fought experience. For more on the Pro Photographer / Cheap Camera series, see our articles on David Hobby and Zack Arias, too! Go to full article: How to Photograph Like a Pro (Video) |
| You are subscribed to email updates from PictureCorrect Photography Tips To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment