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How to Remove Wrinkles From Clothes in Photoshop (Fast and Effectively)

24 Feb

The post How to Remove Wrinkles From Clothes in Photoshop (Fast and Effectively) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Did you know that you can easily remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop?

Wrinkled clothing is one of those details that gets easily overlooked. You just don’t notice them until you get back home, open your image, and see a big, ugly wrinkle ruining your photo.

Fortunately, there are several simple ways to get rid of those wrinkles and keep clothing looking as good as new!

And in this article, I’ll show you the techniques for quick and easy wrinkle removal.

Let’s get started.

Why do you need to remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop?

Wrinkles are distracting.

In fact, most people underestimate how eye-catching wrinkles can be.

And if you’re after a great image, then everything in the shot needs to work together and guide the viewer’s eye toward key compositional elements.

That’s why wrinkles can have such a negative impact. Viewers will get fixated on the flaw instead of considering what they love about your photo.

And if you plan on doing professional portraiture, you must get wrinkles under control.

Because here’s the truth:

Often, the difference between a professional photo and one taken by a beginner is merely attention to detail.

(Detail such as wrinkles!)

Removing wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop: The basics

There are many tools you can use to easily remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop.

But the most popular options are the healing tools.

Now, there are three healing tools in Photoshop: the Healing Brush tool, the Spot Healing Brush tool, and the Patch tool. Each of these can be used to “iron” your clothes and remove wrinkles in Photoshop.

When you heal an image, Photoshop samples pixels from the area’s surroundings and then matches the texture and lighting to the pixels being healed. That way, the retouch blends with nearby elements.

Using the spot healing brush to remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop

Now, the Spot Healing Brush will automatically determine the best pixels to sample, so all you have to do is set the size and hardness of the brush and paint over the wrinkle. Photoshop takes care of the rest.

Note that the Mode menu (in the top bar) allows you to choose the Spot Healing Brush painting mode. For removing wrinkles in clothes, the best option here is Replace. You see, fabric always has texture, and the Replace mode allows you to preserve this even as you heal away wrinkles.

You can then choose the Healing Type. You have three options: Content-Aware, Create Texture, and Proximity Match.

There’s no single “best” pick; instead, just experiment to see which one works best for your photo. In the example above, I found that Content-Aware gave the best results.

The Healing Brush tool works the same way, except that you choose the pixels you want to sample. Simply hold the Alt/Option key and click on the area from which you want to sample, then release the Alt/Option key and click on the pixels you want to heal.

Finally, the Patch tool lets you draw a selection around the area that you want to heal, then drag it toward the pixels that you want to source.

The Patch tool will allow you to work faster, as you can cover large areas with each retouch. Don’t overdo it, though. If the area is too big, the Patch tool won’t do a great job – so you need to find the right balance.

You can also move the Diffusion slider to adjust the blending speed and quality. Use lower values for pixels that have a lot of detail and higher values for smoother areas.

Using the Patch tool to remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop

Challenges when removing clothing wrinkles

When you are removing a single, isolated wrinkle, things are not very complicated. However, when there are many wrinkles or you have large areas to cover, you can run into trouble.

Some of the most common issues when using any of the healing tools – as well as the Clone Stamp tool – are the accidental patterns you can create.

To avoid this, adjust the size and hardness of your brush. Also, change the source point and distance to avoid any recognizable repetitions. Finally, vary the blend mode and the opacity.

Keep in mind that, while you don’t want to create accidental patterns, you do need to follow the patterns of the fabric’s design and texture.

That’s the challenge.

Another difficulty is maintaining luminosity. Always clone or heal from places where the brightness appears to match the surroundings, though this doesn’t necessarily mean you should source pixels from right next to your wrinkle.

Otherwise, while you might not notice your heal on the first brushstroke, you will after a handful of strokes.

So when you have to work with big areas, it’s better to use an advanced technique (which I explain in the next section).

An advanced technique for removing wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop: Frequency separation

Frequency separation is a popular, high-level technique for retouching skin blemishes.

But it’s also fantastic for getting rid of wrinkles in fabric.

The basic idea is that you separate the texture and the color into two different layers.

To do this, create two copies of the original layer.

Then hide the top copy by clicking on the eye icon next to it.

Select the middle layer (i.e., the layer sandwiched between the top copy and the original). If you want, you can rename it Color.

Select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Drag the slider until you don’t see the details of the fabric.

adding a Gaussian blur when removing wrinkles

Now enable the top layer again and select it. You can rename this one Texture.

Select Image>Apply Image.

In the dialog box, choose the layer called Color. Then select Subtract as the blending mode.

Finally, set the Opacity to 100%, the Scale to 2, and the Offset to 128. Then click OK.

using the Apply Image option when removing wrinkles

Now head to the Layers panel. Make sure the Texture layer is selected, then set the blend mode to Linear Light.

And that’s the basics of frequency separation – now your photo is divided up into Texture and Color layers. And you can heal each layer separately!

Frequency separation when removing wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop

Also, if you feel that the subject is too flat after applying this frequency separation technique, you can dodge and burn to bring back some dimensionality.

How to remove wrinkles from clothing in Photoshop: Conclusion

You should now be able to confidently remove wrinkles of any type – with just a few quick edits in Photoshop.

In fact, I used very extreme examples for this article, and it’s unlikely you’ll face wrinkles that serious unless you don’t iron anything at all.

(In fact, I recommend you or your client/model do a bit of ironing before a photoshoot, just to save time in editing later.)

I hope that, the next time you need to remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop, these techniques can be of help!

Now over to you:

Have you ever been faced with frustrating wrinkles in your photos? How did you get rid of them? Share your thoughts and images in the comments below!

The post How to Remove Wrinkles From Clothes in Photoshop (Fast and Effectively) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

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EaseUS Data Recovery Review: Fast, Powerful, and Easy to Use

06 Jan

The post EaseUS Data Recovery Review: Fast, Powerful, and Easy to Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

If you’ve ever deleted photos, videos, or documents by accident…

…then you know how important it is to have good data recovery software on hand.

Unfortunately, not all recovery software works as promised – which is why you have to be extra-careful when purchasing.

But what about EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard? It’s a popular recovery program, but can you trust it to bring back your precious files?

That’s what this article is all about.

I put EaseUS Data Recovery to the test, and I share all my findings with you. And honestly, it’s worth stating up front that EaseUS Data Recovery works really, really well. While I’ll share details with you later on in this review, I’d like to emphasize a few facts:

First, EaseUS is remarkably fast.

Second, it’s packed full of useful features for sorting and locating photo and video files.

And third:

It does a great job (flawless, in my experience!) recovering deleted media.

So to learn more about EaseUS Data Recovery, including what it can do, where you can purchase it, and how you can use it to recover your files…

…read on.

What can EaseUS Data Recovery software do?

EaseUS Data Recovery software offers a quick and easy way to recover deleted files.

Specifically, you can use it to bring back desktop data that you’ve accidentally deleted, memory card files that you’ve formatted, or video files that you forgot to backup then deleted off your card.

In other words:

If you’ve lost your files through some method of accidental deletion, EaseUS Data Recovery can likely get them back.

EaseUS offers a huge list of file types you can recover with their recovery wizard, including plenty of photo file types (JPEGs, TIFFs, PNGs, CRWs, NEFs, ORFs, and DNGs, among others) and video file types (MP3s, WAVs, MPGs, WMVs, etc.), as well as document file types, audio file types, and more.

Also note that EaseUS can go beyond recovery in select cases. The software can actually repair corrupted JPEGs, MP4, and MOV files, though this functionality unfortunately doesn’t extend to RAW files.

Now let’s take a look at how to actually use the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to resurrect your lost files:

How to use EaseUS: A quick guide

EaseUS is impressively simple to use.

Start by installing the EaseUS software, which you can grab off the EaseUS website here for PC and here for Mac.

Once you have the software set up, you’ll be prompted to select the location to target for recovery:

selecting a location to recover files from

Just hover over the relevant location, then click Scan:

click Scan to begin the recovery process

The scanning process will begin immediately, where EaseUS searches the targeted location for any and all files, including corrupted and deleted photos.

You’ll see a countdown at the bottom of the screen that gives you an estimated scan time.

And files will begin to appear in the EaseUS window as they’re identified for recovery.

If you like, you can let the scan continue until completion, but you also have the option to recover already-discovered files. In other words, you can let the scan run in the background while you recover the files already present in the EaseUS window.

Eventually, you’ll need to select the files you’d like to recover. Just hit the check mark next to the file names:

Then select Recover:

If you’d only like to recover certain files, you have the option to filter specific file types via tags:

Or filter specific file types via the Filter option:

In fact, you can get even more granular with the Advanced Filter; simply open the Filter menu, then click Advanced Filter:

And select your filter options to bring up specific files while scanning:

After you hit the Recover button, you’ll be prompted to select a location to store the recovered files:

select where to store your recovered files

Hit OK, and you can watch the progress bar as your files are recovered:

EaseUS data recovery review progress bar

Once the recovery is complete, EaseUS will automatically launch the location with your recovered files. You can also click the View Recovered button to launch the location manually:

Then you can immediately access your recovered files!

How does EaseUS Data Recovery perform?

I tested EaseUS Data Recovery with a formatted memory card of my own, and it performed flawlessly. When I’d finished the recovery process, I had access to every one of my photos (all in perfect condition!).

Of course, it’s impossible for me to test every scenario and every file type, but my Olympus RAW images came back safe and sound, and I’m confident that EaseUS could effortlessly handle plenty of other situations.

I was handily impressed by the ease of recovery. The process was remarkably simple and took literally zero fumbling around with the software. And I was also pleased by the speed of recovery, because while some recovery software takes hours upon hours to scan and recover photos, EaseUS had all 20+ deleted photos ready for recovery within five to ten seconds. The recovery process itself took thirty seconds at most.

Since I was just recovering Olympus RAW images from an SD card, I didn’t have much use for the filtering functions. But if you’re looking to recover select media from an entire hard drive of files, filtering is invaluable – it’ll let you find and select the files you’re after, without having to waste precious time going through the entire set of recovered items. And I’m a huge fan of the “recover while scanning” option, which allows you to recover already-discovered items while EaseUS continues to scan the drive. When I was testing the software, I didn’t have to wait for the entire deep scan to finish. Instead, I started recovering images as soon as EaseUS identified them.

A word of caution: There are times when EaseUS Data Recovery will fail; that’s just the nature of recovery software. If your photos or videos are too far gone, even the best recovery software won’t be able to piece them back together.

For instance, if you fill up a memory card, format it, and fill it up again, the first set of images will almost certainly be unrecoverable, which is why you should always, always, always have a proper backup system from the beginning. And if you ever find yourself with a formatted memory card that needs recovering, do not, under any circumstances, overwrite that card with new images.

But here’s the bottom line:

EaseUS did a fantastic job recovering my images, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use EaseUS to deal with accidental file deletion of any type.

EaseUS Data Recovery: Plans and pricing

EaseUS offers three editions for PC users:

First, there’s the Free edition, which allows you to recover up to 2 GB of media. If you’ve accidentally deleted a handful of images, this may be enough.

The Pro edition offers unlimited data recovery, plus you get support from EaseUS specialists, all for $ 69.95 USD. This is perfect for most users, assuming you can boot up your drive.

Finally, there’s the Pro+Bootable Media edition, which offers everything included in the Pro edition, plus the capability to recover files from a crashed drive, all for $ 99.90 USD. This is the edition to purchase if you cannot get your drive to run.

Mac users also have access to the Free edition. Then there’s a Pro edition for Mac, which offers the functionality of the PC Pro+Bootable Media edition in a comprehensive, $ 89.95 USD package.

Who should get EaseUS Data Recovery?

If you’ve accidentally deleted photos or videos, then EaseUS Data Recovery is a fantastic solution.

It’ll bring back any recoverable files quickly and efficiently – and it’ll even let you sort through the files for easy access.

So if you’ve lost photos or videos on a memory card, a flash drive, a hard drive, or your desktop, I highly recommend you grab this EaseUS software. If the files can be recovered, then EaseUS will get it done!

You can purchase a version of EaseUS right here for PC users and right here for Mac users.

EaseUS is a paid partner of dPS.

The post EaseUS Data Recovery Review: Fast, Powerful, and Easy to Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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Tips For Achieving Blurry Backgrounds When You Don’t Have a Fast Lens

03 Dec

The post Tips For Achieving Blurry Backgrounds When You Don’t Have a Fast Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Using a shallow depth of field to get blurry backgrounds in your photos is a powerful and popular tool for photographers. Blurring your background in this way makes it easy to obscure details in your scene that don’t add anything to your photographs. This helps to ensure that the focus of your images is your subject, and only your subject.

Using fast lenses with maximum apertures such as f/1.8 or f/2.8 is the easiest way to achieve this blurry background effect.

Getting blurry backgrounds with a fast lens — Using a fast aperture (f/1.8 here) is a surefire way to ensure blurry backgrounds in your images, but what do you do if you don’t have access to a fast lens?
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 | 85mm | 1/1600s | f/1.8 | ISO 100

However, what do you do if you don’t have a fast lens? And what do you do in situations where you are unable to use your lens wide open?

Controlling aperture is only one way to alter the appearance of DOF when trying for blurry backgrounds. — Here, you can see the difference the aperture has on the background. On the left, the aperture is f/8, while on the right, it is f/1.8.

Fortunately, manipulating the aperture settings in-camera is only one way to control how depth of field appears in your images.

This article will show you two ways to help you achieve more background blur when you don’t have access to a fast lens and when you can’t shoot wide open.

1. Get closer to your subject

An easy way to obtain a shallower depth of field for blurry backgrounds is to simply get closer to your subject.

Achieve blurry backgrounds by getting closer to your subject. — Simply moving your position so that you are closer to the subject is a great way to manipulate depth of field. The closer you get, the shallower the depth of field gets.

Depth of field is determined by multiple factors. Aperture is one, but another important factor is how close the camera is to your subject.

By moving your camera closer to your subject, you will increase the amount of background blur that appears behind your subject.

(Conversely, if you want more depth of field in your image, move farther away from your subject.)

Putting it into practice

With techniques like this, it can be a good idea to do a few exercises so you can see exactly what is going on.

To see this technique in action, find yourself a subject and position them in front of a background. Choose a background that’s a little bit busy (like foliage) so you can see the full effect.

Getting blurry backgrounds without a fast lens — In the leftmost image, I was 12 feet away from the subject. You can see almost all of the details in the background. I slowly moved closer, 2 feet at a time; you should be able to see as the background gets blurrier. The last image was from 4 feet away. (Images are cropped for comparison.)

If you’ve chosen a portrait subject, start from between eight and ten feet away. If you’ve chosen something smaller, decrease that distance as much as you need to have a somewhat reasonable composition.

No matter what lens you have, you should be able to choose an aperture of f/5.6. Dial that in and adjust the other settings until you have a decent exposure. Take a shot.

Step forward a foot and take another. Then move a foot closer again and take a third shot. Do this until you have reached your minimum focusing distance or you are too close to your subject to frame a photo.

Then you can review the images in order. Watch for how the depth of field becomes shallower the closer you are to your subject.

If you use multiple lenses, I encourage you to do this with all of them.

The reverse

Of course, if what you want is more depth of field (i.e., less blurry backgrounds) in your frame, you can always move further away from your subject.

In more depth

If you are technically minded and want to learn more about why and how this works, note that depth of field is governed by the inverse square law, just like many other aspects of photography. These other aspects include light intensity (which governs your exposure) and light fall-off (which governs the shape of the light).

With an in-depth knowledge of the inverse square law and how it works, you would actually be able to calculate exactly where you need to be with a certain focal length and aperture to get an exact result. You will probably never find yourself in a situation where you would need to do this, but it is still possible!

2. Bring your subject farther from the background

The other main way to achieve a shallower depth of field is to put more distance between your subject and the background.

This works the same way as the previous technique, but in this case, you will be moving your subject rather than the camera. If your subject is close to the background, more background detail will be present. To get more blur, simply move your subject forward.

Practice

To see this concept in use, position your subject almost touching a background of your choice; this can be a studio background, some trees, or a wall.

moving your subject away from the background is essential — To practice this, have your subject move away from the background in set increments. Make sure you move the same distance back, as well. Here (from top-left to bottom-right), the subject started 2 feet away from the background and ended 12 feet away from the background.

Start at an aperture of f/5.6 and get a decent exposure with your other settings. Take a shot. Now move your subject a foot away from the background. Note that it’s important that you move the same distance backward. If you don’t, then you will have two factors affecting the depth of field in the frame, and it will be impossible to accurately see what is blurring the background.

Take another shot. Move yourself and your subject another foot back and shoot again. Repeat as many times as you want. In practice, how far away you move your subject is dependent on how much blur you want to achieve.

Do you want to retain some detail so that your viewers can recognize the background? Or would you rather obliterate any background details altogether, ensuring that your subject is the only thing for your viewers to focus on?

Real-world use

Now that you have put all of this into practice and you have your sequences of images, you should have a good idea of how the depth of field changes with your distance from the subject and the subject’s distance from the background.

Getting blurry backgrounds is still possible at small apertures. — At the end of the day, you do not need a fast lens to achieve blurry backgrounds in your portraits. You are still able to achieve a shallow depth of field with smaller apertures.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L | 1/200s | f/8 | ISO 800

Not only will you be able to use this knowledge to help you get a shallower depth of field when you can’t shoot wide open, but it will also help you design any desired photos long before you pick up the camera.

For example, you might want an image where your subject is in focus from front to back, but you want the background to be as obscured as possible. Having gone through these exercises, you should be able to approximate what aperture you need to use, how close to the subject you need to be, and how far away the background needs to be. And you should be able to do it in a fairly short amount of time, too!

Achieving blurry backgrounds: final words

Manipulating depth of field to get blurry backgrounds may be a basic technique, but understanding fundamentals like these helps give you a well-rounded set of camera skills that will serve you well in your photography.

The post Tips For Achieving Blurry Backgrounds When You Don’t Have a Fast Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

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Exposure X5 software review: blazing fast and subscription-free

26 Apr

Exposure Software Exposure X5
$ 119-149 | exposure.software

Although we’ve reviewed both of its immediate predecessors – Alien Skin Exposure X3 and X4 – here at DPReview, I’m personally a newcomer to the long-running and retroactively-eponymous Exposure series. Since the last release, Alien Skin has changed its name to match that of its most popular and best-known app, and now goes by Exposure Software.

Exposure’s roots can be traced all the way back to a 2006-vintage film simulation plugin for Photoshop. And while it’s grown vastly across the 14 major updates launched since then, its interface should still prove fairly familiar to anyone who’s used it in at least the past five or six years since the basic UI was defined by the sixth and seventh versions.

Blazing-fast browsing and editing that won’t vanish into the ether if you don’t upgrade every year

An alternative to the likes of Adobe’s category-dominating Lightroom or Phase One’s popular Capture One, Exposure X5 stands out from its rivals thanks to its blazing-fast image browsing and editing. It also boasts a treasure trove of manual adjustments plus a vast library of quick yet professional-looking presets.

Key takeaways:

Very competitively priced, no subscription
Blistering performance in comparison to Lightroom
Interface is a bit rough around the edges
Tons of controls and presets at your fingertips
Good high-DPI monitor support, not-so-good touch support
Fewer profiles for automatic corrections than competitors

Not much more than a Benjamin, with no subscriptions in sight

And yet despite its depth and swiftness, it’s also extremely affordable. Without adding on any of Exposure Software’s other tools, you can get the full Exposure X5 experience for just $ 119, almost two-thirds less than a perpetual Capture One License at $ 299. And even if you add both the Snap Art and Blow Up plugins for artistic effects and easier enlargements, the pricetag still comes in below $ 150.

Adobe, meanwhile, charges you $ 120 every year for an ongoing Creative Cloud photography plan subscription. In fairness to the company, that gets you not just the Exposure X5-rivaling Lightroom but also Adobe Photoshop. But then, Exposure X5’s perpetual license doesn’t vanish into the ether if you decide not to pay for an upgrade in a year’s time.

Results of the new Complementary – Orange and Teal filter.

Great upgrades to masking and lens correction

The step from the Alien Skin-developed X4 to the Exposure Software-produced X5 is very much an evolutionary one, with many features carried over unchanged. But that’s not to say there aren’t any significant changes; on the contrary, there are several upgrades that are well worth having.

The most significant changes are to be found in two main areas: Masking and lens correction. On the masking front there’s a new 3D Color Masking tool which allows you to quickly make complex layer masks based on subject hue, saturation and luminance ranges, allowing other adjustments to precisely target your intended subject.

You can profile your own cameras for better color out of the box

Exposure Software has also added tools to correct chromatic aberrations and vignetting, and extended the distortion correction tool to allow for manual corrections. You can keep aberrations on an even tighter leash with a new Defringe tool, and you can profile your own cameras for better color out of the box.

Also new to your toolbox are more presets than ever before, as well as support for more camera and lens profiles. Exposure X5 also gains greyscale TIFF and JPEG support, new horizontal / vertical flip controls and an undockable, resizeable tone curve editor.

Take a look at all 500+ presets at your disposal over at Exposure’s site.

Browsing images in Exposure X5 in the default view. Click through for the full version.

A bit rough around the edges compared to Lightroom

There’s really no escaping the fact that right out of the box, Exposure X5 looks a whole lot like its dominant arch-rival, Adobe Lightroom Classic. Your chosen image or folder of images sit front and center between two columns of informational displays and controls.

If viewing a single image, thumbnails of others from its folder or collection sit beneath. And all panels but the centermost area can be hidden, individually or as a group, to help you focus on the images themselves.

But there are also some important differences for the Lightroom user to consider. Firstly, Adobe’s app has a modal interface, with sections appearing or disappearing from the sidebars as you switch from, say, the Library to Develop modules.

Exposure X5, though, has a non-modal design which means there’s a lot more to fit in those sidebars. Most of what Lightroom fits into both its Library and Develop modules is crammed into the sole interface for Exposure Software’s app, plus a truly mind-boggling number of fun and useful presets.



A selection of some of the new presets in Exposure X5. Clockwise from top left, we start with the original image on which the other looks are based. Next is the Light and Airy – High Contrast filter, then Kodak Recording 2475, and finally Ilford PanF Plus 50 at bottom left.

The sidebars are jam-packed full of controls

Each sidebar is split in two vertically, with each panel in the sidebar being scrollable if needed, and a handle in the center of the divider allowing you to choose how much of the screen height to devote to each panel.

There’s less handholding in Exposure X5 than in Lightroom

I found that with so much stuff in there, I was constantly resizing panels to fit the controls I wanted on-screen, and scrolling up and down within them in search of individual controls I wanted to tweak. Right-clicking on any section header and switching to “Solo” mode helps a lot, though, simply by minimizing all but controls in any section but the one you’re currently browsing.

One other point to note is that there’s less handholding in Exposure X5 than in Lightroom. Adobe’s app can, for example, adjust white balance, most basic exposure settings and even perspective transformations automatically. Exposure, though, offers only presets whose actions are predetermined, and don’t vary significantly based upon image content.



Clockwise from top left, the same image processed with the new Seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter presets.

The lack of a catalog has pros and cons

The other major difference to consider is where your adjustments are stored. Adobe’s Lightroom is based around managing a library of images, storing its processing information in a single monolithic database. Exposure X5 instead stores its processing information in sidecar files which, in the interest of tidiness, are deposited in a subfolder of that in which the processed image was found. (And if you just browse images without editing them, no sidecar is created at all.)

I was honestly a little gobsmacked by how much faster Exposure feels

One upside of this is that the sidecars – and therefore the processing information – reside in the folder right alongside the images, and so if you share a folder of images, you also share the processing information. But while backing up your Lightroom catalogs is just a matter of backing up a single folder’s contents, if you want to do the same in Exposure X5 you’re faced with tens or hundreds of thousands of files scattered in folders among your photos.

Let’s now take a closer look at Exposure’s performance, as well as some more of its more powerful features on the next page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!)

30 Jan

The post 5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Are you looking to create more artistic photos? Do you feel like your photos need a bit of an upgrade?

You’re not alone.

This type of struggle is one that most photographers feel at one point or another. I’ve felt it myself, which is why I developed several methods for increasing the artistry in my own photography.

And I’m going to share these methods with you today.

So if you’re looking to add a level of creative and artistic flair to your photos, keep reading.

300mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200

1. Use minimalism to improve your compositions

Creating more artistic photos can start by changing up your compositions.

Because here’s the thing:

After doing photography for a bit, you start to fall into compositional patterns. You’ll take the same type of photo, over and over again. You may not even realize it.

So in order to take things to the next level…

…you should make a strong effort to break free of your compositional patterns.

One of my favorite ways to do that is with minimalism. Minimalism involves using lots of negative space, while also positioning your subject toward the edges of the frame.

400mm, 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

For instance, a minimalistic photographer might take a single plant and place it down at the very top or bottom of the frame, while the rest of the scene stays primarily white:

100mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320

Minimalism is great, and one of the things I love most about it is how it feels so different from normal compositional techniques. Once you start thinking minimalist, your whole outlook can change.

And your photos will start to look far more artistic.

2. Add split toning to enhance the colors

If you’re looking to increase the artistry in your photos, ask yourself:

How am I doing with color?

Because color is one of the most neglected aspects of photography, despite its important role in most photos.

Color adds contrast, creates harmony and disharmony, and evokes different moods.

(All in a wonderfully subtle way!)

Now, one aspect of improving the use of color in your photography involves looking for interesting color combinations when out shooting.

But you can also make changes after you’ve finished your photoshoots.

More specifically, split toning will allow you to add a bit of mood and contrast to your photos.

Here’s a photo with a bit of split toning to deepen the yellow highlights and the green shadows:

90mm, 1/160 sec, f/9.0, ISO 320

Basically, a split tone just involves putting one color cast in the highlights of your photo and one color cast in the shadows of your photo. Cold shadows and warm highlights are pretty common, so you could easily go with a blue/yellow split-tone combination. But you should also experiment with other possibilities to make things as artistic (and interesting!) as possible.

Note that pretty much every RAW photo editor offers split toning in one form or another. So no matter your preferred post-processing software, you’ll be able to add some color!

3. Decrease the depth of field for a softer look

This is one of my personal favorites for making photos more artistic:

Bringing down that depth of field.

With a shallow depth of field, you can create all sorts of interesting effects: Stunning background bokeh, soft subjects, and even abstract-type images.

50mm, 1/2000 sec, Freelensed, ISO 250

Now, to create a shallow depth of field look, you’ll need to use a lens with a wide maximum aperture (something in the area of f/1.2 to f/2.8 is best). You’ll also want a lens of at least 50mm, and you’ll want to get close to your subject, if possible. The closer you are to your subject, the better the soft-focus effect.

Note that it can be difficult to focus when working at such a wide aperture. So you may need to switch your lens over to manual, in order to ensure you nail focus every time.

To add additional interest, you might try positioning a light source in the background, so that you can create cool bokeh, like this:

90mm, 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320

I’d also recommend thinking about your subject a bit differently. Don’t envision the subject as a single entity; instead, look for shapes and lines that you can use for a more powerful composition. That way, you’ll be able to use the soft-focus effect for more artistic, abstract-style images.

4. Look at the work of good photographers for inspiration

If you’re the type of person who likes to get out and practice photography, you may grumble at this suggestion. After all, practice makes perfect, right?

But it’s important to realize that it’s hard to know what perfect would mean…

…if you haven’t ever seen it.

That’s why I urge you to look at the work of photographers you admire. Do it all the time. If you like, you can simply look at photographers in your favorite genres.

Image: One of the photographers whose work I view over and over again is Jess Findlay. While he and...

One of the photographers whose work I view over and over again is Jess Findlay. While he and I gravitate toward different subjects, his work serves as a constant inspiration to me.

Or you can expand your horizons, looking for photographers in many different areas.

(In fact, I like to look at work that’s not in my areas of interest; I find that it gives me fresh ideas that would’ve never occurred to me if I’d stuck to my preferred genres.)

When you look at photography that you like, ask yourself:

What is it that makes this work special? What is it that makes it so artistic?

Then come up with some ideas for incorporating that level of artistry into your own work. Don’t copy blindly, but try to pull out bits and pieces of wisdom that you can use to enhance your own photos.

For instance, if you notice that a photographer likes to shoot from a low angle, start shooting from a low angle yourself.

If you notice that a photographer loves to juxtapose two contrasting subjects, try juxtaposing some contrasting subjects yourself.

Just give it a try. My guess is that you’ll notice improvements in your own photos pretty quickly.

And then you won’t want to stop looking at other photos!

5. Lengthen your shutter speeds for more abstract photos

Here’s a final, practical tip for creating more artistic photos:

Use creatively long shutter speeds.

For instance, photograph moving a flower, but drop the shutter speed way down, so you get a cool blur effect.

And then move your camera around, even as you’re taking the photo. That’ll give you an even more interesting abstract:

100mm, 1/6 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250

Personally, I love doing handheld abstracts with long shutter speeds. Sure, they take a lot of experimentation, but they’re also very liberating. And they’re great for situations where the light is too low to get sharp shots handheld and you don’t want to use a tripod.

Now, to pull off this type of abstract image, you’ll need to put your camera in Manual mode (or Shutter Priority) and drop the shutter speed until it reaches 1/10s to 1s (or longer). Then, as you hit the shutter button, move your camera. I’d recommend aligning the movement with compositional elements in your scene (e.g., if there are trees in the scene, move the camera along the tree trunks).

You’ll end up with some very artistic blurs!

Five ways to make your photography more artistic: Conclusion

Hopefully, you now know a few easy ways to make your photos more artistic.

After all, capturing artistic photos doesn’t have to be hard…

…it just involves changing things up!

So try some of the ideas I’ve suggested, and see how things go. I bet you’ll like the result!

300mm, 1/400 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320

Do you have ideas for creating more artistic photos? Share them in the comments!

The post 5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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Want to get off “Auto-Mode”? (Fast and so easy!)

13 Dec

The post Want to get off “Auto-Mode”? (Fast and so easy!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

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The post Want to get off “Auto-Mode”? (Fast and so easy!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

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The Leica SL2 is a refined full-frame camera with in-body stabilization, fast burst shooting and capable video features

09 Nov

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The Leica SL2 is a major update of the company’s original full-frame mirrorless camera, the SL, which was introduced four years ago. The SL2’s design isn’t a dramatic departure from the original, though the hard edges have been softened, the grip has been refined and a new three-button rear interface is similar to that of the Q2. Build quality and weather-sealing has improved to the point where the SL2 has earned an IP54 rating.

The real differences between the SL2 and SL can be found on the inside. The SL2 has a 47MP full-frame CMOS sensor – likely similar to what’s in the Q2 and Panasonic’s S1R – and a 5-axis sensor-shift IS system that can also be used to produce 187MP Raw images. Its contrast detection autofocus system has been improved according to Leica, and a ‘Smart AF’ feature can automatically switch between focus and shutter release priority.

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Photos can be composed via a 3.2″ touchscreen display with 2.1 million dots or a large 5.76M-dot electronic viewfinder. As before, a small status display on the top plate shows important shooting information.

The SL2 can shoot bursts at 20 fps with the electronic shutter and 10 fps with the mechanical shutter, both with AF locked. For continuous focus and exposure, you’ll need to drop to 6 fps. The camera has dual SD card slots, both of which are capable of UHS-II speeds. The official battery life rating for the SL2 is 370 shots per charge, but as always, you’ll likely do better.

The SL2 can shoot DCI or UHD 4K at up to 60p from nearly the full width of the sensor. Both 60p and 50p footage are captured as 8-bit 4:2:0, while 30p and below can be recorded or output as 10-bit 4:2:2 streams. There’s also an option to shoot 5K at up to 30p from a 4:3, roughly 1.6x, cropped region of its sensor. The camera will let you shoot using a proprietary L-Log gamma curve for any of its 10-bit modes and the standard, ready-for-use HLG curve in its 10-bit 4:2:2 modes.

The Leica SL2 will be available on November 21st at a list price of $ 5995.

View our SL2 sample gallery

Go hands-on with the SL2

Watch DPReview TV’s first impressions

Press release:

A New Icon: Leica Camera Announces the New Leica SL2, Successor to the Trailblazing Leica SL

New camera resets the tone for the mirrorless market

November 6, 2019 – Building on the foundation established in 2015 with the visionary Leica SL-System, Leica Camera proudly introduces the Leica SL2, the storied brand’s new icon and next evolutionary step towards building the perfect all-purpose camera. By listening closely to the valued feedback of photographers and existing SL owners, Leica made many efforts to push the envelope of technological innovation and performance while respecting its heritage of design and legacy. In addition to a technical marvel of pure performance and unmatched build quality, the Leica SL2 is also a joyous experience to use with improved ergonomics and more comfortable grip married to the well-established, simplified three-button control layout, further unifying the Leica design language across multiple product lines. While cutting-edge new features such as in-body image stabilization unlocks newfound potential from legendary Leica M-Lenses, it simultaneously augments the growing selection of SL-Lenses which are some of the finest optics Leica has ever produced. The Leica SL2 is the natural evolution of the innovative Leica SL, serving as a groundbreaking embrace of the future of digital photography and videography while paying homage to its respected history and lineage.

CMOS sensor with 47 megapixels for superior image quality

The unprecedented resolution of the SL2’s CMOS image sensor in full-frame format results in an unparalleled level of detail rendition and image quality. Enormous dynamic range, a color depth of 14 bits per RGB channel and a sensitivity of up to ISO 50,000 enable outstanding image quality in all lighting conditions. Even when combined with Leica TL lenses, which are designed for the smaller sensor format of the Leica TL2 and CL, the SL2’s sensor still delivers an excellent image resolution of over 20 megapixels.

Image stabilization through sensor-shift technology

In a major evolution of the SL, the Leica SL2 features a suspended sensor which adjusts its position in order to quickly and efficiently compensate for camera shake. This in-camera method even makes image stabilization available to lenses that are not equipped with their own.

Additionally, in multishot mode, the tripod-mounted camera can record up to eight consecutive frames, whereby the sensor is shifted in half-pixel increments in between every exposure. This key feature results in images with an incredible quadrupled resolution of around 187 megapixels, leading to an extreme increase in detail resolution.

Improved ergonomics for stress-free shooting in any situation

Despite significant technical improvements, the Leica SL2 is neither larger nor heavier than its predecessor and feels particularly compact to handle. This is due to the fully redesigned camera body, whose handgrip and the edges have been subtly refined for easier handling.

Improved body design paired with increased durability make the SL2 the perfect companion for all forms of shooting. The SL2’s IP54 certification ensures an elevated weather sealing for more rugged situations, while a new option to turn off noise reduction during long exposures allows for more hands-free shooting. Less worry about the weather and environmental situations means photographers can focus more on getting the shot.

Overall the design of the SL2 recalls more of the iconic Leica identity and traditional design DNA elements that the brand has become known and loved for.

Streamlined design with new status menus

The Leica SL2 offers an innovative user interface whose efficient design allows photographers to focus their attention on the creative process. The design alignment with the existing M and Q systems makes the adjustment even easier for existing Leica photographers.

The main recording parameters can be viewed on the rear display and adjusted quickly and easily with a simple finger tap. A click wheel, a joystick and three strategically placed, individually configurable buttons also contribute to a straightforward operation. Thanks to two dedicated status menus for stills and video recording, the parameters for either shooting mode can be adjusted entirely separately from each other.

Limitless connections

Featuring an L bayonet lens mount, the Leica SL2 is not only compatible with the ever-growing portfolio of SL-System lenses, but also with lenses of the TL-System and with the legendary lenses of Leica’s M, S and R-Systems via adapter, providing more than 170 Leica lens options, guaranteed to offer the right fit for any photographic scenario. The L-Mount Alliance expands this scope of possibilities even further, by giving SL2 photographers access to L-mount-compatible lenses from Sigma and Panasonic.

Maestro III processor for ultra-fast operation

The new Maestro III processor facilitates a superior operating speed that shines in many aspects of the SL2’s performance. The autofocus is significantly faster and allows for a virtually lag-free shutter release in any shooting situation, which is further complemented by the new Smart AF mode, which autonomously switches between focus priority and shutter release priority. Full-resolution recordings of consecutive images are possible at 10 frames per second with the focal plane shutter, and 20 frames per second with the electronic shutter. Thanks to two UHS-II-compatible SD card slots, raw files can be saved simultaneously in DNG and JPEG format.

Leica EyeRes® viewfinder with even higher resolution

The camera’s electronic viewfinder now boasts a resolution of 5.76 megapixels, allowing for a large, entirely natural-looking viewfinder image. Simultaneously, the experience is further enhanced when using the touchscreen, which has increased in size to a 3.2-inch diagonal, and now offers a significantly higher resolution of 2.1 megapixels.

Perfect tool for cinematographers

In addition to its great appeal for photographers, the Leica SL2 speaks the language of cinematographers, as the camera is able to record up to 60 frames per second in Cine 4K mode, and up to 180 frames per second in Full-HD mode. Activating Cine mode transforms the SL2 into a manually controlled cine camera as ISO becomes ASA, the shutter speed is marked in degrees on the rotary disk shutter, and the f-stops indicating the aperture ratio are replaced by T-stops, which measure the actual amount of light transmitted through the lens. Connecting audio equipment to the Leica SL2 no longer requires the use of adapters, as the camera now features a build in headphones and mic jack, complemented by a fully-fledged HDMI connector for external monitors.

The Leica SL2 is available in Leica Stores and Leica Boutiques beginning November 21, 2019, at a recommended retail price of $ 5,995.

Leica SL2 specifications

Price
MSRP	$ 5999
Body type
Body type	SLR-style mirrorless
Body material	Magnesium alloy
Sensor
Max resolution	8368 x 5584
Image ratio w:h	3:2
Effective pixels	47 megapixels
Sensor size	Full frame (36 x 24 mm)
Sensor type	CMOS
Processor	Maestro III
Color space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Color filter array	Primary color filter
Image
ISO	Auto, 100-50000 (expands to 50-50000)
Boosted ISO (minimum)	50
White balance presets	8
Custom white balance	Yes
Image stabilization	Sensor-shift
CIPA image stabilization rating	5.5 stop(s)
Uncompressed format	RAW
File format	JPEG DNG (14-bit)
Optics & Focus
Autofocus	Contrast Detect (sensor) Multi-area Center Selective single-point Tracking Single Continuous Touch Face Detection Live View
Autofocus assist lamp	Yes
Manual focus	Yes
Number of focus points	225
Lens mount	Leica L
Focal length multiplier	1×
Screen / viewfinder
Articulated LCD	Fixed
Screen size	3.2″
Screen dots	2,100,000
Touch screen	Yes
Screen type	TFT LCD
Live view	Yes
Viewfinder type	Electronic
Viewfinder coverage	100%
Viewfinder magnification	0.78×
Viewfinder resolution	5,760,000
Photography features
Minimum shutter speed	1800 sec
Maximum shutter speed	1/8000 sec
Maximum shutter speed (electronic)	1/40000 sec
Exposure modes	Program Shutter priority Aperture priority Manual
Built-in flash	No
External flash	Yes (via hot shoe)
Flash X sync speed	1/250 sec
Drive modes	Single Continuous Interval Exposure bracketing Multishit
Continuous drive	20.0 fps
Self-timer	Yes
Metering modes	Multi Center-weighted Spot
Exposure compensation	-3–5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
AE Bracketing	±3 (3, 5 frames at 1/3 EV steps)
Videography features
Format	MPEG-4, H.264
Modes	4096 x 2160 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 4096 x 2160 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 4096 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 4096 x 2160 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 4096 x 2160 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Microphone	Stereo
Speaker	Mono
Storage
Storage included	Dual SD card slots (UHS-II supported)
Connectivity
USB	USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
HDMI	Yes (10-bit output)
Microphone port	Yes
Headphone port	Yes
Wireless	Built-In
Wireless notes	802.11ac + Bluetooth
Remote control	Yes (via smartphone)
Physical
Environmentally sealed	Yes
Battery	Built-in
Battery description	BP-SCL4
Battery Life (CIPA)	370
Weight (inc. batteries)	835 g (1.84 lb / 29.45 oz)
Dimensions	146 x 107 x 42 mm (5.75 x 4.21 x 1.65″)
Other features
Orientation sensor	Yes
Timelapse recording	Yes
GPS	None

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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When fast-ish is fast enough: in praise of F1.8 lenses

07 Oct

Going back decades, well-heeled amateur and hobbyist photographers have lusted after fast prime lenses. Partly this is just human nature. In the days when most cameras shipped with standard 50mm F1.8 or F2 lenses, it was inevitable that such photographers would long for something a little more exotic. A little faster, more expensive, and more ‘professional’. For photography obsessives that grew up idolizing the famous LIFE magazine shooters of the late 20th Century, it was natural to aspire to own those kinds of lenses, despite their price.

There is still a demand for F1.4 and faster lenses, but that’s not the same thing as saying that there is a need for them

Partly though, the appeal of fast lenses is practical – regardless of your ability level or income. They let in more light, and more light, even today, is always good. In the film days though, you really needed every stop. For a long time, anything above ISO 400 was considered ‘fast’, and shooting so-called ‘high speed’ film involved compromises, in color rendition, grain and contrast. For photographers that needed to work in changing conditions, an F1.4 or even F1.2 lens was valuable insurance against missed opportunities created by a lack of light. Never mind that many of the F1.4 and F1.2 lenses of the film era were pretty soft wide open – a slightly hazy photo is better than no photo at all.

But today, two decades into the ‘Digital Century’, is there still a need for ultra-fast lenses?

One of the ultimate drool-worthy lenses, the Leica Summilux 35mm F1.4 (this example is from the 1970s) is the most compact F1.4 lens that Leica ever made for its M-series rangefinders. Its small size, light weight, and the premium attached to F1.4 means that it has long been a favorite of professionals and wealthy amateurs.

Never mind the fact that at it can’t focus closer than 1 meter, can’t accept normal filters and doesn’t really get sharp until F2.

Fast lenses continue to sell, and technically of course, the F1.4 and F1.2 (and faster) primes of today are far superior to the designs that came before. Standout examples of the current state-of-the-art include Canon’s superb RF 50mm F1.2 and EF 35mm F1.4L II, Sony’s GM 24mm F1.4, and Sigma’s 35mm F1.2 ‘Art’ among many others. Tamron’s new 35mm F1.4 is another stunning lens, and don’t let a Pentax fan catch you suggesting that the FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW is anything less than perfect. Technically speaking, all of the lenses I just mentioned are among the best of their type that you can buy.

Canon’s EF 35mm F1.4L II USM is a stunning lens – in fact arguably the best 35mm prime on the market. If you’re a Canon shooter, and you’re one of those people that really needs F1.4, this is the lens to get. But for most of us, it might be overkill.

Clearly, then, and partly for that reason, there is still a demand for F1.4 and faster lenses, but that’s not quite the same thing as saying that most photographers still have a need for them. I suggest that these days, with the modern BSI-CMOS sensors inside most full-frame interchangeable lens cameras, the average full-frame photographer will be fine with F1.8. And might actually be better off.

To explain why I think that, I’ll break down the three traditional arguments in favor of fast lenses:

1: Faster lenses let in more light, and more light is always good.

This is a fact. More light is never a bad thing, and the 2/3 of a stop which demarks an F1.4 lens from an F1.8 lens is not insignificant.*

Consider the practical implications of shooting at F1.4 versus F1.8: First, you’ll be able to shoot at faster (shorter duration) shutter speeds. Assuming a constant ISO sensitivity, an increase in 2/3 of a stop of aperture means the difference between shooting at a shutter speed of 1/25th of a second and shooting at 1/15th.

That’s potentially quite handy if, for example, you’re shooting with a 28mm lens. Without any form of stabilization, you’ll probably be able to hand-hold your shot at 1/25th, but you might struggle at 1/15th. So in marginal light, shooting at F1.4 will give you a little bit more peace of mind.

This portrait of everyone’s favorite dog was shot wide open, on the Nikon Z 50mm F1.8 S. Belvedere is sharp, there’s no CA anywhere, and foreground and background are pleasantly blurred. The high performance of the Nikon Z6’s BSI-CMOS sensor means that even at ISO 1,400, noise is barely an issue (and could be reduced even further with a little more NR in Adobe Camera Raw).
ISO 1400 | 1/250 sec | F1.8

The second practical implication is that more light coming in through the lens means that assuming a fixed shutter speed, you can shoot at lower ISO sensitivity settings. Two thirds of a stop is the difference between ISO 640 and ISO 400.

But do you care these days about the difference between shooting at ISO 640 and ISO 400? Or ISO 1,600 and ISO 1,000? Or even 160 and 100? The increased performance of modern sensors at high ISO sensitivity settings means that the days when you really needed to keep your ISO ultra-low for acceptable results are (fortunately) over. As such, when it comes to light gathering, the advantage of an F1.4 lens is less important now than ever before. That’s assuming you’re shooting with one of the new generation of BSI-CMOS sensors, of course, with dual-gain architectures.

2: Faster lenses make for more attractive images

But of course you know all about F-stops, and the reason you’re interested in an F1.4 lens is not for its technical advantages when it comes to pushing your exposure envelope, but for its aesthetic advantages. Specifically, shallower depth of field and blurrier backgrounds at maximum aperture.

This is fair enough – if you consider two lenses of the same focal length, one an F1.4 and one an F1.8, the F1.4 lens will deliver blurrier backgrounds, assuming a constant camera to subject distance. Physics again.


F1.8	F1.4

However, the difference between the appearance of background blur at F1.4 vs. F1.8 isn’t as great as all that. It’s highly dependent on camera to subject distance of course, but in general, I’ll bet that most people, if they saw a photograph shot at either F stop setting in isolation, would be unable to identify the aperture setting you used.

Look at the example above. The image on the left was shot at F1.8, the image on the right was shot at F1.4. The crop is from an area just to the left (her left) of our model’s head.

The two images look different, certainly. But are they that different? Meanwhile, the marginal increase in depth of field at F1.8 over F1.4 may actually be advantageous for some photographic situations – especially portraits like this, where even a slight sharpness difference between your subject’s eyes can be distracting.

3: A faster lens stopped down is sharper than a slower one is wide open

Traditionally, this is true. No lens is technically at its best when shot at its maximum aperture. Stopping down a touch is good practice if you want to achieve better overall sharpness, cut down vignetting, minimize some common aberrations, and you don’t mind losing a tiny bit of background blur in return.

This portrait was shot straight into the sun, on Nikon’s Z7 with a new Z 85mm F1.8 S attached. Wide open, this image is sharp across the frame, contrasty, and while there is some flare in evidence, you really have to go looking for it. This is not the kind of performance that we would traditionally associate with an 85mm F1.8.
ISO 64 | 1/2000 sec | F1.8

Again though, these days, you may find that the difference between an F1.4 lens stopped down to F1.8 and a good F1.8 lens wide open is minimal. Looking at the best of today’s crop of F1.8 primes their performance wide open is extraordinary. When examining images from the Nikon Z 85mm or 50mm F1.8 S or the Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA, its obvious that compared to the ‘kit’ primes of the old days, they’re in a different league. Some of this is down to the increased design flexibility that mirrorless technology brings in terms of automatic software corrections, but not all.

At the end of the day, an F1.8 prime that is sharp and contrasty across the frame, which offers pleasant bokeh and lacks significant fringing when shot wide open is – I would argue – a much better value proposition than a more expensive F1.4 or F1.2 lens which needs to be shot at F1.8 or F2 for optimal results.

Disadvantages of ultra-fast lenses

Hopefully I’ve challenged some of the conventionally accepted advantages of faster lenses, but to further bolster my case I want to look at their outright disadvantages.

There are three: size, weight, and cost.

Lenses with a maximum aperture of F1.4 or faster are typically larger, heavier and as I’ve hinted at above, more costly than F1.8 or slower equivalents. The image below, showing Canon’s EF 50mm F1.8 STM next to the RF 50mm F1.2L USM is an extreme example, but nevertheless, if you see a 50mm F1.2 (or F1.4) and a 50mm F1.8 in a particular company’s lineup, you can bet that the F1.8 will be the lighter, smaller and cheaper of the pair.

I don’t want to pick out (or pick on) particular brands here, but Nikon’s Z-mount prime lens range is worth looking at in the context of this discussion because it currently only consists of F1.8 options (pending the arrival of the manual focus 58mm F0.95 Noct, which is a bit of a special case).

Two lenses, both made by Canon, one for DSLRs on the left, and one for mirrorless, on the right. The biggest reason for the size difference between these two is their maximum aperture. The lens on the left is the EF 50mm F1.8 STM, while the lens on the right is the RF 50mm F1.2L USM. The RF lens is one stop brighter than the EF lens. One stop brighter, and a whole lot heftier.

Of Nikon’s three currently available Z-mount lenses, the Z 50mm F1.8 S and Z 85mm F1.8 S are, in my opinion, optically outstanding in almost every way that a photographer should care about. The Z 35mm F1.8 S isn’t quite in the same league when it comes to CA suppression, but it’s still excellent. The combined cost of all three of these lenses is $ 2,250 (not inclusive of tax). That’s only $ 150 more than the MSRP of Canon’s admittedly stunning, but undeniably massive RF 50mm F1.2L, shown above. Meanwhile the combined weight of the three Nikon lenses comes in at only 300g more than the Canon 50mm on its own. And around 800g (about 1.7lb) less than the expected weight of one Nikon Noct, (pictured at the top of this article) if you’re playing that game. We don’t know how much the Noct will cost yet, but let’s assume it will be significantly more than $ 2,250…

If you want a really fast, flagship prime lens, be prepared to pay for it, in more ways than one

Clearly this is an imperfect comparison, drawn only to make a point. But hopefully you do get my point: If you want a really fast, flagship prime lens, be prepared to pay for it, in more ways than one. And ask yourself first – how much do you really need that extra stop or two of light?

Just one more thing…

Speaking of price brings me to a flaw in my argument – or at least to a caveat: The fact that all other things being equal, an F1.8 lens is likely to be cheaper and smaller than an F1.4 or F1.2 equivalent is unsurprising, and in itself proves nothing. What has proved surprising to some of our readers is that fact that the best of today’s crop of F1.8 primes for mirrorless systems are more costly than their D/SLR-era F1.8 equivalents. In fact, in some cases they’re more costly than their F1.4 D/SLR-era equivalents.

Nikon’s Z 85mm f1.8 S, for example, costs almost exactly twice as much as the still-current AF-S 85mm f1.8G. Meanwhile, the AF-S 50mm F1.4G is a fine lens, and still available new for around $ 400 – that’s 2/3 of the cost of the Z 50mm F1.8 S. Sony’s new FE 35mm F1.8 costs $ 750 – that’s more than Sigma’s 35mm F1.4 ‘Art’ – still one of our favorite fast prime lenses, even seven years after its introduction.

Sharp and free of distracting flare even when shot almost wide open, Sony’s new FE 35mm F1.8 is one of the most useful lenses for Sony’s mirrorless interchangeable lens system.
ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | F2.2
Photo by RIshi Sanyal

Why is this so? The reasons are various. There’s the the overall loss of value in the digital photography industry which has seen volume at the low end of the market disappear, driving the prices of high-end products up. The need to recoup some of the R&D costs of developing entirely new mirrorless mounts, the fluctuation in the value of the Japanese Yen over the past decade or so, and other factors.

$ 800 spent now on one of the current crop of state-of-the-art mirrorless lenses buys you more than $ 800 ever has

But let’s not lose sight of a really important fact, independent of all that: The newer lenses mentioned above tend to be superior to equivalents that came before. While $ 800 is clearly a lot more cash than $ 400, $ 800 spent now on one of the current crop of state-of-the-art mirrorless lenses buys you more than $ 800 ever has. As such – especially if you’re a Nikon Z or Sony FE mirrorless shooter – I would argue that it’s time to leave behind the old idea that faster always equals better and take this opportunity to downsize.

Look out for part 2 to this article, if I ever get time to write it – ‘Hey Canon and Sigma, how about some more compact, high-performance F1.8 primes?’

Interested in reading some lens reviews? Click here

* In fact, 2/3EV is the difference between APS-C and full-frame.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Review of PhotoWorks: a Fresh and Fast Photo Editor for PC

06 Oct

The post Review of PhotoWorks: a Fresh and Fast Photo Editor for PC appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.

PhotoWorks is an image editor with a fresh, clean interface and a set of tools that work intelligently to get the best from your photos. It helps you turn drab files into spectacular pictures within a few clicks – sometimes only one! The software’s Portrait Magic technology uses face recognition to add expert retouching edits to your photos. A host of other handy features make the PhotoWorks photo editor for PC an enticing proposition.

The histogram is a constant when you edit in PhotoWorks. It’s good to see a program that knows its value.

Who’s it for?

Automatic photo editing is the forte of PhotoWorks, but the software doesn’t do everything. It doesn’t offer the huge toolbox that many other programs do, with so much thrown in that you have to rummage endlessly to find what you want. It’s designed for ease of use and speed, which will appeal to beginners and casual photographers but might catch the eye of a few veterans, too.

The clean, minimalistic interface of PhotoWorks. All edits are memorized by the software, so they’re non-destructive.

In this review, I’ll look at everything PhotoWorks has to offer. I feel like I’ll enjoy it because this photo editing software for PC isn’t an unwieldy monster with innumerable needless features. PhotoWorks seems knowable from the first time you open it. You can jump in without facing a steep learning curve, though there are good tutorials available online if you need help. Let’s see what it can do.

Opening raw files

Raw files are always an obvious place to start when reviewing a photo editor for PC. Can PhotoWorks handle them? It’s not billed as a raw processor, but it does open most proprietary raw files in addition to Adobe’s standard DNG files.

When you open raw files in PhotoWorks, you have the option of applying one of six profiles to them: Default, Auto Enhancement, Landscape, Portrait, Sunny Day or Black & White. With the Default profile, all the settings in PhotoWorks are zeroed when you open the file, whereas the others are Presets with adjusted sliders.

photoworks-photo-editor-for-pc - raw conversion

You’re presented with six starting points when opening raw files. The default conversion opens automatically on the page.

PhotoWorks is really a pixel editor. It converts individual raw files quickly and the quality is okay – good, even – but problems like chromatic aberration (CA) and chroma noise are present if you examine images at 100%. Should you view images at 100%? Only if you’re creating big prints or trying to impress third parties with technical quality. And if you’re doing that, you may not belong to the target market for this software, though PhotoWorks has potentially wide appeal.

PhotoWorks does not currently fix chromatic aberration or purple fringing. If you’re the type of photographer who scrutinizes image quality and needs impeccable files, you could run them through a dedicated raw converter first.

By pairing PhotoWorks with a separate raw processor (e.g. RawTherapee, Darktable), “serious” photographers could have the basis of an efficient workflow. That’d be good for, say, wedding photographers, who would also benefit from the software’s intelligent retouching capabilities. We’ll look at those in more detail later, but for now, it suffices to say they’re good.

Saving the PhotoWorks way

Not long after firing up PhotoWorks, you’ll notice there’s no way to close images. This is unusual, to say the least, but it’s another form of streamlining. You can save edited files and move onto the next image. Your edits are stored, even if you move on without saving, and you have the option of resuming them or starting afresh when you go back to the file. This is true even if you close the program. Edits are non-destructive.

Both Save and Fast Export let you export a separate copy of the edited file in the format of your choice, the main difference being that you choose the format beforehand with Fast Export. You can select from JPEG, TIFF (8-bit compressed), PNG and BMP.

Enhancement

The Enhancement tab is where you make changes to color and tone in your image. It includes an Auto Correction feature that aims to transform your photos in a single click, but you can alter its effect if you want. For instance, let’s say you’re already happy with the tonal range but would like more color, you could switch off the dynamic range and add vibrance to Auto Correction. Plus, there’s a slider that adjusts the strength of the auto effect.

PhotoWorks includes a blue sky enhancement, which makes it easy to deepen the blue of the sky whilst also warming the photo up. Those two edits are normally at odds with each other.

Most of the color and tone sliders you’d expect to find in top-end software are in the Enhancement section of PhotoWorks under the Main tab. They give you as much manual control as you want. The workspace is so tidily laid out that it puts some established photo-editing brands to shame. The design is thoughtful and user-friendly, and it makes you want to linger. You even get to suggest features you’d like to see.

Two more tabs under Enhancement are Colors and Sharpness. The first lets you adjust hue, saturation, lightness (HSL) and color balance. The Sharpen tool is basically an unsharp mask, and there’s a blur section where you could create dreamy soft-focus effects or counteract over-sharpening. It’s all useful stuff, and the confusing terminology is notably left out.

photoworks-photo-editor-for-pc-sharpening-the-blur-tool

A slightly de-sharpened image focuses attention on form rather than detail. That’s where the PhotoWorks Blur tool is useful. It works well with busy compositions.

Tools

Move along to the Tools tab in PhotoWorks and a carefully selected set of powerful tools reveals itself to the right of the screen. There are not a hundred little tool icons as with complex programs. Some of the tools, like Curves or Tone Mapping, offer an alternative and perhaps more advanced way of working with your pictures. Seasoned photographers will be familiar with these features.

Crop

The PhotoWorks crop tool includes a modern set of aspect ratio presets that fit today’s devices or social media pages perfectly. Of course, you can also use the original aspect ratio, choose a different ratio or crop the photo freely. There’s nothing much missing here. You can rotate the picture, which helps get horizons level or to achieve the most effective composition.

AMS Software, the creator of PhotoWorks, also offers a choice of grid overlays to assist you with composition when cropping. For example, you can choose a Rule of Thirds or Golden Ratio grid to help you decide what to include and where. My only slight gripe here is that the grid lines are often a little hard to see: maybe a different color or opacity control would help.

The Golden Spiral crop grid in PhotoWorks.

Geometry (correcting perspective and distortion)

You can correct the perspective of architectural photos using the Geometry tools in PhotoWorks. Like in most photo editors for computers, there’s no auto adjustment, so you have to alter the vertical and/or horizontal perspective yourself using the sliders, but this is generally an easy task.

In this pic, you can clearly see the effects of lens distortion on the window frame. In the inset, I’ve corrected it using the distortion slider.

Correcting optical aberrations such as pincushion or barrel distortion is also possible in this section. Some programs will do this for you with the help of lens profiles, but you can do it easily yourself with the assistance of the included grid and distortion slider.

Change background

PhotoWorks makes it easy to change the background of your photo, so if you want to transplant a better sky or create a composite picture, you can. The process of separating the subject from its background is simple. You draw a green line with the object brush, a red line with the background brush, and then you let the software work its magic. Typically, you need to refine the edge a bit using the same brushes, which could become labor-intensive with intricate subjects. For many photos, the process works fine. There’s even a choice of free-to-use pictures you can add as backgrounds, or you can upload your own.

The Change Background feature in PhotoWorks separates subjects from their background with ridiculous ease. I’m not sure there’s enough finesse for complex selections (e.g. fur or fine strands of hair), but there’s a lot of fun to be had.

Vignetting

The vignetting tool lets you correct vignetting that occurs naturally with your lens. You can brighten edges and corners for even exposure. It also lets you add a vignette as a creative effect, focusing the viewer’s attention more on the subject of the picture. This photo editor for PC provides all the controls you need to fine-tune this edit.

3D LUT Color Correction

Color LUTs might just as accurately be called “special effects” since they remap the color of your photos to create a different look. PhotoWorks offers a nice built-in selection of them as well as letting you upload your own in the form of cube files. You can’t save your own LUTs within the software, hence you can’t preview them either, but I’m glad to see this feature in PhotoWorks.

This is the “Drama” color LUT. Interestingly, it compresses the tonal range. In doing so, maybe it makes the viewer feel more hemmed in and on edge.

Tone Mapping & Curves

PhotoWorks includes tone mapping and curves tools for controlling color and tone. Tone mapping lets you overlay a color or texture. You could apply a color to a black-and-white image here for a duotone effect. The curves tool adjusts contrast, changes color temperature, and tint and even corrects color if you use the individual RGB curves.

A black & white photo turned into a duotone (i.e. a mix of black and blue) using the Tone Mapping tool in PhotoWorks.

Noise Reduction and Grain

There are tools for reducing digital noise or adding film-like grain in PhotoWorks. This photo editing software for PC doesn’t separate color noise from luminance noise, which would be a nice feature for more advanced photographers. But it will smooth and improve the look of high ISO photos.

The film-grain effect is generally better looking than digital noise in photos. You can add that to give your photos an authentic retro look from the days of analog photography.

Retouch

Some of the headlining features of PhotoWorks fall under its Retouch section. The software harnesses the power of face recognition technology to automatically enhance portraits. You can use its Portrait Magic or Face Sculpt technology to retouch faces and show your subjects at their best.

Portrait Magic

A remarkable feature of PhotoWorks is its Portrait Magic feature, which lets you automatically or manually remove blemishes and enhance portraits. Its toolset includes the following:

Skin smoothing
Control over redness (improve blotchy skin)
Skin tone
Eyes (sharpness, contrast, remove dark circles)
Eyebrows (sharpness, contrast)
Lips (sharpness, contrast, hue, saturation, luminance & glare)
Teeth (whiteness)

It may be hard to see the difference here, but Portrait Magic is good at damping down glare on the skin (aka “face shine”). There are many quick fixes to choose from as well as full manual control. (Image: Pexels)

Even if you know how to fix these things already, this technology saves time. It’s easy to imagine it being useful to pro portrait and wedding photographers. The best results are achieved by addressing issues one-by-one, but there’s a set of quick-fix buttons available to speed things up. You have to be careful with it because the software isn’t infallible. For instance, a pair of glasses get in the way of removing dark circles accurately.

Portrait Magic is so good that you could buy this software for that alone. It’s a great photo editor app for pc or laptop.

Face Sculpt

Just when you thought you’d seen amazing things with Portrait Magic, along comes Face Sculpt. Move a slider and watch the software identify and alter a specific part of the face. You can do these things manually in Photoshop using warp tools and the like, but boy is it easy with PhotoWorks: a deft picture editor and retoucher in one.

I’ve done nothing to this photo except turn a hint of a smile into a stronger hint. Like Portrait Magic, Face Sculpt is a powerful tool that can totally transform a portrait. The technology behind it is remarkably precise. Subtle edits often work best. (Original image: Pixabay)

Maybe we should all just accept the way we look, but contrary to popular belief, the camera does lie. It’s easy to take an unflattering portrait because of technical reasons, whether it’s an unflattering camera angle, harsh lighting, poor timing or lens distortion. PhotoWorks lets you remedy such problems.

Face Sculpt enables you to reshape or resize eyes, noses, mouths, eyebrows, and the face itself. You can even turn a frown into a smile. Used subtly, it creates different versions of the truth rather than outright lies. And if it helps the subject feel good about themselves, that can’t be a bad thing.

Healing and Cloning Tools

Healing and Cloning tools in PhotoWorks are also first rate. The clone stamp auto-samples from a similar area and gives you the option of changing the sample location. It’s quick and efficient, and no intervention is usually necessary. The Healing Brush is even faster for fixing small blemishes (e.g. dust spots).

Adjustment Brush

There aren’t any layers in PhotoWorks, but you can carry out local edits with the adjustment brush. Users of Lightroom will be familiar with the concept. Color, tone, and sharpness can all be selectively adjusted anywhere on the image. You can also deal with chromatic aberration by brushing neatly over edges and turning Saturation down, though a dedicated tool would be better.

It’s out of fashion, I know, but here’s a quick demo of selective coloring with the Adjustment Brush on PhotoWorks. This Lightroom-style feature offers infinite possibilities without being as daunting to beginners as layers are.

Graduated Filter and Radial Filter

The Graduated Filter and Radial Filter offer alternative ways of making local adjustments to one or more parts of an image. Whether it’s tone, color or sharpness you’re adjusting, these retouching tools make it easy to emphasize your subject. You can also even up your exposures (e.g. the classic dark foreground and bright sky) and bring out shadow detail. Characteristically, these features are neatly designed and easy to use in PhotoWorks.

Two graduated filters are in play here – one to brighten and warm up the lower half of the photo and another to reduce exposure in the sky a little.

Special Effects

With over 150 special effects to choose from, PhotoWorks gives you plenty of ways to interpret each photo. In the Special Effects section of the software, you can add any effect you like and then adapt it to suit your tastes if you want. Hitting the “Apply” button takes you over to the Enhancements area of the software, where you can tweak color, tone, and sharpness.

Image: A quite pleasing special effect to my eye (Faded Photo -1) and one of over 150 special effect...

A quite pleasing special effect to my eye (Faded Photo -1) and one of over 150 special effects available in PhotoWorks.

I personally like adding textures to photos, so it was good to find a few textured effects among the collection. There is also a Quick Enhancements selection, which gives further opportunity for one-click fixing. You can favorite effects so they’re easy to find later on.

A Photographic Films section attempts to replicate the look of various classic films. It’s fun to play around with these effects, which you could find yourself using again and again in some cases.

Captions (add text and stickers)

Whatever you normally do with your photos, there might come a time when you want to add text to them. Maybe you’re making a Christmas card or designing a flyer. You could be creating memes for social media and entertaining your friends. PhotoWorks photo editor app for PC includes a versatile set of tools to help you create the text you want in the font, color, and style of your choice. A sticker collection lets you add cartoon-like captioning for extra fun.

Review of PhotoWorks: a Fresh and Fast Photo Editor for PC

Conclusion

Beneath the minimalistic surface, PhotoWorks offers a powerful set of tools that are easy to use regardless of your level. The way the software exploits face recognition technology is magical, indeed.

There are a few nuts-and-bolts things I would like to see in PhotoWorks, such as chromatic aberration removal, more nuanced noise reduction and an exposure warning to help with histogram adjustments (aka levels). The ability to export 16-bit TIFFs would be nice. At some point, though, if you keep adding stuff, the program ends up complex like many others and loses its streamlined appeal.

Design-wise, PhotoWorks positively gleams. It has a beautifully clean interface, uses simple terminology that everyone can understand, and gets a lot of work done with minimal effort. Whether you use it alone or alongside other photo editors for PC, it’s definitely worth a look.

You can download a free trial version and explore the features of the program yourself. Or use the exclusive coupon for dPS readers to purchase PhotoWorks at a 50% discount now!

Disclaimer: PhotoWorks is a paid dPS partner.

The post Review of PhotoWorks: a Fresh and Fast Photo Editor for PC appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.

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Zenit announces ridiculously fast 50mm F0.95 fully-manual lens for Sony full-frame cameras

17 Mar

Zenit has announced a 50mm F0.95 manual lens for Sony full-frame cameras.

The Zenitar 0.95 | 50, as it’s called in Zenit’s branding, is fully manual without any electronics inside. It features a fast aperture and an impressive 14-blade diaphragm that Zenit claims provides perfectly round bokeh.

The lens is constructed of nine elements in eight groups and constructed entirely of glass and metal. Considering the metal construction and massive optical elements, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the lens weighs quite a bit for its focal length, 1.1kg / 2.43lbs.

Below is a gallery of sample images captured with the lens:

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The lens is set to be released in Russia next week for a price of 50K ruble, which converts to roughly €680 or $ 770 USD. There’s no mention of an international release timeframe for the time being.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Posts Tagged ‘fast’

Why do you need to remove wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop?

Removing wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop: The basics

Challenges when removing clothing wrinkles

An advanced technique for removing wrinkles from clothes in Photoshop: Frequency separation

How to remove wrinkles from clothing in Photoshop: Conclusion

What can EaseUS Data Recovery software do?

How to use EaseUS: A quick guide

How does EaseUS Data Recovery perform?

EaseUS Data Recovery: Plans and pricing

Who should get EaseUS Data Recovery?

1. Get closer to your subject

Putting it into practice

The reverse

In more depth

2. Bring your subject farther from the background

Practice

Real-world use

Achieving blurry backgrounds: final words

Exposure Software Exposure X5 $ 119-149 | exposure.software

Key takeaways:

Not much more than a Benjamin, with no subscriptions in sight

Great upgrades to masking and lens correction

A bit rough around the edges compared to Lightroom

The sidebars are jam-packed full of controls

The lack of a catalog has pros and cons

1. Use minimalism to improve your compositions

2. Add split toning to enhance the colors

3. Decrease the depth of field for a softer look

4. Look at the work of good photographers for inspiration

5. Lengthen your shutter speeds for more abstract photos

Five ways to make your photography more artistic: Conclusion

A New Icon: Leica Camera Announces the New Leica SL2, Successor to the Trailblazing Leica SL

CMOS sensor with 47 megapixels for superior image quality

Image stabilization through sensor-shift technology

Improved ergonomics for stress-free shooting in any situation

Streamlined design with new status menus

Limitless connections

Maestro III processor for ultra-fast operation

Leica EyeRes® viewfinder with even higher resolution

Perfect tool for cinematographers

Leica SL2 specifications

1: Faster lenses let in more light, and more light is always good.

2: Faster lenses make for more attractive images

3: A faster lens stopped down is sharper than a slower one is wide open

Disadvantages of ultra-fast lenses

Just one more thing…

Who’s it for?

Opening raw files

Saving the PhotoWorks way

Enhancement

Tools

Crop

Geometry (correcting perspective and distortion)

Change background

Vignetting

3D LUT Color Correction

Tone Mapping & Curves

Noise Reduction and Grain

Retouch

Portrait Magic

Face Sculpt

Healing and Cloning Tools

Adjustment Brush

Graduated Filter and Radial Filter

Special Effects

Captions (add text and stickers)

Conclusion

Exposure Software Exposure X5
$ 119-149 | exposure.software