The post The Sony ZV-1 Is a Powerful New Camera Designed for Vloggers appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Sony is preparing to launch a new camera, designed specifically for vloggers:
The Sony ZV-1, a small camera that will pack a large punch.
News of the ZV-1 has been leaking for weeks, but as we approach the likely announcement date (May 26th), information has appeared at a frenzied pace, including leaked product photos, leaked press announcements, and even a teaser from Sony.
What can you expect from this compact camera?
While nothing has been officially confirmed, Sony’s teaser shows a small camera with a full-articulating rear LCD. This is fully in line with the leaked press text, which suggests that the new ZV-1 will offer:
An articulating screen
A 1-inch, 20.1-megapixel sensor
A 24-70mm lens
Excellent AF (including Real-time Eye AF)
A soft skin effect “to reduce skin wrinkles and marks while ensuring you preserve skin-tones and the sharpness of eyes and mouths”
(And more!)
If all this information is accurate, vloggers will be in for a treat; the combination of an articulating screen, a 24-70mm focal length, and Sony autofocus capabilities (described in the leaked press text as “super-fast AF”) will be too good to pass up for plenty of content creators. The press text also promises “high-quality sound capturing performance and noise reduction in full stereo,” in addition to “a wind screen” and a “3.5mm input jack” for increased flexibility.
The camera will also likely appeal to still photographers looking for a compact, walkaround option. Twenty megapixels is just enough to satisfy beginners looking to enter the realm of higher-resolution photography, plus the 24-70mm lens offers a great range of focal lengths for street photography, landscape photography, architectural photography, portrait photography, and more.
So if you’re a vlogger or a still photographer looking for a camera that’s small, mighty, and tailored to the needs of content creators, the ZV-1 is certainly worth a look. Keep your eye out for news of the ZV-1’s official announcement on May 26th.
Now over to you:
What do you think of the ZV-1? Is it a camera you’d be interested in? Is it missing any features that you’d like to see?Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post The Sony ZV-1 Is a Powerful New Camera Designed for Vloggers appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.
It’s not unusual for photo-editing software to be multifunctional. Any combination of browser, raw processor and pixel editor is normal. ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 offers a slightly different blend of digital asset management (DAM) and pixel editing. In this article, we’ll see what this combo can do for you.
View Mode in ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020
What is DAM Software?
Many programs that help you organize photos are, rightly or wrongly, described as DAM software. An example of this is the now-discontinued “Picasa.”
With that popular program, you could browse photos, edit them, add metadata, assign keywords, create albums, mark photos as favorites, and so on. It was comprehensive. But was it DAM?
A defining feature of real DAM software is its ability to create a database of your photos. Lightroom does that, as does ACDSee Photo Studio Home.
These products aren’t just an extension of your OS. They record things, like the location of your photos and all the metadata attached to them. And they create thumbnails so you can fly through your collection at high speed whether you’re connected to it or not. This is what separates DAM software from fancy browsers.
First three modes for browsing and DAM
In ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020, the first three modes are for browsing and DAM. The modes are as follows:
Manage Mode is where you can browse folders, filter out photos, create stuff like slideshows and contact sheets, and send images to various photo platforms. You can switch between photo editors from here, too, in case you have other software with different functionality. Manage Mode is the hub of the software. You can even add geographical data to photos from here using the Map tool and reverse geocoding.
Photos Mode is great if you want to see everything on your drive within a short space of time. Let’s say you need to root out photos without any keywords or identifying data—this is the place to do it. This mode lets you see all content at once, whether it’s in folders or subfolders, so there’s no hiding place when you’re trying to find specific pictures.
View Mode gives you a nice big preview of your photos one-by-one, and it’s quick. This is a good place for assessing the content of your photos and grading them. (In another article, I suggest a workflow for this software). You can scrutinize the technical quality of TIFFs and JPEGs* in this mode, too. A nice feature of View Mode is the set of experimental tools it gives you, which you can apply to the picture without committing to the edit.
*Note that View Mode is not a good place for assessing critical sharpness in raw files, as the software displays the embedded JPEG to maintain speed. This JPEG looks especially poor at 100%, but it’s fine for assessing content and composition.
Photos Mode. This mode shows all images, whether in folders or subfolders.
Importing and Cataloging
When it comes to importing files into ACDSee software, you don’t need to do it at all.
The software accesses the folder system of your OS, so it’s enough just to copy and paste the files onto your hard drive. They are added to the ACDSee database automatically when you browse them later. That being said, you can import files via the software if you want and adjust filenames or add metadata while you’re doing it.
If you need to catalog lots of pictures without browsing them all first, you can do that too in Manage or Photos modes. This is especially useful when you first start using the software, though you must wait a while for the process to complete.
Getting organized
It’s all very well cataloging your photos, but there’s still a way to go before they’re genuinely searchable.
In Manage and View Modes of Photo Studio Home 2020, you can open the Properties panel to the right-hand side. It’s here that you add keywords, captions, ratings, color labels, and categories to your photos.
I advise working on keywords in the ACDSee Metadata tab, then copying and pasting them into the IPTC field if you want them to be readable elsewhere. Alas, there’s no button to make this task quicker.
You can use any or all of these features to make your photos searchable, grade them, and track them in your workflow. In a recent sponsored article, I suggested using ratings to grade the quality of your photos and color labels to mark your workflow progress. This is a common use of these tools.
Keywords
Keywords make your photos searchable using a variety of criteria. For instance, you can add different photographic techniques to keywords as well as describing the subject of the photo. How thorough you should be in keywording depends on your needs, but you can import keyword lists to avoid having to create them yourself. That’s a new feature in 2020, and it saves loads of time.
This was a raw file developed in ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020. The conversion is fine for non-problematic images that you want to quickly get online or share without changing your camera settings.
To Tag or not to Tag
To the top left of the properties panel is a check box for “tagging” images. This is a good way to highlight your keepers and reject the rest (or vice versa).
It’d be nice if ACDSee added the ability to proactively reject photos with a dedicated reject flag. As things stand, an untagged file could be one that you’ve simply missed.
Image Baskets
A favorite ACDSee feature of mine is the image basket. This is like a virtual folder, where you can gather image files from various places without physically moving or copying them. It’s very handy for working on quick projects without cluttering up your drive with duplicate files. You can use image baskets for purposes of viewing, editing and sharing.
Face Detection and Recognition
ACDSee software is good at detecting faces, at least when they’re not obscured, and it’s impressively good at recognizing them thereafter.
Often, you only have to name a person once for the software to learn facial features. There are obvious limitations. It won’t necessarily recognize faces across several decades, for instance. But this feature is decidedly useful for cataloging pictures of friends and family.
ACDSee software asks for confirmation that this is Marcel Proust. It’s seen one picture of him at this point, so that’s pretty good going.
Edit Mode
Two-thirds of ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 is DAM software, aimed at getting your photos organized and being able to find them with ease. If that was all you got for your money, it’d already be good value. But there’s also an Edit Mode where you can work on rendered files (e.g. JPEGs, TIFFs) and get them looking good.
What about raw files?
You can open most types of raw files in Photo Studio Home 2020, but there’s no develop module like there is in ACDSee Ultimate, for instance, so you don’t get to choose the processing parameters.
If you want to benefit fully from shooting raw, you should link this ACDSee software to a raw editor and switch between programs. That, theoretically, would be a higher-quality workflow than having to address technical issues after conversion. And you still have the DAM side of the software for cataloging and grading your raw files.
This is why you can’t judge the technical quality of raw files in ACDSee View Mode (where they’re best viewed at low magnifications). The inset shows the same file at 100% in Edit Mode.
Edit Mode features
A bit like Photoshop Elements vs Photoshop CC, there are things missing in ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 that aren’t missing in ACDSee Ultimate. For instance, there’s no 16-bit color support, no layers, no perspective tool, no dehaze, no dodge and burn, and no Color EQ. But these absent features are all forgivable since there’s a ton of stuff you do get.
Using the watermark feature in Edit Mode to place a logo (quickly created elsewhere) into the corner.
Color and Tone
For basic work on color and tone, there are the usual levels and curves tools.
In fact, these tools are nicely implemented by ACDSee, with a built-in histogram and an exposure warning that tells you when you’re losing detail with your edits. You also get a basic version of the proprietary Light EQ tool, which lets you adjust shadows, mid-tones, and highlights separately.
Given that many people only use the basic version of this tool anyway, this is a valuable inclusion.
The levels tool in Edit Mode. The exposure warning draws attention to blown highlights and blocked shadows.
Cloning and Healing
I should mention once more that the clone tool does not work for me in ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 (nor its predecessor). I just get a black screen. That seems trivial when set against everything that does work, but it’s still a tad irritating. I can use the heal tool a lot of the time instead, though its pixel-blending function is a bit different.
Creative Tools
ACDSee could be forgiven for providing the bare minimum of Editing tools, but they go beyond that. You get a cross-section of some of their most creative features. Under the “Add” filter menu, for instance, you’ll find Special Effects. And there are many of them for you to try.
I like the “Orton” effect, which smooths details for a dream-like appearance.
The Purple Haze special effect at 50% opacity. Try experimenting with blending modes to see what else you can achieve with these effects.
You can modify all edits with blending modes, opacity, gradients and the Edit Brush. This means you can adjust localized areas of your photo a bit like you can in Adobe Lightroom and other programs. What you can’t do is work on multiple edits at the same time, but this is still useful versatility.
A radial gradient placed over a black and white LUT, causing color to fade out towards the edges. You can make this kind of localized edit using gradients or the Edit Brush. (Not all LUTs are color, despite ACDSee’s nomenclature.)
The Tilt-Shift filter appears under the “Add” menu.
The temptation with this is always to dig out high-angle views and create that miniaturized effect where buildings, people, and vehicles look like toys.
However, you can try this filter out on other subjects, altering their depth of field and bokeh. It works quite well on close-ups of flowers, for example.
An atypical use of the tilt-shift tool, creating a very soft “bokeh” outside the center of this flower.
You’ll find the Convert to Black & White filter under the “Color” menu.
This lets you fine-tune your black-and-white conversions by adjusting brightness and contrast in all the colors that make up your picture. Also present here is the equivalent of Photoshop’s Channel Mixer, where you adjust the red, green, and blue (RGB) sliders to achieve your conversion, making sure the total value is at or under 100%.
Simple use of the Convert to Black and White filter. I’ve lowered brightness in greens and increased it in yellows and oranges to create pleasing contrast in this picture.
Color LUTs are found under the “Color” menu, too. These have become popular in recent years, allowing users to mimic the world of movie production by applying color grades to their pictures. The effect is often radical.
ACDSee comes with some color LUTs built in, but you can download more from various sources on the Internet.
The ACDSee “Film” color LUT adds a classic orange and teal look to pictures as well as increasing contrast. This color grading is often seen in movies or TV series.
Summing it up
Genuine DAM software, the kind that catalogs your photos, often costs well over $ 100. Or it’s part of a subscription plan that locks you in annually. ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 is appealing not only for its affordability but because it’s a great photo manager, period. On top of that, it’s a raw opener and pixel polisher with plenty of scope for creativity.
“Orton” special effect, faded towards the top using a gradient.
If you’re sold on the benefits of shooting and editing raw files, you could pair this software with RawTherapee or DarkTable without spending more cash. Whatever you choose to do, rest assured it’s impossible to waste money on ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020. This software is easy to use but has a depth that far belies its price.
Have you tried this software? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
The post ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.
The post 3 Reasons to Introduce Motion Blur Into Your Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.
Making a still image come to life can be a difficult task, especially if you don’t know the full functionality of your camera. When you’re first learning photography, it quickly becomes second nature to keep everything perfectly in focus, so you don’t instantly know how, why, and when to introduce motion blur to your images. But before you introduce motion blur, first, let’s learn what it is and how to do it.
f/6.3 – ISO 160 – 1/100 sec
What is motion blur?
First and foremost, motion blur is a lot different than a blurry image. If you shake the camera around or your subject starts to move right as you open the shutter, that creates a blurred image, but not necessarily motion blur.
Motion blur is when you purposely create an aspect of movement for your subject, but the rest of the photo is in focus. This is a really important element that makes the difference between motion blur and just a blurred image. Without some part of your photo being sharp, then your foreground and background are going to blend together and the photo won’t work.
Motion blur should also happen to something that the viewer would naturally assume is moving, like a car or a person running. Adding motion blur to something that is typically stationary, like a book or a salt shaker that is on a table, will seem awkward. Even though seeing a salt shaker move at the speed of light is an interesting idea, it won’t really make any sense to the viewer.
Now that we have the basics down, here are 3 reasons why you should introduce motion blur to your photography.
f/8 – ISO 400 – 1/40 sec
1. It tells a story
When done correctly, motion blur enhances the storytelling capability of a photo.
Imagine that you’re shooting at a horse racing track. You’re standing at an angle near the finish line, and when the two runners pass you, you compose your shot with them both in the frame and the finish line in the background.
If you introduce motion blur correctly in
your photo, then you’re going to have an awesome shot of the two runners in
motion, slightly blurred as if they are still running despite being frozen in
time. The finish line may even be in focus, along with the spectators.
This brings the viewer into the shot like they are standing right alongside you to see the race to completion. It tells the story of what you witnessed that day.
If done incorrectly, you’ll just get a blurred photo of two blobs running toward another blob. The elements in the photo will blend together and you’ll barely be able to understand what is happening in the first place.
f/2.8 – ISO 4000 – 1/80 sec
2. It adds action to your photography
Another great reason for adding motion blur to your photos is to convey a sense of “action” or “movement.” This can make your photos seem much more dynamic.
For example, imagine a dirt bike that is roaring around the side of a mountain. Imagine seeing the blurred dirt bike racing along the path while the mountain itself is in perfect focus. It almost makes it look like the dirt bike is rocketing through the frozen image, or that you’re present to witness the moment yourself.
Or, for example, imagine a dancer. If you introduce motion blur, you can show the viewer the movement that is taking place. It could be that he or she is spinning, moving their arms, or even jumping. Having the right amount of motion blur can bring the dancer to life in your photo.
You’ll need to select a slower shutter speed than you would do normally to get this to work properly. The exact settings will depend on the speed that your subject is moving at. For the bike example above, you won’t need a shutter as slow as you would need for someone walking for example.
f/4 – ISO 200 – 1/200 sec
3. It can create a wonderful effect
If you set up your camera when the lighting conditions are dark, and set a slow shutter speed so that you have a longer exposure, you can create streaking lights that not only tell a story but also look fantastic.
First, you need to make sure that you have a steady tripod. Without it, you won’t get anything other than a completely blurred picture unless you raise your ISO ridiculously high. The problem with doing that is the amount of unwanted noise that you will end up with being in your photo. So if you want the best photo possible, use a tripod.
The long exposure will mean that any vehicles that drive past will create a streaked-light effect, or the stars above will streak across the frame as the Earth rotates.
Attempting this during the day won’t work unless you use a neutral density filter like a Lee little or big stopper. Without a filter, you will just end up with a completely blown out (white) image. Even if you do get it to work, it would not have the same impact as when it is darker.
f/8 – ISO 100 – 5 sec
Getting the hang of motion blur photography isn’t very difficult. But to do it well will require practice. So, experiment a little when you introduce motion blur to your photography and keep these reasons in mind to help push you along in your trials! With experience, you’ll get to learn how and when to best introduce motion blur to your photography.
The post 3 Reasons to Introduce Motion Blur Into Your Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.
The post Photographing on Your Home Patch and Why You Need One appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.
Photographing on your home patch is an exciting way to practice your photography. Making a long journey to take photos can seem like a daunting task because of the travel times involved. Photographing closer to home is a much easier and inexpensive prospect and doesn’t require venturing too far.
What is a home patch
You may be wondering what a home patch actually is? Well, it refers to “a local area that is close to home and is easy to access year-round.”
A local patch can be almost anywhere nearby, and for most people will be on public land. It can be a location that is close by that you can visit with minimal efforts, such as a field, woodland, park, city, or river. Being nearby, you can ideally walk, bike, or use a vehicle to get there.
Why do you need a home patch?
There are several reasons why you need a home patch. Firstly, good photos can be achieved close to home with minimal effort. I took this shot less than five minutes from my home. I simply drove down the road, parked the car, and took the picture.
Misty morning, Oxfordhsire
By
photographing on your home patch, you can focus your efforts in one area, you can
re-visit the location anytime and you can spend more time enjoying your
photography and taking pictures.
Advantages of a home patch
Some great advantages of photographing locally include saving on time, as traveling is minimal, and the area is close by and relatively easy to get to. Going local by photographing on your home patch saves on costs as all you need is your camera. It is also a great way to practice your photography skills.
Focussing your photography on an area close to home will help you to keep your technique sharp whilst improving your images over time. You can even find a local project to capture.
Having traveled to several countries around the world to photograph amazing places, there is nothing I find more satisfying than capturing strong images close to home. You don’t need to travel far to create good photos.
For this shot, I visited the field of dandelions at first light to capture the early morning glow.
Dandelions in mist
When shooting close to home, you have the added benefit of being able to visit your local patch when the weather is more favorable. You can also visit at any time during the year, which is difficult to do when you visit somewhere abroad for a week on holiday, and the weather is unpredictable.
Other advantages of photographing on your home patch are that it enables you to practice your photography more frequently rather than waiting for a trip. You will also be better prepared for when you do go on a long journey with your camera.
What
to look for?
You may be wondering what you should look for when photographing on your home patch?
Well, once you have identified a great location nearby, you just need to decide what you will photograph. Your approach could be to photograph wildlife, landscapes, street scenes, or even architecture depending on your favorite photography subjects.
Deer, Oxfordshire
Finding great subjects close to home is easier than you may think. You don’t need to go on an African safari to take great wildlife photographs, for example. In the UK, we are lucky enough to have deer, rabbits and foxes for wildlife photography. When out in the countryside, observe nature and look for any clues of wildlife being present. You may find animal tracks or signs of life on show.
Local
woodlands and fields can be great places to visit and photograph too whilst
getting some fresh air in the great outdoors. In the UK, they are a haven for
birds and mammals such as squirrels and deer.
Rivers and riverbeds provide homes to otters, herons, and fish too, which you may be lucky to photograph.
Oxford, England
Some other ideas for things to look for in nature are beautiful landscape scenes such as valleys, trees or hedgerows, and details such as insects and plants. Shooting close-ups can give a more intimate view of a flower or insect.
If you live in a city, your home patch can include street photography, architecture photography, capturing reflections in windows, doing panning, or light trails to capture movement of traffic.
Working your local patch helps you to gain a
better understanding of your environment and become familiar with your
surroundings, the lie of the land, the buildings and their inhabitants.
Whenever you visit, remember a familiar location can look very different in diverse light, contrasting weather and variable times of the day and year.
Conclusion
In summary, photographing on your home patch is a great way to practice your photography closer to home and generally requires minimal effort. Finding a local area to photograph that is easy to get to also saves on time and cost. Look to photograph something you enjoy such as landscapes, woodlands, wildlife present in nature and urban scenes in local towns, or cityscapes and night photography.
Be sure to share the images you capture on your home patch with us below and any other tips you may have.
The post Photographing on Your Home Patch and Why You Need One appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.
If you want to give a presentation of your artwork online which converts to sales, you need a portfolio website. This type of website is optimal for professionals in the niches of photography, digital art, creative writing, music and more. It may seem that creating an appealing and easy-to-browse portfolio website takes an expert. Well, indeed, powering a modern animated Continue Reading
The post 10 Tips And WordPress Photography Themes For Portfolio Websites appeared first on Photodoto.
The post Sigma to Release Canon RF Lenses Next Year appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
If you’re a Canon shooter, or you’re thinking about grabbing a Canon body, you’ve probably noticed two big problems with the Canon full-frame (RF) lens lineup.
First, Canon doesn’t offer many RF lenses.
There are around a dozen RF mount options at present, which pales in comparison to the number of lenses offered by mirrorless competitors like Sony, Fujifilm, and Olympus.
And second:
For the RF lenses that Canon does offer, the price tags are huge.
For instance, if you’re a sport, landscape, or event shooter in need of a high-quality 70-200mm zoom, you’re stuck with the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L, which costs over $ 2500 USD.
And if you’re a landscape, travel, or architectural shooter looking for a good ultra-wide lens, the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L is probably the way to go. Unfortunately, it costs just under $ 2300 USD.
So for photographers who want to dedicate themselves to Canon mirrorless bodies but don’t have a huge budget, you’ve got a big problem.
Of course, there’s always the option of using an adapter with Canon EF and EF-S lenses. But this will add bulk and inconvenience to your setup, and it doesn’t take full advantage of the possibilities offered by RF-mount lenses.
Fortunately, it seems that Sigma may be offering another solution.
Because according to Canon Rumors, Sigma may soon come forward with an RF lens announcement.
Sigma has a reputation for producing high-quality glass at excellent prices, which is exactly what Canon full-frame mirrorless shooters are looking for. Even a few Sigma lenses could quickly expand the Canon lens lineup, while also offering some entry-level options for folks who can’t pay thousands of dollars for a single RF mount lens.
While there are not any details on this roadmap as of yet, Sigma is apparently hoping to release lenses starting in 2021. And Canon Rumors’s source suggests that Sigma has sped up its original plans for RF lenses, thanks to the interest generated by the EOS R5 announcement.
The source also revealed that Sigma won’t be modifying their popular ART lenses to fit the Canon RF mount. Instead, Sigma will be developing new glass for Canon shooters.
On the one hand, it’s disappointing to hear that Sigma’s ART lenses won’t make an appearance under the Canon RF label, given how all-around fantastic they’ve turned out to be.
But on the other hand, it’ll be nice to see what Sigma develops.
Now over to you:
What lenses are you hoping that Sigma produces for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras?Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post Sigma to Release Canon RF Lenses Next Year appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post A Beginner’s Guide to Layer Masks in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Adobe Photoshop has so many buttons, tools, and options it can seem overwhelming and intimidating to beginner photo editors. Rather than diving into the deep end and trying to learn every possible tool all at once, I recommend a more measured approach. Pick one thing and learn that, and then move on to the next tool or technique. And learning Layer Masks in Photoshop is one of the most important and useful tools for any editor.
High school senior, class of 2017. There is no number 17 on his shirt. I added it in Photoshop with layer masking. Nikon D200, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/90 second, ISO 200.
In 1994, Photoshop Version 3 introduced a concept that blew the doors off the image editing industry: layers. This allowed editors to stack multiple image elements on top of each other to form a complete picture. This is all well and good, but what if you put one layer on top of another layer and still want to see something on the layer below?
You could use the Eraser tool to remove part of the top layer, which is what I used to do when I first started using Photoshop years ago.
A much better solution is to use a Layer Mask, which lets you show and hide any part of a layer. Instead of using the Eraser tool, you use the Paintbrush (or other tools) to make any part of a layer visible, invisible, or transparent.
As an example, here’s a picture of a truck on a farm. It’s alright, but the sky behind the truck isn’t very dramatic.
Nikon D750, 95mm, f/2.8, 1/3000 second, ISO 100
What if I replaced the boring blue sky with this dramatic sunset? Surely that would be a much more interesting photo, and maybe help the farmer sell his truck too.
Fuji X100f, 23mm, f/16, 30 seconds, ISO 200
If the pictures of the truck and sunset are stacked in Photoshop, the truck is visible but not the sky. This is where Layer Masks in Photoshop can save the day! You can use a mask on the truck layer and then edit it to remove the sky. This would leave the truck visible but the sunset showing through.
Layers are fundamental to the image editing process in Photoshop. Layers are on top are visible, whereas layers underneath cannot be seen unless some parts of the layers on top are visible.
To add a Layer Mask, click the top layer (in this case, the truck) and choose Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All.
Alternatively, click the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
The rectangle with a circle icon will add a layer mask to the selected layer.
At this point, nothing in the picture has changed because the entire layer is still visible, and nothing has actually been masked out. This is why the menu command is “Reveal All.”
The layer mask shows the entire layer to which it is applied. At this point, you can use any number of methods to remove portions of the layer you are working on.
The white rectangle is your layer mask. Click on it to select the mask, and then you can start hiding portions of the layer which it is attached to (in this case, the Truck layer).
My preferred method to show and hide Layer Masks in Photoshop is to use the Brush tool. Press the ‘B’ key on your keyboard or click the Brush tool icon on the left-side toolbar. Then start brushing the portions of the layer that you want to make invisible, just as though you were using an eraser.
Brushing the layer mask will reveal whatever is beneath the layer. Here you can see how, after a few brushstrokes, the sunset layer is starting to show through.
Notice how any part of the mask that you erase is also reflected in the thumbnail. Black portions are where the mask has been eliminated, which is a subtle but useful indicator of the work you are doing on the mask.
As you apply the brush to portions of the mask, the mask thumbnail is updated accordingly.
To completely remove the sky behind the truck, I used the Quick Selection tool to select the sky. Then I switched back to the Brush tool and brushed over the entire selected area.
It worked! The original sky is gone, replaced with a dramatic sunset. But there are some errors that I still need to fix.
At this point, a Layer Mask probably seems much more complicated than just using the Eraser tool. If you want to erase part of an image, why over-complicate the matter with masks and brushes and selections? Layer Masks provide an enormous advantage in that you can un-erase whatever you want just as easily.
With the Brush tool selected, press the ‘X’ key to invert your brush, and you can now put everything you erased back. Use the ‘[‘ and ‘]’ keys to change the size of the brush, and the ‘Z’ key to zoom in on portions of the image to get the finer details.
Invert the brush tool by pressing the X key to un-erase any part of the layer.
All the normal controls for brushes can be used when working with layer masks – opacity, smoothing, etc. This makes Layer Masks in Photoshop incredibly powerful and exponentially more useful than just using the eraser tool.
It still needs some touch-ups, but it’s a lot better than before thanks to the flexibility of layer masks.
Layer Masks can do so much more than replacing the sky. They can be used to combine any number of images, layers, and effects.
I created the picture at the top of this article with Layer Masks in Photoshop in just a few minutes. It started with the picture below of a high school senior wearing a blue shirt. Since this young man graduated in 2017, I wanted to put a 17 on his shirt. Photoshop made it easy.
A high school senior, Class of 2017. A nice big 17 would look good on his shirt.
I started by using the Fyra font for the number 17. I set the color to white and used the Soft Light blend mode to make the number look like it was part of the shirt, not just sitting on top of it. The young man’s crossed arms presented a challenge, but one that was easily solved in seconds thanks to layer masks.
What to do about his arms? Layer Masks to the rescue!
With the base layer selected, I chose the Lasso tool and selected the portion of the picture containing the arms. Then with that selection active, I right-clicked on the image and chose “New Layer via Copy.” This created a new layer in my Layers panel, which I moved to the top of the list by clicking and dragging.
With the new layer selected in my Layers panel, I went to the Layer menu and selected Layer Mask>Reveal All. This created a new masking layer, much like the truck and sunset example, that I could use to show and hide whatever portions of the arms I wanted to.
Click the white box next to Layer 1 to edit the layer mask for the top layer.
With the new Layer Mask in place, the rest of the operation was fairly simple.
I zoomed in on the image to get a closer view by pressing ‘Z’ and then clicked on the arms. Then I pressed the ‘B’ key to select my Brush tool and used the [ and ] keys to get the right size. As I brushed out the part of the top layer I did not want, I pressed the ‘X’ key to switch back and forth between erasing and un-erasing. This makes it very simple to perform fine adjustments to your layer mask.
Brush options such as Opacity and Smoothing can be used to perform edits to your layer mask with surgical precision.With one hand on your mouse and another hand on the X key, you can quickly show and hide whatever part of your layer that you want.
Using layer masking instead of just erasing portions of an image means you can continue to manipulate your image as separate layers even after you have made your edits. Watch how the number 17 can be moved and resized without any additional editing or erasing. This is possible because the arms are a separate layer in front of the number, and the blue part of the arms layer has been erased or masked out.
Reading through all these steps to learn Layer Masks in Photoshop might seem kind of overwhelming. If you follow along step by step, it’s a lot easier than it seems. Also, there are hundreds of ways to edit layer masks to create compositions you probably thought were previously unattainable.
If you have never tried using layer masks in Photoshop, I recommend giving it a try, and see where your creativity takes you. You might find that it opens up a door to entirely new types of artistic expression and editing possibilities.
Share your results with us in the comments below!
The post A Beginner’s Guide to Layer Masks in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
The post Tips For Editing the Colors in Landscape Photos Using Lightroom (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
In this video from Nigel Danson, you’ll gain some invaluable tips for editing the colors in landscape photos using Lightroom.
While Nigel uses Lightroom Mobile to show you his editing tips, these tips also apply to Lightroom classic.
The features that Nigel discusses to improve the colors in your landscape photos include the:
Temperature slider
Contrast Slider
HSL Panel
Split Toning Panel
Curves Panel
Gradient Adjustments
Calibration panel
So try out some of these tips for editing the colors in landscape photos using Lightroom and share your results with us in the comments section! Furthermore, if you have some tips for editing colors in landscape photos, please share those with us too.
You may also like:
Create Stunning Photos in Lightroom
Create Amazing Sunrise Photos with these Easy Lightroom Editing Tips
Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom
Four Lightroom Tips to Enhance Your Landscape Photos
Living Landscapes
The post Tips For Editing the Colors in Landscape Photos Using Lightroom (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Cards appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
This week’s photography challenge topic is the CARDS!
Many people have a set of playing cards around the house, or some motivational cards, tarot, companion cards, etc. So get creative with them – build a house of cards, use interesting light, try macro, or intentional camera movement. Color or black and white, or try a series, like mine.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
Tips for photographing CARDS
Moment Smartphone Lens Review for Photography and Videography
How to Understand Light and Color to Improve your Photography
Reverse Lens Macro: Close Up Photography Lesson #3
Reverse Mounting Your Prime Lenses for Affordable Macro Photography
Photographing a Still Life Series for Exhibition or a Portfolio
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.
Share in the dPS Facebook Group
You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPScards to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Cards appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post 10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
There is really no better time to practice some at-home creative photography ideas. There are lots of ideas you can experiment with, and with some basic equipment, you can really work wonders. Let’s get into it and discover some creative photography ideas you can work on at home, and work into a series of images.
1. Photographing water droplets
This is a classic project that you can try at home. It’s also relatively simple to set up, though you will need some specialized photographic equipment.
The equipment needed here includes a camera with a macro lens, a tripod, and an off-camera flash. You’ll then need to set up a location where you can drip water into a bowl of water. Learn more about how to take these photos here.
Water drop photography is another form of refraction photography.
2. Food photography
Everyone loves to practice food photography, especially when the food looks amazing! This genre is huge, and potentially lucrative, as the images you take could be sold as stock.
So what are some of the things that can lead to successful food photography in the home? Take a look at this list, but for a more detailed guide take a look at this article.
Lighting – This is key to good food photography. Natural light such as window sidelight works well. If you use off-camera flash, the light should come from behind the food, but be sure to reflect the light back to avoid shadows in your photo.
Backdrop – Standard still life backdrops like photographing the food in a lightbox can be effective. Otherwise, make sure the background provides context to the food you wish to photograph.
Food layout – Make sure your food is well presented. The best professional food photographers use food stylists, so see how you can produce something with style. The use of repeating elements is one potential solution here.
The best bit about food photography is eating the food!
3. Lensball light painting
A lot of Lensball photography will be carried outdoors, however, the Lensball is an excellent still-life object too.
One popular indoor project for Lensball photographers is light painting. You’ll need a dark room, tripod, and sheet of glass to go on the table as your initial setup.
Keyring – Use this under the ball to prevent it from rolling on the glass.
Table – Place the glass sheet on a table, and then put the ball on this.
Camera – Set the camera up on the tripod, and focus it on the ball.
Dark – Turn the lights off in the room, and ensure no ambient light seeps into the room.
Exposure – The exposure length should be around five seconds, but could be longer.
Light painting – With the camera setup, hit exposure, and light paint behind the ball with the light-emitting device of your choice.
In this photo, an iPhone was used to produce the light painting.
4. Freezing objects in ice
A fun project to try when you have a bit of time at home is freezing objects in ice. You’ll need a few days to complete each photo since there is a process involved in freezing an object. The main thing you need to achieve is getting the object to freeze in the middle of the block of ice.
If you want to read about how to successfully carry out this technique, then click this link.
Take your food photography in a different direction with this technique.
5. Still life photography
Once again, this is a huge genre in photography. The most professional photos will always have good lighting.
This style of photography could dovetail nicely with another hobby you may have. For instance, if you’re a quilter, photographing your finished product is a great idea.
If you want to get the best out of your still life photography then you can learn more by reading this article.
A nice simple image with a white background can look nice.
6. Mixing oil and water
Another of the at-home creative photography ideas involves getting into the science vibe with a bit of hydrophilic and hydrophobic action.
That’s mixing oil and water and then photographing the resultant oil “bubbles.”
You’ll need to add your oil and water mix to a glass container, and then suspend this glass container above the ground a little. Now you’re ready to photograph downwards and through the oil bubbles.
To get the best results, use colorful backgrounds underneath the glass container.
A classic project to try at home is mixing oil and water.
7. Water droplets on glass
Another science-based photography project you can try is placing water droplets on glass.
This style of photography utilizes refraction and repetition to produce great results.
You can experiment with the number of water droplets, or varying the background to increase your output. To learn more about this read this article.
Use an interesting background to get great results.
8. Learn a new post-processing skill
One of the more obvious candidates for at-home creative photography ideas is post-processing.
Everyone knows this is a vital aspect of photography, it’s basically the new darkroom. Yet investing time in learning new post-processing skills when you’d rather be outside photographing? Well, if you have to be inside, then learning some new post-processing skills is a great idea!
Digital blending – A great technique to learn for landscape photographers, you’ll learn some key Photoshop skills like layer masking through learning this procedure.
Cloning – Whether it’s cloning an object out of the image, or cloning yourself multiple times, this is a great skill to learn.
Sharpening and softening – An essential skill for portrait photographers to learn. Sharpen the eyes and soften the skin for best results.
In this photo, cloning and selective coloring were both used in post-processing.
9. Creating bokeh shapes
This is a great project with a little hands-on craft to it.
Bokeh is produced when your camera blurs the background, and this area of the photo is referred to as bokeh. When there are points of light in the background they will enlarge to “balls of light.”
To create bokeh shapes, you need to put that shape onto the front of your lens. This involves attaching a black disc to your lens, with the desired shape in the center of this disc. Want to try this out? Take a look here.
This photo used shaped bokeh with colored fairy lights in the background.
10. Light spirals
Another kind of light painting you can try at home is light spirals. This is a lot of fun, and you can get quite creative with the patterns you produce.
You’ll need a completely dark room to get the best results from this. You’ll be spinning a light source attached to some string, and this will be above your camera.
This is a long exposure photo, so of course, a tripod is recommended. However, you could go without in this case by placing the camera faced upwards on the ground. If you want to learn more, then check out this excellent video.
Light patterns like this can look great.
Which of these at-home creative photography ideas will you take on?
With time at home it’s a great chance to take up an indoor photography project. Have you ever tried any of these at-home creative photography ideas yourself?
If you haven’t, which of these is the most interesting to you? Perhaps you have another technique like water-drops on a CD, that you’ll try out?
As always, please leave your thoughts and comments below, and if you have any images you’re willing to share that would be great as well!
The post 10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
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