The post Affinity Photo is Available for a Three Month Free Trial appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
As coronavirus continues to take its toll on artists and designers everywhere, Serif has decided to act.
The company announced that their software, including Affinity Photo, will sell with a steep 50% discount, taking the normally inexpensive programs down to bargain-cheap levels:
$ 24.99 USD for Affinity Photo on desktop (either Mac or Windows), and just $ 9.99 USD for Affinity Photo on iPad.
And that’s not all:
Serif has also announced a 90 day free trial on all Affinity software. This means that anyone struggling to afford editing software during the coronavirus pandemic can use Affinity Photo for free. There’s no catch; you can try the software, with all features included, for the next three months.
As the Serif Managing Director explained, “[H]opefully these things will make life a little easier for people who rely on creative software to make a living but may be stuck at home without access to their usual tools, or for students who might suddenly be without access to their Affinity apps on their personal devices.”
For those of you unfamiliar with Affinity Photo, it’s one of the most popular Photoshop alternatives around. It’s known for its full-featured, layer-based software, sleek interface, and excellent price.
In fact, plenty of creatives have abandoned Adobe for Serif, given that the Serif program is comparable in its features and noticeably cheaper.
In some ways, the standard Affinity price (and the current, even lower, price) is unbelievable, because Affinity Photo just offers so much. The software comes with basic adjustment capabilities, but you also get advanced features such as focus stacking and HDR merging, plus a useful in-built RAW editor.
So if you’re someone who’s struggling to pay for your current software, or you’re looking for a way out of Adobe’s subscription model, or you just want to take advantage of a tremendous deal, then I recommend you head over to the Affinity website now.
Chances are that you’ll love Affinity Photo.
Now over to you:
Are there any other Photoshop alternatives that you’d recommend?If you’ve already started using Affinity Photo, what do you think of it?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post Affinity Photo is Available for a Three Month Free Trial appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post Canon Explorers of Light – Q&A with Photographer Terrell Lloyd appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
In this Canon Explorers of Light Q&A series, we interview several professional photographers who are a part of Canon’s Explorers of Light program.
The Explorers of Light Program, running since 1995, boasts some incredibly talented photographers. These photographers have spent years honing their craft, and influence and educate other photographers of all levels – something, we at dPS, can respect and relate to.
In this edition of the Canon Explorers of Light Q&A series, we interview photographer Terrell Lloyd. They share their experiences and give some valuable tips to upcoming photographers.
2019 San Francisco 49ers Season:
Preseason
Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers
Thursday, August 11, 2019
Santa Clara, CA
(49ers Photo)
Photographer Terrell Lloyd
How did you get into photography?
I got into photography as a youth growing up in San Francisco. My mother had a film camera, and I would borrow it to take photos.
I had an interest in photography from an early age. When I had a paper route and attended 49ers games as a kid, I would cut out photos from the sports section of the newspapers on Mondays and make my own photo books.
Later, in high school, a friend introduced me to a photo class, and that’s when my love for photography really took off.
What was your first camera setup?
The first camera I purchased was a Minolta film camera in high school. I joined the school’s yearbook committee, and that’s when I started photographing the school’s sporting events and documenting other school activities. I quickly learned that sport was the subject I enjoyed the most.
Once I became serious about photography, and before digital, my first real film camera was the EOS 1V, a 10-frames-per-second camera body.
What camera gear do you use now and why?
Currently, I use the new Canon EOS-1D X Mark III camera. I was fortunate to be able to use this camera in Miami this past February at the Super Bowl, shooting the San Francisco Forty-Niners vs the Kansas City Chiefs.
I have used many of the Canon flagship digital cameras over the years, but once I got the 1D X Mark III in my hands, I was blown away.
My first thought was, and I quote, “this camera is a game-changer.”
The technology of its new image sensor, DIGIC X processor, speed, subject tracking ability, and image quality can be seen right away in post-production.
The images I produced from Super Bowl LIV were fantastic. Overall, the sharpness and exposures were consistent.
My history with Canon digital cameras dates back to Canon’s DCS520 – a 2-megapixel camera that cost $ 12K. I’ve been a believer in the Canon brand since my first serious film camera in high school.
One reason I am loyal to Canon is because of its quality glass, reliability and the Canon Professional Services program, which I believe is the best-of-class in the photography industry.
2019 San Francisco 49ers Season:
Preseason
Denver Broncos vs San Francisco 49ers
Monday, August 19, 2019
Denver, CO
(49ers Photo)
What area of photography do you specialize in and why did you move into that field?
In this stage of my career, I focus mostly on professional and college sports as well as some specialized high-end corporate events.
When I began building my photography business, I was photographing weddings and portraits.
As my business started to grow, I started shooting company events such as holiday parties, corporate meetings, conventions, and travel. Then I transitioned to major high-end clients such as BMW, Yahoo, Intuit, Verizon, and Ritz Carlton, to name a few.
I also added product and commercial photography to my services, however, sports was always on the top of my list.
When I became one of the team photographers for the San Francisco 49ers, I focused my time and efforts on becoming a full-time photographer in the NFL for the 49ers. In addition to everything else, I am also the photographer for San Jose State University’s athletic department and cover all of their Division 1 sports programs.
Are you working on any exciting projects you’d like to share?
Now that our NFL season is over, we are in the process of planning our 2020 marketing and design campaign. This will include some photoshoots around San Francisco and the Bay Area. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal the new 49ers theme but stay tuned on 49ers.com and Instagram @49ers, and you will see exciting new images.
I am very much looking forward to our media photo session with our players scheduled for May. I will be working closely with our design team as we collaborate on a style for the 2020 season.
If you could share any photography tips with our readers, what would they be?
One tip I would like to share is not to limit yourself in today’s industry. Learn as much as you can in the photography world.
When I started, I wanted to know everything, and as I transitioned from my first wedding to sports, I studied it all, from medium format and 35mm film cameras to studio lighting and understanding environmental portrait lighting and the direction of light.
There are so many ways to learn photography using today’s technology, but I think the best way to perfect your skills and craft is to practice, practice and practice more.
Go out and photograph as much as you can. Make sure you get your exposures right in-camera, as you want to spend the least amount of time in post-production as possible.
Terrell Lloyd Biography
San Francisco-based photographer Terrell Lloyd is currently employed by the San Francisco 49ers as their senior manager of the organization photography services and is the full-time lead team photographer.
He has been with the 49ers organization for 24 years, beginning as a contract photographer. For the past six years, he has been a full-time employee of the 49ers, responsible for all of the team’s photographic assignments.
It all began in 1994 when he was given an opportunity to shoot a game from the sidelines at Candlestick Park. According to one of his clients, “Terrell’s sports photography really captures the essence of the game.”
Since 1992, Lloyd has provided professional photography services to individuals and organizations throughout the United States and around the world. He is best known for his special combination of artistic vision and cutting-edge technology and, for the past 15 years, has been the athletic sports photographer at San Jose State University.
Lloyd has also earned a number of championship rings for his work with San Jose State University as well as an NFC Championship with the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to his photographic skills, Lloyd has earned several awards and accolades as an athlete on the professional bowlers’ tour and leagues with several perfect 300 games and 800 series.
Lloyd was named to the prestigious Canon Explorer of Light program in 2006 and served for four years. After a brief break, he was named again to the Canon EOL program in 2017 and remains current. This is a group of professional photographers from around the world selected to provide educational programs around the country.
The Canon Explorers share their photographic and technical expertise to a wide number of photographers in a variety of personal appearances, seminars and gallery shows. Also, SanDisk® chose Terrell Lloyd for its SanDisk Extreme Team in 2009 and was recently selected to the ThinkTankPhoto Pro Team in 2018.
In 2017, Lloyd received a Legends Award from Xposure101conference in Detroit, which honors individuals who have greatly influenced creativity, diversity and learning in the creative and photographic industries while inspiring others to achieve their goals. Western Digital presented him with their Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Photography Industry in 2019.
Shooting football has opened many doors for Lloyd and enabled him to cover major sporting events such as NFL Super Bowls, PGA golf, professional tennis, MLB baseball, the NBA, and more.
Lloyd has also received many awards of merits for his portrait and wedding work and was Photographer of the Year by AMPP in 2001 and earned his craftsman degree from PPA in 2006.
See more of photographer Terrell Lloyd’s work here:
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Pets appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
With many of us stuck indoors, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make this week’s photography challenge our PETS!
This is my dog, Mya. This won’t win any photography awards – and it was just captured with my phone – but it really captures her playful spirit. And she loves rolling on that little rug.
I’m currently missing mine, as I’ve had to hunker down in a town that isn’t mine, and my doggies are 400kms away from me. But, for many of you, they are hunkering down indoors with you. So take this time to give them your love, take some fab photos of them and share with us all so that we can see how cute and adorable they are.
This is my other dog, Meeko. He hates having a bath. Once he does, though, he runs around the yard like crazy and rolls in all the grass.
They can be any pet you have. You can photograph them with any technique too.
So, check out these pics to give you some ideas, have fun, and 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 your PETS
Five Tips for Creative Pet Photography
Tips for Great Lighting for Pet Photography
6 Tips for Working with Unruly Animals in Pet Photography
8 Tips for Better Pet Photography
Why Taking Pictures of Your Pets Will Help Make You a Better Photographer
Top 10 Pet Photography Tips and Techniques
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 #DPSmypet 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 – Pets appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post How to Correctly Resize Photos to Print Images Big appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.
In this digital age, fewer people are printing their images, missing out on what can be an amazing experience with their images. Many images only exist in the ether (or the internet, if you want to be more literal), or on people’s hard drives. However, there is nothing more impressive than to print images big.
Viewing images on phones and tablets means that the resolution is generally pretty forgiving. However, when you actually take photos and print images big, you need to resize them. Doing so will tend to expose problems related to resolution and color.
When you print images big, your images become even more impressive, with more vibrant colors and detail being visible, which can work for or against you.
Printing big always starts with a great image (f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 320).
Practical and technical issues to enlarging images
Beyond simply printing, there is a question of size.
What if that phenomenal image you took with your camera is so memorable, or of such a decisive moment, that you want to make it big?
There are practical and technical issues you need to address if you want to print those images, particularly when making images that are growing in size.
Questions like, for a given image resolution…how big a print is too big for the camera (or phone) that you used? What are the limiting factors? How do you properly resize your images to make them bigger and appropriate for the size of the print you are looking for?
Printing from a cell phone is typically limited in size.
Camera limits
In this day and age, even cameras on smartphones tend to produce at least 12 MP images. You should be able to print them if the image is good enough (sharp/well lit), to produce a 10 x 13 inch image natively.
With a little help from image processing software, you can improve this to some extent. There are some newer software techniques available to boost those images size, both internally from the cameras (such as high resolution mode and HDR), and externally from image processing software that uses sophisticated algorithms to boost the image size by interpolation.
Cell phones use multiple cameras and computational photography to make images better.
Understanding the fundamentals
The size of digital images is measured in megapixels. Each pixel is a single-colored individual group of photosites that are sensitive to particular colors of light (red, green or blue).
A pixel is the smallest dot that makes up an image. The combining photosites from your sensor produce each pixel. As you add more and more pixels, you eventually get an image.
A megapixel is 1 million pixels (give or take, depending on how it is calculated) for the entire image. When you have a camera with a certain number of pixels (i.e. 16 MP), that tells you how many individual pixels there are within the image. Camera sensors generally come in two flavors (3:2 or 4:3 ratios).
The ratio will affect the overall size relationship. What this also means is the megapixel count tells you how many individual pixels are in each direction.
Crop sensor relative sizes.
Basic math
Megapixels just provides you with the total number of pixels. In order to actually print it, you need to figure out how big you want your print and then do some very basic math to figure out what works best for your image.
When you print, typically, you are looking at print resolution, in dots-per-inch (dpi) rather than megapixels, that is appropriate for the medium and the size of print you are going to make.
For most print media you might hold in your hands, you need a minimum of 300 dpi. This means that megapixels divided by dpi will give you the maximum dimensions natively produced by your sensor.
If you simply use pixels, there is no weird conversion. For example, a 12-megapixel image (common cell phone resolution) on a 3:2 sensor translates into pixels that are roughly 4290 x 2800 on the sensor. If you use 300 dpi to give you a print, the maximum size is 14.3″ x 9.3″ (this is not overly large). Even for a 36-megapixel image, you only end up with printable dimensions of 24.5″ x 16.4″.
Native resolution to size of images.
Hold the Phone
Wait a second, isn’t a 36-megapixel camera a pretty high-resolution camera?
If a 36-megapixel image only corresponds to 24.5″ x 16.4″ that seems really small, how do they print billboards? How do you print something larger than that?
There are two answers to that. First, you don’t hold a billboard in your hands, and you view if from a distance, so the resolution to print can go down. Secondly, to enlarge an image, you use a process called interpolation. Interpolation is the process of how you create new pixels to fill the gaps between the existing pixels so you can enlarge the image.
Nikon D810 (from NikonUSA site) is a 36 megapixel camera.
Confusion in figuring out size
Sometimes, image processing software will tell you the dimensions of your image are 60″ x 39″ at 72 dpi. That seems so much larger. So where does this number come from?
There was a time where it was thought that the resolution you needed for monitors was only 72 dpi (this has changed with technology and time), but the early number of 72 dpi stuck and made the images seem pretty large. The reality is, all you really need to know is that the total number of pixels in each direction will define your image size, not theoretical inches and dpi combined.
The difference between 72 dpi and 300 dpi for the same image (hint: there is no difference) – (f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 200).
Viewing distance matters
To make matters worse, the image resolution of your print is also dependent on how big your image is. A magazine will need a minimum of 300 dpi, whereas a billboard in a subway station may only need 40 dpi. What really matters is how far away from the image you are standing when you view it.
As a general rule of thumb, you need to have a minimum printed resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi) for most prints.
Printing wall sized images (24″ x 36″ Print).
Real-world example
To make things more clear, let’s start with a simple 20-megapixel image taken on a micro 4/3’s sensor (the proportions are 4:3) and work through the process of printing an image for a wall, say a 36″ x 24″.
The image was taken by an Olympus EM1 mark II, 20-megapixel sensor. The image out of the camera is 5184 pixels wide and 3888 pixels. If you open it with image editing software, it may say that the image is 17.28″ x 12.96″ at 300 dpi (the software has done some simple math). The problem is, this is smaller than the image you actually want to print. I want to print an image that is 36″ x 24″
Sample image for printing big (f/5.6, 1/1250, ISO200).
Interpolation… the magic of resizing
The problem with resizing is that each pixel in an image is discrete. In order to make bigger images to print, we need to create new pixels to fill in the gaps between the existing ones. This sounds much simpler than it is in practice.
The classic example is a sharp edge.
As you enlarge the image, the pixels get jagged. It makes it look like something out of Minecraft. This is called pixelation.
Very early versions of photo imaging software would simply average the color and luminance, and put that new pixel in between the existing pixels. This just made the images soft and mushy.
Currently, Photoshop CC 2020 provides 7 different and discrete ways of changing the size of the image. Plus, it has an automatic setting (that selects from the other 7) to make 8 ways. However, it is limited by the content that is already there.
Each algorithm does something slightly different in its approach to interpolating between pixels. Depending on the type of image, each has varying degrees of success.
As you get close into the image, you can see the pixelation.
Although Photoshop has improved much of its algorithms for image size changes, these work reasonably well for smaller changes in size. However, significant changes in size of images can be particularly problematic.
For scaling larger, I have found the best way to increase the size of an image, as of the beginning of 2020, is to use a product from Topaz called Gigapixel AI.
Gigapixel AI uses artificial intelligence to look at the image compared to millions of similar images and creates new pixels with this algorithm.
This is a slow process and CPU intensive. That is because it uses AI to create the missing pixels to come up with a proper scaling that interpolates new pixels that work with the image. It really does work quite well. Each image can take up to 5 minutes, depending upon size.
The process using Gigapixel AI
To scale the images, here is the process I follow.
I shoot micro 4/3s (MFT), so my image sensor is a 20.1-megapixel sensor that produces raw files that average in size around 17 to 18 megabytes. The resolution of the image is 5184 x 3888 pixels.
Doing the math, for a print at 300 dpi, the largest size for the native image (not resized) is 17.28 inches x 12.96 inches. A fair size, but not a huge image.
Suppose we want to print a 36″ x 24″ image. We need to resize it.
In addition, the proportions are not exactly the same. 36 x 24 is a 3:2 ratio and my image is at a 4:3 ratio. Ideally, to get the 300 dpi, we will want to print an image that is 10,800 x 7200 pixels.
Before you start
Before I start, I always use a RAW file from the camera, not a JPEG. JPEG is a lossy format, so you never want any of your intermediate steps to use JPEG images. Even the final one should be a non-lossy image format like PSD or TIF. You can read more about file formats here.
Image sensors record light, not dark. The dark areas are the absence of light.
That seems obvious, but there are ramifications of this. In general, the majority of the image data is located on the right side of the histogram. This means that to have a successful image it must be properly exposed or slightly underexposed and brought back in a raw editor.
Close up of an image sensor
Calibration
Finally, before you start, you will need to ensure your monitor is calibrated.
Calibration of your monitor will ensure that the printed version of our image will be closer to the version you see on your monitor. In general, uncalibrated monitors are too bright. Using an uncalibrated monitor will result in prints that are much darker than what you see on your monitor.
This can sometimes happen even with a calibrated monitor too, but test prints will help assess how far off your monitor is from your prints.
Color Calibration tool for monitors
Noise
When you enlarge an image, you need to ensure that the noise levels are under control before you start.
Enlarging an image with a lot of noise will only increase the amount of noise present. All resizing programs will do their best to examine the underlying data of your image and use it to scale upward, but the noise on an image will only get worse.
High ISO image ISO 6400 (f/2.8, 1/13, ISO 6400)
Sharpening
The sharpening of your image should only happen at the end of the process of resizing an image. Sharpening is a process of looking at areas of high contrast (these are typically edges) and emphasizing the transition to make those transitions seem more distinct. If you do this early in your editing process or during resizing, the scale of the sharpening will create halos or bizarre artifacts that will be really obvious.
Sharpening can cause a crunchy appearance (f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 200)
Photoshop versus Topaz Gigapixel AI
Although many people use Photoshop to resize, as of 2020, I have found that it does not do as good a job as Topaz’s Gigapixel AI.
Larger scale resizing through Gigapixel AI takes longer, but the results are substantially better. All you need to do is to launch the application and tell it how big you want the new image to be. Press Start and go have a coffee, as it takes a little while. However, the results are really good.
Topaz Gigapixel AI is a tool for resizing images large
Making the Big Print
Finally, once you have resized the image to a larger size you need to print the image. There are basically two main methods to print images big. Chromogenic (C-prints) or Giclee (inkjet) prints.
Both can produce big, high-quality images, but the processes are quite different as is the look of each. I generally prefer inkjet-based, but there are lots of people who still use C-print techniques.
Final product printed and on a wall
Conclusion
When you print images big, there are lots of things to consider when resizing your images and then getting them ready to go to print. However, the results are truly breathtaking.
If you have a great image and you take the proper steps to resize the image and print it big, you will be incredibly satisfied with the result. Moreover, you will create a lot of interest in your images, particularly now that few images get printed anymore.
Do you have any other tips to print images big that you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments.
The post How to Correctly Resize Photos to Print Images Big appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.
The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Two appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
As many of us around the world are continuing self-isolation, and social distancing (whoever thought that would be a thing?) due to the C-word, we thought we’d make it a little less boring and stressful and give you (and us) an “At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge.”
This is week two of the challenge (you can see week one here, and still do those challenges, as there is no deadlines on any of these).
These are all things you can try in and around your home.
As always, we would love to see your results in the comments section. That way, we can connect and share, and keep ourselves occupied with something positive and creative!
At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One
Day 1
This one will be a lot of fun, and you get some interesting effects! Creative Water Photography – A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Water Monsters
Day 2
This one How to do High-Speed Photography – the Fundamentals
Day 3
Okay, so this one can also apply to any of your furry friends that you are self-isolating with. We’d love to see you take some photos of your pet and share them with us! Who doesn’t like a cute pic of a cat, dog, or hamster? Tips and Tricks for Photographing Your Own Dog
Day 4
So this next one gets you onto the computer for some fun creative editing. How to do Creative Photography Montages with a Contact Sheet Template in Photoshop
Day 5
Another one on the computer for more creative editing. How to Add a Toy Camera Effect to Your Digital Images Using Photoshop
Day 6
Want to learn how to create a cyanotype in Photoshop? Try this one. How to Mimic a Digital Cyanotype Using Photoshop with Ease
Day 7
You can try this one with someone in your household, or do them as self-portraits. Whichever way you decide to go, it has some interesting effects. Dragging the Shutter for Creative Portraits
Have fun! And share them with us in the comments section either on this page or the page of the challenge article.
The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Two appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Creative Uses for the GIMP Jigsaw Pattern appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
Are you looking for a fun way to display your photos? With the GIMP Jigsaw pattern, you can make your photos look like a puzzle in a single step. But why stop there? Take out some pieces or make a grid with it. Keep reading to learn how to use this filter and some creative applications for it.
Make a puzzle
It may look like elaborate work, but actually turning your image into a puzzle is extremely easy. The GIMP Jigsaw Pattern is a tool that allows you to control the way you want your puzzle to look, then applies it to your image.
Let’s get started.
With your image opened, go to the menu and select Filters > Render > Pattern > Jigsaw.
This will open a window where you can choose the number of pieces that will form the puzzle. You can also choose whether you want the shapes to have rounded corners or straight lines.
You’ll also see a section called Bevel Edges with two sliders in it. This is like a carving effect, giving the illusion of tridimensionality.
There are no right or wrong values – it’s a matter of taste.
Here’s a comparison for you to get an idea of what it looks like.
On the left, I had the values at the minimum: Bevel width: 1 and Highlight : 0.10 On the right I pushed them to the highest, so 10 and 1.0 respectively.
That’s all there is to it.
Choose the values you want in the pop-up window, and the GIMP Jigsaw Pattern does the rest.
Now, let’s see how you can break the puzzle into pieces.
Separating the pieces of the Gimp Jigsaw Puzzle
Make a template
Taking out a piece of the puzzle makes the image more dynamic – like you’re actually building it. However, unlike a real puzzle, we’re not just going to take it out from the puzzle we just made.
To make things easier, open a new white document. Here, in the blank canvas, you’ll apply the GIMP Jigsaw Pattern as you did on the previous exercise.
This will serve as a template to select the pieces, hassle-free.
Now you can put in the photograph.
Go to the menu and select File > Open as Layers, and choose the file of your image. It will get placed as a layer on top of the jigsaw template.
Next, copy the layer with the template. You can do this by going to the menu and selecting Edit > Copy. While it’s there on your clipboard, select the image layer and create a Layer Mask. Do this by clicking on the button at the bottom. Then paste the template that you copied by going to Edit > Paste.
To set it onto the mask you created, you just need to click on the anchor button.
Then right-click on the layer and choose Apply Layer Mask. The mask and the layer will then merge together.
I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s actually very easy. And this way, you have everything ready to ‘cut-out’ all the pieces you want very quickly. Let’s try one.
Cut-out piece by piece
Select the piece you want to cut-out using the Fuzzy selection tool. Make sure to click on it while the template layer is selected. That way, you’ll get it with just one click.
To perfect the selection, go to the menu Select > Grow Selection and give it 1 or 2 pixels.
Cut out the piece in Edit > Cut and then paste it with Edit > Paste. To finalize the pasting, click on the New Layer button so that the piece remains independent.
With the Move and Rotate tool, you can position the piece. Then go to the menu Filters > Light and Shadow > Drop shadow. You decide the values depending on whether you want it dark and defined or blurred and lighter. Use the X and Y sliders to make it appear closer or further away.
You can repeat the process for all the pieces you want out of place. Just go back to your template every time you need to select a new one.
Create a jigsaw grid
Open a new document and create a new jigsaw as you did before. The number of pieces depends on the number of images you want to add. I don’t recommend too many because it could look messy. But, it’s entirely up to you.
Add all the images you’re going to use by opening them as layers.
Then resize them with the Scale Tool and move them to fit each of the pieces of the puzzle. Don’t worry if they overlap in some places, you’ll fix that next.
In the template layer, click on the piece you want with the Fuzzy Selection Tool. Then go to the corresponding image and click on the Add Layer Mask button. A pop-up menu will appear. Choose Selection from it, and click Add.
That’s it.
Repeat the same for every image-piece combo until you complete your puzzle.
Have fun finding new and creative ways to use GIMP’s Jigsaw Pattern!
Supplementary Reading
If you’re not familiar with GIMP, check out this brief introduction.
If you want to edit your photograph before you turn it into a puzzle, learn here how to make them sparkle.
If you’re loving GIMP and want to take it with you, learn how to install it on a portable device.
The post Creative Uses for the GIMP Jigsaw Pattern appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
The post Artists and Explorers – What Photographer Type Are You? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
What drives you to pull out your camera and take a picture? The answer to this question will help you understand your photographer type.
Does an image of a finished photo jump into your mind, and then you have to go out and make it? Perhaps you pick up your camera and walk out the door, not knowing where it will lead you.
Maybe you’re only compelled to photograph new places you’re traveling to, or your (grand) children as they grow up.
Understanding yourself as a photographer, and knowing what inspires you, is one of the best ways to grow. Once you know your photographer type, you can focus on the photography you love without feeling the pressure to be like other photographers.
“As a photographer, you need to develop a way of working that suits your personality.”
Tim Hetherington, Photojournalist
Let’s look at four photographer types; the traveler, the parent, the artist, and the explorer so that you can discover where you fit in and what your strengths are.
ISO 400 f/11 1/640 sec 14mm I began my journey as the traveler type, mostly picking up my camera when I was on a road trip.
The traveler photographer type
You know you’re the traveler photographer type if you only pull out your camera when you go on a trip. You’re probably not concerned with being called a photographer and mainly want to take snapshots to capture places you travel to. But unlike typical tourists, you want those snapshots to look really good.
Here are some quick tips for the traveler photographer type:
Learn how your camera works, so you’re not distracted and miss the joy of traveling.
Master some useful composition elements to elevate your photos above sloppy snapshots.
Learn to see light and your photos will begin to look beautiful.
Practice new techniques on short day trips before you go on major travels.
As a traveler, some of my favorite places are the South West (USA), the East Coast of Canada, and Niagara Falls.
The parent photographer type
You know you’re the parent photographer type if your baby or children inspired you to get a camera. Like the traveler photographer type, you might not be concerned with being called a photographer. You just want to take snapshots and capture special family memories.
But unlike most other parents or grandparents, you want those snapshots to look really good.
Here are some quick tips for the parent photographer type:
Learn how your camera works, so you’re not fumbling and missing moments.
Master some creative composition elements to elevate your photos above sloppy snapshots.
Learn to see light so that your photos will look beautiful.
Your daily family life will provide you with infinite opportunities to practice these techniques, and you’ll capture a lot of memories along the way.
Once my kids came along, I became the parent photographer type and no longer thought of myself as the traveler.
It’s okay to just want good photos
If you’re the traveler or the parent photographer type, it’s okay to want good photos of your travels and your children without being totally obsessed with photography.
Learn the most powerful camera settings, the best compositional techniques, play with the light, and your photos will begin to transcend sloppy snapshots.
ISO 200 f/4 1/2000 sec 23mm Perhaps you’re even a blend of the traveler and parent photographer types. Things become more exciting when you blend two types together.
The artist photographer type
How do you know you’re the artist photographer type?
Easy! If you talk about making art with your photography, then you’re the artist type. Artists have a vision of exactly how they want their photos to look. Their goal is to go out and make the photo they’ve envisioned.
As an artist, you begin with a vision or at least a basic concept. You work toward making it turn out, and then produce a finished product like a print or collection of photos for some purpose.
When showing their photographs, the artist often says, “look what I made.” Whereas the explorer type often says, “look what I discovered,” or “look what I saw.”
Artists usually take a higher degree of control over the moment and their images. They are happy to transcend the original photo, adding textures, film grains, or swapping backgrounds, etc. Nothing will stand in the way of your vision!
Here are a number of other things that characterize the artist photographer type:
Posing and direction in portraits
The use of advanced Photoshop techniques
Referring to their work as fine art
Specializing in one form of photography
Selling prints
Food photography
Fashion photography
Stylized shoots
Studio lighting
Sticking with things for a long time
ISO 400 f/4 1/2000 sec 56mm I’ve always hesitated to call myself an artist because whenever I meet an artist photographer, I realize how unalike we are. We both have a camera, love photography, study light, and composition, but it seems like we have totally different goals for our work.
The explorer photographer type
If you’re the explorer photographer type then you don’t necessarily have much in mind when you pick up your camera. You wander off into the world and photograph new places, people, and things that you discover.
You might happen to travel the world, but you don’t have to travel far to be fulfilled as an explorer. Your own backyard or city likely keeps you busy.
When you photograph people, you’re not just making portraits, you’re exploring the people and relationships that you photograph.
Often enough, when you photograph an object, it’s more about the interesting light than the object itself.
You often find yourself telling others about what you discovered or learned while exploring.
This list characterizes many explorer type photographers:
Street photography
Travel photography
Nature and landscapes
You’re more of a generalist photographer
Photojournalism
Natural light
Candid, natural
New and unexpected situations
Lifestyle photography
Constantly moving on to new things
ISO 400 f/5.6 1/1000 sec 45mm Explorers are willing to go just a little bit further into the unknown. Just a little further into the murky places.
When it comes to photography, my mind is blank. I have no vision, no idea what I should do, not a clue about how my photos will turn out.
I’m more comfortable heading off into the unknown.
Throw me into a situation that I’m completely unprepared for and I’ll figure it out. That’s because I’m an explorer. I want to learn new things. I want to be thrown into situations that I’m not familiar with. And, for some strange reason, I want to do it with a camera in my hand.
“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”
Diane Arbus
How are the traveler and the explorer different from each other?
The traveler may only pick up the camera occasionally, and only during times of travel. The explorer is likely dedicated to daily or at least weekly uses of the camera.
The explorer can’t help but pick up the camera more often and is not limited to landscapes and new locations. They also explore relationships. Often, the explorer learns new techniques, not because the technique is necessary, but simply because they are compelled to learn new things.
ISO 1600 f/2.8 1/1000 sec 23mm
The common link between artists and explorers
Even if we have different goals, the common link between artists and explorers is our creativity. When a photographer picks up their Fuji mirrorless to explore the streets, they’re no less interested in light, moment, and composition than the fashion photographer who reaches for their medium format camera.
Perhaps one is more interested in documenting and learning about human nature, while the other is creating art pieces. Photography is big enough for all sorts of intentions.
Exploration and artistry as a supertype
Just as the traveler and parent types can be merged to create a deeper type, so can the artist and the explorer.
If you’re the explorer type, you may find that you have a huge body of work that you’ve done nothing with. Perhaps it’s time to elevate your exploration toward something that approaches art.
Every now and then, an artist might do well to wander off into the world without intentions to create but to just see what they discover. Your art may reach a deeper level the more you explore your world.
Don’t be surprised if your type seems a little fuzzy at first, but pay attention and it will come into focus.
What photographer type are you?
Are you the traveler, the parent, an artist or an explorer?
Let me know your photographer type in the comments and add a link to your photos if you can.
The post Artists and Explorers – What Photographer Type Are You? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
Looks like we might be spending a lot of time in the house with our immediate family these days. Maybe that family includes kids. And maybe they are starting to go a little stir crazy.
Keep reading for some ideas for any lighting photographer who might be looking to make the best of some unscheduled family time.Read more » Strobist
The post Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Macro photography is all about exploring the wonders of the world around you from a very close distance. Macro lenses let you see the tiniest parts of the world in extreme detail, often exposing an array of colors and patterns hidden right before our eyes. Macro lenses are also expensive! However, if you find yourself stuck at home for a while, you can start exploring your home with close-up filters instead. They’re a cheap alternative to macro lenses and can transform the mundane into the magnificent!
The first thing to do is actually get yourself a set of close-up filters.
These are basically just magnifying glasses that you screw on to the end of your camera lens. They’re absurdly cheap, ranging in price from $ 10 to $ 30 for a set of four. Just make sure you buy a set that fits your lens! The front of your lens will have a thread size listed in millimeters; for most kit lenses it’s usually 52mm or 58mm.
Close-up filters are not a substitute for a true macro lens. But they do let you get up close and personal with everyday subjects in a way that will blow your mind. It’s amazing how simple everyday objects, even just normal items in your house, take on a whole new appearance when viewed at extremely close distances.
A normal puzzle piece looks like a work of art when shot with a close-up filter. Every detail, from the texture on the flat surface to subtle scratches in the table, becomes clear and crisp.
Nothing to see here. Just an unfinished puzzle…until you see it through a close-up filter.
What makes this sort of photography any different than just putting your camera close to your subjects? All lenses have a minimum focusing distance, which is based on how the glass elements inside the lens bend and shape incoming light. Most camera lenses are physically incapable of shooting objects closer than about 250mm. You simply can’t get very close to objects and still maintain focus
Close-up filters change all that.
All you do is screw one of them on to the front of your lens and everything gets magnified right before your very eyes. Exploring your home with close-up filters is a great way to see everyday objects in a whole new light. Suddenly you can take pictures like you never imagined, or thought you couldn’t get without spending hundreds of dollars on a macro lens.
Fun for the whole family
One of the best parts about using close-up filters is exploring your home with your kids. All their toys and games suddenly take on new life when viewed up close. Blocks, crayons, action figures, toy cars, stuffed animals, even their shoes can all make great photography subjects.
This behemoth monster truck scaled a mountain and did it without a scratch! Luckily, I was there to capture the moment of glory with my camera. Or perhaps my oldest son and I were just playing around with some close-up filters.
That’s one of the most enjoyable parts about exploring your home with close-up filters: sharing the experience with kids. They can find fun ways to look at familiar objects and see photographic opportunities where you might have never thought to look.
When my son and I were looking throughout the house with a close-up filter on the camera, it was amazing how even the most mundane objects took on new life. Even simple things like a video game controller took on a new life of color and perspective.
The important thing to remember is that it’s about creativity, not high art. You might not find the next wall hanging for the Smithsonian in your house just by taking pictures with close-up filters. But you will see an amazing world of photography open up before your very eyes that you never knew existed.
Tips and tricks
If you’re going to give this exercise a try, here are a few things to keep in mind for good results.
1. Use a Tripod
While you may take great shots with close-up filters when shooting handheld, a tripod will almost always yield the best results. Even the smallest movements are magnified many times over, so it helps to have your camera as steady as possible. You’re also working with razor-thin depth of field, so unless you’re a neurosurgeon, it’s unlikely you will be able to keep your hands still enough to get the shot you are going for.
This was my setup for shooting the picture at the top of this article. There’s almost no way I could have gotten the shot in focus without a tripod.
2. Focus manually (using live view)
If you have never tried manual focus before, exploring your home with close-up filters might be a good time to give it a try.
Autofocus is very difficult when working with extremely close subjects because depth of field is so incredibly shallow. Manual focus gives you more control over your photos and helps make sure the results are exactly what you want.
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/30 second, ISO 1600. Is it a pile of laundry, or is it high art?
Live View is a great option if you are not used to focusing manually. Many cameras, especially mirrorless, have a feature called focus peaking that lets you know exactly what part of your picture is in focus.
DSLRs don’t usually have focus peaking, but you can often use Live View to zoom in on a selected portion of your image. This is great for making sure your close-up photos are tack-sharp right where you want them.
It’s just laundry! But shooting with close-up filters transforms normal objects into works of art.
3. Use smaller apertures
Normally when you want nice-looking, out-of-focus areas on your pictures, you use a wide aperture. The same is true when using close-up filters. But, you’ll quickly find that shooting wide open results in a depth of field that is basically unusable. Stop your lens down to f/5.6 or f/8 to get good results.
In the above image, which is just a normal washroom soap dispenser, the depth of field is so insanely shallow that just the very tip of the pump is in focus. And that’s with using a small aperture of f/5.6! Shooting at f/4, f/2.8, or f/1.8 would be a muddy, blurry mess.
4. Shoot in Manual Mode
Working with close-up filters is a great way to experiment with manual mode on your camera. Not manual focus, but manual exposure control where you set the values for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
Each of these parameters has a specific effect on your image, and when shooting close-up, you can easily see the effects that these parameters have. The stakes are low, the creativity is high, and if you’re stuck at home, you probably have some spare time to learn something new.
If you’re not sure where to start, just keep your eye on the light meter. Adjust aperture, shutter, and ISO until the meter shows that your image is properly exposed. Take a shot, and then change the aperture so it’s smaller. You’ll need to compensate by making the shutter speed longer, but that’s okay since you’re using a tripod.
Notice how the depth of field is different on the photo with a smaller aperture.
Keep experimenting with these, and pretty soon you’ll start to develop a good understanding of how to master your camera’s manual mode.
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/8, 1/15 second, ISO 1600, +10 close-up filter. Why did my son want to take a picture of a piece of cereal? I have no idea. He liked the final image though, and that’s what really matters to me.
Conclusion
Exploring your home with close-up filters is a great way to pass the time. Moreover, it’s also an outstanding opportunity to see the world around you in a whole new way. The possibilities really are endless. If you have ever wanted to try macro-style photography, this is a great way to do it without breaking the bank.
If you have any close-up shots you would like to share, or any tips I forgot to include, leave them in the comments below!
The post Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
The post Learning to Embrace Lens Flaws to Add Character and Nuance to Your Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.
As I grow increasingly “long in the tooth” so to speak, I look back over the last twenty years or so since I first picked up a camera and reflect. I entered the professional arena of photography relatively late, being in my mid-twenties before I began to think about photography more in terms of a profession rather than simply an enjoyable hobby. Since then, it’s been a wild ride. I’ve used all sorts of lenses and have been fortunate enough to evaluate a host of lenses for published tests, many of which can be found right here on Digital Photography School. As of late, I’ve noticed a marked difference in the way I approach lens flaws in my reviews.
This has caused me to reevaluate how I approach not only my own professional lens tests but my attitudes towards my own lenses and personal photography.
Why do some of us expend our energy searching for a “perfect lens” and feel that a lens’s flaws are determinants of our work? This is the question we’re going to examine today.
Come along with me for a unique investigation of the attitude we often take towards lens flaws and why many of these individual nuances are completely paradoxical and can actually bolster the creative magnetism of your photographs.
A question of character
Consider for a moment what you might consider to be the “ideal lens.” Not in terms of focal length or aperture but rather the quality of the image it is capable of producing. Think about its sharpness and contrast, the way it renders colors, its vignetting, and distortion.
Naturally, I think many of us would like a lens that has maximum sharpness from corner to corner, crisp contrast, zero distortion and vignetting while producing true, rich color tonality.
Why do we think this way?
24mm, 1/640th sec at F/2, ISO 320
What I mean here is why do we feel as if a perfect lens equates to a lens which carries no inherent flaws?
I think we can all agree that issues such as massive chromatic aberration aren’t desirable in any situation. However, I suggest we should begin to embrace other behaviors present in our lenses more as inherent character traits that can enhance our photos rather than issues to be avoided.
Going further (and likely stepping on a few toes), the approach that lenses ought to present the scene or subject as optical perfection could be viewed as quite a photo-modernist attitude.
We find ourselves bombarded with highly-advanced digital cameras capable of enormous resolving power.
Naturally, and rightfully so, we seek out lenses that we feel will bring out the most potential from our cameras. And yet, many of these lenses tend to present themselves as benignly unobtrusive tools that only serve to channel light into the camera while adding as little flavor as possible.
These are new concepts for a new time that have not always been so, at least not intentionally.
24mm, 1/200th sec at F/10, ISO 80
An unfortunate byproduct of this “lens sterilization” approach is that many, especially those who are just beginning their journey as photo makers, feel a looming sense of inadequacy if their lens or lenses present themselves with so-called lens flaws.
This is a dangerously slippery slope that can often breed the notion of gear dependency over-reliance on one’s own creative opinion and self-expression.
Famous lens flaws
It’s arguably true that some of the best examples of the benefits of embracing the flaws present in your lens come from the recent resurgence of photographers opting to use vintage film lenses with their modern digital cameras. Not only are these lenses relatively inexpensive compared to more modern lenses, but they also carry unique characteristics that have come to be desired.
Case in point, the fabled Helios 44-2 lens.
My beloved Helios 44-2
The interesting thing about the Helios (and other vintage lenses) is that it offers a distinctive “swirly” bokeh that has become prized by portrait photographers and others.
Even more interesting is this swirl is brought about by the type of technical “flaw” with the lens elements, which results in the signature spherical aberration of the bokeh.
You can also approximately simulate this effect in Photoshop, which I describe here in this article.
Made with the Helios 44-2 at F/2, 1/320th sec and ISO 320. Note the distinctive swirling of the background.
There are, of course, other lenses that have been embraced due to their inherent optical qualities as of late. These include the cult classic Kodak Aero Ektar, the Zeiss Jena series, and the Lomography Petzval along with many others.
The Petzval, purposefully engineered to offer heavily swirling bokeh and vignetting, is especially interesting.
The bottom line here is there could very well be a predominantly apparent splitting of the schism with photographers choosing lenses that offer more inherent character. This makes for more unique photos as it is left to the user to determine the exact application where and when these lenses work best.
Embracing the imperfections
Let’s face it, there are many cases where we have to make do with the lenses we have, myself included.
I used my very first digital camera for years with only the “kit lens” included with the camera.
The lens wasn’t considered an upper-tier piece of glass, but it was all I knew and, for me, it was beautiful.
Looking back, I can’t find a fault other than my assumption that it wasn’t good enough because it was the lens that came in the box. This is highly revealing of the common mentality of today’s photographic climate. It’s quite easy to look at our gear as the scapegoat for what might be lacking in our photography simply, well…because.
There’s no denying that we all evolve as photographers and with that evolution, we must recognize that we will eventually outgrow our tools.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t shy away from our lenses because they might exhibit properties that are undesirable by the common mentality of our age.
Your lens isn’t sharp corner to corner? It has a heavy vignette at its wide-open aperture?
Think about these problems from a practical standpoint for a moment. How often do you add in a post-crop vignette in Lightroom during post-processing? Do you ever add an intentional Gaussian blur?
These questions hint at a deeper insight into our own approach to photography. Could it be that the very characteristics that we desire in our photographs tend to be viewed with a negative connotation depending on the context?
What’s the endgame?
The purpose of these thoughts is to show that the merits of any camera lens are truly based in the eye of the beholder.
Sure, there are some poorly-made, un-sharp monstrosity lenses out there that hinder rather than help you make the photographs you want. At the time, many of the lens flaws we have been conditioned to abhor possibly aren’t as detrimental as we might think once we drill down and identify for what they are.
This is the main objective of this article.
It could very well be that the old cliche’ of “the best lens is the one you have with” carries with it connotations which extend past mere practical convenience. This is especially applicable if you are new to photography.
As a professional photographer who has used some of the best modern lenses on the market, I can tell you my favorite lenses have been those that fit my own proclivities, regardless of their inherent flaws and quirks.
Made with the Helios 44-2,
So I will leave you with this bit of hard-learned wisdom; there are no perfect lenses, just as there are no perfect photographs or perfect photographers for that matter.
All lenses have some measure of flaws, no matter their cost. Just because you might be using a “kit lens” or one that happens to have several so-called lens flaws, doesn’t mean that you can’t go out and make terrific photos as long as you shoot what makes you happy.
The post Learning to Embrace Lens Flaws to Add Character and Nuance to Your Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.
