How many of you love wasting hours of time making the same basic edits to a lot of photos? Anyone? No? Well, that’s understandable. None of us like doing menial repetitive tasks and it’s no different when editing images — even for those of us who enjoy the editing process. The good news is that Lightroom has a handy tool Continue Reading
The post How to Use Lightroom Presets- A Handy Guide appeared first on Photodoto.
The post The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.
Photoshop is a powerful program with a great variety of tools to help you get the most out of your images. From simple cleaning techniques to complex composites, the software offers everything photographers need for photo manipulation at all levels.
There are a variety of tools to help you, depending on your subject and goals for your image. With the exception of product photography, there are only a few key tools that you’ll need 90% of the time in retouching still life photography. Cleaning techniques in Photoshop are the foundation of beautiful imagery in this exciting but challenging genre.
Let’s take a look at what they are.
There are just a few key tools that you need for cleaning techniques in Photoshop. These are: the Spot Healing tool, the Healing tool, the Clone Stamp tool, and the Patch tool. These tools are all you really need to take your still life images from good to great.
Each tool has its strengths and weakness. Some will achieve desired results more easily than others. When you combine the tools together, the result is a clean and refined image.
The Spot Healing tool is the quickest way to fix little blemishes in Photoshop because it doesn’t require you to select an area to sample pixels from. Photoshop’s algorithm looks at nearby pixels and replaces them with pixels that it determines to be a good match.
When using this tool, you have some choices that will help Photoshop make the best guess as to what pixels would be the best replacement.
You can find the Spot Healing tool by the icon that looks like a bandaid. The shortcut for this tool is “J“.
When using this tool, you have some choices that will help Photoshop make the best guess as to what pixels would be the best replacement.
First, you want to choose a very soft brush. Start with a hardness of “0” and increase it slightly if needed. When retouching in Photoshop, every image is unique, so you have to assess your approach on a case-by-case basis.
Proximity Match will only look at the pixels around the sample area.
When you use this tool, it’s best to choose Content-Aware Fill. This will ensure that the tool chooses pixels that will give you a seamless result.
In still life photography, it’s a good starting tool to quickly clean up any dust or small bits and blemishes before moving on to bigger blemishes or imperfections. It’s better than using the Spot Removal tool in Lightroom because if you use this tool repeatedly, it will slow down Lightroom’s performance very quickly.
Although the Spot Healing tool is one of the best cleaning techniques in Photoshop, one drawback to note is that using it excessively in a given area can lead to a plastic-like look. You may have to layer your use of this tool with others.
The Healing Brush tool is similar to the Spot Healing Brush tool. However, when using this tool, you choose the area that you want to sample from. This gives you much more control, but of course, it’s not as quick as simply using the Spot Healing tool.
Imperfections blend into the surrounding areas. the brush works by matching texture, lighting, transparency, and shading of sample pixels to the pixels in the area we want to heal.
To use this tool, pick a source point to sample from. Think about what is going to work in terms of color and texture.
Start with a hardness of zero. You need a soft brush, but can add a bit of hardness if needed, depending on what you want to heal
Choose Aligned and Current & Below.
Choose where you want to select from and head over to where you want to “paste” the pixels
When utilizing cleaning techniques in Photoshop, the Healing Brush is a powerful tool because of the control it gives you.
Using the Patch tool in Photoshop is another important tool for cleaning techniques in Photoshop. It’s like a large, customizable Healing Brush tool. The Patch tool repairs a selected area with pixels from another area. It seeks to match, lighting, shade, and texture from sample pixels to the source.
It basically works like a “cut and paste” tool. However, it doesn’t work very well on larger areas because there usually are differences in tonality.
If you need to work on a larger area, you should attack the area by working in sections. Also, note that it also doesn’t work well on edges. In this case, you may have to use another tool or combine it with another tool for more precision.
To use the Patch tool, select it from the sidebar or use the “J” key. Also, decide on your blending parameters.
The Patch tool’s Content-Aware mode works on empty layers by sampling below. It shuffles the content around a bit as it acts like a patch. If you’re using normal mode, don’t worry about lightness or color, as there will be a healing calculation when you release the mouse.
Use your mouse or pen to draw a slightly loose selection around the problem area (as pictured above) and then drag it to an area that might work to replace the pixels. You can drag it several times until you find a proper match.
Perhaps one of the most popular and often used tools in Photoshop, the Clone stamp tool may possibly be your best ally when employing cleaning techniques in Photoshop.
The Clone Stamp copies pixels to a new location. With this tool, you’re literally painting over one part of an image with another. You can do this in both very small and large amounts, depending on the brush size you use.
Unlike the Patch Tool, it works very well in areas where you have texture, pattern, or an edge. It doesn’t work as well in areas where you have conflicting exposures on colors.
Although it’s a fantastically useful tool, when it comes to cleaning techniques in Photoshop, it might not work perfectly in every situation; you’ll need to combine it with other tools and techniques.
To activate the Clone Stamp, use the shortcut > Cmd/Ctrl + S.
You can also use “T” to Transform to adjust further. This means that you can alter the size and rotation of your cloned area to make it blend better.
When working with cleaning techniques in Photoshop, it’s a good idea to work using a lot of layers. This will allow you to go back a few steps if you make mistakes.
Using these tools together in Photoshop will give you the best results and will cover most of your bases when retouching your still life photography.
Do you have any other tips you’d like to share with us on cleaning techniques in Photoshop for still life images? If so, please do so in the comments section.
The post The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.
The post Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
As I write this, many of us are holed up at home. So what can we do to continue to practice our craft as photographers, have a bit of diversion and enjoyment, and maybe learn some new techniques? I suggest you give still life photography at home a try.
If you’re a landscape, sports, fashion, portrait, or type of photographer who does work requiring you to get out and about, working at home doing still life photos on the kitchen table could be a new thing. Still life? Really? Why? Well, stay with me here and we’ll explore all the things you can learn.
In much of photography, you deal with the scene as you find it. Maybe one of the best things about still life photography is you are in complete control. You pick the subjects, the arrangement, and the background.
Making a shot in a hurry before the moment passes isn’t an issue. You can take your time, practice compositional concepts like the Rule of Thirds, the Rule of Odds, leading lines, negative space, simplification, background choice, depth-of-field, and many other artistic concepts of composition.
You set the scene and are in complete control. Few other genres of photography offer such an advantage.
Let there be light.
You decide what type, how many sources, whether to use hard or soft lighting. Might some colored lighting using gels give the look you want?
How will you use light to draw the viewer’s eye where you want it?
Have you explored the use of reflectors, fill light, or “flags” to block light from certain portions of the scene? Do you know what a gobo or a cucoloris is? A shoot, grid, or gridded-snoot?
Still life photography at home lets you be the set and lighting director.
A distinction between a snapshooter and a photographer is the former sees a scene, raises the camera to their eye, and snaps a shot. Little thought is given to composition and most photos are taken from the eye-level of the photographer. Yawn.
In a world where we are inundated with images, making yours different is the only way to stand out. Finding perspectives others haven’t thought of is one way to do that.
Rather than always shooting from eye or tripod level, mix it up. Get up and look down for a birds-eye vantage point. Get down and try a worms-eye view. Have you heard of a “Dutch-tilt”? Maybe try looking through objects, using them as frames for your subject.
Much of my photography is landscape work, so I’m a dedicated tripod shooter. The advantages of that are, of course, stability and repeatability. I can leave the camera in a fixed spot and move other things; the lights and subjects, use long and different exposures and have variations of the same shot.
There’s something to be said, however, for getting off the tripod.
Going handheld will help you move more easily and explore different angles. Whatever you do, let me repeat something I said earlier…work to make your image different.
Doing still life photography at home is a great time to explore how different lenses can give you different looks.
You won’t have to worry so much about dust getting on your sensor as you change lenses and you’ll have a place to put lenses down while you do change them (rather than fearing a fumble onto the ground).
Try some things. Note how a wide-angle lens emphasizes the size of objects nearest the lens, how a telephoto compresses space between objects, or how a wide aperture reduces your depth-of-field. Learn what the “sweet-spot” is of each of your lenses, that aperture where the lens is at its sharpest.
Table-top photography is also a great opportunity to play with prime lenses, moving the camera or subject rather than zooming. I’ve grown to love my little Canon “nifty-fifty” for use in doing still life photography at home. This economical little lens might be one of my sharpest.
If you’ve not tried macro photography, being sequestered at home is a perfect opportunity to give it a try. It requires practice, patience, and a controlled environment where you are in charge of the composition and lighting (and there’s no wind). Being able to slow down and pay careful attention is a real plus, as being meticulous is a key to making good macro shots.
So you don’t have a macro lens? Try some alternatives.
The reversed-lens macro technique is a great way to dip your toe in macro waters on a budget. You will also find that common household objects become fascinating subjects when photographed at a macro level. Just be careful – macro-photography is contagious.
When choosing your subjects for a session of still life photography at home, give thought to telling a story. Rather than just choose random objects, think like a movie set director using the scene to tell the story.
Use your objects, background, lighting, camera angle, and whatever other photographic tricks you can summon. Your objective is to make the viewer see the story in your photo. A picture can be worth a thousand words, if you choose those “words” carefully.
A photo friend once said something that has stuck with me about a good photo – “Anything that doesn’t add, detracts.”
It’s important that, with a glance, the viewer immediately “gets it.” Without even thinking, they know what your intended subject is and what you are trying to communicate.
Landscape photographers must find ways to simplify the scenes they photograph, but as a still life table-top photographer, you have complete control.
Carefully consider what to put in and what to take out, where to concentrate the light, what to leave in shadow, and what is in and out-of-focus. The strongest photos will be those with a single, powerful message.
Reflections can elevate an otherwise ho-hum subject to a new and exciting level. When doing still life photography at home, a good method of creating a reflection is to use a piece of black plexiglass under your set-up.
Unlike a mirror, which will create two reflections due to the surface and the mirrored back of the glass, the acrylic sheet creates just one. Of course, the inventive photographer will find other ways to create reflections as well.
“Bokeh” (however you pronounce it), is defined as the “blurred quality or effect seen in the out-of-focus portion of a photograph taken with a narrow depth of field.”
Still life photography is a great opportunity to explore how you can use it to simplify the background, keep viewer attention where you want it, and enhance the story you’re trying to tell. You can also try some special effects bokeh using patterns cut in pieces of paper and put on your lens. If you’re a shut-in frustrated photographer, why not brighten your day making some fun “bokehlicious” pics?
Food photography is by its very nature, still life photography.
Top food photographers make good money by making food images look especially delicious. Study great food photos for clues as to composition, lighting, backgrounds, props, camera angles, and other tricks. Then see if you can emulate those tricks.
Maybe grab some cookies and a glass of milk, or a beer and some pretzels, and see what you can do to replicate great photo photography looks. Not only will you hone your photo skills, but when you’re done, you can have a snack.
Two different years I did what some call a “Project 52,” a photo assignment a week for an entire year. I made it a point to try some special tricks I’d never tried before – photographing smoke, water splashes, flames and sparks, and oil and water abstracts.
Using both long exposures, as well as the extremely short duration of a flash and a camera trigger, were things I learned.
If you need ideas, search dPS, or Google “creative photography” and see what catches your eye, then figure out how to do it yourself. Part of the fun of still life photography at home is using your creativity to make shots you’ve never before attempted.
Making the ordinary extraordinary is why skilled advertising photographers get paid the big bucks. Pick up a magazine and study the way common objects are staged, lit, and photographed. Then find some objects at home and see if you can emulate those looks.
What might look like a simple shot is often much more complex if you were to take a look behind the scenes. Don’t have a studio with a bunch of fancy lights and modifiers? No worry, see what you can do “on the cheap” with simpler lighting equipment. You might be surprised at how using brains rather than bucks can still result in a stunning photo.
Something else to consider is making photos for items you’d like to sell on places like eBay, Craigslist, or other online sites.
Your item with a nicely lit and composed shot will attract much more attention (and perhaps even fetch a higher price) than a “quicky” snapshot someone else made with their cellphone.
If you plan to do a lot of this kind of work, you might also look into buying a simple light tent or perhaps making your own. For smaller objects, a collapsible light tent can be had for under $ 20.00 U.S. and will give you pretty good results.
Even in times when we feel more comfortable traveling, not all of us can get to the exotic hot spots where we see other photographers going. I’m not expecting to get to Iceland anytime soon.
When doing still life photography at home, that’s not an issue. No one is going to guess that the location where you took that really cool still life photo was your kitchen table.
I formerly wrote for another now discontinued online photo site, Improve Photography, and did an article called “Tips for the Non-Traveling Photographer.” I’d encourage you to have a look, as almost all of the images in that piece were done at home or within 20-miles of my house. Imagination can often take you much further as a photographer than a passport.
Want to be more photographically-fit? The key is the same as increasing your physical fitness – work out more.
The key to being a better photographer is routinely making more photos, learning new techniques, and practicing. Waiting to pick up the camera until you go on a special trip, attend an event or make family photos isn’t going to cut it if you want to be good. Unless you’re taking photos at least a few times a week, you’re probably not getting enough “photographic exercise” to be a strong photographer.
These are unusual times. You may find you’re not able to get out as much, perhaps not even going to your regular job. So why not use that free time to keep yourself engaged, entertained, and further your photo education?
Try some still life photography at home. Shoot, review, repeat.
As you get better, do as you would with exercise, and make the next session more challenging. Then post your images online and here in the comments section of this site so we can admire your work.
Be engaged, be productive, be learning and growing as a photographer and above all… Until next time, be well my friends.
The post Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
The post Does Olympus Still Have a Place in the Camera Market? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
These days, all the camera headlines seem to be dominated by Canon, Nikon, and Sony, with the occasional mention of Fujifilm thrown in.
Olympus, with its Micro Four-Thirds system, rarely makes the news. And popular resources frequently neglect Olympus in their recommendations, suggesting “Big Three” bodies for photographers selecting a mirrorless system.
But what is this about? Why doesn’t Olympus, a camera company with a history stretching back to the early 1900s, get any attention?
Is this a mistake?
Or does Olympus no longer have a place in today’s camera market?
That’s the question that this article will answer. I’m going to explain the benefits and drawbacks of Olympus cameras compared to other manufacturers.
And then I’m going to give a verdict:
Whether Olympus is a manufacturer that still makes sense in today’s world…
…or whether Olympus’s time is up.
Let’s get started.
No camera system is perfect, which means that there are going to be some photographers that won’t be satisfied with Olympus’s products.
Here are the key issues that consistently come up with Olympus cameras, issues that help explain why Olympus hasn’t been getting much interest of late:
In many ways, the lack of interest in Olympus stems from one thing:
The Micro-Four-Thirds sensor.
Olympus only produces Micro-Four-Thirds mirrorless cameras. The company offers zero full-frame options and zero APS-C options.
Canon, Nikon, and Sony all produce full-frame mirrorless cameras. Even Fujifilm, which ignores full-frame, offers APS-C sensors that push smaller sensor technology to its limits.
Why is this such a big deal?
Larger sensors offer two key qualities over smaller sensors:
Better high-ISO capabilities.
And better dynamic range.
So if you’re someone who requires either of these features, you’re going to feel compelled to buy a full-frame option over a more limited MFT body. For instance, you’ll be hard-pressed to find landscape shooters who don’t use a full-frame body. Landscape photographers frequently deal with high dynamic range scenes and need to maximize low-light image quality, which is why a full-frame camera is the tool of choice.
A larger sensor doesn’t guarantee high resolution.
But it is closely correlated with it. All of the high-resolution camera models in the mirrorless market today are full-frame.
And when it comes to the megapixel race, Olympus hasn’t been doing so well. The company’s most professional bodies top out at about 20 MP, with some of their models only coming to 16 MP.
Here’s the thing about megapixel counts:
While they often don’t much affect the average photographer…
…they are real attention grabbers.
A big portion of camera headlines is dominated by the latest megapixel marvels, which means that Olympus, with its 16 and 20 MP sensors, just doesn’t get much coverage.
And resolution is talked about so frequently that the need for a high megapixel count is burned into the mind of almost every beginner photographer.
Don’t get me wrong:
Megapixels do matter.
But they only matter to some photographers – those that need to maximize detail, printing sizes, or cropping potential.
For others, more megapixels are just a comforting spec, but not a feature that’s truly necessary.
Here’s the final issue with Micro Four-Thirds cameras:
You get a huge, 2x crop factor.
And this makes basic wide-angle lenses (e.g., in the 20-30mm range) become standard focal lengths.
For landscape photographers, this is a huge issue. For sweeping scenic shots, you’re going to need a system that can offer true wide-angle coverage.
Though this 2x crop factor can be a benefit for photographers requiring a lot of reach, such as those who shoot sports or wildlife.
It’s a fact:
Olympus’s electronic viewfinders just aren’t that great.
Their best cameras offer a 2.36M-dot resolution, and it just doesn’t look that good compared to many Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm options.
So for photographers coming from DSLRs and requiring a clear, sharp EVF experience, Olympus’s options don’t cut it.
Though Olympus doesn’t get much attention, there are things that Olympus is doing better than pretty much every other camera manufacturer out there:
One thing that Olympus does really, really well:
Camera system compactness.
This is where the micro-four-thirds sensor really starts to pay dividends, keeping camera body size way down and keeping lens size equally small.
In fact, while cameras by Sony and Fujifilm, in particular, are often very compact, these systems will often come back to bite you when buying lenses. Mirrorless glass is often as big as DSLR glass, and this can be a problem. For one thing, bigger and heavier is just a pain to deal with, plus big lenses feel unbalanced when mounted on a compact camera.
So if you’re a travel photographer, you’ll love how easy it is to pack Olympus kit.
If you’re a street photographer, you’ll love how small and unobtrusive Olympus systems really are.
And if you’re a wildlife photographer who spends days hiking in the field, having a light, small body can be a real lifesaver.
If you take a close look at Olympus specifications, you’ll see that a number of their cameras offer shooting up to 60 frames per second.
And I’m talking still photography, not video.
Let me clarify:
You can shoot at 60 fps with no caveats, no cropped sensor, no drawbacks (though it is with the electronic sensor, rather than the mechanical one).
This is a huge benefit for anybody doing high-speed or action photography. Of course, you’re going to fill up your memory cards pretty quickly if you use the 60 fps option all the time, but this high-speed option is dead useful in certain situations where you just can’t miss the shot.
And by the way, you also have an option to shoot in Pro Capture mode, which ensures that the camera starts taking photos when you press the shutter button halfway. Then, when you finally press the shutter button down all the way, the last dozen or so images are saved to your memory card (along with any images taken after you fully hit the shutter button). This is fantastic for getting unanticipated shots, be it in sports or wildlife or event photography.
So if you’re the type that wishes for serious high-speed shooting capabilities, the Olympus cameras are definitely worth a look.
Here’s the final key benefit of Olympus cameras:
They offer the best in-body image stabilization of any mirrorless camera system.
Some Olympus cameras offer seven or more stops of stabilization when including a stabilized lens, which allows for handholding down to 1s and longer (depending on the focal length and the steadiness of your hands).
If you’re the type of photographer who prefers to work without a tripod, this is the absolute best possible way to do it. You can capture gorgeous scenics using narrow apertures and not have to worry about camera shake.
Plus, even for the tripod-happy photographer, there are going to be times when carrying such support just isn’t feasible. But if you have an IBIS-equipped Olympus camera with you, you’ll be able to get a similar range of shots without a tripod.
Absolutely.
Though Olympus systems do come with a few drawbacks, they also include characteristics that no other camera manufacturer can match. Characteristics such as:
Are these benefits worth it for everyone?
No. If you’re a landscape photographer who plans to make huge, wall-sized prints, you’re going to want to pick a different system. If you’re a sports photographer who requires the best autofocus system that money can buy, Olympus probably isn’t your best bet either. And if you’re an event photographer who consistently shoots with four or five-digit ISOs, then I doubt that Olympus is for you.
But if you’re a photographer who prizes a compact system over everything else, someone who:
…then Olympus is going to be just what you need.
So before you buy a Sony, Canon, Nikon, or Fujifilm body, ask yourself:
Might Olympus be the better choice?
Maybe it’s not. You might do better with another system.
But it’s at least worth considering!
What are your thoughts on this? Do you have anything you could add? Please do so in the comments!
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
The post Does Olympus Still Have a Place in the Camera Market? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post How to Keep Your Photographic Muscles Flexing During the Times of Isolation appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
We’re currently facing challenges that most of us haven’t faced before. How do you keep photographing when you can’t visit interesting locations or meet your models? Here are some ideas for you to exercise your photographic muscles during this time of isolation.
According to where you live, you may be more or less constrained regarding your travel distances. Maybe the problem is not even reaching an adventurous place but you can’t even get to your studio. Whichever is your case, these ideas are meant for you to keep photographing with minimum resources.
If you happen to be in insolation and unable to reach your equipment, maybe it’s time for you to go into mobile phone photography, if you haven’t done so already. Smartphones today have multiple cameras, a wide range of focal lengths and super-high resolution. This is not to say that you can’t do great things with lower-range devices.
The device itself is only one part of the equation, then you can go into the huge variety of apps you’ll find on the market. There’s one for every need and budget. Firstly, you can use a camera app to control the settings of the camera, and then other ones for post-production.
In this example, you see the original photo on the left made with a very basic (and old) device.
The middle image is a version processed for Instagram. I used ‘A Color Story’; an app that has some basic retouching tools, sets of filters constantly updating according to the trends, and a grid to schedule your feed.
In the image on the right, I used the Photoshop app for normal post-production as I would have done on my computer. I cropped and fixed the perspective, and also did some fine-tuning of the exposure. You can sync it up with your Adobe CC account or you can use a lighter version for free if you are not subscribed.
If you’re housebound and you live alone, you can use yourself as a subject.
If you’re a portrait photographer, this can keep you going while gaining insight into what it feels like to be on the other side of the lens. However, if you’re not used to doing portraits, this is your chance to experiment with new types of photography. If you’re shy, you can go abstract or conceptual; so no excuses – keep photographing!
I decided to go with a creative collage.
You don’t have a problem getting models? Still, these times are giving everybody the extra push into boosting their online presence. A self-portrait may be just the thing you need to build your brand identity.
Photography is not just about the shooting, it starts with the idea and planning. Then it continues during development and post-production.
So, to keep photographing, you can also work on the other steps in the process. If you have your hard drive with you, or have your work in the cloud, use this time to dive into your old photographs to do any of these exercises:
Use this time to improve and experiment with your digital darkroom skills by processing old files.
Another choice is to download images from the web and practice on them. If you’re not buying them from a stock photo website, then remember to keep an eye on the copyright so that you’re not breaking any laws. Some good free stock sites are Unsplash and Pexels.
For inspiration, you can check out many of the DPS tutorials on basic and creative post-processing.
I’ve always been a fan of DIY even when I’m not facing any specific limitations. I think that doing things yourself can make you fully understand how they work. Anyway, regardless of one’s philosophy, now we’re facing some difficulties in mobility, availability, and maybe even budget.
If you haven’t done it yet, it’s time for you to try some DIY. Luckily here at DPS, you can find many tutorials on the subject.
If you’re limited in lightning you can try:
Creating Effective DIY Studio Lighting with Household Items.
DIY Flash and Lighting Hacks for Digital Photographers.
If you’re missing your accessories:
How to Use Ordinary Items to Make DIY Photo Filters.
How to Make a DIY Lens Hood to Eliminate Lens Flare.
If you’re lacking props and backgrounds:
DIY Food Photography Props on a Budget.
DIY Lighting and Background Accessories for the Budget Conscious Photographer.
If you just want to have fun and try something new:
DIY: How to Create a Coffee-Stained Texture for Aging Images in Photoshop.
DIY Photography: How to Make Your Own DIY Lightstick for Cool Photos.
Being isolated doesn’t mean that you have to stop doing the things you love. Keep in mind that you’re not alone. Share in the comments section, your exercises and ideas so we can support each other as a community of photographers. And, also share any of your images as a result of trying any of these exercises. We’d love to see them.
The post How to Keep Your Photographic Muscles Flexing During the Times of Isolation appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
The post How to Easily Make Images ‘Pop’ with these Luminar 4 Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christian Hoiberg.
Luminar 4 has become a popular photo-editor since it’s release, partly due to it’s groundbreaking AI tools used to replace skies, introduce elements or give an overall ‘pop’ to your image. However, these Luminar 4 tips go beyond the AI tools and teach you how to quickly make your images look more impressive.
In this article, I want to show you how we can transform this rather ordinary sunset panorama into something more visually pleasing that’s sure to grab people’s attention.
To avoid making this too complicated, I’m going to avoid using layers and masks and instead show you a series of very basic tips that you can immediately implement into your workflow.
Let’s get started and dive into these Luminar 4 tips:
While Luminar 4 has become widely known due to its Artificial Intelligence tools such as the AI Sky Replacement Tool and AI Augmented Reality Tool, you should avoid using them for every image.
These types of composite tools are a very personal choice (there are many opinions on both sides of the discussion, but I don’t want to delve into that now), but there’s no secret that it’s an easy way to make a boring photo interesting.
If you’ve got a boring blue sky, you can easily replace it with a more colorful or dramatic one. This can be fun and useful at times, but I strongly recommend that you avoid replacing the sky or introducing elements to it all the time.
Most images simply don’t need to be worked on in such a way. Most of the time, it ends up looking more distracting than attractive.
For example, using the AI Augmented Reality Tool to introduce a flock of birds or a rainbow in the image we’re working on in this article makes no sense. It looks misplaced.
Reserve these tools for particular images only.
Playing with the various AI tools, adding sun rays, or dramatic effects can be fun, but don’t forget about the basic raw adjustments; these are crucial for the image and will set the basis for further development.
The basic adjustments I’m talking about can be found in the Light Tools inside the Essentials Category. More specifically, I’m talking about the following sliders:
To enhance the warm sunset feel and give the image a little more contrast, I increased the Temperature and Tint, darkened the Exposure (as a result of the next adjustments), darkened the Highlights and increased the Shadows, Whites and Blacks.
By applying these few basic adjustments, we’ve introduced some more details in the shadows, increased the contrast, and warmed the image slightly.
Now, I said that you should only use AI tools when they’re absolutely needed, but the AI Enhance and AI Structure tools are the exceptions. Unlike the other tools, they don’t add or replace anything. Instead, they use Artificial Intelligence to ‘correct’ the image.
I’ve always been a skeptic of these types of automatic tools (I still have nightmares about the good ol’ Photomatix days), but these two have proved me wrong. AI can have a place in photo editing.
Don’t get me wrong – pulling too much in these sliders is going to make the image look overly edited. But applied at a lower amount, they can add a lot to it.
For this example, I applied them with the following settings:
As you can see, these adjustments have made the sky and image ‘pop’ a little more than previously. The nice part about these tools is that they don’t add any unwanted noise or grain to the image.
A vignette is commonly used to shift the focus of an image towards its more interesting parts by darkening the surroundings.
This is a particularly useful tool when the borders of an image are bright. That’s not quite the case in this image, but I do find that darkening the outer areas can help emphasize the setting sun.
I recommend using the Vignette tool with some caution too. Don’t go to the extreme, as that will quickly make the vignette too obvious and distracting.
It’s also a good idea to use the ‘Choose Subject’ button to set the midpoint of the vignette, it won’t always be in the middle! For example, if you’ve got a person standing to the left of the image and they’re the main subject, that should be the middle point.
Techniques such as the Orton Effect is loved by landscape photographers, and it’s a technique that’s been around since the 1980s (created by Michael Orton). This technique can easily be replicated in Luminar 4. In fact, it can be found two places.
The Orton Effect tool is found in the Portrait Tools Category. By placing it here, Skylum has made it clear that this particular effect is mostly meant for portraits.
For other genres of photography, you can use the Glow Tool found in the Creative Tools Category. This tool introduces a nice soft glow to the image that can help give that much desired ‘dreamy’ atmosphere.
BUT don’t go all-out and apply this technique at a high amount. That’s going to look more distracting than appealing and will make the image look amateurish.
Instead, apply this at a low amount. If you’re feeling brave and have some knowledge about Luminar 4, this is a technique that’s best added through a mask.
For years I’ve been using Luminosity Masks in Photoshop to introduce Midtones Contrast. However, in Luminar 4, it’s done with a simple slider found inside the Advanced Contrast tool in the Professional Category.
The problem with adding contrast to the entire image is that you essentially brighten the brightest parts and darken the darkest. This quickly results in clipping of the shadows and highlights.
By introducing contrast to the midtones only (i.e. any pixel that’s neither bright nor dark), you avoid this problem and get a much more desirable result.
This is one of my most important Luminar 4 Tips that will make your image pop. Go try it for yourself!
The final tip I’m going to share in this article is one that’s not necessary for this particular image. It’s something that’s going to do wonders in the majority of your images. Use the Adjustable Gradient Tool to shift the focus in your image.
Very often, I find the foreground or sky to be too distracting in images. There’s no reason why a foreground should be as bright and sharp as the main subject of the image. Remember, our eyes naturally gravitate towards the brightest parts, which is where you want the main subject to be.
The Adjustable Gradient Tool is an easy solution that even complete Luminar beginners can take advantage of (there are more advanced methods that are superior, but I’ll save that for another time).
You can switch between the Top and Bottom gradient and choose the gradient’s orientation in order to better fit your image. It’s possible to add adjustments to both the top and bottom at the same time.
For this example, I only applied adjustments to the Bottom as I wanted to remove some details in the rocks visible in the lower part of the image. All I did was increase the Exposure, Highlights and Vibrance.
This tool is also used to darken/recover a bright sky. For those scenarios, simply choose Top and increase the Exposure or Shadows.
The truth is, you don’t need to spend hours upon hours editing your images to make them look impressive. Applying a few simple adjustments can often be enough to give that extra pop.
In the 7 Luminar 4 tips shared above, we’ve managed to take an ordinary sunset image and make it slightly more appealing:
I hope that you found these Luminar 4 tips useful and that you can apply these techniques and tools into your workflow. I would love to see the images you’ve edited, so make sure to leave them in the comments below!
Make sure to have a look at my popular eBook ‘A Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4′ if you’d like to learn how you can take full advantage of all the organizing and processing tools and create professional-looking images with this popular photo editor. There, you’ll learn everything you need to know about organizing and editing, as well as receive several step-by-step workflows you can use for yourself.
The post How to Easily Make Images ‘Pop’ with these Luminar 4 Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christian Hoiberg.
The post Things Photographers Will Do For The Perfect Shot (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
With everything happening in the world at the moment, I thought we could all do with a bit of a laugh. So, I found this video that shows some of the crazy things (and poses) that photographers do to get the perfect shot.
So take a look, and let me know if you have done any of these “moves” to get just the right shot. Let’s face it, most of us will have at least done one of them!
Share with us in the comments section, along with the photo you achieved from your position.
The post Things Photographers Will Do For The Perfect Shot (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Kitchen appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Since we are all stuck indoors, this week’s photography challenge topic is the KITCHEN!
That’s right! Get creative and take some shots of your kitchen. You can use flash or ambient light. Do close-ups of your cutlery draw, tea and coffee canisters, or food in your pantry. Take photos of food preparation and cooking. Photograph the results! Do wide-angle shots of the entire scene too. Blur them out, use intentional camera movement, or whatever you like!
Try creating a series that work together too, if you like.
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.
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.
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 #DPSkitchen 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 – Kitchen appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Canon Explorers of Light – Q&A with Photographers Bob and Dawn Davis 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 Canon Explorers of Light Q&A series, we interview photographers Bob and Dawn Davis. They share their experiences and give tips to upcoming photographers.
I was inspired by my father, who always had a camera or movie camera within arms-reach. Growing up, I played with Polaroid, where you had to coat the photographs and mount them onto the cardboard included with the pack of instant film. Also, all kinds of Kodak cameras, 126, 110, and Disc cameras.
I became addicted to captured moments and anything that caught my eye, and I was on a first-name basis with the one-hour lab in the Jewel near my home.
Once I got into high school, I took my first photography class. Mrs. Morrison encouraged my passion for documenting everyday moments. She said to me, “you can make a living in photography as a photojournalist!”
That was it; I knew my life’s calling.
I joined the school newspaper and yearbook, had a front-row seat to current events, and in my senior year, I won the National Honor Society Scholarship in Photojournalism and subsequently attended Columbia College in Chicago.
Simultaneously, a small newspaper, The Daily Southtown Economist, hired me. Eventually, work took up all my time. I decided to leave college and work full time, setting my sights on a position at the Chicago Sun-Times, working alongside John H. White, Pulitzer Prize winner in feature photography. I realized my dreams in 1989 when I was hired full time at the Chicago Sun-Times, where I was a staff photographer covering daily news until 2004.
My first camera purchase was a Canon AT1 with a 50mm 1.4 lens, 28mm 2.8, and a 200mm 2.8 lens, which fueled my passion for photography in high school.
Eventually, I had the Canon AT1 modified to accept the highspeed motor drive that would allow for five frames per second. I was pursuing sports photography, and the local weekly newspaper, The Star, hired me as a freelancer to photograph the local football team who were heading to State. Score!
I am a lifelong Canon user, and I’m blessed to be a part of The Canon Explorers of Light Educational Program. I purchased my own Canon EOS 1D digital camera. I love Canon color and glass period!
My current Canon kit is the EOS 1DX MkIII and EOS R for bodies; lenses to photographers are like brushes to fine art painters.
I use the RF 28-70 f2.0, RF 50mm f1.2, EF 16-35 f2.8 vIII, EF 24-70 f2.8 vII, EF 70-200 f2.8 IS vII, 100-400 f4.5 5.6 vII, 300 f2.8 vII, 1.4x vIII, 2x vIII and 10-600EX RT Speedlites. I love the speed and low light focus capability of both the EOS 1DX MIII and EOS R full-frame mirrorless bodies. There’s no situation I cannot cover with these cameras.
I love capturing real authentic moments and fashion-inspired portraits. I would call our style timeless and classic with an editorial twist. Currently, I practice in wedding, portraits, and wildlife photography.
Honestly, being a lifelong photojournalist, there isn’t much I haven’t covered in my career, so I’m prepared for anything.
I’ve photographed every president since Ronald Reagan and captured the most exclusive events for A-list celebrities. I love photographing the once-in-a-lifetime moments that unfold at weddings and special events.
I love weddings and events, but I’m transitioning into destination wildlife, travel photography, and workshops. Photography is a powerful medium to tell stories and share a message. I want our wildlife and destination work to inspire people to think and be grateful for the abundance of beauty that surrounds us and that we need to be stewards of our planet and environment!
Practice, practice, practice! I learned from Michael Jordan while covering his many NBA championships that before every game, he would be on the floor before anyone else and practice the basics. He was ready and confident, so when the moment came for the big shots, he was prepared. I still practice and push myself to be green and growing, and always be prepared no matter the assignment.
My cameras have always been a passport, allowing me a front seat to history. While at the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper for 14 years, I covered countless historic events, such as presidential elections, Michael Jordan’s entire career with the Chicago Bulls, many faiths, celebrations, and rituals. I’ve traveled around the world for weddings and human-interest stories for nonprofit organizations.
I have since moved on from the newspaper industry. Now, I have created an endeavor with my wife, Dawn Davis – Bob & Dawn Davis Photography & Design.
Our client list reads like a “Who’s Who” of entertainment’s elite. We had the honor of photographing A-list weddings such as Eva Longoria & Tony Parker’s wedding in Paris, Salma Hayek & François-Henri Pinault’s wedding in Italy, La La Vazquez & Carmelo Anthony’s TV wedding in New York, Tracey Edmonds & Eddie Murphy’s wedding in Bora Bora, ABC’s TV show The Bachelorette Ashley’s wedding to J.P. in California, along with many other fabulous events with Oprah Winfrey.
I was commissioned to work on the book America 24/7, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show and was a New York Times Best Seller.
Our work has been featured in publications such as People, OK, O Magazine, InStyle, Inside Weddings, Town & Country, Munaluchi, Grace Ormonde, Modern Luxury Brides, and dozens of others.
I am honored to be a member of the Canon Explorers of Light, Westcott Top Pro Elite, and SanDisk Extreme Team. Dawn and I are the authors of two books, Lights Camera Capture, and We’re Engaged!
I am happily married to my wife, Dawn, and together we have two beautiful children, Bobby and Alli.
The post Canon Explorers of Light – Q&A with Photographers Bob and Dawn Davis appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Three 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 three of the challenge (see week one here, and week two here. You can still do those challenges, as there are 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!
Go through some of your photos on your computer or hard drive, and give this post-processing challenge a try: Simulating False-Color Infrared Photography in Photoshop. You can get some fantastic results.
This one uses the open-source editing program, GIMP. Download it and give this a try: Creative Uses for the GIMP Jigsaw Pattern.
This one requires some close-up filters, but if you don’t have those, try macro lenses or even try putting a magnifying glass in front of your lens! Just experiment. Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters
This one can be fun too. DIY: How to Create a Coffee-Stained Texture for Aging Images in Photoshop. If you aren’t a coffee drinker, use tea 
Look for patterns and repetition around your home or garden. Photograph them and then play with them in edit to make them black and white, or bold and bright! How to Use Pattern and Repetition in Photography Effectively
Take photos (or use ones you already have), and turn them into monochromatic images in your favorite post-processing application: How to use Monochromatic Color to Convey more Emotion in your Photography
This is another color-focussed one. How to Create Abstract Photos with Colored Paper. Find some colored bits of paper (or material) around your home and try this one out.
I can’t wait to see your images!
The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Three appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
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