Affordable anamorphic: hands-on with the Sirui 50mm F1.8 1.33x
The Sirui 50mm F1.8 1.33x Anamorphic is interesting for more than a couple of reasons, but the thing that makes it immediately attractive is that at $ 700/£660 it’s a lot more affordable than almost all other proper anamorphic lenses for filmmakers using interchangeable lens camera systems.
The lens is designed for APS-C and Super 35mm sensor sizes and comes in mounts for Sony E cameras, Fujifilm X and for Micro Four Thirds models. When used with a Super 35-sized sensor we get the equivalent of a 56mm horizontal field of view, while on a Micro Four Thirds camera this converts to an approximate 75mm horizontal field of view.
On E mount
The a7R IV may not be the ideal Sony camera for shooting all types of video, but it does include an APS-C/Super 35 crop mode, which is where it produces its best quality 4K video. This cropping might be a bug bear for some videographers, but it makes the camera a good match for this lens. It’s possible to use crop mode with FHD resolution as well, but since the camera produces better FHD footage in full sensor mode, we’d recommend sticking with 4K.
However, to see the footage de-squeezed live it’s necessary to use an external monitor with that capability since the feature isn’t built into the camera.
On X mount
Offering this lens in X mount makes a lot more sense now than it would have just a year ago – Fujifilm has upped its video game considerably with the X-H1, X-T4 and new firmware for the X-T3. The Eterna mode makes nice video straight out of the camera, but we also have F-Log and decent data rates too.
The Fujifilm X-T3 doesn’t technically need the grip to shoot video, as the body had both mic and headphone ports, but the grip makes the system easier to hold with the weight of the lens on the front. As with the Sony, you’ll need an external display with an anamorphic preview feature to see the de-squeezed image in real time.
On Micro Four Thirds
Users of the Panasonic GH5 have a couple of choices over the way they use this lens. It has an Anamorphic Mode that uses the 4:3 sensor area to capture video for de-squeezing in software afterwards. As this mode uses almost the whole sensor, the final image contains 18+MP of data to work with.
When you use this mode with the Sirui 1.33x anamorphic lens the wide aspect gets de-squeezed to a 16:9 format with a higher resolution than you’d get shooting in the normal 16:9 video mode, while the in-camera de-squeeze preview feature allows us to see what we are shooting via the rear screen.
To get the wide, cinematic anamorphic look that most will be expecting you need to shoot in the normal 16:9 mode, with Anamorphic Mode switched off. Even with Anamorphic Mode off you can still use the de-squeeze preview on the rear screen and inform the IS system that you have a 1.33x anamorphic lens attached.
The GH5S can also capture anamorphic footage using its 4:3 region, however, due to the nature of its multi-aspect sensor, the resolution isn’t quite as a high as the GH5 in this mode. Like the GH5, it can also show a de-sqeezed preview of the anamorphic image in-camera.
Fit and finish
The lens is constructed from 11 elements arranged in 8 groups, and features a 10-bladed iris. It certainly isn’t big but is long and thin, and weighs more than you might expect. It feels very solidly made and is nicely finished in a semi-matte black paint.
The focus and aperture markings are shown only on the top of the lens, and distances are indicated in both feet and meters with paint sunk into engraved characters.
Front element
The front element of the lens has that characteristic square baffle opening that we often see on anamorphic lenses. As with many single focal length anamorphic lenses the squeezing element is mounted onto the front of the basic optical design of the lens.
Front element
When viewed from the front, the circular iris of the lens appears elongated into an upright oval shape. This is because we are viewing it through the anamorphic element mounted on the front of the construction. When viewed through the rear the iris is shown to be round – well, a nearly round decagon at least.
The size of the front element, and its flat design, makes it a magnet to the flare so many film makers love. The flare appears in oval rings accompanied by thin blue lines that shoot horizontally across the frame. The blue tint seen in the front element appears to be designed to enhance the blue-ness of that line.
It is easy to overdo this effect so that the flare becomes the subject rather than whatever you are shooting, so caution is advised.
Aperture and focus rings
The aperture range on offer spans F1.8-16, while the closest focus is 0.85m / 33″ which is just close enough to get a decent tight head shot. Of course the aperture ring is clickless so exposures can be adjusted during recording without disturbing the audio track. The aperture ring turns smoothly with plenty of resistance to prevent accidental rotation, and you can get from one extreme to the other via a twist of about 90°.
The focusing ring takes a twist of 143.6° and must be turned to the left to reach infinity. The ring is quite stiff and the fine ribbing on the barrel may not always be enough to get a firm grip.
Image format on APS-C
When used with a camera recording in 16:9 mode the de-squeed image works out to a ratio of about 2.35:1, similar to the classic CinemaScope look. The black letterboxes above and below help illustrate the difference between this aspect ratio and the standard 16:9 video format.
Image format on Micro Four Thirds
This is a grab from footage recorded in Anamorphic Mode on the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5. In this mode the camera records from the whole 4:3 sensor, so the 1.33x anamorphic effect only de-squeezes to 16:9, but it is a higher resolution 16:9 format image than you’d get recording in 16:9 with a normal lens.
Shooting in 16:9 with this lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera will also result in a 2.35:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio, albeit with a longer apparent focal length than on an APS-C/Super 35 sensor.
Trademark blue flare
Here’s an example of the blue-line flare that is a characteristic of this lens when aimed close to a light source. Some people will love it, and others will find it a distraction. As with most things, moderation might be the best policy.
The post How to Convert a Photo to a Drawing in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.
If you are anything like me, your artistic skills with a pencil are not great. I can, however, take pretty good photographs. So, this technique will show you how to convert a photo to a drawing in Photoshop.
The steps aren’t complicated, but we will use smart objects, filters and blend modes. If you are not familiar with these, check out the related links to learn more about them.
You will need to use Adobe Photoshop for this particular technique and I will be using the current 2020 CC version of Photoshop. Different versions of Photoshop may require slightly different approaches, particularly as it applies to smart objects.
Start with a portrait
To convert a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, I will start with a portrait of a writer I know, Jane Marshall. I photographed this during a recent portrait session. My version of Photoshop is windows-based, but the commands apply to Mac too.
Make sure you are working with an 8-bit image, or some of the filters will not be visible within Photoshop.
Start with the image you want to convert into a pencil sketch
We will be converting the layers into Smart Objects. Converting them into a smart object will allow you to make modifications to each layer.
Before you do this, use the Quick Select tool on the left side. With that highlighted, you can look across the top of the bar (on Adobe Photoshop CC) and use the Select Subject.
This uses Adobe’s Sensei AI technology and selects the subject for you. It generally does a pretty good job.
Mask out the subject
Create a layer mask so you are only working on the portrait
Create a layer mask so that you are only working on the portrait.
To do this, with your selection still made, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection. Alternatively, select the little layer mask icon in the Layer palette.
Clean up the mask by either using a black brush on the layer mask or use the Select and Mask tool. The Select and Mask tool is similar to the prior versions Refine Mask function, but works much better now. Fundamentally, the mask doesn’t need to be perfect, just smooth.
Remember when working on the mask, white reveals and black conceals.
Refine the mask
Once you are happy with the mask, we need to invert the selection, so press Ctrl I or Command I (Windows/Mac) and select the background.
Press Delete and the background will disappear. We will proceed to convert the layer into a Smart Object by clicking on the layer. You can also do this from the Edit menu.
Convert the base image into a Smart Object
You can convert the image into a Smart Object by right-clicking on the layer or going to the edit menu
Duplicate the layers and rename the new layers.
Because the layer was already a smart image, all the duplicates will also be smart images and will be tied to the original layer (more about that later).
There will be four layers above the original layer.
The original layer should be called Original (it will change from “Background” when you convert it into a Smart Object). We will leave that one alone and only work on the layers above it.
Title the layer above the original “Base.” We can call the layer above Base, “Pencil Outline.” The layer above that, call “Shading” and the Layer above that, call “Lines” or “Edges.”
Naming layers makes adjustments easier to keep track of. Smart objects will make the files larger, but will make all the changes non-destructive and editable.
Create multiple Smart Object layers
Once you create the first Smart Object layer, you can create all the additional layers we will need. Turn off all the layers above the one you are working on at the time.
Create the Pencil Outline layer
Turn off all the layers bar the layer you are working on using the Eye icon next to the name of each layer in the Layers palette. In this case, we will start on the Pencil Outline layer. To start the conversion, press Ctrl I or Command I to invert the layer.
Only the layer we are working on should be visible and we need to invert it to create the initial colored pencil effect
Once you have inverted the image, we are going to use the blend mode, “Color Dodge” to create the initial colored pencil outline effect.
The blend mode has created the initial effect, but it is not strong enough
Add a Gaussian Blur
The next thing we need to do to convert a photo to a drawing in Photoshop is to add a Gaussian Blur. We will do this to improve the appearance of the initial colored pencil effect.
Select Gaussian Blur from the Menu bar, by going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. The amount of blur you add will affect how much of the underlying image appears.
Adding the Gaussian Blur creates the amount of the image that will be visible
Adjust the amount of Gaussian Blur you want, and a color version of the pencil sketch will start to appear.
However, we can improve the image by creating shading and emphasizing some lines.
Adjust the amount of Gaussian Blur to an amount you like, but you want to clearly see your subject.
With an appropriate amount of blur (the amount will vary depending upon your image and image size), the base becomes visible
Make the image black and white
While on the Pencil Outline layer, add a new Black and White Adjustment Layer from the Adjustments Panel. This will add a layer above the Pencil Outline layer.
If you cannot find your Adjustments Panel, go to the menu bar and select Window > Adjustments. You will then see the panel open. The Black and White Adjustment icon is a box with a positive and negative rectangle inside.
Remember that if you have the layers above the one you are working on turned on, you will not see any changes. So make sure only the layer you are working on and the ones below are turned on.
You don’t need to change anything from the default settings for the black and white adjustment layer for the purposes of this exercise.
A black and white adjustment layer creates the pencil image effect
Working on the shading
When you are converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, you want some shading to give depth. However, pencils are usually shaded with texture and blending.
You can create this appearance in Photoshop.
Select your Shading layer.
To improve the effect, we are going to change your brush color from pure black to a dark grey and leave the white as white. You want the foreground color to be the dark grey and the background to be white.
As this will be a pencil effect, we are looking for the pencil color to not be 100% black
With the shading layer selected, go to the Filter Gallery (Menu > Filter > Filter Gallery) and choose the Charcoal Filter under the Sketch Group. Set the Charcoal thickness to 1, Detail to 5 and Light/Dark balance to 50.
At 100% this become the new layer. But we want a pencil effect, not a charcoal effect.
On the Shading Layer, change the blend mode to “Multiply.” This allows the underlying layer to merge with the shading layer, creating some detail and some shading.
The multiply blend mode combines the two main layers
Change the Opacity
Change the Opacity of the Shading layer to a pleasing amount. This will add texture to the image and make it look a lot more like a pencil drawing with shading. For this example, I used 62% opacity for the shading layer. This allows the underlying layer to start showing through. Choose an amount that works for your image
Balance the shading and the pencil outlines
Improve the outer edges
Most pencil drawings have stronger edges emphasized. Because we are converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, the photograph has lots of details but the edges aren’t pronounced. To do this, we are going to work off the Lines layer (this is the top layer we created earlier).
Work on the Top Layer
Invert the image by pressing Ctrl I or Command I.
To get stronger edges we need to invert the image again
Once the image has been inverted, we need to go to Menu > Filter > Filter Gallery and chose “Glowing Edges.”
Use the Filter Gallery to Access the Glowing Edges Filter
With Glowing Edges chosen under the Stylize Folder, use this to create the lines. Don’t worry that they are color – we are just looking for stronger edges like an artist would draw.
Glowing Edges makes the image strong
Change the blending mode to “Multiply.”
Use the blend mode to enhance the edges
Convert it to black and white
This time, instead of adding another layer, we can convert this layer to black and white. Do this by going to Menu > Image > Adjustments > Black and White.
Convert this last layer to Black and White for finished effect
Any filter effects below other filter effects will not show up live until you move to a different layer (no live preview as you change).
The finished effect can be tweaked because each smart object can be re-edited
Because each layer is a Smart Object, you can go back and adjust each layer’s filter settings to your liking. Essentially, everything is non-destructive. You can even replace the original image and apply the same settings (but that is a more advanced topic).
The finished look
The Final Portrait
In conclusion, by following all these steps you get a lovely pencil drawing image with shading and definition all starting from a color portrait photo.
There are other ways to accomplish converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, but I like how this technique adds subtle shading. This is how a sketch artist would convert a photo into a pencil drawing sketch.
Try converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop yourself at home, and share your results in the comments section!
The post How to Convert a Photo to a Drawing in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.
The post Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
In this video from the photographer, Marvin Grey, you’ll learn some fine art landscape editing techniques in Lightroom that will give you the opportunity to experiment with your landscapes to give them a whole new look and feel.
While the results may not be for everyone, the techniques he uses will teach you some valuable Lightroom editing techniques that you can use in other editing scenarios.
And what better time to tackle and play with our catalogs of landscape photos and learn some new landscape editing techniques while we are at home!
Feel free to share your results with us in the comments below.
You may also like:
How to Use the Lightroom HSL Panel for Landscape Photo Editing
Create Stunning Photos in Lightroom
5 Tips For Mastering Contrast In Your Landscape Photos (video)
RAW Photo Editing in Lightroom: How to Make Your Photos Look Real to Life
Four Lightroom Tips to Enhance Your Landscape Photos
How to Edit Landscape and Nature Photos with the Lightroom Gradient Tool and Range Mask Features
Loving Landscapes
The post Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
We shot Fujifilm’s new Acros II black and white film in both 35mm and 120 medium format, developing it ourselves. We also tried pushing a roll to ISO 400. But wait, there’s more! We even compared it to Fujifilm’s Acros film simulation.
The verdict? We like this film! Make sure to check out the sample gallery below, which includes many Raw files from the digitizing process.
Make sure to check out our Film Photography forum – it’s a great place to talk about Acros II with your fellow photographers!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Introduction
The camera and lenses we used
Sample photos
Developing: chemistry used
Developing: timing
The results!
Compared to the original Acros 100 film
Compared to Fujifilm's Acros film simulation
Acros 100 II pushed to ISO 400
Who is this film for?
Sample photos from this episode
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Comments Off on DPReview TV: Fujifilm Acros 100 II film review (and samples)
We’ve recently shared with you our complete guide to developing film at home, but what happens after your negatives dry? Sure you could scan/digitize them, but why not instead try your hands at the lost art of darkroom printing? Setting up a fully-functional B&W darkroom is way easier and cheaper than you may think – and it’s a ton of fun.
Our pals over at 35mmc.com have put together a complete and practical guide to get you set up in the darkroom and printing, all for around $ 100.
Read: How to setup a darkroom for cheap
About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at 35mmc.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Living Room appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Continuing with the indoors theme, this week’s photography challenge topic is the LIVING ROOM!
Due to the lockdowns, I’ve had to rent a furnished apartment in a new town. It has a “sea” theme. I took this and made them into a series. In the third image, the shell close-up, I did it using the reverse lens macro technique. I took my nifty fifty off my camera, flipped it around, held it against my camera, and took photos. You get some interesting effects.
You could photograph objects in your living room. Create a still life from them, do interesting things with lamplight or reflections on your TV screen (if you have one). Photograph people sitting in your living room – your pet on your favorite couch (come on, I know many of you let your pets on the furniture!)
Do macro, wide, or do a series that includes all of them to tell a story. They can be color or black and white, moody or bright.
These are some quartz crystals that I have found while on my bushwalks just before lockdown. I photographed these in my living room next to the window. I used my iphone with a macro filter. These are quite small, but look rather large in these photos.
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!
Continuing with my living room “sea” theme. The close-ups where, again, reverse lens macro. The first image was with my nifty fifty.
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
Tips for photographing the LIVING ROOM
Reverse Mounting Your Prime Lenses for Affordable Macro Photography
Reverse Lens Macro: How to use it as a Great Learning Tool
How to Turn a Photography Technique into a Series
Reverse Lens Macro – How to Make Macro Photos with “Backward Thinking”
3 Tips for Photographing Mixed Lighting in Interiors
How I Shot and Edited a Series of iPhone Images
6 Helpful Tips for Doing Interior Architecture Photography
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Living Room appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Our friends over at Lensrentals has created a survey to help determine what kind of impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the livelihood of professional photographers and to better learn how Lensrentals can assist the photography community.
We’re pleased to support Lensrentals in their effort to gather this information and if you’re a professional photographer, below is a link where you can participate:
Lensrentals Survey
As a disclaimer, the survey starts out by asking whether or not you’re a professional photographer; if you answer no, the survey will immediately end. In keep the integrity of the data intact, we ask that you refrain from taking the survey if you do not earn an income from photography.
The post Getting Photos Organized with ACDSee DAM Software appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.
As soon as you begin using a camera with any regularity, you need to find a way of labeling photos and putting them in order. If you don’t, it could soon take hours to locate a given picture among all your folders, hard drives, and devices. ACDSee DAM software sets you on the right path from the beginning.
Cataloging photos used to involve writing on them directly or typing out captions on sticky labels. Many people didn’t bother, but digital photography made record-keeping easier. Original photo by Brett Jordan.
By investing in good DAM software at the earliest opportunity, you won’t get into a position where you have a huge backlog of digital pictures to organize.
By investing in good DAM software at the earliest opportunity, you won’t get into a position where you have a huge backlog of digital pictures to organize. In this article, I’ll introduce you to ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020, which offers a great set of features without breaking the bank.
More reasons for needing DAM
There are many
reasons you might want to locate specific photos among your collection. For me,
writing these articles is one of them. A set of photos illustrating a theme
might be scattered far and wide in my collection.
That’s where ACDSee’s Image Basket is so useful. You can work on
pictures from all over the place as if they were in one folder.
Ten photos from different folders collected in an ACDSee Image Basket. Note that I’m trying out a Lomo filter here using the experimental tools of View Mode.
Perhaps for you, it’ll be a photo book or a website that causes you to search for photos. Or you might be looking for portraits of friends and family. ACDSee DAM software includes excellent Face Detection technology. Once you’ve identified someone a few times, the software does a good job of finding other pictures of the same person. Or, if it’s not sure, it will ask you to confirm ID.
A quick demo of Face Detection technology, albeit using an artwork. With photographic portraits, the software learns facial features and starts to identify friends and family automatically.
A legitimate reason to label photos and get them in order is for posterity. One day, your photos may interest future generations of your family or even local historians. How many prints exist from the last century where the identity of the subjects and location is lost? I find that a shame.
Countless prints of places and people from the last century have become anonymous with time. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood.
ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020: A solution
There are some serious pieces of DAM software on the market. By far the best known is Adobe Lightroom, which happens to be a strong raw editor, too. Other examples include iMatch and FotoStation. But all these products come at a price.
The familiar interface of Adobe Lightroom on a MacBook. Photo by energepic.
ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 is remarkable for several reasons.
It offers a lightning-fast browser, multiple ways to search your pictures, easy tagging and keywording of images, and a good set of editing tools for rendered files.
What’s not to like? You get all that for about a third of the price or less of many rivals.
Manage Mode
In Photo Studio Home and other ACDSee DAM software, Manage mode is where you make a lot of things happen. It’s an HQ for your photography. So, what can you do there?
Folders and catalog panes – finding pictures
The folder system
of your OS is accessible through the left-hand Folders pane in Manage Mode. And
that’s handy because you’re already familiar with it.
As long as your image folders are well named, it’s an easy task to find
what you’re looking for. Alternatively, you can use the adjacent Catalog tab to
filter photos by a wide variety of attributes.
The Folders pane in Manage mode. You only get to preview the images inside if they’re not in subfolders, but you can easily switch to Photos mode to see all content.
Manage Mode drop-downs
There are six drop-down menus exclusive to Manage mode: Import, Batch, Create, Slideshow, Send, and Editors. Importing files is easy. At this stage, you can rename files, add metadata, and divide file types into subfolders, among other things.
Building a contact sheet of flower photos via the Create drop-down in Manage Mode.
ACDSee links up seamlessly with other software too, which is what the “Editors” drop-down is for. Simply add any other programs you’re likely to use and you’ll be good to go. You can flick between them as you can with Lightroom and Photoshop or Photoshop and ACR.
Properties pane – organizing, categorizing
You can add metadata and keywords in Manage, View, or Edit mode of ACDSee. That’s what the Properties pane on the right is for.
As a stock photographer, keywords are a necessity for me. They help potential buyers find my pictures if I’m lucky. I add any words I think are relevant to the image.
At the very least, you should batch-add keywords to photos from the same shoot.
You can add geographical information to the IPTC data of your images by placing them on the Google map in Manage mode and hitting “Reverse Geocode.”
Import keywords
A welcome improvement in the 2020 version of ACDSee is the ability to import sets of keywords. It’s hugely time-consuming to create a keyword list from scratch, but now you can import lists from the Internet or elsewhere. You can also export lists so that you can move them from one piece of software to another.
Keyword lists help you to be thorough in your keywording instead of relying on random ideas. They also save you from repeatedly typing the same words.
Keywording in View mode using the foundation list linked in this article. You can adapt and grow your list as required.
You can import Foundation List version 2.0.1 into ACDSee. You’ll need to build on it, but it gives you a useful structure and a good head start.
Keywords are stored in the ACDSee database and can be applied to all file types. Note the “Embed ACDSee Metadata” tool does not write keywords to the IPTC keyword data field. I recommend copying and pasting keywords to this field if you want them to be visible elsewhere.
Here, I’ve pasted keywords from the Organize tab into the IPTC data field of the Metadata tab. This ensures visibility elsewhere. Of course, you could enter words directly into this field, but then you forfeit the rigor of using a hierarchical keyword list.
Photos Mode, View Mode
ACDSee automatically catalogs the images as you browse. You can catalog folders you haven’t browsed, too, which might be useful if you’re adding lots of pictures in one hit. This is possible in Manage mode or Photos mode.
Photos mode lets you rifle through folders of images according to their date. It even gives you a fair chance of finding pictures with no keywords or tags of any kind. This is a good way of seeing all the photos on your drive in a short space of time.
Flying through images by date in Photos mode. This was the day the “Tour de Normandie” cycle race began a stage in Vernon a few years back.
For browsing photos individually, View mode is the place to be. It’s
incredibly fast, and it gives you a big preview of each photo. This is also a
good place to grade, categorize, and keyword your photos.
I’ll give you a complete workflow to use below, so you can catalog photos like a pro!
Edit Mode
ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 offers a solid set of editing tools for photographers of all levels. Of course, there are things omitted at this price point that advanced photographers may miss. Here are three absentees, along with their workarounds:
No layers or adjustment brush as such, but you can perform localized edits using gradient tools or a regular brush tool. These come with blending modes, so you get quite a lot of control over the result without the sophistication or confusion of layers.
No raw editing. You can open most types of raw files without any say in their processing. Don’t forget you can link ACDSee to a raw processor if you need that extra control. That may also solve the problem of other missing features (e.g. perspective tool).
No 16-bit support, so you have to save any files you edit in 8-bit color. If you bring 16-bit archival files into Photo Studio Home 2020 and want to preserve their color depth, you must use “save as” to create new 8-bit files with all your edits.
One niggle and some good points
On my PC, the Clone tool in this software and the version before it refuses to work. I get a black screen. That’s odd since I don’t see the same thing with ACDSee Ultimate.
There’s lots to like about the editing tools in Photo Studio Home 2020. You get all the control over color and tone you’re likely to need, including the basic version of ACDSee’s esteemed Light EQ tool. This lets you adjust shadow, mid-tone, and highlight areas of an image separately.
I like some of the little touches in ACDSee, such as the way right-clicking resets the default value of any tool. There are creative features here, too, like Color LUTs, Special Effects, and a fun Tilt-Shift tool.
The Tilt-Shift tool works well with high-angle views, but you can try it out on all sorts of photos to alter their “bokeh.”
Workflow suggestion
Although this is a sponsored post, I’m a regular user of ACDSee software. I use it to organize pictures and I edit a lot of TIFFs and JPEGs in it. Below is a Photo Studio Home 2020 workflow that takes you from importing photos to saving the finished articles.
Importing photos and naming folders
1. Import your photos. You can open the Import dialog box in Manage Mode or have it open automatically by selecting the software in Windows Autoplay.
2. Choose a destination for your photos in the Import dialog box. An example might be “Pictures” in Windows. Name a “single subfolder” using the following naming convention: yymmdd-location (e.g. 200531-Paris-France).
3. Locate your imported folder of photos via the Folders tab in Manage Mode. Using the above naming convention, the latest folders are at the bottom of the folder list by default.
4. Double-click the first thumbnail in your newly imported image folder. This will open the image in View Mode while allowing access to other images in the folder. You’re ready to start grading and cataloging your pictures.
Assessing and grading photos
5. Make sure the Properties pane is open alongside your photos.
6. Decide on rejects by tagging all keepers with the checkbox in the Organize pane (top left). At this point, tag all photos you will or might keep for whatever reason. Important: do not reject raw files on the basis of poor sharpness in View Mode, since you are probably looking at an enlarged view of the embedded JPEG. Check the technical quality of raw files later in Edit Mode.
7. Flick back to Manage Mode and click on View > Filter By > Untagged. Delete your rejects. Or, just filter them out by selecting “Tagged” if you don’t like deleting stuff.
8. Back in View Mode, you can now rate your images. Ratings go from one to five. Rather than rate photos on a whim, I suggest writing down the meaning of each rating at the outset so you have a reference point. For instance:
1 – poor photo with sentimental value.
2 – adequate record photo, average family snap.
3 – fairly strong photo with visual interest, worth showing to friends.
4 – approaching your best, worthy of inclusion in portfolios.
5 – your very best, potential competition winner.
Tracking workflow
9. In Edit Mode, use color labels to indicate where in the workflow images are. Again, I have suggestions:
Red – to delete. Once you get raw files into Edit Mode, you can assess their technical quality better at 100%. You might yet want to delete some of them or downgrade their rating.
Yellow – editing in progress. Still more work to be done on color and tone or retouching. Perhaps other possibilities to explore or versions to create.
Green – editing over. Nothing more to be done with this picture. Ready to use.
Blue – to print. You can return the status to green once it’s printed.
Purple – uploaded to a specific photo website, stock library, etc. You can use the blue label for this as well if you don’t tend to print photos.
No Color Label – nothing done since the initial assessments.
10. Photos that need work (those with yellow labels or no color labels using the above system) can be finished in Edit mode. Apply edits ranging from basic color and tone to special effects and LUTs. When you’re done editing, change the color label so you know you’ve worked on it or finished it.
Categories and keywords
11. Give your finished photos categories and keywords. If you’ve imported a set of keywords, you can go through the list top-to-bottom and apply any that suit the image. ACDSee comes with quick keyword lists built-in, which may be enough, depending on how thorough you want to be.
12. Copy and paste keywords from the Organize > Keywords field into Metadata > IPTC > Keywords. Write a caption in the Description field of IPTC. Hit “Enter” or none of this will save. This makes the data universally visible outside of ACDSee.
Naming files
I haven’t spoken of file naming above, since you might want to do that at the beginning or end.
Each photo needs a unique name. You can do it on import if you like. However, if you later delete photos, you might leave irritating gaps in your number sequence (file names invariably include numbers).
A way around this is to forget consecutive numbers and use date and time instead. This works as long as you don’t shoot multiple frames per second, which would create duplicates.
Photo libraries always had their own file-naming conventions. In the digital age, including subject names in the file name makes your photos SEO-friendly.
I always rename files after I’ve selected, converted, and edited them. That’s when I do most of my admin. Raw files keep their original names because I rarely revisit them.
I recommend using a sequential number and place, or subject names in your files (e.g. 0001-Eiffel-Tower-Paris). This can often be done quickly using ACDSee’s Batch Rename tool. The number should obviously be unique in every image.
Get started
Photo Studio Home 2020 is nothing if not versatile. Seasoned photographers who want extras like raw editing or layers can hook it up to other editors and still benefit from the superb DAM tools.
For beginners or photographers who only shoot JPEGs, this feature-laden software might be all they need. Why not get your photos sorted now?
ACDSee is a paid dPS partner.
The post Getting Photos Organized with ACDSee DAM Software appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.
Pixelmator has released a 1.2 update for its powerful iPad photo editing app Pixelmator Photo that adds cursor support, an improved Split View mode, a Match Colors tool, a new copy/paste function and much more.
The update comes on the heels of Apple’s new iPad Pro models and accompany Magic Keyboards, which offer not only a tactile typing experience, but also an integrated trackpad that works alongside iPadOS 13.4 to bring mouse-like support to iPadOS apps. By adding support for the new cursor functionality, Pixelmator Photo adds yet another means of input for editing photos on the go (it works with third-party Bluetooth cursors and trackpads as well).
Also new is Split View support, which lets you use Pixelmator Photo alongside another app without interrupting your workflow, as well as a new ML Match Colors function, which allows you to ‘match the look and feel of one photo to another’ thanks to machine-learning. Pixelmator has also added a new intensity slider for color adjustments and presets and the ability to share images directly from the Photos browser within the app without opening each image individually.
Other improvements and fixes addressed in the 1.2 update include improved screenshot capture, new default color adjustment options, a collection of user interface changes and a handful of bug fixes to smooth out the overall experience.
Pixelmator Photo 1.2 is available to download in the iOS App Store for $ 4.99.
The Fujifilm X-A7 is a fun-to-use, touchscreen-centric camera that covers the basics for a beginner while leaving room to grow. Perhaps best of all, it offers the Fujifilm color rendering that we know and love in a lightweight, barely-there package. Take a look at what it’s capable of as a daily companion in our sample gallery – which includes, we should note, images taken before social distancing was a way of life in the US.
tool. This lets you adjust shadow, mid-tone, and highlight areas of an image separately.
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