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Panasonic interview: ‘If we stay united I think we will survive’

18 Feb

Yosuke Yamane, Director of Panasonic’s Imaging Business Division, pictured at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January.

At last month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas we sat down with Yosuke Yamane, Director of Panasonic’s Imaging Business Division, to discuss market reaction to the S1-series, full-frame strategy and the state of the L-mount alliance.

How have the S1 and S1R performed in the market?

It fluctuates month by month, but in the $ 3,000 / €3,000 price range, we have gained roughly a 10% market share, globally. That was the result we were hoping for.

With the S1 and especially the S1R we were targeting high-end customers in the full-frame market. Over the past eight months we’ve been able to penetrate that market and we are satisfied with the sales, so far.

We’ve had great reviews from magazines and websites, and we just won the Gold Award at the prestigious Camera Grand Prix, in Japan. Only one camera can be selected as best camera in a year, and we got the number one award. We’ve been in the industry for twenty years and this is the first time we won the Grand Prix award, so we’re very satisfied.

What kind of differences are you seeing between the kinds of people buying the S1 versus the S1R?

With the S1R, we were targeting high end stills photographers, whereas with the S1 we were targeting both video and stills customers. So-called ‘hybrid’ photographers. And the customers who are purchasing the S1R are mostly stills photographers, whereas S1 customers are shooting both video and stills.

These days a lot of professional photographers are stepping into the videography area, and we want to support those photographers with the S1.

Do you have any idea of how many S1 purchasers have paid for the SFU2 video firmware upgrade?

The S1 outsells the S1R, and roughly speaking, probably 20-30% of S1 customers are purchasing the SFU2 for the upgraded video customers.

The Panasonic Lumix S1 is a 24MP full-frame camera aimed at enthusiast photographers and videographers. Unsurprisingly, it has out-sold the more expensive S1R, but it’s interesting to learn that up to a third of buyers have paid for the SFU2 upgrade, which adds video features.

What kind of people are buying the S1H?

Videographers and cinematographers, as we expected.

Panasonic already has a range of high-end dedicated video cameras – what specific need was the S1H designed to meet?

These days, more and more filming is done using drones and gimbals. The S1H is designed to be more flexible for those [kinds of] unique requirements.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for Panasonic, in the next few years?

We believe that our video features are one or two steps ahead of our competitors, and we have an advantage there. For example, with the S1H which we released a few months ago, the sales performance is exceeding our original expectations. But the video performance of the S1H was designed to meet the needs of high-end videographers and cinematographers, so for amateur or hobby videographers, the S1H may be over-specced.

Our video features are one or two steps ahead of our competitors

We believe that what the market is telling us is that in the near future, all those video features should be available from high-end to enthusiast-level videographers. That’s the demand that we need to meet.

Do you see more long-term opportunity in the full-frame market, compared to Micro Four Thirds?

One advantage of Micro Four Thirds is the deep depth of field. Which is also good for video. With that unique feature, we want to support both stills and video photographers. Whereas big sensor cameras have a shallower depth of field, which suits different requirements. Those two categories [of needs] are different, and we satisfy both.

We want to target different customers, and we will keep developing cameras for both categories – full-frame and Micro Four Thirds.

The S-system consists of some very high-quality cameras and lenses, but the current lineup includes some seriously chunky products – especially lenses. According to Mr Yamane, customers are asking for smaller products.

The fact is that the full-frame camera market in the US is expanding rapidly. But as you know, full-frame sensors are 4X bigger than Four Thirds, which means that the lenses also need to be big. Which means that [our] full-frame camera system, even though it’s mirrorless, is bigger than Micro Four Thirds. We believe that the two categories can co-exist. That’s why we keep pursuing both [product lines].

Some manufacturers, as you know, are making very small lenses, compatible with full-frame, but we think that to do this, they needed to sacrifice lens quality to a certain extent. That’s how they are able to make them so small. That means that those lenses are not fully utilizing the benefits of the full-frame sensor. When it comes to Micro Four Thirds, we can fully utilize the benefits of the sensor, and we believe that as a combination, the overall quality of Micro Four Thirds can be very good.

Which countries generates the biggest sales of full-frame, and Micro Four Thirds products respectively?

There’s not much difference, country by country, in terms of percentage of sales.

Panasonic now supports two interchangeable lens systems – Micro Four Thirds and L-mount – but they’re not directly cross-compatible. You’ve told me before that Panasonic will not create an APS-C lineup – is that still the case?

As of now, we have no plans to enter the APS-C market, because we know that Micro Four Thirds and full-frame can coexist without any cannibalization.

Promoting the L-mount alliance is very important for us because it gives our customers confidence in the [mount] over the coming years

If we moved into APS-C, there might be some overlap between Micro Four Thirds and APS-C, and between APS-C and full-frame, so I don’t think we’ll go in that direction.

What is your strategy to attract entry-level photographers to full-frame?

As you know, we have an alliance with Leica and Sigma. Between the three manufacturers, there are 47 lenses available. We think that with this combination of different cameras from the three manufacturers, and lenses, from the high-end to the mid-class, we are starting to satisfy entry-level to enthusiast users.

So you don’t mind if an entry-level customer comes into the L-mount via a Sigma or Leica camera?

Initially, we really wanted to appeal to high-end users, to show that we could make those high-end cameras. To prove the quality of our cameras. In the future, we’re going to introduce mid-class, and different ranges of cameras.

But those future cameras will still be full-frame?

Yes. Two different [L-mount systems] would be too much for us!

What are the most important priorities for evolving the S1 lineup, in the future?

Overall, we’ve had a lot of appreciative comments from high-end users. What’s hindering us in the lower-end segment is size, weight and price. So we need to understand those obstacles, and we’re considering the development of new products in order to penetrate into a wider market.

The S1 (left) has a sensor 4X larger than the GH5S (right). According to Mr Yamane, if the company expanded its lineup of L-mount cameras to include APS-C models, this might risk cannibalizing sales of its Micro Four Thirds bodies.

How has your relationship with Sigma and Leica evolved over the course of your alliance?

We meet periodically to [maintain] our relationship, and right now we’re discussing how to expand the L-mount system. We need some new ideas to expand the system to a wider variety of customers. We cannot disclose details, but [at the moment] we’re discussing changes to the communication protocol between the cameras and lenses.

The number of members of the L-mount alliance may increase in the future

Promoting the L-mount alliance is very important for us because it gives our customers confidence in the [mount] over the coming years. So for example, we’ll have joint booth areas at tradeshows, and maybe in stores we’ll have touch and try opportunities for consumers to try the products from all of the alliance members.

What has been the most important or valuable aspect of your collaboration with Sigma and Leica?

With Leica and Sigma, we [hope to be] offering L-mount cameras forever. If you purchase a camera from another brand, you have to rely [solely] on that brand. But we are three, and because of that we can give our users the assurance that the L-mount alliance is not going to disappear.

Is there a risk that some of your competitors might disappear?

It may be hard for some manufacturers to survive in this difficult industry, but we are a combined team, and if we stay united I think we will survive. Please understand that this is purely hypothetical, but the number of members of the L-mount alliance may increase in the future.

Is this something that has been discussed?

There are no concrete ideas, but we wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity.

Late last year, Panasonic teased an 8K camera, and hinted that this technology might make it into the Lumix line. That may yet happen, but according to Mr Yamane, it won’t be for a while.

Can you share any more details of the 8K camera that was talked about at IBC? There was a hint that this technology might start being included in Lumix cameras after the 2020 Olympics.

At this time, the only 8K camera we have planned is for the Olympic games, which is only a few months away. Our feeling is that the 8K era is a little bit delayed. But we want to catch that opportunity and we haven’t given up our pursuit of 8K cameras.

So there are no immediate plans to introduce 8K capture into the Lumix line?

We will be ready for 8K soon, but we can’t tell you the timing. We need a little bit longer before we can introduce 8K cameras. It won’t be [in the very near future].

Editor’s note: Barnaby Britton

I enjoy speaking to Mr. Yamane, whenever I get the opportunity. Like Mr. Yamaki of Sigma (the two are friends) he is reliably candid, and has a firm grasp of the many challenges and opportunities facing Panasonic. No executive can be expected to reveal concrete plans for future products or projects, but Mr. Yamane’s hints at more (and smaller) S-series products, and possible changes to the L-mount data protocol are intriguing.

Also intriguing (but understandably couched in purely hypothetical terms) was Mr. Yamane’s comment that the L-mount alliance might expand, to incorporate more than three members. With so much of the full-frame market still in the hands of just three manufacturers (Canon, Nikon and Sony) it’s interesting to imagine other players joining up to the L-mount, but hard to imagine who they might be.

Olympus has said (repeatedly, and recently) that it has no interest in full-frame, which really only leaves Fujifilm and Ricoh. I very much doubt that Fujifilm would see much potential benefit from supporting a third mount, incompatible with either of its existing XF and GF systems, and with potential overlap, but Ricoh? You never know.

Mr. Yamane’s claim of a 10% share of the €3,000+ market, globally, counts as strong performance

Away from hypotheticals, the S1 and S1R have been on the market for a while now: long enough for Panasonic to get an idea of how they’ve been received. Anecdotally, neither model seems to be selling in huge numbers (at least not in the US or UK: the two territories in which I’ve recently had the opportunity to speak to staff in specialist camera stores) but Mr. Yamane’s claim of a 10% share of the €3,000+ market, globally, counts as strong performance from a new line.

Of those sales, it seems that the S1 has the larger share. This is unsurprising since a) it’s cheaper, and b) it’s more versatile, with a deeper video feature set. Interestingly, up to a third of S1 buyers have opted to pay for a firmware upgrade which upgrades the camera’s video features even further. Meanwhile, the S1H is (no surprise) attracting the attention of dedicated filmmakers.

Panasonic knows how to make great video cameras, and the videography market is clearly of key importance to the company. What’s most encouraging from talking to Mr. Yamane is that he believes great video should be available throughout his company’s product lineup – not simply in the flagship products.

And 8K? Well, it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer for that.

Click here to read more in-depth interviews

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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US Judge rules against county seeking to ban drone flights in their parks

18 Feb
The Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators celebrates their victory outside of the Genesee County courthouse.

On February 10th, the Honorable Judge Joseph Farah handed down a ruling in favor of the Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators (MCDO) after Genesee County, in Flint, tried to establish an ordinance banning drones in their parks. The three-month-long legal battle was ignited after R. Jason Harrison was arrested in December 2018 for flying legally in a park. Harrison’s drone and accessories were confiscated and he was issued a misdemeanor.

Even though the ticket was dropped, Harrison sought the counsel of Dean Greenblatt, an aviation attorney licensed in both Michigan and Florida. Greenblatt had the following to say to DPReview regarding the situation:

‘I understand that this case is the first to attempt enforcement of statewide preemption statutes regarding drones. It is the first legal challenge in Michigan, and presumably the first legal challenge to a preemption statute anywhere in the country.’

What happened to Harrison isn’t unusual for remote pilots operating in a majority of states across the US. 33 of them don’t have the proper State Legislation in place. This allows local governments to establish their own laws regarding drone use. Even though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has jurisdiction over national airspace, local municipalities in these 33 states can override the government agency by passing rules that regulate the land. Many public parks in California, for example, prohibit people from launching an unmanned aerial vehicle on their premises. This creates hassles for commercial drone operators and confusion for casual users less familiar with local ordinances.

Even though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has jurisdiction over national airspace, local municipalities in these 33 states can override the government agency by passing rules that regulate the land.

There isn’t a central database or uniform resource dedicated to city-specific rules surrounding drone use. It’s not uncommon for someone to check in with an airspace application like Kittyhawk, AirMap, or UASidekick and believe they’re conducting a legal flight….only to be approached by a local law enforcement officer and told to land immediately. Conducting a Google search with the name of the city you plan to fly in along with the terms “drone” or “UAV” is necessary to find out if they have any UAS laws in place.

Michigan is one of the 17 states with a law that specifically prohibits local governments from creating or enforcing their own drone ordinance. MCL 259.305, which is part of Act 436 passed in 2016, specifically states the following about drone use: ‘[e]xcept as expressly authorized by statute, a political subdivision shall not enact or enforce an ordinance or resolution that regulates the ownership or operation of unmanned aircraft or otherwise engage in the regulation of the ownership or operation of unmanned aircraft.’

Genesee County argued that it was exempt from state law and amended its park rules in response to the charges brought against them by the MCDO. Newly-created legislation, to justify their ban of drones, stated the following:

‘Section P910615-Aircraft and Drones

No person shall, upon the property administered by the Commission: Make any ascent or descent, operate or possess any balloon, airplane, parachute, drone, manned or unmanned aircraft on Commission properties or waters, except in designated areas, without first obtaining written permission from the Commission or except as may be necessary in the event of an emergency.’

Judge Joseph Farah signed off on his ruling against the illegal banning of drones in Michigan state parks.

After a series of hearings that took place in October and November, Judge Farah ruled that the state of Michigan’s legislature was clear, binding, and could not be overridden by local lawmakers. Another person who would agree with this sentiment, and even take it a step further, is the FAA’s former Administrator, Daniel Huerta.

In a 2017 keynote address for the InterDrone conference, Huerta stated “legally, the (FAA) has regulatory authority over all U.S. airspace. But successfully blending unmanned aircraft into busy airspace will require state, local, and tribal governments to build upon existing federal efforts to develop and enforce safety rules.”

In a recent development, Genesee County made the decision to override Judge Farah’s ruling and risk being in contempt of court. This stems from their new claim that drone flights within the Class C airspace of KFNT, a ‘no-fly zone’ covering some of the county’s parks, were unlawful. This particular airport participates in the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) making it possible for professionals and hobbyists to fly up to a certain altitude with real-time approval.

Greenblatt had the following to say about Genesee County’s newfound defiance: ‘any attempt to enforce a drone ban or “no-fly zones” as labeled in the “Amendment” will be met with a motion to hold the County in contempt and to enforce the injunction.’ Inaccurate and incorrect interpretations of airspace rules is the exact issue that led the State Legislature to enact the drone preemption statute; that is, to prevent a patchwork of local regulations by non-experts.

The MCDO did not seek out any monetary damages from Genesee County. Instead, the group hopes that Judge Farah’s ruling sets a precedent not only for the state of Michigan, but the other 17 states with similar preemption laws should someone find themselves in legal trouble. The final goal is for the remaining 33 states to take up similar legislation to prevent a patchwork of confusing local ordinances and protect the rights of those looking to legally operate drones in national airspace.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Rokinon announces 16mm T2.6 and 35mm T1.5, two new carbon fiber cine lenses

18 Feb
Rokinon XEEN CF 16mm T2.6

Rokinon has announced a pair of wide-angle primes that add to Rokinon’s growing lineup of XEEN CF Professional Cine Lenses for Canon EF, PL and Sony E mount camera systems. The 16mm T2.6 and 35mm T1.5 round out Rokinon’s Xeen CF lineup alongside the previously-announced 24mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 and 85mm T1.5 lenses.

As with the other three primes in the lineup, the ‘CF’ denotes the carbon fiber used in the construction of the lenses’ barrels for these lenses. The use of carbon fiber reduces the weight of the lenses compared to metal housing, with the 16mm and 35mm primes weighing .9kg (2lbs) and 1.1kg (2.4lbs), respectively.

Rokinon XEEN CF 35mm T1.5

Both lenses feature an eleven-blade aperture, a 95mm front filter thread, a 200-degree focus throw and dual-side focus scales made of luminescent material for easier viewing in low-light conditions. They also use Rokinon’s X-Coatings for improved control of internal reflections.

No pricing or availability information has been shared at this time, but all of the other XEEN CF lenses in Rokinon’s lineup retail for $ 2,495, so it’s not unreasonable to assume these will cost the same. DPReview has contacted Rokinon for more details and will update the article accordingly if we receive a response.

Update (February 17th, 2020): Updated to clarify the 16mm is a T2.6 lens, not a T1.5 lens, as suggested by the original headline.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Research firm claims Sony had nearly half of the image sensor market share in 2019

18 Feb

Sony held nearly half of the image sensor market share in 2019, according to Japanese research firm Techno Systems Research (TSR). The detail was spied by PulseNews, which points out that Sony’s 49.1% market share greatly eclipsed the second biggest market share, 17.9%, held by Samsung. The South Korean company recently launched its 108MP Nonacell image sensor with its new Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphone.

The news isn’t surprising. In December, Sony revealed that its semiconductor business was working 24/7 through the holidays in an effort to keep up with the demand for its image sensors. The company is building a new facility in Nagasaki in order to boost production capacity due to this demand; it is expected to go online in April 2021.

Samsung remains the biggest competitor to Sony’s image sensor business. In 2018, the South Korean company announced that it would expand the production capacity of its own image sensor business and that its ultimate goal was to overtake Sony. Based on the TSR data, the company still has a long way to go toward reaching that milestone.

Still, Sony’s image sensor business may have a rocky future. Earlier this month, Sony expressed concerns about the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak in China where the company has four large factories. According to Sony CFO Hiroko Totoki via the Nikkei Asian Review, the impact of the coronavirus on the company’s supply chains could potentially cause enormous disruption to Sony’s image sensor business.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The Canon Rebel T8i/850D Revealed With 7 FPS Shooting and 4K Video

18 Feb

The post The Canon Rebel T8i/850D Revealed With 7 FPS Shooting and 4K Video appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

canon-rebel-t8i-revealed

 

Canon hasn’t given up on its DSLRs yet.

While we’ve seen the imaging giant shift its resources to mirrorless tech in recent years, it seems that Canon still plans to keep its DSLR lineup going.

At least for a little while.

Because the Canon Rebel T8i, also known as the Canon EOS 850D, was announced just days ago, along with specifications that give us a good idea of what the camera will offer and who it’s for.

If you’re an entry-level Canon DSLR shooter or a vlogger, then the T8i looks to be a fine (though not thrilling) option. You get an APS-C, 24.1-megapixel sensor with the potential to shoot up to ISO 25600 (ISO 51200 when expanded). You also get a DIGIC 8 processor, 7 frames-per-second continuous shooting, a 45-point AF system, and 4K/24p video.

Those familiar with the T7i/EOS 800D will undoubtedly notice the lack of major differences between the T8i and the T7i, because it seems that Canon went for a minor set of changes rather than a moderate upgrade.

That said, three key differences are:

  • 7 frames-per-second shooting (7.5 fps in Live View) versus 6 frames-per-second shooting in the T7i
  • A new processor (DIGIC 8 versus the T7i’s DIGIC 7). This is responsible for the improved continuous shooting speed.
  • 4k video

Probably the biggest among these changes is the added 4K video, as many reviewers lamented its lack of inclusion in the T7i. But the T8i’s 4K video comes with a big qualification: Canon’s fantastic Dual Pixel autofocus, which performs extraordinarily well in Live View, won’t work. Instead, you must shoot at 1080p for access to Dual Pixel AF; otherwise, you’re stuck with contrast-detection AF, a system that’s historically much slower than its Dual Pixel counterpart.

In terms of image quality, we can expect something very similar to the T7i, which performed well but hardly managed to astonish. And while the 24-megapixel count is enough for most enthusiasts, I can’t help but wish Canon had pushed the T8i a bit further. We know that they can, having seen the 32.5 MP resolution capabilities produced by the APS-C Canon 90D.

As for speed, the extra frame per second probably won’t matter much to the average user of this camera. Either you’re doing more serious action work, in which case a frame-per-second more can be the difference between a failed shot and a nailed shot, or you’re an entry-level consumer or enthusiast in this camera’s target market, in which case the minor speed upgrade doesn’t matter much.

While the Canon Rebel T8i doesn’t yet have a release date, the camera should drop for $ 900 (including an 18-55mm kit lens), or $ 750 USD (body only).

So what do you think of the new Canon Rebel T8i/850D? Are you satisfied? Were you hoping for something more? Or do you want Canon to focus entirely on mirrorless? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post The Canon Rebel T8i/850D Revealed With 7 FPS Shooting and 4K Video appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Flat Lay Photography – How to Make Yours Stand Out from the Rest

18 Feb

The post Flat Lay Photography – How to Make Yours Stand Out from the Rest appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

flat-lay-photography

If you’re on social media, you may have come across flat lay photographs. They have become very popular over recent years and can be successful scroll-stoppers on sites such as Instagram when done properly.

What is flat lay photography?

Simply defined, flay lay photography means a photograph where the subject/s are arranged on a flat surface and photographed from above. It is also sometimes called the bird’s eye view.

The surface and the lens are positioned parallel to each other from a vertical distance apart, and therefore, no angles are visible. The surface is flat, and the image shows a singular dimension taken from a parallel position above the surface.

However, this does not mean that your image should look flat. This article will discuss factors that contribute to achieving interesting flat lay photographs without the image looking necessarily flat, especially if that is not your intention.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/2.8 ISO 1000 SS 1/125

What can you shoot in the flat lay style?

Because flat lay photography is a style or a format, you can shoot just about anything! The only consideration is the size of the subject.

If you had a drone camera, for example, then you can shoot landscapes and mansions in a flat lay fashion, much like aerial photography.

However, drone photography is not only limited to aerial photography. You can use a drone to capture normal objects in flat lay format. What is generally available to us are mobile phones and digital cameras, which are small. So they can limit the size of what we can shoot given the vertical distance requirements.

People

You can photograph people lying down on the grass or on the bed from above, and that would be considered flat lay.

Newborns are easier to photograph from this angle because they are small. You can capture their entire bodies plus a background from a short distance, such as the newborn images below.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/4 ISO 1000 SS 1/125 Off-camera flash in a strip softbox to the side and a reflector on the opposite side

Objects

You can photograph just about any object in the flat lay style. Smaller objects grouped into a space together is the simplest way of doing this.

The photo below required very little styling, and I photographed it in a bright and evenly-lit space; hence there are no dominant shadows in the photo.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/1.8 ISO 400 SS 1/160

Food

One of the most common subjects photographed in this style is food. A plateful of food is small enough to snap a picture of so quickly. It often requires minimum styling, especially if you are dining in a restaurant, as often the food is already presented well on the plates.

Instagram is peppered with food photos, both styled and unstyled, and flat lay can add the wow factor without much effort.

The photos below are unstyled and are quick snaps of the food served at a reception. I photographed these indoors with directional on-camera flash as the rooms had little light.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/4 ISO 2000 SS 1/125

Flowers

I love photographing flowers. They are packed with texture and color and offer limitless styling possibilities. The top photo below, I shot on the floor in a hotel room. I wanted to capture the invitations styled with the flowers and needed more distance, so I used a wide-angle lens 24-70 at around 35mm.

Below is a photo of two bouquets taken from the bird’s eye view. These bouquets are fairly big, so I had to stand up and take the shot with the bouquets on the floor.

When taking flat lay photos using a DSLR and a heavy lens, it is quite difficult to keep all the gear steady while shooting straight down without a tripod. This is the reason why I rarely go below 1/125 sec shutter speed when doing so.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/2.8 ISO 1000 SS 1/160

Jewelry

Another one of my favorite subjects to use when photographing flat lay style is jewelry. I love juxtaposing jewels and metallic textures next to soft fabrics of various kinds. The layering of textures injects lots of interest in an image.

This brings us to some tips on how to enhance flat lay images, so they don’t look boring and too flat.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/2.8 ISO 400 SS 1/160

Tips

In my opinion, the handiest and easiest equipment to use when doing flay lay photography is your mobile phone. It’s light, has a versatile lens (which also has a fairly wide-angle), and you don’t even have to set the settings yourself! It’s super easy.

However, some phone cameras are better than others, so you can’t guarantee how good your photos turn out – especially when available light is fairly low.

Lighting

Whatever camera you use, the first, and in my opinion, the most important consideration to take is lighting. Make sure there is ample light, so your subject is well lit. You can opt for a bright and airy look with hardly any shadows, or choose a moodier look using shadows.

I like having directional light that casts some shadows because I feel they add another dimension to an image. The easiest way to check where your dominant light is coming from is to look at where the shadows fall.

On the baby photo below, the room was bright and airy. I positioned the baby on the bed, away from the window. However, the main light comes from a huge window on the left. As you can see, the shadows fall on the right. However, because it is quite a large light source, the shadows are subtle.

dps-how-to-do-flat-lay-photography-successfully

f/4 ISO 800 SS 1/160

I snapped the photos below using natural light coming from a window, but a smaller window this time to achieve a dark moody look.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/2.8 ISO 400 SS 1/160

If you want to eliminate shadows altogether, you can use a reflector opposite the main light to counteract the shadows. Alternatively, use a lightbox to light the space evenly.

Layers

The photo below is a social media advert for a brand. I shot it with a mobile phone that has a mediocre camera. While I have applied a filter to it, both resulted in rather grainy photos. However, they were clear enough for the brand to be happy with them.

In terms of lighting, ample light came from a side window and a velux window above. However, I wanted more of an impact, so I created layers of color and objects.

There’s the dark blue background as the first bottom layer, the fairy lights and decorations on the table as the second layer, the product as the third layer, and finally, hands as the fourth and top layer.

Layering increases the dynamic in a photo and makes it more interesting.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

mobile phone photo

Another way of creating layers is to use a very shallow depth of field. This creates an illusion of infinity for the background.

The below photo is of a rose on a vase with centrally-positioned rings to be the topmost layer of the image. However, you can’t see the surface where the vase sits because of the shallow depth of field and the use of a macro lens. In this case, I used the 60mm and shot at close range, which when using a macro lens, produces background compression and bokeh.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/7.1 ISO 1000 SS/ 1/125

Composition

Composition is of utmost importance as it can make or break a photo.

Every photo has a certain type of composition used in them, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Well-executed composition elevates the level of success of a photo because composition plays a significant role in engaging and connecting with the viewer.

The photo below uses the rule of thirds – one of the simplest yet strongest compositional structures there is. Alternatively, the photo below it shows a centered composition.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/1.8 ISO 400 SS 1/200

It is easier to play around with composition when you have a variety of objects to use. Take the photos below where the labels and invitations were used along with the flowers to create different compositions.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/2.8 ISO 200 SS 1/250

Color and contrast

The key to creating successful visual images when you are limited to a flat lay dimension is color and contrast.

A darker background creates a strong contrast against lighter or brighter objects, thereby allowing enough separation to give an illusion of multi-dimensionality, as shown in the photos below.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/4 ISO 1000 SS 1/200

Where color might be too subtle to create a bold pop, utilize contrast with a variety of textures instead.

As shown in the photos below, delicate flowers lay against a weathered wood grain and pastel-colored invites against rough concrete.

dps-how-to-do-flat-lay-photography-successfully

f/2.8 ISO 200 SS 1/200

Style

There are a plethora of styles you can use when photographing flat lay. Illustrated in the photos below are two opposite styles: elegant and minimalist (top two photos) and homely and maximalist (bottom photo).

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/5.6 ISO 800 SS 1/200

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/ 5.6 ISO 2000 SS 1/160

For website purposes, I shot the photos below as a clean branding style against a seamless white background.

dps-how-to-do-flatlay-photography-successfully

f/5.6 ISO 400 SS 1/125 using off camera flashes

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you ideas on the different ways you can capture an image using the flat lay photography style. Flay lay photography is a super-creative medium – the possibilities are endless. You can achieve some high impact photos if done successfully.

Do you have any other flat lay photography tips you’d like to share? Alternatively, do you have some flat lay photographs you’d like to share? If so, please share them with us in the comments section.

The post Flat Lay Photography – How to Make Yours Stand Out from the Rest appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.


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Vazen announces new 28mm T2.2 1.8x anamorphic lens for Micro Four Thirds mount

17 Feb

Chinese cinema lens manufacturer Vazen has announced its latest anamorphic lens for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras and teased another one that’s due out ‘in a few months.’

Vazen’s new 28mm T2.2 1.8x anamorphic lens for MFT camera systems is the second lens in its MFT anamorphic lineup, following up on its 40mm T2, an impressive anamorphic lens we had a little fun with on DPRTV. The new 28mm T2.2 features a lightweight design that Vazen claims makes it the ‘World’s Lightest 1.8x Anamorphic Lens for Panasonic GH5, Z-Cam E2 & Blackmagic Pocket 4k.’

It weighs just 720g (1.59lbs) and measures 80mm (3.15in) diameter and 107mm (4.2in) long. Its T-stop range is T2.2 through T16, it features a 72-degree angle of view and it has a minimum focusing distance of 82cm (2.7ft). Below is a sample video of footage captured with the lens on a ZcamE2(Vazen also shared this slightly NSFW music video captured with the lens):

In addition to the new 28mm T2.2 lens, Vazen also confirmed it’s adding a third lens to this lineup, a 65mm anamorphic lens. No details are given on the specs, but Vazen does not the 65mm lens ‘is expected to have the strongest anamorphic “character.”’

The Vazen 28mm T2.2 1.8x anamorphic lens for MFT camera systems is currently available to purchase through Vazen’s website for $ 3,250. If you purchase both the 28mm T2.2 and the 40mm T2 as a kit, Vazen drops the price for the pair by $ 400.

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Leica announces three limited-edition Summicron M lenses

17 Feb

Leica has released new versions of three of its existing M lenses, giving users a choice of a silver option of the normal 75mm, and two limited edition lenses to match the green M10-P ‘Safari’. The silver anodized APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 ASPH will be a standard production model to give all M users an alternative to the black paint version that is currently available. Leica UK will charge a £200 premium for the silver model though it seems to be the same price as the black version in the USA. The Miami Leica store has this model marked as a limited edition of 300 units worldwide but still lists it as the same price as the black model. That may be a mistake.

The Safari green Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH and APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH lenses will be limited editions, with Leica producing 500 units of the first and 250 of the second. These two lenses join the Summicron-M 50mm f/2 to form a set of three that match the M10-P ‘Safari’ camera that is finished in the same green paint.

The original Leica M1 in Olive for the armed forces

Copyright: www.schouten-select.com

All these cameras were marked with the word Bundeseigentum – Federal Property

Copyright: www.schouten-select.com

Leica says these green models follow in the footsteps of the original Leica M1 which was produced in Olive for the German Armed forces in the early 1960s. Those cameras were all marked ‘Bundeseigentum’ to denote that they were the property of the German government and now fetch a good price as, according to Dutch dealer Schouten, there were only 208 units made. The original M1 Olive cameras only had the standard-issue lenses for the time though, so no matching green paint in those days.

The three new lenses will start shipping at the end of February.

  • APO-Summicron-M 75 f/2 ASPH. silver anodized: £3,500/$ 4395
  • Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH. Edition ‘Safari’: £3,800/$ 4895
  • APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. Edition ‘Safari’: £4,000/$ 5095

For more information see the Leica website.

Press release:

Leica Camera introduces three new M-lens variations

Wetzlar, February 14, 2020. Leica Camera is delighted to present three new lenses for the Leica M-System: the silver anodised APO-Summicron-M 75 f/2 ASPH. as well as two limited editions, the Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH. and APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. which both come in an olive-green ‘Safari’ finish. The technical specifications of the three new lenses are identical to those of their serially produced counterparts.

The APO-Summicron-M 75 f/2 ASPH. is known as one of the most high-performing lenses for the Leica M-System and is particularly suitable for portrait photography. The new lens variation features an anodised finish and in contrast to the black-paint variant, the feet markings on the distance scale as well as the focal length engravings are inlaid in red, while all other engravings feature black inlays, emphasising the sophisticated design of the Leica M.

Leica is also releasing two limited editions, the Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH. and APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. with a special, olive-green paint finish. Both ‘Safari’-edition lenses feature red-inlaid feet markings on the distance scale and red focal length markings, while all other engravings are inlaid in white, creating a stylish juxtaposition with the olive-green lens.

The exceptionally hard-wearing, olive-green paint has a long-standing tradition at Leica. The first Leica cameras to be treated with this superior-quality enamel finish were designed for military use in 1960. Shortly after, the cameras became widely renowned as robust tools that could withstand even the most extreme conditions and what had started with the Leica M1 ‘Olive’ for the German Armed Forces went on to become an enduring success story. While the Leica M3 and M4 in olive-green were still manufactured exclusively for military use, a growing demand among private customers prompted Leica to release the first market version – the Leica R3 ‘Safari’ – in 1977. This was followed by the M6 TTL ‘Safari’ in 2000, the M8.2 ‘Safari’ in 2008, the M-P (Typ 240) ‘Safari’ of 2015 and, most recently, the M10-P Edition ‘Safari’ in 2019. Today, the olive-green cameras are highly sought-after by collectors and Leica enthusiasts alike.

Aside from the Leica Summicron-M 50 f/2, released in 2019, the new Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH. and APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. are the only M lenses to perfectly match the olive-green Leica M10-P Edition ‘Safari’, making the lenses a desirable addition to any Leica M Camera. Only 500 units will be available of the Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH. Edition ‘Safari’; the APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. Edition ‘Safari’ is limited to 250 units.
You can download high-res images here; all three lenses are available from end of February.

RRP:

  • APO-Summicron-M 75 f/2 ASPH. silver anodised: £3,500
  • Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH. Edition ‘Safari’: £3,800
  • APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH. Edition ‘Safari’: £4,000

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Review: Timelapse+ makes day-to-night time-lapse sequences easy

16 Feb

Even if you’re only a casual time-lapse photographer then you probably know how challenging it can be to shoot a time-lapse sequence that involves drastic changes in lighting conditions. For example, sequences shot during periods of time covering sunrises, sunsets, moonrises and moonsets are difficult because a single set of exposure parameters won’t work for the entire sequence. It’s also unlikely that your camera’s Auto Exposure mode will give you proper results, especially during low light conditions.

That’s where the Timelapse+ View intervalometer, a device designed to automate day-to-night time-lapse sequences, comes in. It retails for $ 399 and it includes Timelapse+ Studio, a Lightroom plugin for processing the timelapse sequences. Studio is also sold separately for $ 49.

I started photographing astronomical observatories 12 years ago. Whenever I needed to leave my camera unattended I would expose for the nighttime conditions (mainly considering the Moon’s brightness) and start my time-lapse sequence before sunset. The sequence would start completely overexposed but would become correctly exposed as it got darker. I would then try to salvage as many evening and morning twilight frames as possible by reducing the exposure value and recovering highlight information in post-processing. (More on how to do this in the Timelapse+ Studio for Non-Ramped Sequences section below.)

These time-lapse sequences illustrate the challenge that the Timelapse+ View aims to solve. I optimized the exposure to correctly capture the night sky, but as a result the afternoon and morning sequences were completely overexposed. Paranal Observatory, Chile. (Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8)

Timelapse+ View (the hardware)

All that hassle and limitation can be eliminated with the use of an exposure ramper, a device that progressively changes the exposure according to the lighting conditions. Some devices require that you know beforehand how the light is going to change as a function of time (that is, a light curve) and program the device accordingly. For changes involving the Sun and the Moon, this light curve will depend on the day of the year and your latitude on Earth. Consequently, a lot of trial and error might be required.

The View is an intervalometer and exposure ramper that uses algorithms to analyze the last several exposures and determine how the lighting conditions are changing. Then it predicts the correct exposure for the next frame and sets it accordingly on the camera.

With the Timelapse+ View you can correctly expose the first frame of a sequence and let its auto ramping mode do the rest of the work. The View is an intervalometer and exposure ramper that uses algorithms to analyze the last several exposures and determine how the lighting conditions are changing. Then it predicts the correct exposure for the next frame and sets it accordingly on the camera. At the same time, the View ignores transient sources of light such as headlights.

With the Timelapse+ View you can correctly expose the first frame of a sequence and let its auto ramping mode do the rest of the work.

The View has an internal battery which can be recharged via a Micro-B USB cable connected to a power device or AC outlet adapter. It sits on the camera hot shoe and is connected to the camera via a USB cable (simultaneous multi-camera control is supported via an optional USB port). The View works with many camera models from Nikon, Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus, and works with most motion control systems for shoot-move-shoot functionality and motion keyrame integration. It writes image files to either the camera memory card or to an SD card in the unit itself.

Exposure ramping a day-to-night sequence

To shoot a day-to-night sequence, one sets the camera to the lowest ISO and the appropriate shutter speed, making sure that no highlights are clipped. This initial setup will ensure that the sequence will not be overexposed. Since I always shoot in Raw I leave the white balance set to Auto (AWB) and edit the values in post-processing. (See below to learn how to edit a varying White Balance with Timelapse+ Studio.)

You can program the View with its intuitive menu but I prefer to use the free TL+View app (iOS and Android) to program, monitor, and even override my time-lapse sequences. The View can also be controlled from a web-based app on any device with a web browser.

In the first video example below, I captured a fisheye time-lapse sequence of night falling in Nashville for a planetarium show produced by Chicago’s Adler Planetarium. The most natural way of viewing circular fisheye photography is by projecting it on a dome. This results in an immersive experience putting the viewer at the center of the action.

Left: Out-of-camera sequence from a Nikon D810A controlled by the Timelapse+ View exposure ramper. The shutter speed changed from 1/250 sec to 5 sec. Right: The same sequence processed with the Timelapse+ Studio plugin to smooth out exposure changes and gradually change the white balance. Nashville, Tennessee.

For this sequence I set up a Nikon D810A with a Fisheye-Nikkor 8mm F2.8 AI-s lens by the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville. I chose an initial shutter speed of 1/250 sec and ISO 200 (with a fixed F8 aperture) and used the View’s Auto Day/Night interval mode. I set the (initial) ‘Day’ Interval to 5 sec, the ‘Night’ Interval to 10 sec, and chose Speed and ISO Auto Ramping (Aperture ramping mode is also available on the View).

In the Speed and ISO Auto Ramping mode, the View will gradually increase the exposure time and interval between exposures as night falls. ISO values will increase when the exposure time approaches the interval. In the Nashville sequence, the final shutter speed was 5 sec with an interval of 7 sec. It is interesting that during the sequence the ISO gradually decreased from 200 to 100. That’s because, whenever possible, the View will use the longest exposure (for a smoother motion) and lowest ISO (for a lower noise), even if this does not change the resulting exposure.

The View is an intervalometer and exposure ramper that uses algorithms to analyze the last several exposures and determine how the lighting conditions are changing.

I later learned that one can set a mimimum ISO. Setting this to 200 would have prevented the D810A from going into its extended (non-native) ISO range (below 200). According to the developer, only native ISO values should be used since going below the lowest native ISO could cause loss of highlights.

While a time-lapse sequence is in progress you can preview the sequence on the unit’s screen by using hand gestures. This nifty feature lets you control the sequence playback without ever touching the unit, and unintentionally moving the camera. Of course, you can also preview and monitor the sequence remotely using the TL+View mobile app or web-based interface (connected via Wi-Fi, either locally or over the internet). Furthermore, if you need to tweak the sequence settings, the app lets you make changes spread over a determined number of frames, resulting in a smooth change.

You can preview your time-lapse sequence on the built in screen using hand gestures, eliminating the need to physically touch the camera and risk moving it. The View can be programmed with its intuitive menu but I prefer to use the free TL+View app.

On the next page, I’ll explain how to process your images using the Timelapse+ Studio Lightroom plugin.

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Tips for Retouching Skin in Photoshop That You Need to Know

16 Feb

The post Tips for Retouching Skin in Photoshop That You Need to Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

tips-for-retouching-skin-in-photoshop

When it comes to retouching skin in Photoshop, there are a lot of tools and techniques available to you. Some of these are fairly easy and self-explanatory, like the Healing Brush. Others, like frequency separation, are complicated multi-step processes. They involve such obscure features of Photoshop that you would never be able to figure it out on your own. Many of the skin retouching techniques are useful and work well when used together with one another.

This article will provide you a set of tips to get the most out of some of the most common and most useful (read: my opinion) of these techniques. It assumes you have a basic understanding of how to use them. If you don’t, there are a myriad of good quality tutorials available.

Tips for retouching skin in Photoshop.

Tutorials

Here’s a short list of tutorials for all of the techniques listed in this article:

  • Healing Brush
  • Patch Tool
  • Clone Stamp
  • Frequency Separation
  • Dodging and Burning

Healing Brush

The Healing Brush is probably going to be the first thing you reach for when you are retouching skin in Photoshop. It’s a somewhat intuitive tool, that doesn’t take that long to figure out and it is very effective at what it does.

To get the very best results from using the healing brush:

1. Work on a new layer

When working with the healing brush, be sure to work on a new blank layer. That way, you can be sure that you are not altering your original image. This also allows you to make changes later.

To do this, press the New Layer button on the Layers palette or press Ctrl+Shift+n (Cmd+Shift+n Mac). With the new layer set up, be sure that the drop-down box for the Healing Brush labeled “sample” is set to Current and Below.

Using the healing brush for retouching skin in Photoshop.

Working on a blank layer will ensure you can undo any changes you make should you decide to later.

2. Use as small of a brush as possible

You can quickly change your brush size with the bracket keys ( { and } ). Try to keep the brush just big enough to cover only the blemish that you are trying to remove.

Image: For the best results, use a brush size that is just bigger than the blemish you are trying to...

For the best results, use a brush size that is just bigger than the blemish you are trying to remove. This ensures that you don’t make too many alterations to the natural pattern of the skin.

3. Sample often

Don’t make a sample selection just once – do it often. Do it between every blemish if you can. This may seem like a lot of effort, but with practice, it’s really not. Your images will be better for it too.

4. Zoom in

To make sure that you are only trying to heal blemishes, and not the area of skin around them, zoom in as far as you need to.

I understand some photographer’s reticence to zoom in to 400% to 500% for the sake of retouching, but doing so will make sure that you only affect the areas of your subject’s skin that need it.

This tip (and the next one) doesn’t just apply to the Healing Brush. Do this with every skin retouching technique listed here.

Image: Zooming in allows you to be more precise with your adjustments and leads to more natural-look...

Zooming in allows you to be more precise with your adjustments and leads to more natural-looking results.

5. Zoom back out

When you are very zoomed in on your subject, you can get lost in all of the details that you can now see. Make it a point to zoom back out frequently so you can make sure that the changes you are making are actually affecting what you can see on the image at 100%. This can save you hours.

6. Don’t paint

Instead of painting with the Healing Brush, just press once (or click with a mouse) over the blemish you are trying to remove. This will limit the alterations to the surrounding skin.

Using the healing brush for skin retouching in Photoshop.

Painting with the healing brush leads to weird artifacts. To avoid these, simply click on the blemish you want to remove and nothing more.

Patch tool

The patch tool is a powerful utility that allows you to select an area that you want to retouch with a lasso and then drag that over to a sample area that you want to use to fill that first area in. It’s fairly easy to use, but it can be tricky at first.

1. Work on a new layer

You can use a copy of your background layer.

If you’ve already created and worked on a few layers at this stage, you can press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E (Cmd+Alt+Shift+E – Mac) to create a new layer with all of those adjustments merged into it.

This will allow you to reduce the opacity of what you’ve done with the patch tool in case you go too far. It will also make it easy to delete the layer and start from scratch if need be.

Image: The patch tool can’t be used with an empty layer. Instead, duplicate your background la...

The patch tool can’t be used with an empty layer. Instead, duplicate your background layer and work on the copy. If you’re later on in your workflow, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+e (Cmd+Alt+Shift+e) to stamp all existing layers into a new one above the rest.

2. Avoid the content-aware fill

In terms of skin, the Content-Aware Patch Tool never seems to perform very well.  Instead, leave the mode set to normal and use the Patch Tool that way. For things like backgrounds, by all means, use content-aware; just avoid it for skin retouching.

Image: Content-aware fill, as it works with the Patch Tool, is great for many things, but skin is no...

Content-aware fill, as it works with the Patch Tool, is great for many things, but skin is not one of them. Although this was sampled from a very similar part of his face, content-aware has made a mess of it.

3. Patch small areas

It’s tempting to just select a large area of skin and try to work that way. However, this will only serve to create a bunch of artifacts on your subject’s skin. Keeping your selections small allows you more control over the end result and will result in fewer problems down the line. 

4. Use similar tonal areas

When possible, use a sample area that’s similar in tone to your selection area. This will reduce the chances of creating problematic artifacts and blur.

Using the patch tool for skin retouching in Photoshop.

Here, you can see the various areas of similar tonality circled in red. When using the Patch Tool, try to sample from similar areas of tonality.

5. Reduce opacity

Once you’ve done the work that you want to with the patch tool, feel free to reduce the opacity of the layer that you are working on. This can help to hide a heavy handed approach and help to give more natural looking results. This tip applies to pretty much every other skin retouching technique as well.

Clone stamp

When you are retouching skin in Photoshop, the clone stamp tool will probably be one of your least used tools. It’s tricky to use and it’s often easier and faster to get similar results with other techniques. The one notable exception is when you are using frequency separation (covered below).

1. Use a soft brush

This may be a preference, but the Clone Stamp is a heavy-handed tool that makes drastic changes with a single click. By using a soft-edged brush, you will reduce the impact of the area of skin around the blemish you are removing.

To get to your brush menu, just right-click.

Image: This may be preference, but for the most part, you will want to use the softest brush possibl...

This may be preference, but for the most part, you will want to use the softest brush possible when using the Clone Stamp. The Clone Stamp is a very aggressive tool that can affect skin patterns in an undesirable way if used without care.

2. Do not paint

As with the Healing Brush, do your best not to paint an area of skin with the Clone Stamp. Try to keep the affected area limited to an individual blemish, pore or other marks.

Using the clone stamp for retouching skin in Photoshop.

Even though the sampled area was identical in tone, you can see the results of painting with the clone stamp tool in one large stroke.

3. Use sparingly

Again this may be personal preference talking, but try to resort to the Clone Stamp when it’s the only tool left for the job, at least in terms of skin retouching. The problems this tool can create with odd aberrations in skin texture patterns are hardly worth the risk.

Frequency Separation

Frequency Separation is one of those techniques that appears as overcomplicated sorcery at first glance. Once you’ve learned the fundamentals of the technique and how to set it up, it’s actually quite easy. It’s also a very powerful technique that can transform your skin retouching workflow. It is; however, very easy to go overboard with this technique and a heavy hand will result in less than ideal results. Once you’ve got the implementation and the basics of frequency separation down, there are a few tips to help you get the best results.

1. Gaussian Blur settings

When setting up your frequency separation layers, keep the Gaussian Blur settings to the lowest possible number while it is still obscuring all of the detail in your subject’s skin.

“4” is a good number to start with, but it might vary depending on the resolution you’re working with and how much of the frame your subject’s face fills.

Image: When setting up your Low-Frequency layer, use just enough blur to remove all of the skin text...

When setting up your Low-Frequency layer, use just enough blur to remove all of the skin texture in that layer. Here, Gaussian Blur was set to 2.

2. Blur

When applying Gaussian Blur to your Low-Frequency layer, keep the amount of blur to either equal or less than the amount that you used when setting up the layer in the first place.

3. Blur – Tones

Only blur areas of skin that are a similar tone. Blurring midtones and highlights (or shadows and midtones, or any other combination) can result in muddied tones that often don’t look good. Keep your selections to areas of similar tonality to avoid these muddied tones.

Using frequency separation for skin retouching in Photoshop.

When applying blur to sections of your Low-Frequency layer, try to make your selections in areas of similar tones. This will still help to smooth the tonal transitions without muddying them.

4. Zoom in

Ensure that you are zooming in to at least 100% on your images to watch for any hard edges that may appear while applying blur.

This can happen as you get close to hard edges within your frames, such as lips and eyes. If they do start appearing, you can reduce the amount of blur you are using, or you can make a new selection farther away from the areas causing you trouble.

5. Clone Stamp

For the High-Frequency layer, you just need to be careful with how you use the Clone Stamp. As above, the Clone Stamp is best used on very small areas with a single click. Sample often and don’t paint with it and you should be fine.

Dodging and Burning

Probably the most powerful and versatile of the techniques listed in this article, Dodging and Burning might as well be considered an essential tool for anyone that expects to be doing a lot of skin retouching. There are a lot of ways to do dodging and burning, but for the sake of these tips, I am going to refer to the method that involves using a 50% gray layer set to Overlay that you then paint on with the brush tool with white to lighten the tones and with black to darken them.

1. Keep the brush flow at 1%

Like all skin retouching techniques, subtlety is the key, and with the brushes flow at 1%, you can slowly build up any alterations that you are making.

Dodging and burning for skin retouching in Photoshop.

When dodging and burning on a grey layer, set the flow of your brush to 1%. This will allow you to build strokes slowly for more natural results.

Using dodging and burning for skin retouching in Photoshop

Circled at the top: The flow for the brush was set to 10%. Circled at the bottom: The flow here was 1% You can see the drastic difference just 9% makes on the flow settings.

2. Try to avoid broad strokes

Instead of trying to alter large aspects of your image at one time (for example, lightening an entire forehead in one go), zoom in on the area you want to work on and work on areas of a similar tone. By working with smaller areas, you will get more natural results.

3. Use multiple layers

If you are using broad strokes and working on finer detail with dodging and burning in the same image, do both of these on separate layers. Dedicate one to each layer.

With the large brush strokes, you will likely be more concentrated on overall contrast. You will often want to use a Gaussian blur on your brush strokes to even them out too.

This is not the case with fine detail where your brushstrokes should only deal with tiny, precise areas.

Using dodging and burning for skin retouching in Photoshop

For very fine control over your image, use a different layer for dodging and burning all of the sections of your image. This will allow you to alter, or get rid of any changes you might change your mind about later on without undoing all of your work elsewhere.

4. Use a small brush

Skin has a lot of fine detail in which the light in your scene passes over and creates contrast. It’s this contrast on the skin that creates the appearance of blemishes in your photos.

Because these blemishes are often small, you want to try and use a brush that is at least as small as the area you are working to lighten and darken with dodging and burning. This will ensure that you are lowering the contrast – therefore lowering the visibility of the blemishes – rather than adding it where you don’t want to.

5. Use Ctrl+z (Cmd+z) often

When you’re using a technique like dodging and burning for retouching skin in Photoshop, you are using a lot of little adjustments, maybe even thousands of them, to build up to a  finished result. You will get some of these wrong. Don’t be afraid to undo anything you’ve done if it isn’t right.

6. Reduce the Layer Opacity

Once you’ve done any adjustments that you are going to make with dodging and burning, try reducing the opacity of the layer(s) to see if you can get a better result with less of an effect.

With a time-consuming technique like this, it is easy to get lost in it and go overboard. Sometimes reducing the effect at the end is just what is needed for a more natural result.

Using dodging and burning for skin retouching in Photoshop

When you’re finished with your dodging and burning, you can always turn the opacity of the layer down to see if you might have gone too far. It’s a good idea to always at least look, even if you don’t decide to lower the opacity in the end.

7. Zoom way in

Unless your image will never be printed and only viewed in a small resolution, zoom as far into your images as you dare while retouching skin in Photoshop (this applies to all of the techniques here) to achieve the absolute best results.

Sometimes, you will find that you need to be zoomed in at 300-500% to see all of the detail that you need to work with. Sure, working this way takes a lot longer and is intimidating to think about, but putting that amount of effort in will help you to achieve better results.

The end

There are, of course, many other techniques available for retouching skin in Photoshop, but these are the ones that I use the most often.

If you’re new to these techniques, you now (hopefully) have a few tips to help you figure out how to make the very most out of them.

Of course, with techniques like these, there are always more ways to do things. If you have any tips of your own on retouching skin in Photoshop, please feel free to share them below.

The post Tips for Retouching Skin in Photoshop That You Need to Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.


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