Lubow Photography


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PHOTOSHOP AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY INFORMATION


REFLECTIONS OF A DIGITAL SHOOTER -- a photoblog of  personal explorations and thoughts in digital photography


technical/digital photography sites:

The Luminous Landscape   --  Strobist   --   Photoshopnews.com    --   photosupport.com   --   Digital Photography Review   --   Steve's Digicam   --   photo.net    --   The Digital Picture (including Canon reviews)   --   FredMiranda.com   --  Photozone   --   Photographyblog.com   --   DCViews   --   Outback Digital Photo   --   photographyreview.com   --     photo.do   --   PopPhoto.com   --   DigitalCameraTracker   --    dcresource    --  epp   --  Professional ImageMaker articles   --   pdnonline.com   --   DP&I.com    --   dphotojournal.com

select photoshop tutorial sites:

Adobe Photoshop Design Center   --  Photoshop.com   --   Russell Brown   --   Adobe Evangelists Tips   --   Lunacore.com   --   PixelGenius tips/techniques   --   Digital Mastery   --   Computer Darkroom   --   PlanetPhotoshop   --   About/Tutorials   --  

Tutorial on  Adobe's new Camera Raw 4.1:  click here

Excellent Lightroom Resource:  Inside Lightroom

A Lightroom Tutorial Site:  click here



PHOTOSHOP TIPS & TUTORIALS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE


LINKS:

converting a color image to B&W in CS2, using hue/saturation   (from Russell Brown)
Expose to the Right (Maximizing S/N Ratio in Digital Photography)
B&W printing with the Epson 2200  
Digital Blending:  achieving 8-10 zones


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EFFECTIVE PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUES:


NONDESTRUCTIVE "DODGING & BURNING"

1.  Create a new layer in your layer palette
2.  Go to Edit/Fill.  In the Contents menu choose 50% Gray.  In Blending/Mode choose Soft Light
3.  Go to your layer palette and choose Soft Light in the Blending Mode Menu .  At this point, your image should look unchanged.
4.  To "burn," use a black brush.  To "dodge," use a white brush. 
    You can toggle your brush back and forth by hitting the letter "x". 
    You can lighten or darken your work by painting over it with a white or black brush at a different opacity

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GIVE AN IMAGE "POP!" WITH LOCAL CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT

This technique does not take the place of sharpening.  Try it at the end of your work, just prior to sharpening.

Go to Filter / Sharpen / Unsharp Mask and set your choices as follows:

Amount -- 20%
Radius -- 50%
Threshold -- 0%

compare the difference by clicking the Preview Box on and off -- if the contrast is too great, reduce it by lowering Amount --
if the contrast is not enough (which, for me, is rare), repeat the process to taste -- never increase Amount over 20% --
never change Radius or Threshold -- be careful you don't blow out your highlights -- for more information click here


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THE POWER OF CHANGING LAYER OPACITY

You can change layer opacity with the opacity slider in your layer palette or with your brush. 

with the opacity slider.  In the layer palette, when you choose a layer you will notice that the opacity menu defaults to 100%. 
You can reduce the opacity of the layer by hitting the carrot in the menu and moving the opacity slider that reveals itself.
The layer will appear to dissolve more and more as you move the slider to the left, making the layer below it more apparent.

typical technique with the opacity slider.   Duplicate a layer.  Oversharpen the new layer.  Reduce the opacity of the oversharpened layer.  As it gets
weaker, the unsharpened layer below will get stronger.  Adjust the oversharpened layer to taste. 

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by brush.  Add a layer mask to a layer by simply choosing the add layer mask icon at the bottom of the layer palette. 
Click the layer mask with your curser to awaken it. To reduce the opacity of any portion of your image, click the
black brush, give it a desired opacity, and paint that portion of the image you wish to change.  If you've reduced the opacity too much,
you can increase it to taste by painting over it with a white brush set at a lesser opacity. 

typical techniques for brushing a layer. 

If you create a levels or curve adjustment that blows out some highlights, simply click the created layer mask thumbnail in your layer palette, then
move to the image itself and paint over the blown out highlights with a black brush, setting the opacity level to whatever degree brings back the detail.


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HOW TO SOFTEN SKIN AND/OR MAKE A PERSON YOUNGER

healing brush cleanup
duplicate layer twice
Filter/Blur/Surface-Blur  20/80
snapshot
back up one in history
mark snapshot 1 in history at top
History brush -- darken 40%
History brush -- lighten 40%
reset history brush to original image
paint in spectral lights at 30%  and/or run opacity slider


Excellent Articles on Digital Photography:

Making the Transition from Film to Digital
Raw Capture, Linear Gamma and Exposure
Understanding Your Digital Camera's Histogram
The Art of Digital Black & White by Jeff Schewe
Color Management Sidebar by Jeff Schewe
10 years of Photoshop -- a brief history by Jeff Schewe

Shooting Tips  -- a work in progress

Photography Links:

Digital Photography Ag to Si   --   photography links   -- Professional Photography Links  

Leica sites:  

Leica FAQ --  site of Erwin Puts --  M Cameras -- M Lenses --  custom hyperfocal chart

M8 info/review

another M8 review -- including how to use HYPERFOCAL FOCUSING WITH THE M8.

Hyperfocus Focusing with the M8:  [Due to the 1.3 magnification factor,
apply the next lowest F-Stop.  For example, if you're shooting at F8, apply F5.6 markings.]

 

Lens Comparison Shots:

Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon vs. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM  


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