I spent some time with friends in Rochester, New York last week at a conference at Kodak Alaris. These friends have worked in the imaging industry for a long time and they deal with lots of pictures from lots of different kinds of photographers and they opened my eyes regarding color space, and I thought you might benefit as well. I'm by no means an expert on color space, but maybe I can help you understand it a little better. I'll give you some simple information, then some recommendations on what settings to use in your camera and … [Read more...] about What Color Space Should You Use?
Adobe
Athentech Unveils Two New Version of Perfectly Clear (Including a Free Version)
NOTE: Athentech, the makers of Perfectly Clear help support Photofocus. The company also works closely with Photofocus as many of its new features and presets are designed by Photofocus authors. ---------------------------- Athentech, makers of Perfectly Clear Complete just unveiled two new products and confirmed some big news. We wanted to let you know about these changes as they're great news for photographers. A free version of their time-saving plugin A streamlined version called Perfectly Clear Essentials for Landscape, … [Read more...] about Athentech Unveils Two New Version of Perfectly Clear (Including a Free Version)
Lightroom FAQ: Updating Process Version
This tip will mainly apply to people who have been using Lightroom since the early days. When Lightroom 3 came out we were given a new Process Version (which is the underlying secret sauce Lightroom uses to develop our photos). This was called Process Version 2010. Prior to this we had Process Version 2003. When Lightroom 4 came out we were given Process Version 2012, and we've been using that ever since. All that said, if you have been using Lightroom since those early days, and have upgraded your catalog with each new version, then you may … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: Updating Process Version
Lightroom FAQ: Moving Basics
Using Lightroom for all of your basic file management tasks accomplishes two things: It gets the job done. It keeps the catalog in sync with the changes. This is why it is critical that after you import photos into the catalog, you do tasks like moving photos between folders from within Lightroom. It's as easy as drag and drop, but for new users who are more familiar with other software programs, sometimes people fall back on old habits instead of developing new ones. If you move photos, or folders containing photos, using some other … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: Moving Basics
Create Your Own Fireworks Grand Finale
Last weekend I spent time in Chicago for the Out of Chicago Conference. On my last night there, fellow author Levi Sim and myself hosted a photowalk for attendees. Our small group was able to check out the University Club, which overlooks Millennium Park, on Saturday night. And it was just in time for the Saturday night fireworks. With my new Vanguard Veo 2 tripod in tow, we made our way up to the balcony. Instead of focusing distinctly on the fireworks, I wanted to capture the environment around them. It was Pride Weekend in Chicago, and … [Read more...] about Create Your Own Fireworks Grand Finale
Why is Lightroom Importing my Images out of Order?
Every once in a while, Lightroom gives me an issue importing images from my Nikon cameras. It’ll import the images out of “filename” order and out of “capture time” order. As frustrating as it is, I’ve yet to find out why it’s doing it. It seems as if the sorting option on the Import Window doesn’t work. So, how do you fix it? If you notice it happening repeatedly, check the Creative Cloud application manager for any updates to Lightroom. Do an update and then restart the computer if there is one. If that doesn’t help, here’s the … [Read more...] about Why is Lightroom Importing my Images out of Order?
Lightroom FAQ: Update Folder Location
This is useful function to know about if you are wanting to move a folder (or even your entire photo Library) from one drive to another drive. For example, say you are running out of space on one drive and want to move photos to a new drive to free up space on the original drive. You could use Lightroom to move the folders via drag and drop within the Folders panel, but I don’t recommend doing that when a large amount of date is at stake. Using a move command is risky, because if anything goes wrong in the middle of the transfer you could … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: Update Folder Location
Master the New Features in Perfectly Clear Complete – Free Webinar Today
We're super excited for the new Perfectly Clear Complete version 3.1 that shipped this week. It adds a bunch of great new features. There are also some great new LOOKs and presets that unlock even more options in a jiffy. Join Photofocus publisher Richard Harrington as he shows you the latest features and answers your questions on how to get great images in less time. When: Today, Friday, June 9 @ 1 pm ET Where: Watch it right here in this blog post or on YouTube https://youtu.be/xtwUTWO0p68 We'll tackle all the new features … [Read more...] about Master the New Features in Perfectly Clear Complete – Free Webinar Today
How to Match the Color of Two Objects in Photoshop
In this tutorial, I show you a little-used command in Photoshop which makes it easy to match the color of two objects. This is great for product photography, matching two skies, or even skin tones on two portraits. This quick tip will unlocl a whole new way of thinking of color. https://youtu.be/LmqRggkoORs … [Read more...] about How to Match the Color of Two Objects in Photoshop
HSL Panel – The Secret for Local Color Adjustments in Lightroom
There are two kinds of tools in Lightroom – global adjustment tools and local adjustment tools. Global adjustments refer to sliders that adjust the overall image. Things like Exposure, Contrast, Whites, Blacks, Clarity, Saturation, Sharpening, etc. Sometimes you just can’t push an image far enough with global changes and you need to target specific areas of an image. The HSL panel specifically targets color adjustments across an image. Let’s look at each feature while editing this photo. We’ll start in the basic panel, adjusting highlights … [Read more...] about HSL Panel – The Secret for Local Color Adjustments in Lightroom
Lightroom FAQ: The Catalog Panel
This is an often misunderstood or completely overlooked panel, but it has some useful functions once you take a closer look. The most important thing to know about this panel is that it simply provides different ways to view/access photos that have gone through the import process already. These are not duplicates of your photos, but just alternative ways Lightroom can reference the source files and display them for us. All Photographs This collection is a quick way to view all of the photographs (and videos) that you've ever imported into … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: The Catalog Panel
New Lightroom Update Adds Cameras and Fixes Bugs
A new update just dropped for Adobe Lightroom. It adds support and fixes bugs (except for a big one for Windows users) Lightroom CC 2015.10.1 now available The new release supports two new cameras and one new lens. It also tackles several bugs. Adobe also released versions of Lr Mobile for iOS and Android that provide updated camera support. Check them out here. New Camera Support in Lightroom CC 2015.10.1 / 6.10.1 Panasonic LUMIX DC-ZS70 (DC-TZ90,DC-TZ91, DC-TZ92, DC-T93) Sony A9 (ILCE-9) New Lens Profile Support … [Read more...] about New Lightroom Update Adds Cameras and Fixes Bugs
Can’t Develop Photos in Lightroom or Camera Raw on a PC? Here’s the Workaround for the Bug
I had a colleague call me the other day... turns out that he and his wife couldn't get Lightroom to develop any pictures. After several steps of troubleshooting (including reinstall) he gave in and called Adobe. A week later Adobe published details that their machine was not alone. What's the Bug? Several Adobe customers report that they can't use the Develop module. Either Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop just crashes whenever they attempt to develop an image. Turns out there's an issue if the GPU acceleration is enabled. Normally the GPU … [Read more...] about Can’t Develop Photos in Lightroom or Camera Raw on a PC? Here’s the Workaround for the Bug
Create Keynote or Powerpoint Templates with Ease in Photoshop
I was recently asked to create a Powerpoint template for someone and soon realised that with a few Photoshop techniques creating, editing and creating individual assets was a breeze. To keep the whole thing as flexible as I could I used Artboards, Smart Objects and Create Assets. In this video I show you how to make three slide template, a main slide, a 'blank slide' and a slide for an image. Should you wish to create more then this technique allows you to do it in seconds. I hope you find it … [Read more...] about Create Keynote or Powerpoint Templates with Ease in Photoshop
Creating a Scene with Photoshop, Adobe Fuse and Project Felix
It used to be that, if you wanted to use Photoshop for 3D images you'd need to invest in Photoshop Extended. Now however, 3D capabilities comes as standard but that doesn't mean it's any easier to understand or use straight out the box. To help us 2D people Adobe have made available two great applications, Fuse and Project Felix. https://youtu.be/hprjuA_WuUM In This Video Tutorial In this tutorial I take an image from Adobe Stock and 2 Fuse characters into Project Felix where I add a 3D suitcase. Then its back to … [Read more...] about Creating a Scene with Photoshop, Adobe Fuse and Project Felix
Lightroom FAQ: Thumbnail Badges
There are 5 badges that can appear on a thumbnail in the Grid view of the Library module or on the thumbs in the Filmstrip. From left to right: The tag shaped badge tells you that a keyword has been applied. The pin badge indicates the photo has location information (GPS). The double-boxes indicates the photo has been added to a collection. The dotted rectangle is that a crop has been applied. The +/– badge tells you that the photo has been adjusted in Develop. If you hover your cursor over a badge you'll see a tooltip … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: Thumbnail Badges
Lightroom FAQ: Additional External Editors
By default, the latest version of Photoshop becomes the primary external editor for Lightroom. If you go to Preferences > External Editing, you will see it listed at the top. This is the editor, and file settings, that are called into play when you use the (Mac) CMD+E / (Win) Ctrl+E keyboard shortcut or use the Photo > Edit In > Edit in Photoshop menu command. An external editor is any other pixel editor you may have installed on your machine. Aside from Photoshop, some of the most common are products from on1, Nik, Perfectly … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: Additional External Editors
Quickly Delete Apple Live Photos in Lightroom
I shoot a lot of images on my iPhone. It’s the camera that’s always with me when I stumble upon something interesting. In 2015 Apple introduced Live Photos at the iPhone 6s release, which creates a video showing the moments right before and right after you take a picture. These “sidecar” video files are 2 seconds in length and are embedded into the photo on your phone. While it was a cool idea, and I was excited for them when they were first released, but they’re become a bother every time I import photos from my iPhone into my Lightroom … [Read more...] about Quickly Delete Apple Live Photos in Lightroom
How To Ruin A Sunset Shot (And Save It In Lightroom)
I admit it…I’m not perfect. Sometimes the simplest things can come back and bite you. A few months ago, I made the trek up to Crescent City, California for a photo adventure in Redwood National Forest. The day I arrived, we checked into the hotel and went to find the beach for sunset. Being from the East Coast, I’ve dreamed of shooting a beautiful Pacific Coast sunset. It was getting late when we checked in. I asked the hotel front desk representative what she recommended for seeing the sunset. Very nonchalantly, she responded that the … [Read more...] about How To Ruin A Sunset Shot (And Save It In Lightroom)
Adding Ratings to Images In Bridge and Lightroom – What’s Your System?
Adding a star rating to an image is a quick way to quickly sort through your images. Each image can be given 1 to 5 stars, but what's your system, how do you rate your images? Adding Star Ratings Adding a star rating to an image is really easy. With the image selected in Bridge press the Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) key and tap the number for the number of stars that you want to assign. In Lightroom hold down the Ctrl key on both Mac and PC and tap the number you want to assign. Alternatively, click the dot relevant to the number of stars you'd … [Read more...] about Adding Ratings to Images In Bridge and Lightroom – What’s Your System?
Lightroom FAQ: How Can I Customize the Interface?
Lightroom’s interface isn't as customizable as Photoshop's, but it can be changed in a number of ways to maximize the space devoted to your photos, to make your workflow more efficient, and to hide the parts you just don’t use very often. Panel Groups There are four main panels that appear in all Lightroom modules. They can be manipulated as needed to allow you to control the size of the center workspace where your photos appear, as well as to only reveal the set of tools required for the task at hand. These four panels are called the Left … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: How Can I Customize the Interface?
Easy 3D Text With This Basic Tip
In this video, I take you through how to add a ground plane to a 3D image in Photoshop. This is helpful if you want to add a 3D element into an existing image. Give it a try and share your results on the Photofocus Facebook group. https://youtu.be/iNutyWf6yNc You can find the text version of this tutorial here at TipSquirrel.com. … [Read more...] about Easy 3D Text With This Basic Tip
Lightroom FAQ: What are Smart Collections?
Smart collections allow you to harness the power of the database inside of Lightroom by leveraging the information contained in your photo’s metadata. Plus, any additional data you may have added (like keywords, titles, captions, etc.), to automate the process of finding, grouping, and organizing your photos in meaningful ways. You can think of smart collections simply as saved searches that run automatically. Smart collections are just one of three types of collections you can find in the Collections panel. If you click the plus arrow sign … [Read more...] about Lightroom FAQ: What are Smart Collections?
Free Presets & Exclusive Software Bundle for Photofocus Readers
Free Presets We've released a bunch of freebies lately to help you get more out of your software. This post gives you access to all of them in one convenient place. Photofocus LOOKs for Perfectly Clear Complete V3 Inspired Style presets for Macphun Luminar 44 Free Presets for Photomatix Free Presets for OnOne Super Deal on Perfectly Clear Complete (version 3) Perfectly Clear Complete started shipping this AM. We've got an exclusive bundle that saves you a bunch of money Perfectly Clear Complete v3 ($129 … [Read more...] about Free Presets & Exclusive Software Bundle for Photofocus Readers
Straighten Your Photos with a “Reflection Correction”
One of my favorite features within Lightroom is the Straightening Tool. I have the exceptional ability to consistently produce images with slightly crooked horizons; my theory is that I am somehow 5 degrees off kilter to the planet. The Straightening Tool fixes this quickly and easily; click, drag, fixed! But, you don’t always have a distinct horizon to go by to get things straightened out, which requires you to do some experimentation to get your shot looking right. Since I photograph around a lot of water, I picked up a trick in Lightroom … [Read more...] about Straighten Your Photos with a “Reflection Correction”
How to Make Distortion Disappear with Lightroom’s Transform Tools
Sometimes you look at a photo and you know something just isn’t right. If there is one thing that will cause that uneasy feeling, it is unfixed lens distortion in a photo. Our brain knows buildings have straight lines, faces have certain proportions, and animals don’t lean as they are standing. Curved trees, crooked buildings, or pinched faces - they all subconsciously scream “unnatural” to our brain. Fortunately, there are many ways to fix lens distortions within the digital darkroom. In just a few clicks, using Lightroom's Lens … [Read more...] about How to Make Distortion Disappear with Lightroom’s Transform Tools
Adobe Tip: What’s New in Adobe Camera Raw 9.9
The Adobe team has released a new update to Adobe Camera Raw. This affects Photoshop users and should also match other changes that dropped in the recent Lightroom 6.9 update. Just use your Creative Cloud app to update. New Camera Support in Camera Raw 9.9 Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Casio EX-ZR3200 Fujifilm GFX 50S Fujifilm X100F Fujifilm X-A10 Fujifilm X-T20 Leica M10 Olympus E-M1 Mark II Panasonic DC-FZ80 Panasonic DC-GF9 Panasonic DC-GH5 Panasonic DMC-TZ82 Phase One IQ3 100MP (“S” compression … [Read more...] about Adobe Tip: What’s New in Adobe Camera Raw 9.9
Find Unknown Copyright Status in Lightroom and Fix it
I received an email from a reader saying he followed our advice and created a copyright preset in Lightroom. He is excited that all future images will now have his copyright information embedded in the image metadata. He wished he’d done it years ago on his older images. I told him here’s how to quickly find all unknown copyright images in your Lightroom catalog and then apply the copyright preset. Lightroom’s powerful search feature To find all images with an unknown copyright status, click Metadata on the Library filter. Change a column … [Read more...] about Find Unknown Copyright Status in Lightroom and Fix it
Perfectly Clear Version 3 is Unveiled Today (Plus Save Before 3/29)
The Photofocus team has formed a great partnership with the folks behind Perfectly Clear. In fact we've been deeply involved in the development of the new version that is being revealed today. Our team has created presets, designed LOOKs and even helped shape a few features with extensive feedback during the product development. We're really excited how its turned out and think you will be too. The Lowest Price on Perfectly Clear Complete Version 3 Missed the sale? Click HERE Buy v2 for Special Price of $89.00 USD and get v3 plus Bonus … [Read more...] about Perfectly Clear Version 3 is Unveiled Today (Plus Save Before 3/29)
Lr FAQ: How do I Backup my Lightroom Edits?
When you make edits in Lightroom, those changes are usually stored in your Lightroom catalog settings. That's useful right? But not always. What happens if the catalog is lost or damaged? What about if you want to open a photo up in another application outside of Lightroom? Well there's an easy change to fix this. XMP to the Rescue Adobe uses XMP or Extensible Metadata Platform to hold information about the file. This is an open system and it makes your files more compatible with other apps. It also means you pictures are backed … [Read more...] about Lr FAQ: How do I Backup my Lightroom Edits?
