In this article and video, I'm going to show you how to change the look of the sky in a photograph using a basic layer mask that we attach to a curves adjustment layer, so we apply a different lighting to the sky portion of a photograph. You can also use this same technique to change any other parts of the photo as well. In addition, you'll notice that I open my RAW and TIFF files in Photoshop as Smart Objects. To learn more about how to do that, check out the article "Settings for Photoshop Camera RAW and a quick look at the adjustments … [Read more...] about How to change the look of the sky using a layer mask in Photoshop CC 2019
Adobe
Use Creative Cloud? Renew early and save
We're sorry to interrupt your holiday if you are celebrating. But if you're an Adobe Creative Cloud user (or want to be) this is a great sale and it only lasts for one day. These offers expire 11/23/18. Creative Cloud This offer is supposed to be for first-time buyers (but you can create a new Adobe ID if you aren't feeling new enough) The entire collection of 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. Includes: 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio, … [Read more...] about Use Creative Cloud? Renew early and save
Photoshop + D&D = Crazy Contest
Adobe has partnered with Wizards of the Coast for a crazy Photoshop contest. They're looking for people to design a scary Dungeons & Dragons monster. No, seriously. Instead of the normal 7-day trial, Adobe is offering a 30-day trial if you download from the contest page. A benefit in itself. The page also offers a Monster toolkit to help you with the contest. Are you brave enough to bring forth the latest Dungeons & Dragons monster: The Terror of Undermountain? Harness the powers of Photoshop and your own imagination for a … [Read more...] about Photoshop + D&D = Crazy Contest
Adobe gives a sneak peek of upcoming technologies at MAX Conference
On Tuesday, Adobe gave a sneak peek to attendees of the Adobe MAX Conference, of upcoming technologies that may or may not make it into future versions of Creative Cloud applications. Co-hosted by Adobe's Senior Creative Cloud Evangelist Paul Trani and comedian, actress and writer Tiffany Haddish, the "Sneaks" showed 10 short demos led by Adobe engineers. There were three Sneaks geared towards photographers and videographers, outlined below. #ProjectSmoothOperator If you've ever felt constrained by Instagram's vertical video format, … [Read more...] about Adobe gives a sneak peek of upcoming technologies at MAX Conference
Live Blog: Adobe MAX Keynote, Day 2
Thank you for joining us for the Day 2 Keynote at the Adobe MAX Conference! This page updates automatically; please do not refresh. … [Read more...] about Live Blog: Adobe MAX Keynote, Day 2
Exclusive: Diving into the future of Photoshop CC
Fresh off the announcement of Photoshop CC for the iPad, I had the chance to sit down with Stephen Nielson, Director of Project Management for Photoshop, to discuss the new platform for Adobe's flagship program. We spoke in-depth about the updates for the desktop version of Photoshop and touched on what users should expect from the iPad experience. Photoshop has evolved year after year since its introduction in 1990, and the 2019 version brings some notable updates for both photographers and designers. "What we have in Photoshop is an … [Read more...] about Exclusive: Diving into the future of Photoshop CC
Live Blog: Adobe MAX keynote
Thanks for joining us! The keynote has concluded. Scroll down past the video to see our roundup, discussion and analysis. … [Read more...] about Live Blog: Adobe MAX keynote
Adobe announces Photoshop for iPad, major updates to Photoshop CC
Adobe has officially announced that it's bringing Photoshop CC to the iPad and other devices. First rumored this summer, the new version of Photoshop CC will deliver a familiar interface with many of the same tools that its desktop counterpart has. This means you'll be able to open and edit a PSD on the iPad, using tools like layers and masks in your workflow. It can be used on its own, or in tandem with the Photoshop CC desktop version. It'll also work with pencil devices, allowing you to have precision when working. Anything you do … [Read more...] about Adobe announces Photoshop for iPad, major updates to Photoshop CC
A better drone photographer – Using Lutify LUTs with DJI DNG RAW files in Capture One Pro 11
In this article, I'm going to show you how I use Lutify LUTs in Capture One Pro 11 (CO 11). These LUTs will work in any software that supports LUTs like Affinity Photo, Luminar 2018, Photoshop, and Lightroom. The package you choose will determine whether it supports the RAW image for that product. Also, I contacted Lutify directly and was provided a free version of these LUTs for this review. As always, I will give you my honest review of the product. Lutify is kindly offering a 10% discount coupon for Photofocus readers on any of their … [Read more...] about A better drone photographer – Using Lutify LUTs with DJI DNG RAW files in Capture One Pro 11
Using the color lookup adjustment layer in Photoshop
The color look up adjustment layer unlocks the power of LUTS, or look up tables. This is a powerful operation that allows you to transfer color information between applications, or to assign preset recipes to simulate film stocks or do advanced color effects. Let me show you how they work. To apply a look up table is pretty easy. Lets start with the built in look up tables. I'll click on the adjustments tab here, and then choose look up table. It looks like a grid here, and the label is 'color lookup'. Using the Color Lookup adjustment layer … [Read more...] about Using the color lookup adjustment layer in Photoshop
Expert level black and white images with a Photoshop gradient map
Built into Photoshop are several excellent gradient maps that make it easy to do black-and-white conversion. These are different than the techniques you've seen earlier and sometimes I'll combine them with other adjustment techniques, or even lookup tables to get advanced results. Let me show you how a gradient map is quite useful. Another nice option for the gradient map effect is a black-and-white effect. Now let's add the gradient map, and from the pop-up list here, I'm gonna choose the photographic toning presets. This makes it very easy to … [Read more...] about Expert level black and white images with a Photoshop gradient map
Is your workflow compatible with MacOS Mojave?
Apple has officially released its latest MacOS — Mojave, version 10.14. This new version highlights features such as a system-wide Dark Mode, Stacks, Dynamic Desktop backgrounds and several new apps. It also introduces a great new feature for photographers — gallery and EXIF information views in the MacOS Finder. In my testing, the new OS has been very stable and without any major problems. But that doesn't mean that there won't be some compatibility issues in terms of third-party apps and devices. Software Update: There are some minor … [Read more...] about Is your workflow compatible with MacOS Mojave?
Video: Preview of Photoshop’s updated Content Aware Fill
I'm glad to see that Adobe are actively improving a really useful feature in Photoshop. Content Aware Fill has been a really useful tool for me, and if you haven't tried it, you should check it out (here's a video from Rich Harrington to get you up to date on the basics). I use it to remove objects from a scene and to expand my scene when I need to create a different crop or aspect ratio. It looks like the upcoming new interface will offer important controls to help us use it better. It's coming 'soon' and I'll let you know as soon as we have a … [Read more...] about Video: Preview of Photoshop’s updated Content Aware Fill
How to find stock video with visual search
More and more, video is becoming a standard for client projects. Photographers, web designers, marketing folks have all realized that motion is a great way to tell engaging stories. Sometimes though, you’ll find a gap in your video sequences when you put them together. Maybe it’s a forgotten shot or one that just didn’t turn out. Finding it just got a WHOLE lot easier thanks to Adobe Stock. Create Thumbnails The first step to visually searching is to create thumbnails. This is really easy to do as all you need are JPEGs that represent … [Read more...] about How to find stock video with visual search
Pitch your way to Adobe MAX
This year, Adobe is doing something really cool for creatives. At its annual Adobe MAX Conference, taking place Oct. 15-17 in Los Angeles, the company is asking creatives to give them their most creative elevator pitches. But not just any elevator pitch — an elevator pitch on why you should win a trip to Adobe MAX. Using your most creative method (photography, graphic art, poetry, etc.), come up with a 15-second elevator pitch on why you should win a trip to Los Angeles. All you have to do is post it to Twitter and Instagram with the … [Read more...] about Pitch your way to Adobe MAX
Lightroom CC adds local album storage, Classic gets book module updates
On Wednesday, Adobe came out with its monthly updates for both Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC. In addition to support for new cameras and lenses, here's what's new: Album enhancements for Lightroom CC One of the biggest features missing from the release of Lightroom CC was the ability to easily store photos on your local hard drive. You can now do that at the album level — a new "Store Album Locally" setting allows you to save original copies of that album's photos on your local hard drive. This feature is super convenient for … [Read more...] about Lightroom CC adds local album storage, Classic gets book module updates
Synchronizing multiple images in Photoshop with lookup tables
One of the greatest advantages of lookup tables is that it makes it simple to apply the same adjustment to several photos. Instead of having to record an action or do a lot of extra work, we can actually take the lookup table, export it from one image, and apply it to several others. This makes it very quick to fix multiple problems. Another thing that you can use a LUT for is to quickly synchronize several images. Let's add that adjustment layer here. And I'm gonna click to load the 3D LUT, and this time, I'm gonna go back to the exercise file … [Read more...] about Synchronizing multiple images in Photoshop with lookup tables
Creating custom backdrops for your photos using stock images
To me, the backdrop or background of a photograph is its foundation. The backdrop sets the stage, the tone and reveals or hides things that might add or detract from the subject respectively. The go-to backdrop is seamless paper in its myriad of colors. Many companies sell custom painted backdrops on canvas or muslin for the "old master" look. Still, others, use big printers to make backgrounds. Backdrops can be made in Photoshop. Then the subject can be inserted in front of it. Rather than shooting backgrounds yourself, there is a vast library … [Read more...] about Creating custom backdrops for your photos using stock images
Creating custom lookup tables (LUTs) with Photoshop
As an advanced user, you're probably excited by LUTs and what' I'd like you to do now is realize that anything you can do with an adjustment layer can be stored as a lookup table. This means some of the complex recipes that you've discovered in this course, with blending modes and adjustment layers, can all get bundled up into one lookup table. Now it doesn't support masks or anything like that. But it does allow you to take multiple adjustment layers and concatenate or build those into one lookup table, which can then be applied to images in … [Read more...] about Creating custom lookup tables (LUTs) with Photoshop
Adobe announces its 2018 Rising Stars of Photography
For the second straight year, Adobe has announced its list of Rising Stars of Photography. A diverse lineup of photographers from across the globe, the list features everything from an Indonesian high schooler to an environmental conservationist in Los Angeles. For the complete story on all of this year's Rising Stars, check out the Adobe Blog or follow the Rising Stars' journeys on the Lightroom Instagram. Here's a first look at this year's Rising Stars. Stay tuned to Photofocus for more. Gabriella Achadinha – Age 26, South … [Read more...] about Adobe announces its 2018 Rising Stars of Photography
How to censor your photos for social media, non-destructively in Photoshop
On many social media sites, for various reasons, we are seeing a high degree of censorship and banning for anything considered "Mature".* Regardless of your personal feelings on the matter, for those of us producing fine art nude or boudoir photography, it's becoming increasingly difficult to share our uncensored work over the internet. Here is a quick tip on how to create a frosted glass effect that nondestructively blurs only the parts of your image you choose, to satisfy the interweb censors and people parts police. In the interest of … [Read more...] about How to censor your photos for social media, non-destructively in Photoshop
Adobe Brings Powerful New Features to Lightroom CC and Classic
This morning, Adobe announced updates to its desktop versions of Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC. While both programs have added a few new enhancements and features, Lightroom CC has also been updated to make it further in line with its Classic counterpart. Lightroom CC Adds Preset and Profile Syncing The big feature announced today is the ability for Lightroom CC to sync your presets and profiles between instances of the program. This works for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, ChromeOS and on the web, so you can have all your favorite … [Read more...] about Adobe Brings Powerful New Features to Lightroom CC and Classic
Quick Tip: Visualize Sensor Spots in Lightroom
Sensor dust is bound to impact our photographs at some time. But there's a quick and easy way to visualize these spots — and get rid of them. Click the Spot Removal (Q) brush in Lightroom, and then underneath your photograph, you'll see a checkbox and slider with the words "Visualize Spots." Click this checkbox and drag the slider up to the necessary point where you'll begin to see spots on your photograph. Then just click away with the Spot Removal brush to get rid of the sensor spots. … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Visualize Sensor Spots in Lightroom
Using Photoshop Selections for Color and Tone Adjustments
Great image color and tone adjustments start with a great selection. Learn how to do this quickly and easily. Follow along with these photos (provided for educational use only). Starter image Ending Image Watch and Learn Using selections for color and tone adjustments from Photoshop Selections: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques by Richard Harrington Read Along Let's make some basic selections using a simple concept: tone. By limiting a selection to a particular area, such as the shadows or midtones, we can make precise … [Read more...] about Using Photoshop Selections for Color and Tone Adjustments
Quick Tip: Open Almost Any Image in Adobe Camera Raw
Want to open almost any image in Camera Raw? It turns out that you can! You can, in fact, open TIFF and JPEG files using the Camera Raw plug-in. Here's how... In Photoshop, choose File > Browse in Bridge to switch to Adobe Bridge. Select the desired files. Choose select File > Open In Camera Raw. While you won't see any of the major benefits for image quality a raw file offers, you can use the Camera Raw dialog box to adjust the images. This is also a much easier way to open several photos and sync the same settings … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Open Almost Any Image in Adobe Camera Raw
How to Enhance Your Photos With Textures – Part 2: Blending
When using textures to enhance your photos in Photoshop, blending is how you reveal your image below the texture layer or tell the texture layer how to combine with the layers below it. If you just import your texture image in over top of one of your photos, whichever image is at the top of your layer stack is the only one you will see. In this article you will learn the three main types of blending: transparency, blending modes, and masking, and how to use each of them to produce cool texture effects for your photos. Be sure you have read … [Read more...] about How to Enhance Your Photos With Textures – Part 2: Blending
At Photoshop World? Come See Us
Are you in Orlando this week for Photoshop World? The Photofocus team is here and would love to chat or have a drink. You can catch up with several team members including: Vanelli Levi Sim Kevin Ames Jason Hahn Rich Harrington Scott Bourne Where to find us? Meet Our Editor Kevin Ames, our Managing Editor is at the show. He's got several free slots to meet. Just email him at [email protected] Share your ideas Request articles Sign up to write for Photofocus Learn about our upcoming … [Read more...] about At Photoshop World? Come See Us
Diving into Lightroom’s New Profile System
With Lightroom's latest 7.3 update, it introduced a new way to handle profiles. This combined the typical camera calibration tools that we were used to, along with a feature compares similarly to LUTs (lookup tables). How Do I Get My Old Camera Profiles Back? If you shoot in RAW, you might be used to using your camera profiles in Lightroom to restore some of the depth and color that you saw on the back of your camera screen. But in Lightroom 7.3, the camera profiles area has been moved, to the top of the Basic panel in the Develop … [Read more...] about Diving into Lightroom’s New Profile System
Quick Tip: What happened to “Camera Calibration” in Lightroom Classic Creative Cloud?
I develop images in Adobe Lightroom Creative Cloud (LR CC) using a top-down approach, starting with "Basic". The one rule breaker was "Camera Calibration", the very last menu item. When working with RAW image files, I find starting with Camera Calibration can save time and energy. I shoot Nikon and Fuji and find that camera specific settings often outperform the generic Adobe presets in LR. I recently updated the LR Classic CC app (formerly called LR CC) to the latest 7.3 release and could not find "Camera Calibration". It seemed like a big … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: What happened to “Camera Calibration” in Lightroom Classic Creative Cloud?
Searching for a Lightroom Alternative: Is it Time to Switch?
Since Adobe changed some of its Creative Cloud pricing on Monday (4/16/18; note the Photography plans were not impacted), there's been a lot of discussion surrounding alternatives to Lightroom. And while Lightroom continues to be the industry standard for photo editing and organization, there's a lot of tools out there that are great alternatives for people who don't want to be married to a subscription model. Luminar $59 for Photofocus readers; available for Mac and Windows I've been using Skylum's Luminar 2018 since it first came out, and … [Read more...] about Searching for a Lightroom Alternative: Is it Time to Switch?
