Retouching portraits. This is an important subject and I'll tackle it with you in pieces. You've had a good session with your subject and now you can utilize your computer to finish off their pictures so they can present them to the world. When you show them their pictures, they should feel great about the way it looks. Their best friend should say, "Wow! That's a great shot of you." Their best friend should not say, "Wow! They did a great job retouching." As retoucher and photographer Kristina Sherk says, "The sign of a good retoucher is … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Retouching must be invisible
Photoshop
Don’t forget to remove the copyright watermark
A good friend sent me an image of a book she saw at a local store. The book featured pages filled with cute Adobe Stock images of children. How did I know they were from Adobe Stock? The book's designer forgot to remove the Adobe Stock watermark! Here’s how to avoid this costly and embarrassing mistake. Try before you buy A great feature of Adobe Stock is how it’s integrated with Adobe’s Creative Cloud applications — Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. You can download a watermarked preview of an image and place it in your layout. … [Read more...] about Don’t forget to remove the copyright watermark
Live Webinar: Perfecting Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk, Friday, October 19, 2018
We're excited to have world-class photographer and retoucher Kristina Sherk in this webinar to help you step up your retouching. She'll help us understand the principles behind great retouching, tips for shooting to make retouching easier, and how she retouches using Perfectly Clear Complete. Check out Kristina's photography and her retouching portfolio. This webinar is free, so register now and invite your friends. Join us this Friday, October 19th at 11 am Eastern, 10 am Central, 9 am Mountain, 8 am Pacific and 12:30 pm in … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Perfecting Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk, Friday, October 19, 2018
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
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
Enthusiast’s Guide: How to use Photoshop’s image stacks to remove people from a scene
(Editor's note: Photofocus is proud to add Rocky Nook as a vibrant contributor for our readers. Rocky Nook is a small — seven-person independent publishing company. Their commitment is producing high-quality books written by pros for photographers who want to learn more about their craft. Over the next several weeks, Photofocus features a series on multi-shot photography excerpted from "The Enthusiast's Guide to Multi-Shot Techniques" by Alan Hess.) Once you have a set of images loaded as a stack in Photoshop you can apply some of the other … [Read more...] about Enthusiast’s Guide: How to use Photoshop’s image stacks to remove people from a scene
Quick Tip: Download and install eyelash brushes for realistic eyelashes in Photoshop
There are many online resources that offer eyelash brushes. A simple Google search for "Eyelash Brush Photoshop" will return several great sites. I downloaded the brushes from Obsidian Dawn’s website and paid a small $3 fee for commercial use. Want to learn more? Check out this article, "Adding Realistic Eyelashes in Photoshop" … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Download and install eyelash brushes for realistic eyelashes in Photoshop
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
Quick Tip: Cycle through a layer’s blend mode to seamlessly blend two images together
Replacing a background of an image can be a challenge. The trick is to find the right background that has similar colors, tones, lighting and looks like it belongs to the main image. Once you find the right image, cycle through the layer’s blend mode selector to see which mode blends best. This applies to any image editing software that uses layers, including Photoshop and Luminar. Want to learn more? Check out this article, "Changing a Background with an Image Overlay in Luminar 2018" … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Cycle through a layer’s blend mode to seamlessly blend two images together
Enthusiast’s Guide: Use image stack in Photoshop to reduce noise
(Editor's note: Photofocus is proud to add Rocky Nook as a vibrant contributor for our readers. Rocky Nook is a small — seven-person independent publishing company. Their commitment is producing high-quality books written by pros for photographers who want to learn more about their craft. Over the next several weeks, Photofocus features a series on multi-shot photography from "The Enthusiast's Guide to Multi-Shot Techniques" by Alan Hess.) Photoshop's image stacks A lesser-known feature in Photoshop is image stacking. One of the best uses for … [Read more...] about Enthusiast’s Guide: Use image stack in Photoshop to reduce noise
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
Attaching a LUT to a Lightroom preset
A recent change to Lightroom is an Advanced Camera Profile that allows you to attach other settings. Now, we can actually import look-up tables, and attach them to our Lightroom presets. This means that a lot of the advanced things you do in PhotoShop can translate to a Lightroom color adjustment. Let me show you how to take the PhotoShop lot, and attach to a Lightroom preset. One of the easiest ways to create a new Lightroom profiles to actually use Adobe Bridge. What you have to do is, select an image, and then right-click, and open that … [Read more...] about Attaching a LUT to a Lightroom preset
Quick Tip: Boost your creativity with LUTs
LUTs can give your creativity a boost. Trying different LUTs with your RAW photographs can quickly give you a cool, warm or "other-worldly look," that you fine tune from there. Not sure where to start? Check out this article here, on the basics of using LUTs with your photographs and some of the programs that use them. Here's an example of a panorama from one of my drone projects using an Alternative Process LUT from Lutify LUTS in Capture One Pro. Original With LUT applied … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Boost your creativity with LUTs
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
Luminar gets a big update (especially for Windows users)
The team over at Skylum have been hard at work on Luminar (their photo editor and plugin combination). They just dropped a big update for Windows users and a smaller update for Mac users. The update is free if you own the current version of the product (if you want to try it out click here). How to get the update The next time you launch Luminar, it should prompt you to update the software. You can also manually check for the update. Mac – Please choose Luminar 2018 > Check for updates. Windows – Please choose Help … [Read more...] about Luminar gets a big update (especially for Windows users)
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
Quick Tip: Photoshop Curves Made Drop Dead Easy
Find Curves a little confusing? Try this simple tip. Most users will either use Curves a lot or they won’t use it at all. The Curves interface is more complex than Levels, which scares away many users. A Curves adjustment allows for up to 16 control points. This can significantly open up more options when adjusting color and exposure. But where do you click? Step 1: Add a Curves Adjustment Layer. Step 2: Click the icon that looks like a pointing finger. Step 3: Now just click and drag in the image to modify the curve. The control … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Photoshop Curves Made Drop Dead Easy
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
Quick Tip: Stop Dumbing Down Your Raw Files
Working with Raw Files in Photoshop? One of the major benefits of shooting raw is an increased bit depth. If you don't make these two change to your Photoshop Raw workflow, you are just destroying the quality of your raw photos. Step 1: Open a raw image. Step 2: At the bottom of the Adobe Camera Raw window click the white underlined text (the Workflow Options link). Step 3: Set Camera Raw to develop 16-bit files. In the Workflow Options dialog box. Step 4: Choose Open in Photoshop as Smart Objects. This way you can double … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Stop Dumbing Down Your Raw Files
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
Perfectly Clear: Beginning Retouching for the Non-Retoucher
I totally understand that there are people out there who picked up a camera at the same time they picked up a laptop just so they could edit images. I, however, wasn't one of those individuals. I actually didn't buy any retouching software until a couple years after I picked up my first DSLR. I really was so fascinated with being able to understand everything my camera could do and trying so hard to get things right in the camera that adding in the editing part was almost too much for my brain. I was completely content with just capturing what … [Read more...] about Perfectly Clear: Beginning Retouching for the Non-Retoucher
Portrait Tips: Fix It Now, Not In Photoshop
It's important to keep a shoot moving along, keep your subjects engaged, and keep up appearances that you know what you're doing, right? We all want to appear to be in confident control. However, it's also important to pay attention and make adjustments so that you don't waste time making pictures that are going to cost you more work to finish than they may be worth. Let me give you some examples. Lint & Pet Hair You will spend decades of your life retouching lint and hair off suits and jackets if you don't catch it before you start … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Fix It Now, Not In Photoshop
Portrait Tips: Know Your Software
Here's a quick tip that will help you be more creative while shooting and manage details. You need to know your software tools at least as well as you know your camera and lights. This has been on my mind, lately, behind I've been demonstrating Luminar for lots of folks and it's amazed me how quickly I've been able to integrate it into my workflow and understand how it can affect my pictures. Photoshop isn't New "Getting it right in the camera" is often invoked as the hallmark of a good photographer, but it's a big misconception. Ever since … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Know Your Software
Photoshop’s New Subject Select Tool…WOW!
Adobe’s added a new “Select Subject” feature to their newest Photoshop release. They claim the machine learning feature will make basic and time-consuming masking quicker and more accurate than ever before. We’ve heard this before, but this time they hit a home run! Instead of writing about it, I created a video to show you how to use the new Select Subject Tool to quickly extract both a simple and complicated subject to create a composite. As a bonus, I also show how to use the tool in your general … [Read more...] about Photoshop’s New Subject Select Tool…WOW!
Why Focus Stack When I Can Just Use f/22?
I've got three good reasons why using f/22 won't get you a sharp picture. However, even though I've proven these reasons in my own work, you should go try it yourself. The other day, I wrote a brief introduction to focus stacking (check it out here) and it has spurred a lot of questions and discussion on my Facebook page (including some guest pictures below). The major question posed there is "Why not simply use a small aperture to create a photo with great depth of field and get everything in focus instead of a process like focus stacking … [Read more...] about Why Focus Stack When I Can Just Use f/22?
