Adobe will be announcing their impressive, new version of Photoshop CS5 on April 10, 2010. Take a look at the Sneak Peek video.
Courtesy of Youtube and Adobe Photoshop.
Archive for the ‘News’ Category
News
Adobe CS5 Sneak Peek Video
03.05.10
Exposure: Shutter Speed
03.04.10
Shutter Speed is “a measure of the length of time a shutter remains open for an exposure, given in seconds or fractions of a second.” by Bruce Warren. The shutter speed has the ability to freeze a running soccer player or beautifully blur a dancing toddler.
When you press the shutter button to take a photograph, you are opening the curtain exposing the sensor (or film) within the camera. Shutter speeds are measured in seconds (or fractions of a second). From one shutter speed to the next (in the below list) is considered one full stop. Just as in apertures, the standardized 2:1 scale is used for shutter speeds where moving from one shutter speed to the next (in full stop increments) will either double or halve the amount of light entering the camera. Here are the standardized shutter speeds measured in seconds:
1s, 1/2s, 1/4s, 1/8s, 1/15s, 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/125s, 1/250s, 1/500s, 1/1000s
How does the shutter speed affect the photograph?
Using a slow shutter speed like 1s or 1/15s will blur any moving subjects. To freeze a moving subject, it is best to use a faster shutter speed like 1/500s. A standard rule is to set your shutter speed at 1/125 when outside in sunlight to avoid camera shake.
Hummingbird frozen in the air using a shutter speed of 1/1000
Exposure: Depth-of-Field (DOF)
02.24.10
Depth-of-Field (DOF) is “the portion of a scene that appears acceptably sharp in the image.”. wikipedia.com
The DOF is controlled by the lens Aperture diameter within the lens. An aperture of F2.8 or less will create a very shallow DOF and is often used for Portrait Photography. Opening Up (increasing your aperture) to F11 or greater will create a deep DOF and this effect is often used for Landscape Photography. By understanding the Apertures on your lens, you will be able to Pre-visualize your Depth-of-Field and begin to control the effects within your photographs.
Depth-of-Field F2.8
The photograph above is an example of a Shallow Depth-of-Field where the subject is in focus but the foreground and background are out-of-focus. The exposure was set at F2.8, 1/125 at 400ISO.
Montevideo, Uruguay F16
Above is an example of a Deep Depth-of-Field where the landscape photograph is completely in focus. The exposure was set at F16, 1/60, 800ISO.
“Depth of Field.” wikipedia.org 2010. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. 9 February 2010.
Exposure: Aperture
02.18.10
Aperture is “An opening usually variable in size, located in or near a lens, that is used to control the amount of light that reaches the photosensitive material.” by Bruce Warren.
The Aperture controls the Depth-of-Field (or the area in focus). Apertures are measured in units called Focal Stops, Focal Numbers or commonly known as F-stops.
Most digital cameras allow for 1/3 F-stop increments, which can be confusing. It is best to try and memorize the full f-stops below, as opposed to the 1/3 increments (F2.8, F3.2, F3.5, F4 etc.).
F2, F2.8, F4, F5.6, F8, F11, F16, F22, F32, F64
Adjacent numbers in the above series of full stops allow light to spill into the camera in a proportion of 2 to 1. For example, changing an aperture from F4 to F5.6 will decrease the amount of light spilling into the camera by half. This is known as Stopping Down. Changing the aperture from F16 to F11 is called Opening Up and doubles the amount of light entering the camera.
Aperture Diagram courtesy of www.camaraphotography.com
When the lens is Wide Open, the smallest aperture is used, letting in the most amount of light. Each individual lens will have a set Wide Open aperture. The smaller the aperture, the more expensive the lens. Standard lenses use a wide open aperture of F4-F5.6. More expensive lenses use F2.8 or smaller.
More aperture discussions to come. Please feel free to comment if you have any questions or if you would like to request a PhotoTips topic.
Warren, Bruce . Photography: Second Edition, 2002 (Albany, NY, USA: Delmar with Thomson Learning INC, 2002), A24.
Exposure: ISO
02.17.10
There are 3 variables to control when working with your camera to create an accurate exposure. Once you become familiar with the controls, you will be able to pre-visualize the style of your photograph even before you begin to shoot.
Exposure is “the total amount of light that a photosensitive material (your sensor) receives, equal to the product of the illuminance on the material and the amount of time the material is exposed to light.” By Bruce Warren
To create an image, you must have the correct exposure, which is a balancing act between the aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed with ISO setting the stage.
ISO = International Organization for Standardization
- The ISO is an exposure index system
- The standard ISO settings are 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600
- When shooting outside in bright sunlight, shoot with 100 ISO
- When shooting outside with an overcast sky, shoot 200 ISO
- When shooting moving objects, set your ISO at 400. If the image looks blurry, try increasing your ISO to 800 or 1600
- When shooting inside, set your ISO at 400, 800 or 1600
100 ISO settings will create crisp, clear photographs while 1600 ISO settings will compromise your image by showing “noise” or grainy areas in the shadows.
ISO 100 is used on bright sunny days.
Warren, Bruce. Photography: Second Edition, 2002 (Albany, NY, USA: Delmar with Thomson Learning INC, 2002), 29-34.
Epson Printing through Photoshop
02.12.10
How do you create beautiful, accurate prints from an Epson printer? This is one of the most common questions asked about printing with an Epson. There are so many options and it becomes a frustrating experience to figure out how to get your photographs looking like the images on your computer screen. So, after spending literally days on the internet and banging my head against the wall, I figured out the key steps necessary to print stunning, award winning prints through my Epson Pro 3800.
1. Monitor Calibration. Calibration is so important and often an ignored issue. If your monitor is not calibrated, then you are working blind and your prints will not be accurate. Some monitor calibration software includes “Huey”, “Spyder Pro 3″ and “Eye One”. I use Spyder Pro 2 and have been very happy with the quick results. Upcoming posts will give you beginning calibration information without the need to purchase software.
2. In Adobe Photoshop CS4, under “Edit”, “Colour Settings” and then “Settings” choose “North American General Purpose 2″ . In the working spaces box choose “sRGB IEC61966-2.1″. Click Okay.
3. File Print. Under “Printer”, choose your Epson printer you wish to print from. Click on “Page Set-Up”.
4. Under “Page Set-up”, select your printer (again). Then, Select your paper size. Click Okay.
5. On the right hand column of the Print Window under the “Printer Profile”, choose your paper profile. (You must download the profile from the internet. Here is a link for Epson’s paper profiles for Mac and Windows http://bit.ly/bYBtGV).
6. Under “Colour Management” choose “Document” (you have already selected the document to be in the working space of sRGB IEC61966-2.1 in the colour settings.) Under “Colour Handling” choose “Photoshop Manages Colors”. 
7. Under “Rendering Intent” select “Relative Colourimetric” and also click the Black Point Compensation box. Click ” Print”.
8. Make sure your printer is set correctly and the paper size under “Presets” is correct (it often changes). 
9. Under “Layout” Choose “Paper Settings”. Under “Media Type” find the paper you are using (the instructions in the paper box will tell you which settings to select). Under “Print Mode”, choose “AccuPhoto”. Under “Colour Management”, choose “Off (no colour management)”. This is really important!
10. Under “OutPut Resolution” choose “SuperPhoto – 2880dpi” or “SuperPhoto – 1440dpi”. Then click the Finest Detail and High Speed boxes. Now try and Print!
Please feel free to email if you have any problems. Good Luck!
Camera Obscura
02.10.10
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, leading up to the creation of chemical photography, innovations were made steadily to the camera to help ordinary people who lacked artistic training draw scenes from life. As it became more sophisticated, the room became a box, and the pinhole was replaced with a lens. Certain models even used a mirror, placed at a 45 degree angle, to reflect the image from the lens up on to a sheet of ground or frosted glass. The camera was now portable and allowed artists to travel to their subjects as opposed to their subjects coming to them.
Camera Obscura Illustration
Written by Dan Epstein and Caley Taylor
Newhall, Beaumont. ”History of Photography: 1859 to Present”.
New! Aperture 3
02.09.10
Aperture 3 was released by Apple Feb 9th, 2010. Upgrade this powerful photo editing software for only $99 or buy for $199. One-Month Trial versions are available at www.apple.com/aperture
Impressive Features Include
Brushes - New nondestructive, edge-aware brushes let you selectively apply powerful adjustments to photos.
Advanced Slideshows – Create spectacular multimedia shows with photos, HD video clips, titles, layered soundtracks and professionally designed themes.
Full-Screen Browser – Take advantage of your Apple display to get a big, uncluttered, full-screen view of your library.
Adjustment Presets – Dozens of new adjustment presets give your photos a wide range of looks in just one click.
Faces – Faces makes it faster and easier to search thousands of photos for shots of a particular person.
Places – Now you can use GPS location data to explore your photos by the places they were taken. Better still, find them on an interactive map.
Courtesy of Apple.com
An Ancient Camera
02.09.10
Most people think that cameras started with photography, but in fact cameras have been around for thousands of years, going all the way back to ancient Greece. To achieve a more accurate basis for their drawings, artists invented the Camera Obscura or “Dark Room” in Latin. The device is simply a dark room with a pinhole in one of the outward facing walls. Through the pinhole, the view of the outside becomes inverted and projected on the opposite of the room. Artists then trace the projection to create an illustration.
Camera Obscura llustration by John Hinton 1752
Above is an illustration by John Hinton showing the use of a Camera Obscura to achieve more accurate drawings and paintings. In 1752 the drawing was shown in the publication, “Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure”.
Written by Dan Epstein and Caley Taylor
Newhall, Beaumont, "History of Photography: 1839 to Present".
Camera Obscura image from "Chapter Six" www.precinemahistory.net/1750.htm
Memory Card Capacity
02.05.10
Ever wonder how many photographs your different sized memory cards can hold? You can set the quality of your files by exploring the interface in your camera. The higher the quality, the greater number of megapixels of the file and therefore the card will hold less photographs.
| Memory Card Capacity* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | File size* | 2GB | 4GB | 8GB | 16 GB |
| 5 MP | 1.5 MB | 1200 | 2500 | 5100 | 10300 |
| 6 MP | 1.7 MB | 1100 | 2200 | 4400 | 8900 |
| 8 MP | 2.3 MB | 800 | 1650 | 3200 | 6650 |
| 10 MP | 2.9 MB | 650 | 1300 | 2600 | 5200 |
| 12 MP | 4.6 MB | 400 | 800 | 1600 | 3250 |
| VIDEO | 5 Mbps (EP) | 45 | 90 | 180 | 360 |
| *average file size for a high resolution JPEG Source: Lexar Media | |||||
Infrared Effects in CS4
02.03.10
The super intense Infrared effects can be created with a special camera and infrared film or you can take the easier route and change any photograph in Adobe Photoshop CS4. Look at the foliage in the tree…they seem to glow. Click here to view a great link showcasing outstanding infrared photographs.
Here are the steps to create an infrared image.
1. Open a photograph.
Tree
2. Make a copy of the background (apple + j)
3. Go to Image, Adjustments, black and white…
4. Under “Presets” in the black and white window, select Infrared. Using the channels, finesse your photograph to bring out the infrared feel. The “red” channel really changes the glowing effect. I also added a sepia tone to the final image.
Infrared Effects
Light Waves
02.01.10
The nature of light itself is still the subject of much speculation. Current theories explain light by giving it the properties of both waves and particles. We will deal primarily with the wave theory; this explains the aspects of light, such as wavelength and frequency, that concern us in colour photography.
The easiest way to understand light waves is to imagine holding a string that is fixed in position at the other end. By vibrating this string, you create waves traveling along it. The faster you vibrate it, the narrower the distance between the crest of each wave. The slower you vibrate it, the longer this distance. This spacing between the points is known as the wavelength.
It is this difference that creates the different colours within the spectrum. The brightness of the light is due to the amount of energy produced by the light source. While this has an influence on photography, it does not directly affect the colours produced.
Light waves are the visible part of a much larger group of waves known as the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes X-rays and radio waves. The range that is present in daylight is shown below. This ranges from the short-wavelength ultraviolet to the longer-wavelength infrared, with the visible portion in between.
Diagram of Light Waves by www.antonine-education.co.uk
While our eyes cannot see ultraviolet or infrared radiation, these can have an effect on the image produced by both digital sensors and film. In most circumstances, it is undesirable for the image to register radiation outside of the visible spectrum. However, it is useful for both scientific and artistic applications for producing images of a world beyond our visible experience.
Adapted by Caley Taylor from Chris Rutter’s “Color Theory Fundaementals for Digital Photography”
Summary of Primary Colours
01.29.10
With three different combinations of primary colors, it can be confusing as to which should be used. Here are the technical uses for each.
RGB (Additive) • Red, green, and blue: light, digital cameras, and displays
CMYK (Subtractive) • Cyan, magenta, and yellow: commercial printing and some home printers
YRB • Yellow, red, and blue: painting and art theory
Hue/Saturation in PhotoshopCS4
01.27.10
Another way to manipulate your colour balance is through Hue/Saturation. I often use this in photographs with a high tungsten warm look, although it is easier to make sure your camera is set to the correct Kelvin Scale temperature. Mistakes happen, and this is a great way to remove that awful yellow/orange tinge or to remove an unwanted colour. The example below will remove the magenta from the scarf.
Here are the steps to begin playing with Hue/Saturation in Photoshop CS4:
1. Open an image to manipulate.
2. Select Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation
3. Select Master and choose the colour you would like to change. In this image, I selected magenta and used the slider to reduce the magenta. Select the Yellow colour if you wish to remove unwanted tungsten from the image.
There are lots of sliders to play with in hue/saturation…it’s a great tool!
Colour Balance in PhotoshopCS4
01.25.10
Back in the day when I first started working in the photography industry, we used colour enlargers and large colour printers with harsh smelling chemicals to create beautiful colour enlargements. The manipulation of the Magenta and Yellow filters within the enlarger gave you correct colour balance (some people touch that Cyan filter, which in darkroom printing, only causes nightmares and isn’t necessary). It took months and months to become an expert colour printer. I loved the hours in the darkroom at West Camera, Toronto. It gave you time to chat with other photographers and feel part of the industry. Now a days, the post production is mainly completed on computers.
Here are some simple steps to begin learning how to achieve correct colour balance using Adobe Photoshop CS4:
1. Open a photo to manipulate.
2. Select Image, Adjustments, Colour Balance (apple + “B”)
3. Slide the scales to adjust the colour. If you see Cyan in the photograph, then move the slider towards the Red, until the image is slightly red. Then move it back towards the Cyan until there is no Red or Cyan in the image. Do the same for the all the other Additive Colours (RGB) and Subtractive Colours (CMYK…”K” being black). It takes a trained eye to see the difference between slight Green and slight Yellow or Magenta versus Red.
