Tag Archive for Photoshop

naturephoto | January 2, 2011
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Winter scenes at Mer Bleue

Here are photos taken at a recent outing at Mer Bleue Bog in Ottawa.

Winter tree silhouette against blue orange sky-HDR

This photo is made up of 3 images that were merged with Photoshop CS5 HDR Pro. To put the finishing touches on the HDR tone mapped image, the file was saved as a tiff file in Photoshop and then opened with Adobe Camera Raw 6.3.  If you’re like me and like making the bulk of your photo adjustments using Adobe Camera Raw, did you know that you can make use of all those familiar adjustments on your TIFF or JPG files as well.  This is a great way to make final color/contrast adjustments to your HDR images.

Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) Tip:  You can set ACR to open JPG and TIFF images and be able to make use of the same adjustments that you use against your raw files.

From Adobe Bridge, to specify Camera Raw preferences, choose Edit > Camera Raw Preferences (PC) or Adobe Bridge CS5 > Camera Raw Preferences (Mac).  At the bottom of the dialog there are two menus under the JPEG and  TIFF Handling headings.  These two menus have the same impact on their respective files formats.

This is how the TIFF selections impact the TIFF files when doing a double-click on these files in Bridge.

Disable TIFF support: You will not be able to open TIFF files using Adobe Camera Raw. This is the default setting.

Automatiacally Open TIFF with settings: TIFF files which have previously been modified using ACR will be automatically open with ACR, and TIFF files which have not been modified with ACR will be open by Photoshop

Automatically Open all supported  TIFFs: All TIFF files will be  automatically open using ACR unless they contain layers in which case they will open in Photoshop.

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Category: Photo Techniques, Photos, Photoshop | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
naturephoto | April 27, 2010
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Canon PowerShot S90 mini review

I had the chance to spend a few days in PEI last weekend and took the opportunity to take a few photos. I was traveling light so I only brought my Canon PowerShot S90 point and shoot camera.

Canon PowerShot S90

Canon PowerShot S90

A few words on the PowerShot S90; I really like this little camera. While many photographers rave about the Canon Gxx series of cameras, I find that they are compact but not truly pocket cameras as the S90 is.

Here are some of the nice features of the Canon PowerShot S90:

  • Same over-sized low light sensitivity 10.0 Megapixel sensor coupled with Digic 4 image processor as the Canon G11!
  • Raw file support which is rare for such a small compact camera.
  • f/2.0-4.9 28-105mm equivalent Image Stabilized lens
  • Programmable Control ring which allows quick control of programmed feature which can allow you to control one of Aperture, ISO, Exposure Compensation, White Balance, Manual Focus, Lens zoom step
  • Advanced features such as: AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing), FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing), Exposure Compensation, Flash Exposure Compensation,P + Tv + Av + M modes,
  • 3.94 x 2.30 x 1.22 inches (100.0 x 58.4 x 30.9mm), Approx. 6.17 oz (175g) camera body only

    • Being a small compact camera it is expectedly not fast enough to shoot action, flash is not powerful, etc.

    The only feature that I am disappointed with is the macro focusing abilities which keeps hunting for focus.

    Overall I would highly recommend this camera for someone wanting a true pocket camera with advanced features. It won’t give you the photo quality of a DSLR, but because you can carry it in your pocket at all times, it will allow you to get some shots you would otherwise miss! This is the ideal bring everywhere pocket camera for times you are not bringing along your camera bag with DSLR and lenses with you.

    Here are a few sample pictures taken with the PowerShot S90 and some Photoshop/ACR processing descriptions. Unless indicated otherwise all photos captured at ISO 80:
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    Category: Gear, Photoshop, Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
    naturephoto | March 19, 2010
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    Topaz Adjust 4 at the Sugar Shack

    I was out at a maple sugar farm last weekend and took a few pictures. Here are side by side comparisons before and after photos.
    The photos were processed in Photoshop with the Topaz Adjust 4 plugin.
    In both cases the Topaz Adjust filters were applied with Color blending options to fine tune and tone down the effects. Some curves adjustments were also used in processing the photos.

    The Topaz Adjust filters will make for very saturated colors and they are often used in a final post-processing step for HDR images.

    Factoid: It takes 40 liters of maple sap to make 1 liter of maple syrop!

    Un-processed photo of maple sap collector bucket

    Un-processed photo of maple sap collector bucket

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    Category: Photo Techniques, Photos, Photoshop | Tags: , , , , , ,
    naturephoto | March 18, 2010
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    Happy 20th Photoshop!

    Did you know? Yes, Photoshop celebrated it’s 20th anniversary in 2010!

    Photoshop 1.0.7 Splash Screen

    Photoshop 1.0.7 Splash Screen

    The software that helped revolutionize digital photography, and which no creative photographer can live without these days, is 20.

    There was a 20th Anniversary celebration hosted by the guys at NAPP on Feb. 19 2010.
    You can view the entire show HERE (120 min).

    Or you can look at the best part of the celebration. A very entertaining presentation by Adobe’s Russell Brown which goes through the first 20 years of Photoshop, in a very creative video (20 min).

    Russell Brown is Senior Creative Director at Adobe Systems. You can visit his website www.russellbrown.com

    You can also see the Photoshop features timeline at Adobe’s own www.photoshop20anniversary.com.

    Quote from: www.photoshop20anniversary.com

    In the late 1980s, Thomas Knoll and John Knoll developed a pixel-imaging program — first called Display, then Image Pro, and finally Photoshop. They made a well-received presentation to Russell Brown at Adobe and then licensed Photoshop to Adobe in 1988. The rest is history.

    Have a look at the The Evolution of the Photoshop Splash Screens page at photoshopnews.com

    Category: Photoshop | Tags: , , ,
    naturephoto | February 19, 2009
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    Visit Jack Davis’ Adventures in Photoshop website for 100+ free ACR presets

    Get more than 100 free ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) and Adobe Lightroom presets from Jack Davis. Follow this link to OnOne Software. You can also visit Jack Davis’ Adventures In Photoshop website for other links.
    Jack Davis is the 2003 winner of the NAPP Photoshop Hall Of Fame award.

    Category: Photoshop | Tags: , ,
    naturephoto | June 24, 2008
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    NAPP: Get the best in Photoshop Resources and Training

    NAPP is the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Become a member and you get access to Video Tutorials, Tips & Tricks to expand your Photoshop knowledge. You also get a yearly subscription to Photoshop User Magazine, published 8 times a year, which is packed with essential information related to Photoshop. Your membership also allows you to get discounts on a wide selection of Books, DVDs, Hardware, Software, Training and more.
    These are just a few of the advantages of joining NAPP, to join or learn more visit www.photoshopuser.com

    Category: Photoshop, Reviews | Tags: , ,
    naturephoto | February 2, 2008
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    Want to learn new Photoshop tips and tricks?

    Learn Photoshop tips and tricks from the Photoshop Guys on Photoshop User TV. Read more

    Category: Photoshop, Reviews | Tags: