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NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE: The Photofocus Podcast Feed HAS CHANGED!
Here is the new feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcast
Download episode here... or get it on iTunes
Rich takes a deep dive with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom product manager Sharad Mangalick.
Topics include:
Connect with Adobe on social media:
Hosted by Rich Harrington
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I know you’ve been busy with the holidays, so you may have missed that a new Adobe Camera Raw plugin was officially released.
It is only downloadable as an update through Adobe Photoshop CS6.
- Launch Adobe Photoshop.
- Choose Help > Updates.
- Run any updates that show up in the Adobe Application Manager by clicking the Update button.
The following cameras are now supported.
- Canon EOS 6D
- Canon PowerShot S110
- Canon PowerShot G15
- Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
- Casio Exilim EX-ZR1000
- Casio Exilim EX-FC300S
- Leica M-E
- Nikon 1 V2
- Nikon D5200
- Nikon D600
- Olympus PEN E-PL5
- Olympus PEN E-PM2
- Olympus STYLUS XZ-2 iHS
- Panasonic DMC-GH3
- Pentax K-5 II
- Pentax K-5 IIs
- Pentax Q10
- Sony DSC-RX1
- Sony NEX-VG30
- Sony NEX-VG900
Download LinksCamera Raw 7.3 – Please use the update mechanism in Photoshop CS6
DNG Converter 7.3 - Windows, Mac
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| | | | The Levels command corrects tonal ranges and color balance issues. With this command you can fix poor exposure. Additionally, you can perform color correction by manually identifying a white point and black point in the image. Nearly every image can benefit from making a Levels adjustment.
To understand Levels, you must be able to read a histogram. This graph works as a visual guide for adjusting the image. The Levels adjustment has its own histogram that is visible when working in the Adjustments panel. You may also want to call up the Histogram panel (Window > Histogram) and leave it open while color correcting to help you spot issues in color and contrast. You can also expand the Histogram panel by clicking the submenu and choosing All Channels View. Let’s give the command a try.
1. Add a Levels adjustment layer by clicking the Levels icon in the Adjustments panel. Levels is also available from the Adjustments menu (Image > Adjustments), but the adjustment layer is more flexible for future modifications.
 
2. This photo was shot under mixed light, but you can reset the black and white points of the image to fix the exposure. In the Adjustments panel, move the white Input Levels slider to the left. This affects the image’s white point and allows you to reassign where white should begin in the image.
3. Move the black Input Levels slider slowly to the right. The more you move the black slider to the right, the more contrast is introduced into the image.
 
4. The true power lies in the middle (gray) Input Levels slider. By moving this slider, you can modify the gamma setting. Effectively, you can use the middle Input Levels slider to change the intensity of the midtones. This adjustment can be made without making dramatic changes to the highlights and shadows, and lets you better expose an image. Move the slider to the left to add light; move the slider to the right to subtract light.
 
In the future if you need to edit the adjustment, simply select the adjustment layer in the Layers panel and manipulate the controls in the Adjustments panel.
TIP Rinse and Repeat
If you have several images from the same camera or shoot, they may need the same Levels adjustment. The Save button allows you to save a Levels adjustment (to the folder that contains the image is a good place). You can then click the Load button to apply that adjustment to another image.
Get the new book – Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS6
Get the whole chapter for free here – Download Chapter 10: Color Correction and Enhancement
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The deadline to submit your work for The Incredible Makeover Contest is right around the corner. If you haven't submitted your entry for this special contest sponsored by NAPP and Wacom, you only have seven days to do so.
Don’t miss your chance to share one of your incredible makeovers with the world for the chance to win a grand prize package worth $5,000, as well as have your work featured in an upcoming issue of Photoshop User magazine.
To enter NAPP and Wacom’s “The Incredible Makeover” contest, simply submit a before and after image of your greatest work no later than July 31, 2012 and tell us how Photoshop and a Wacom pen tablet helped you transform your creative vision into a real-life masterpiece.
Along with a panel of NAPP and Wacom officials selecting the grand prize winner, we’ll be bestowing a special People’s Choice Award with the general public voting for their favorite submission!
Good luck!
Entry Deadline: July 31, 2012
Winners Revealed: August 10, 2012
Contest Prizes
$5,000 Grand Prize Award! • Wacom Cintiq 21UX Interactive Pen Display
• Adobe Photoshop CS6
• Two-Year Membership to NAPP
• Trip to Photoshop World Conference & Expo, Las Vegas
People's Choice Award
• Wacom Cintiq 21UX Interactive Pen Display
• Adobe Photoshop CS6
• Two-Year Membership to NAPP
Honorable Mention Award • Wacom Cintiq 21UX Interactive Pen Display
• One-Year Membership to NAPP
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If you were looking for one more reason to step up to Adobe Creative Cloud, it just arrived.
For $49 a month for pros or $29 a month for students (with annual subscription) you know get the entire Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection, a bunch of cool tablet apps, a suite of online services, and now Adobe Lightroom.
For those of you turned off by the name, these are the same apps in the traditional suites. They install and run off your local computer without a need for a constant Internet connection. The cloud angle is simply a bunch of online tools for collaboration and backup.
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| | | | I frequently see other photographers struggle in preparing their files for the Internet. Some make files that are ridiculously big and take forever to download. Others accidentally resize or flatten layers during the process and damage their files. But I understand, you probably didn’t study to be a web developer.
Fortunately, Photoshop provides a powerful command for compressing images and previewing the results: the Save For Web & Devices command.
1. Open an image in Adobe Photoshop.
2. Choose File > Save For Web & Devices.
3. The Save For Web & Devices dialog box offers several important options for optimization and preview:
- Tools. If you can’t see the entire image, you can use the Zoom tool to make the image more visible. Additionally, you can use the Hand tool (or hold down the spacebar) to drag and navigate around the image.
- Optimization tabs. By clicking the four tabs at the top, you can choose to view the Original image, an Optimized view, 2-Up for two versions of the image side by side, or 4-Up for four versions of the image side by side. Being able to compare optimized images helps you choose the right format and compression settings.
- Image Optimization Info. The area below each image in the Save For Web & Devices dialog box gives you optimization information. You can see the current optimization applied, the projected file size, and the estimated download time based on a selected modem connection speed.
4. You’ll likely need to further reduce the file size for Internet delivery. The first area to tackle is the actual image size in pixels. In the Image Size field type in a Height of 600 pixels, so the image can integrate easily into the Web page (even with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768, a height of 600 would allow the image to display without scrolling up and down). Press the Tab key to exit the field and apply the resize value.
5. The file size has been reduced, but it’s hard to see the effects of the compression. Set the image magnification view to 100%.
6. Change the amount of Compression by either changing the preset (from High to Medium, for example) or adjusting the Quality amount.
7. Click Save to specify a location for the saved file and then write a compressed Web-ready version. The original file will remain untouched, and its resolution and quality will be identical to its state when you launched the Save For Web & Devices command.
For more on mastering Photoshop, check out my book Understanding Adobe Photoshop.
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In this video demo, Jue Wang will show you a sneak peek of a potential new feature that allows users to remove blurriness from digital photos caused by camera shake while the pictures were being taken.
Rich's Take:
- This will change everything
- I still believe in shooting right, but 99% of people I know would benefit
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In this video, photographer and trainer Rich Harrington takes 3 images and works with them to complete a single HDR image with multiple effects.
Combining the images and them post processing within Photoshop Rich gives us a real world example of photographic workflow.
For more tutorials be sure to check out Tip Squirrel
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| | | | Vintage Photo + High Dynamic Range from Richard Harrington on Vimeo.
Here's a recent tutorial from my new website Triple Exposure – www.3exposure.com
In this tutorial, Rich Harrington shows you how to combine modern technology with vintage source materials to create a retro look.
Tools covered:
• Merge to HDR Pro
• Lens Correction
• Black and White Adjustment
• Cropping
• Blending Modes
• Layer Masks
• Filters
Be sure to also head over to Triple Exposure to learn how to win a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium.
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| | | | When working in time-lapse or panoramic photography, chances are that you have a lot of photos to deal with. Maybe its a bunch of Raw files that you want to develop to the same settings, or high resolution images that you want to down sample. The great news is that Photoshop includes a useful script to get more done in less time.
The Image Processor differs from the Batch command in that you don’t have to first create an action. The Image Processor script can be more flexible than the Batch command. The Image Processor can be used for any of the following tasks:
- To convert a set of files to JPEG, PSD, or TIFF format. You can also convert files simultaneously to all three formats.
- To process a set of Camera Raw files using the same Camera Raw options.
- To resize images to fit within a specified pixel dimension.
- To embed a color profile into images or convert files to sRGB and save them as JPEG images for the Web.
- To include copyright metadata within the processed images.
To read the whole article for free, visit the Triple Exposure blog – http://3exposure.com/2011/07/06/how-to-batch-process-photos-with-the-image-...
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| | | | I've posted a new article over at the Triple Exposure website on 360˚ Panoramic Images.
“As many explore panoramic photography, they off stop short (at least of making a full 360˚ arc). The truth is that its gotten much easier to make a fully actualized 360˚ image. If enough photos are taken, then a large panoramic image can be made. These photos can then be turned into an interactive panoramic for the web or brought into Adobe After Effects to serve as a backdrop for chroma key footage.”
You can read the whole thing at – http://3exposure.com/2011/06/10/better-360˚-panoramic-photos-using-photosh...
Be sure to also download the special Photoshop Action mentioned in the article.
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In this video, Richard Harrington takes a look at an HDR workflow. Using Bridge, HDR Efex Pro and Photoshop he demonstrates techniques and tips for all HDR photography.
If you’d like to try Nik Sofware HDR Efex Pro there’s a free trial on their website.
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