Photography - Photoshop+Software Related Questions
OK, since I buggered up the equipment thread with a Photoshop question, I decided to start this one for post-processing related questions/topics. Examples are:
1) Photoshop related stuff
2) Printing
3) Any other "photography related" questions.
Also, feel free to share any pics you've post-processed in Photoshop (or any other software) if you want. The only request is that you provide a summary of what processing you performed so others can learn.
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My contribution to get the thread going - I finally found the website (been trying to remember it for some time now) that had ICC profiles for various local photo print shops.
I couldn't find Sam's Club but they do have them for the Wharton Costco. I'm going to try them out.
www.drycreekphoto.com is the main page
Page for Wharton Costco - http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/Profiles/NewJersey_profiles.htm#Wharton
I haven't done much printing in the last few years so I'll have to refresh my memory. I'll let you know how it goes.
emaxxman I have PS Elements 6 and would love to learn how to do more with it than the basics. I would be interested if there was a local instructional class.
music gal music gal - what are you trying to do / need to do with Elements? Maybe one of our get-togethers could focus on post-processing software. I know I could certainly help you out with it - I've been using Elements for many years (and still do sometimes, even after having upgraded to the whole Photoshop Creative Suite). It's a really great program.
Rebecka Nothing in particular, just in general. I am not a "photographer," would just like to see what all it can do. I don't understand anything about the layers, which I imagine is key to good editing.
http://reaganpufall.blogspot.com/
This guy right here makes some good landscapes and knows what to do in photoshop to make them look amazing. He even posts videos of his workflow;
http://vimeo.com/17064569
http://vimeo.com/18862027
Some Guy (Art) musicgal - Photoshop can pretty much do whatever you want. You'll go crazy trying to learn about all it can do. I think a better approach is to look at your pics and see what you want to do to them. Then figure out how to do it PS.
I don't use layers but that's because I really have no idea how or why you use them. I try to get my pics the way I want them to be when I take the picture. I then use PS to tweak them to match my intent. For the most part, I'm only using the levels, saturation (not much adjustment here), and sharpness controls. I use the other controls such as the healing/cloning tool only when I have a specific objective or problem to fix.
Emaxxman- you should really look into how layers work... it will open up amazing new world for tweaking pics.
I was an electronic retoucher for the last twenty years, doing high fashion retouching and composition ... working with layers and masks and color corection layers to achieve desired effects. You can do retouching on separate layers and manipulate those layers while leaving the original image untouched.
The gentleman who I apprenticed under told me "there's more than one way to skin a cat in PhotoShop"
There's also some helpful tutorials on YouTube as well.
Johnee Oxford I used to do more with Photoshop layers than I do now. I'm finding that the adjustment brush in the latest version of Lightroom allows me to make adjustment that I might have previously done on a layer in Photoshop. Still, depending on what you are doing there are still plenty of things to do on layers in Photoshop. So, I suggest that it would be useful to learn the Lightroom adjustment brush capabilities before getting in to layers.
RAD Johnee Oxford - that's my next thing to learn...actually just becoming more proficient with PS is. I've been using it more and more lately and finding it very useful.
So I'm considering getting a Wacom tablet. The Intuoso line seems to be the one geared towards Photoshop users but I'm not 100%. I'm considering the tablet because doing fine selections is not going well with my mouse (a MS Sidewinder geared more towards gaming).
What are your thoughts? Recommendations, pitfalls, pros/cons? Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Wacom tablets are awesome...using a mouse is like drawing with a brick.
A tablet lets you achieve more fluidity with selections and paths, as well as retouching.
All you really need is the smallest tablet offered, the big one is great to have but not needed.
Thanks JO. Wacoms seem to be the most popular. Are there any other brands I should look for? Any specific features?
I'm going to have to do some research but any pointers you can provide would be great.
I need a simple answer if there is one ( and I hope there is). No fancy equipment and just basic - came with the computer- programs. I want to enlarge a picture and it must fit specific dimensions so that it prints and fills the space without a border.
How do I change the file at home?
Firefly Firefly - You can downoad Irfanview for free:
http://download.cnet.com/IrfanView/3000-2192_4-10021962.html?part=dl-IrfanView&subj=dl&tag=button
It has the ability to resize images. It's adequate but I'm not sure I would use it to make a poster size picture. What size do you want to blow the picture up to?
I have a copy of "Perfect Resize" which is considered to be one of the best apps for resizing. If you want to email the pic and the dimensions that you want, I can resize it for you.
http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/perfect-resize/?ind&gclid=CLTIv_6A3rICFUmd4AodOCwAbw
Thank you emaxxman - I will look into the downloads and let you know if I need to to assist. I certainly appreciate it.
Can someone tell me how to export a full resolution jpeg from a .PSD file in Photoshop? The PSD file is 13.8K x 3.9K pixels in size.
The "save for web" forces me to reduce it down to ~50%. It's a panoramic stitched together from 30 pics. The "save as" option doesn't have a .JPG option.
When doing File -> Save As, there should be a JPEG option under Format on the bottom.
christography 
Hi Chris - When my file is already saved as a raw or PSD file, there is no standard jpg option.
Odd...when I created the attached screenshot, there was an option to save it as a jpg file.
Go to Image -> Mode and it may need to be converted to RGB Color and 8 Bit for it to be able to save.
Converting to RGB did the trick. Thank you.
ps Your website and portrait pictures are amazing - great uses of soft light and shallow depth of field.
I use Lightroom 5 to catalog and do minor adjustments, I workflow into onOne Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 for all layering and hardcore adjustments.
njmoleman onOne's Perfect Effects is free for a limited time:
http://www.ononesoftware.com/landing/pe8offer
I use their Perfect Resize app and it's pretty good.
Thanks for the great tip, emaxx! I've wanted to try this software, so I went to download it. I clicked on Get it Now and get a "webpage not available" message. Anyone else have this issue? Maybe they are temporarily swamped?
It may well be overloaded. I did it early and did the download that send me the license key. And I also got all their presets for Lightroom. But now their entire web site is down, not just that free offer page.
GC It's working now - yay! Love to try out different software for post-processing. Thank you again, emaxx, I never would have known about the free offer.
Do your subjects look like they suffer from jaundice or are turning blue from a lack of oxygen? Well, today's your lucky day:
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2014/01/31/white-balance-explained-how-your-camera-corrects-the-colour-of-different-kinds-of-lighting/
It's free for an unknown limited time again:
http://www.ononesoftware.com/landing/fcen/?utm_campaign=PEPE_Partner
This may not be the best place for this question but I'll put it here anyway. Can someone give me some tips on how to achieve this vibrant yet soft contrast look in portraits?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10606291_775862442477951_7162919667219788979_n.jpg?oh=7a4defe4c82d0044a2d6ccf458b0155f&oe=54BFD483&__gda__=1421918258_2ec9b00dacb9dc8715367586462ecfca
Obviously there is some post processing done but what would the steps in camera be?
Soft lighting and shooting wide open seems to be a part of it.
Given the brighter background, it looks like the subject could have their back to the light and there is a reflector used to fill in the face. I'm not sure.
Anything else?
I have trouble replicating this look in camera or post processing. When I try to get the soft contrast look, it just looks washed out. I kick up the contrast a bit in Lightroom and it then loses the feel I'm looking for.
There is a lot going on here, but most likely you want to fade your blacks and not add contrast. If it looks faded out, pull the blacks down to add some contrast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lasZDK45Fz0
Many ways of getting these types of effects. A way to learn is to analyze some images and to watch some of the youtube videos. First, looking at this image I'd guess it was shot outdoors on a cloudy day that provided very soft light diffused light. From what I can see in her eyes there really doesn't seem to be any additional artificial light or reflectors - but it's hard to be totally sure of that. The very shallow depth of field means a rather large lens opening and that contributes a lot to the soft look. If I had to guess I'd say it was probably shot using a longer than normal lens with a wide aperture - or else a normal to slightly wide lens with a really large aperture.
Now if you look at the image in Lightroom or Photoshop can see that there are almost no deep blacks or really bright whites. Looking at the histogram there is almost nothing below a level of about 20 and nothing above about 247. And It is a relatively high key image.
On a cloudy day outdoors you might be able to get close to this in-camera with the correct exposure, but it will still take some post processing. In Lightroom you can adjust exposure and then bump up the black and bump down the white levels. Once you have your black and white levels you could play with a little contrast adjustment to suit. But as mentioned by christography you probably don't want to increase contrast - probably lower slightly. You can then use the split toning controls to adjust the color in the highlights and shadows. The shadows in this image are cooler - they have more blue. The highlights are warmer - they have less blue. Check youtube for split toning guidance.
Anyways, this is just my opinion and I'm sure there will be others. You can also try some of the software add-ons like Topaz Labs Adjust or Nik Color Efex Pro
Thanks guys.
I'll play around in Lightroom. I figured I need to do some stuff there.
From the picture, I was thinking something along the lines of an 85mm f/1.4 was used. I have a 50mm f/1.8 but find that tight composition introduces some distortion. I also have a 100mm macro f/2.8 that I prefer to use for portraits.
Chris - your wedding portraits exhibit the same look that I'm trying to replicate. I really like the soft contrast but still warm look to them.
I think some of the blur/bokeh has been added in post, so you can probably get away with using the 50mm. If you were back further you would probably get more grass in between you.
Finding the right spot, during sunset, has more to do with the look than anything else.
How do you get your picture to look the way you want it to (from a color temperature, exposure, contrast perspective?)
To clarify:
- I shoot RAW (Sony A77)
- Use Lightroom v5
- Get my picture to the way I want it to look (from a color temp, contrast, and exposure) in Lightroom.
- JPEG with sRGB color profile applied
The picture then looks different when viewed in different viewers:
- Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Lightroom, Photoshop all look the same (and as desired)...my Samsung Note 4 phone looks correct too
- Irfanview, Picasa, MS Picture viewer all have too much contrast and too cool
- Facebook looks muted (I know FB is not something I should go by but just trying to understand what's going on here)
Maybe the better question is, how do you get your photos to look the way you want them to look based on the intended electronic viewing medium?
From a printing perspective, I have ICC profiles but the online viewing perplexes me.
I dealt with this a while ago, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.
When you look at the photo in photoshop you have to be in "proof" mode (I think) it's ctrl-y maybe. IIRC, The listed browsers where the photo looks right just ignore whatever profile you have and rely on monitor colors which is how it looks in photoshop out of proofing mode. Facebook does some weird compression stuff to the photos when you upload there, plus the all-white background doesn't help.
I'm surprised the note renders properly as I've always thought Samsung products added too much saturation and contrast, even my current note 4.
"How do you get your picture to look the way you want it to (from a color temperature, exposure, contrast perspective?"
When covering events for the media, I try to nail exposure, contrast, etc. in-camera as much as possible since I don't have time to do much in the way of fine editing under tight deadline. I use .jpeg fine and apply a little noise reduction with a 3rd-party application called NoiseNinja if the ISO is in the 9600-12800 range (although the newer cameras do a nice job of virtually eliminating noise). I use Photoshop CS5 and PhotoMechanic.
If I am covering an event for a client, I shoot .jpeg fine & RAW, and utilize Adobe Lightroom for editing.
There's a beta version out now called Affinity Pro (Mac only) that might prove to be an excellent, lower-cost alternative to the Adobe products.
Nick Scalera Photo You had me at "alternative to the Adobe products." I love LR but it looks like they have us by the short-hairs if we want to continue with a stand alone product without a subscription.
3wbdwnj Art - I'll take a look at the proofing mode.
Nick - I'll take a look at NoiseNinja. I'm still trying to get proficient with Lightroom's luminance and sharpening controls.
I just loaded a photo up to Shutterfly. If I view the image directly in Chrome, it looks fine. The same image rendered through Shutterfly looks very cool from a color temp (the same as Picasa.) You would think Chrome and Picasa would look the same since they're both Google apps.
GC - It's really the color temp that I'm trying to figure out. I just used the "save for web" feature in Photoshop (and selected the Internet rgb mode option.) That seemed to fix the inconsistency of the color temp rendering. Not sure why that fixes it (and I can't find a similar option in Lightroom.)
emaxxman - When you export in Lightroom, do you have "Output Sharpening" checked? If so, did you also select Sharpen For "Screen"? You might also try the pre-set in Export that says For Email (Disk) which I believe optimizes for email and web compatibility, but saves it to disk instead of bringing up email.
emaxxman - I've only used the "Save For Web" option in Photoshop when preparing images for strictly website posting, not photo print output - More info: http://ow.ly/NwDIQ
The Color Temp may be fixed by way of a White Balance adjustment in Lightroom:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/lightroom/using/WS947672F1-AAB2-43de-9011-BDDECA05EC19.html
Nick - When I make prints (at Costco), I'll output the picture using the ICC profile that Costco provides. For Shutterfly, they say they use the standard RGB profile.
GC - I do use the export feature in Lightroom. For now, I'll just export to a PSD until I figure this issue out.
For now, my prints don't seem to be affected so I do think this is just an online rendering issue.
emaxxman - can you e-mail me an original image & also the same picture that has been "Saved For Web"? (Kindly use descriptive filenames to differentiate between the 2 images)
I'd like to take a look at the images & see if I can help diagnose the issue that way.
E-mail address: Nick@NickScaleraPhotography.com
Anyone here interested in a roll of Savage Seamless Photo Background Paper 107" x 12yds, #1 Super White for free? Still in the cardboard tubing.
LJrubi Hi all - just a quick update on my jpg issue.
Firstly, Nick, I'm sorry I never sent the pictures to you. I got sidetracked with boring work stuff ( you know how it goes) and totally forgot.
So, whatever was causing my jpg's to appear differently in different viewers seems to have gone away. I suspect I had a program and/or Windows update that was the issue. I recently installed the latest Windows updates and all seems OK now. Mind boggling.
I even re-exported the same image out of Lightroom and Photoshop and it renders consistently across different viewers.
Hi emaxxman - no problem & the offer still stands if needed.
That's good news about the .jpg issue!!
I also found a new, free, web-based photo editor that appears interesting ~ Fotor:
http://www.fotor.com/
Anyone else having trouble installing the upgrade to the standalone LR6? Windows 8, Chrome. Also tried with IE 11.
Greetings!
I'm a Mac guy but here's what I found for the LR6 issue for Windows:
http://www.lightroomforums.net/showthread.php?24997-Lightroom-6-(Perpetual)-Issues-after-Install-%96-For-Windows-Users
and
http://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-cc6-myths-confusion/
zahoor 
jamshad Just saw this the other day. Pretty amazing prototype app will remove obstructions in photos. No more tourists in front of your pictures.
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2015/10/08/adobes-amazing-prototype-camera-app-can-remove-tourists-from-your-holiday-photos/
Just something to understand from what the video says - it doesn't remove obstructions in photos, it removes obstructions in video to create a photo. It needs a video stream to be able to merge several stills and grab the unobstructed background.
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