Proshow Gold/Producer 4.0 Video CD

The new revised training CD for Proshow Gold and Producer has been completed and is available from my web site, http://www.computerphoto.org/pages/videos.html#proshow.

Photoshop SIG 4-13-09

Sharpening images was the main topic of this month's month Photoshop SIG. Techniques show were from the following two books:
Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers by Martin Evening and
Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers The Ultimate Workshop by Jeff Schewe and Martin Evening.

The Sketch plugin filter show is from Akvis, http://akvis.com/en/sketch/index.php

Scattered Photo Collage Effect

The effect shown at the April SIG is from the current Photoshop User magazine. Click on the link to see a video of how to create a Scattered Photo Collage Effect in Photoshop CS4.

http://tinyurl.com/ddsffh

Curves in Photoshop CS4

In Previous versions you could drag the eyddropper around the image and it would show on the curve where to adjust.

This behavior still available in Photoshop CS4, it is just accessed a little differently now that the Adjustments panel is used in the place of the dialog box when working with adjustment layers.
Previously you could drag the mouse around the image to see a "bouncing ball" on the curve that would indicate the point on the curve that represented the tonal value under your mouse at any given time.

1. If you held the Ctrl/Command key when you did this, upon releasing the mouse an anchor point would be placed on the curve in the place represented by the tonal value under your mouse.
2. In Photoshop CS4 in order to access these capabilities you first need to turn on the "direct adjustment" control by clicking on the icon of the hand with the double-headed arrow next to it at the top-left corner of the Adjustments panel.
3. With this option turned on (the button is a toggle to turn the control on and off) you can simply move your mouse (without holding the mouse button down) to see the "bouncing ball" on the curve indicating the tonal value for the pixel under your mouse pointer.
4. If you want to add an anchor point, you can click the mouse in the desired location on the image (with no need to hold the Ctrl/Command key).
5. Even better, you can click on an area of the image you want to focus an adjustment on, and then simply click and drag up or down to lighten or darken the image with an emphasis on the tonal value below your mouse when you clicked.
6. Upon releasing the mouse button you can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to fine-tune the position of that anchor point.

Photoshop SIG March 9, 2009

Replacing a Blah Sky Using Apply Image

1. With the image whose sky you want to replace open look at each channel in the Channels palette and pick the one with the most contrast.
2. Drag this channel to the New Channel icon
3. Click on this new Channel and in the Image menu select Apply Image
4. The default is Multiply but change it to Overlay
5. Sometimes this isn't enough so Apply image again and this time choose Multiply
6. Still on the Channel Copy set the Brush to Overlay mode and paint with black on the white in the part of the channel that should be black.
7. Change foreground to white and paint the areas that should be white.
8. Click on the RGB channel and
9. Double click the backgroud to change background to a layer
10. Drag the sky image to the Image area and below the layer containg the sky you would like to replace.
11. Control click the channel copy to load as a selection.
12. With the image layer active Add a layer mask.
    

Very Cool Plugin Filters for Photoshop and Elements

At the February Elements SIG I showed example of some very cool filters from Topazlabs.

Topaz Simplify - Allow the user to create works of art from regular photographs. This is the best I've seen since Buzz Pro that I discussed last month and is cheaper. The web site has excellent examples and a nice video tutorial. A 30 day fully functional free copy can be downloaded.

Topaz Adjust - uses advanced algorithms to achieve unique exposure effects and adjustments in seconds. It offers the user full control over creative exposure, color, and detail effects, and has the ability to save and reuse presets for maximum convenience. This filter can emulate effects that one creates with the much more expensive Lucis Pro 6 (over $500).

Topaz Vivacity - This filter provides noise removal, sharpening, and Image Enlarging without loss of quality. Some very interesting effects that can be achieved are shown on the Topaz web site.

I plan to put some examples using these filters on my SmugMug web gallery. Check in a week or so.

Photoshop Elements SIG 2-18-09

Adjusting Image Tone with Blend Modes

For overexposed, light, Image

1. Copy Background to a new layer, Ctrl+J
2. Change Blend mode to Multiply

For an underexposed, dark, image

1. Copy Background to a new layer, Ctrl+J
2. Change Blend mode to Screen

Brightness and Contrast Adjustment Layer

1. Add a Brightness Contrast Adjustment Layer to change the tone and contrast of an image.
2. Levels gives you more control.
   

Using Levels

1. Add a Levels Adjustment Layer
2. Move both the Shadow and Highlight sliders to the start of the histogram "mountain"

To color correct in Levels

1. Adjust the highlights by Alt+click on the highlight slider and the image goes black.
2. Drag to the left until a bit of white appears. This is the brightest part of the image so note where this is in the image.
   
3. Reset the slider and click on the white spot in the image with the Highlight Eyedropper. This sets this point in the image as a neutral white, 255, 255, 255.
4. For the darkest point do the same as above but Alt+click on the Shadow slider. The image goes white. Drag to the right until a dark spot appears. This is the darkest place in the image.
5. Clicking the dark spot in the image with the Shadow Eyedropper neutralizes this point to 0,0,0.

To Adjust Contrast - Mainly to Increase Contrast

1. With Levels Adjustment Layer open from adjusting tonal range move the middle slider (midtone) to the right to increase contrast and to the left to decrease contrast.

A Better Way to Increase Contrast with More Control

1. Add another Levels Adjustment Layer
2. Change the blend mode to Soft Light
3. To lessen the amount of contrast move the Output Shadow slider to the right.

To Increase the Local (small area) Color Saturation using Blend Modes

1. Determine the blend mode that is best by
   
2. Copy background to a new layer
3. Cycle through blend modes by choosing the Move tool (V) and pressing the Shift key and the + key. Each time you press the + key the blend mode will change to the next.
   
4. Pressing Shift plus the - key will cycle back.
5. Notice the blend mode that gives the color you want - good for eyes of birds for example. Overlay and Soft light are normally good.
6. Change back to Normal blend and with the Brush tool
7. Change the brush's blend mode to the one you decided, probably Overlay or Soft Light.
8. To darken corners you can change the brush's blend mode to Multiply and with a large brush at an opacity of about 20% paint the corners.

Local Tone and Contrast Adjustment

1. The Dodge and Burn tools allow for localized darkening (burning) and lightening (dodge) of an image. It is best to use at between 10% and 20% and build up.
2. Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Shadows/Highlights can be used to open up shadows in an image.
3. To use a Layer and a Blend mode to dodge and burn, add a new layer. This can be blank or filled with 50% gray in order to see the effects. Too fill with 50% gray
4. Press the Alt key when pressing the new layer icon.
5. In the dialog box you can name the layer. Then choose Soft Light as the blend mode and check the box for filling with 50% gray.
6. When you paint with a gray that is lighter than the 50% gray you lighten (dodge).
   
7. Paint with a color darker, then you darken (burn).
   

Photoshop Elements 7's new Tools discussed

1. Quick Edit > Touch Up - either Red Eye, Whiten Teeth, or Make Skies blue.
   
2. The Whiten Teeth and Make Skies Blue create an adjustment layer so check the Adjustment layers in Full Edit to see what is being done and to make corrections.
3. Full Edit - The Smart Brush Tool allows you pick from a group of different corrections. Again Adjustment Layers are created that can be altered.
   
4. When you first click with the Smart Brush tool a colored point is placed on the image. Double click this point to change the adjustment.