Lightroom Quick Tip - Star Ratings & Pick Flags

We all face the challenge of sorting through our images to find the keepers, the throwaways, and the best of the best.  Personally I use both star ratings and ‘pick’ flags to sort my images.  This tutorial is a quick tip on how to speed up your workflow when rating and picking images.  You might only save a small amount of time for each image you review, but over several hundred or several thousand images, the time will add up. 

Whenever possible, it helps to have Lightroom do the work for you.  In this case, we will make Lightroom auto advance to the next image after we apply the star rating or flag the image as a pick.  The first thing I do is to place all of my unrated images into one collection or folder.  While in the Library module, I make the first image full screen within Lightroom (or complete full screen by pressing the ‘F’ key in Lightroom 5).  This will allow you to see the image at a large size so you can make a good decision as to how you want to rate the image.  Next, make sure the caps lock is turned on.  By turning on the caps lock, Lightroom knows that it should automatically advance to the next image any time a rating is applied to the current image.  Once caps lock is on, use the number keys 1 through 5 to rate the images or press ‘P’ to flag the image as a pick. 

I rate all of my images with stars to help keep track of the quality of my images.  There is no right or wrong way to do it here, you need to find out what works for you.  Here is my rating system:

1 star = picture is no good, trash

2 stars = not usable other than for some kind of abstract background, image not in focus

3 stars = image in focus, but nothing special, more of a snapshot, sometimes deliverable depending on client and intent of photographs

4 stars = image in focus, good composition, interesting etc., deliverable image

5 stars = fantastic image, one of my favorites, deliverable image

I use a ‘Pick’ flag for all images that I want to deliver to a client, print, post on my website or blog, etc. 

After you initially review your images and rate them, it’s a good idea to revisit the images after a few days to see if you have changed your mind on any of the ratings you choose.  This can be a quick look through all of the images again.  You may see the hidden potential in an image that you did not notice the first time you reviewed the image.

Turning on the caps lock allows Lightroom to auto advance to the next image which will save you time and energy when reviewing your photographs.  By using a streamlined review process for your images, you will become more efficient in post processing as well as be able to spend more time working on the best images from your photoshoot.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!  Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel.  

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Thanks for watching!

How to Make a Bad Image Look Awesome

How many times have you looked at an image you took and thought it was no good?  By capturing your photos in RAW format, it is possible to recover your photo using Adobe Lightroom and turn it into something awesome. 

At first glance, I figured this file was no good.  I started playing with it just to see what I could get out of it.  It’s not as hard as you might think to bring back images that appear to be no good.  I think the results that came out of this photo are great. 

Remember that your camera can’t always capture what you envision in your mind when you take the photograph.  The post processing you can do to an image plays a big part in the creative process and helps your image to reach the potential you have pictured in your mind. 

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!  Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel. 

Subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Thanks for watching!

Photoshop: How to use Layer Masks

Confused about layer masks in Adobe Photoshop?  When I first got started in Photoshop, I didn’t understand layer masks, how they worked, and how to use them.  In this tutorial, I’ll explain what a layer mask is, what it does and how it works.  With a little practice, you can become an expert in using layer masks. 

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!  Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube Channel and subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Thanks for watching!

Photoshop: How to Clean Up Selections

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to remove the white, black, or colored edge that may appear around elements that you extract from images.  In this case, I’m using an ornamental grass that was extracted from an image.  The grass has a dark edge around the cutout of the grass.  Using this quick tip, it is easy to remove the dark edge.  By removing the dark edge, the image of this grass will blend into your composite image much better.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Be sure to check out my YouTube Channel and  Blog for more tutorials!

How To Create Object Shadows in Photoshop

Creating shadows for objects in Adobe Photoshop is an easy technique that helps elements of a composite look more realistic and blend into your scene.  In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a shadow for a tree, but you can use this technique for any object.  The shadow will mimic the exact shape of the original object.  Below is a text description of each step.  Lets get started!

Step 1

Open the image you want to create a shadow for.

Step 2

Duplicate layer using the shortcut CMD + J

Step 3

Envoke the Transform tool using CMD +T

Step 4

Bend the object to the correct orientation for the shadow.  Try to match the shadow direction of other elements in your composite.  Use CMD + Click  to select just one of the Transform handles to ‘bend’ the shadow around.

Step 5

Once the shadow is going the direction you want, press enter to accept the transformation.  Next, select the layer by holding CMD while selecting the Layer Preview in the Layer stack.  This will select all of the contents on that layer. 

Step 6

Once the layer is selected, fill it with black using Shift + Delete.  Then Deselect the layer using CMD + D.

Step 7

Make sure the shadow layer is behind the object layer.  Change the layer blend mode to Multiply.  Adjust opacity so it matches other shadows in your image.  Rarely will shadows ever be 100% opacity. 

Your shadow is now complete!

If this tutorial was helpful please take a look at my other tutorials on my blog HERE!

How to Blend Composite Images

Here is a great tip that helps blend images together when making a composite.  Many times when you are combining different images into one composite, it is obvious that the images were not originally together.  There are many different techniques to help blend images together and this is just one of the final additions I like to make to composites. 

If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe and check out the rest of my videos on YouTube HERE .

Retouching Eyes - Part 3

This is Part 3 in a series of eye retouching tutorials. Using Photoshop, I'll show you another technique that can be used to enhance eyes in a photograph. For Retouching Eyes - Part 1 click HERE and for Part 2 click HERE.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below.  If you enjoy my youtube videos, consider subscribing.  Thank you!

Twilight Sky - Before/After

Have you ever seen the sky have brilliant blues, purples, pinks, oranges and reds?  Many times when we try to photograph these beautiful skies, the camera does not capture the colors as vividly as we see them with our own eyes.  In this tutorial using Adobe Lightroom, I’ll show you how you can bring out the amazing colors that you know were there.  Having your camera set to save images in RAW format instead of JPG will help preserve the colors and detail that you will be able to enhance in Lightroom.

One thing to note here is that these settings are what worked for this image and what I thought looked best.  When I took the photograph I had an idea in my mind what I wanted the final result to be.  The key thing to remember here is that you need to experiment with the sliders and settings to find what you like and what works for your image.  With this in mind, lets get started!

Step 1

The first thing to do with this image is to drop the temperature and raise the tint.  This will help make the blue look more blue and the hint of pink look more pink.

Step 2

Increase the exposure to .75 and the contrast to 75.  I want the trees to be a black silhouette against the gradient in the sky.

Step 3

Basic Panel Settings

Adjust the Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks.  The image to the right shows the settings I used.  These settings will vary based on your image and the effect your going for.

Step 4

Increase Clarity.  I like to use Clarity on landscape shots.  I think it helps bring out details and increase the contrast a bit.  Be sure not to over do it with the clarity, unless of course that is the look you’re going for.   Increase the saturation.  I typically use vibrance when there are people in the image and saturation for landscape images. 

Step 5

Under ToneCurve I changed the curve to a medium contrast.  I want to make sure the trees are black against the sky.

Step 6

In the HSL panel, I used the target adjustment tool to modify the saturation of the purples.  This enhances the pink and purple colors of the sky.

Step 7

Add sharpening.  The sharpening settings I used are Amount: 86, Radius: 1.4, Detail: 52, and Masking: 64.  Adjust the masking as you need.  If you hold down the Opt. or Alt. key while clicking on the masking slider, you will see a preview of the areas that are being sharpened in white. 

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Hold Opt. or Alt. while adjusting the Masking slider to see the areas that will be sharpened in white.

Step 8

Under Lens Corrections, I chose Remove Chromatic Aberrations to take care of some purple fringing around the trees.

Step 9

Add a Post-Crop Vignette.  I used an amount of 38 and changed the feather to 100.

The image is complete!  To see a before/after of your image, make sure you are in the Develop Module in Lightroom and press the ‘\’ key.  This will toggle between before and after images. 

If you have any questions or would like to learn other techniques in Lightroom, please leave a comment below.  Thanks for watching and reading this tutorial!

Before Image (left) and After Image (right).

Retouching Eyes - Part 2

This is Part 2 in a series of eye retouching tutorials.  Using Photoshop, I’ll show you another technique that can be used to enhance eyes in a photograph.  This technique helps make the eyes ‘pop’ and adds a kicker light/sparkle to them.  All it takes is a few easy steps.  Watch and learn how easy it is to create!

Retouching Eyes - Part 1

In this tutorial series I’ll show you several techniques that can be used to retouch and enhance the eyes in a photograph.  In part one you will see a quick way using Adobe Lightroom to make the eyes in your photos ‘pop’ and draw the viewers attention to them.  Using simple techniques,   it is easy to take your images to the next level.  Enjoy!

Before/After - Dandelion in a Bubble

In this tutorial I’ll show you my post processing workflow for this dandelion in a bubble image.   I used Adobe Lightroom and Perfect Effects 8 for the post processing of this image.  In my opinion Perfect Effects is a great tool to use in combination with Lightroom. 

The image was taken with my Canon 60D using the 18-135 f3.5-5.6 IS lens at 120mm.  Camera settings in manual mode were, 1/250 sec at f8.0, ISO 400.  It was a cloudy overcast morning which created a nice diffuse light.

Step 1

Bring the image into Adobe Lightroom.

Step 2

Step 2 - Basic Panel Settings In Lightroom

Make some global adjustments in Lightroom.  Here I adjusted the exposure, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks.  I did not modify the contrast because I knew I wanted to use the dynamic contrast filter in Perfect Effects.  With these adjustments complete, I brought the image over into Perfect Effects by going to File – Plug-in Extras – Perfect Effects 8.

Step 3

Step 3 - Dynamic Contrast settings in Perfect Effects

Once the image is in Perfect Effects I started adding Filter Layers.  First, I added a Dynamic Contrast - Natural layer.  Under the Filter Options and Detail, I adjusted the settings as follows: Small = 30, Medium = 20, Large = 0.

Step 4

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack.  Choose Color Enhancer – Green Enhancer.  Using the mask tool, place a mask on top of the yellow dandelion so the effect is not applied to the flower.  The green is now a little to much, so reduce the layer opacity to 50%.

Step 5

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack.  Choose Sunshine – Glow.  Reduce the layer opacity to 20%.  Copy the layer mask from the previous ‘Color Enhancer’  layer by using Ctrl + click to drag the mask to the current layer. 

Step 6

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack.  Choose Sharpening – Amazing Detail Finder.      Using the masking bush, mask out the background and foreground of the image.  To see where you are masking, press Ctrl + M.  Since these areas are out of focus to begin with, they do not need to be sharpened. 

Step 7

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack.  Choose Vignette – Big Softy.  Reduce the layer opacity to 65%.

Step 8

Click Apply to apply the filters and bring the image back into Lightroom.

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Thanks for watching!  

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Final Image

How to Enlarge a Low-Res Image for Print

Has there ever been a time when you had a low resolution image you want to print?  Maybe a screenshot of something or an image where the quality just wasn't there?  In this tutorial I'll show you one way you can modify an image and enlarge it to be printed as an 8x10.  It only takes a few minutes and a couple of steps.  One quick note, I did not create the original image used in this tutorial - I'm not sure who did, but I have seen the image used in various places on the web.

Video Summary

This particular image was at a resolution of 72 ppi and approximately 5.5" x 6.5".  Our goal was to modify this image so it could be printed as an 8x10.   When preparing images for print, it’s important to keep in mind that your file resolution should be a minimum of 240 ppi to get a high quality print.  In this case I wanted to use 300 ppi. 

Step 1

Open image.  Unlock background layer by double clicking on the LOCK icon on the layer.  Resize the image by going to Image >Image Size. Then change the resolution to 300.  Click OK

Step 2

Change canvas size to 8x10 by going to Image > Canvas Size.  Use 8 for the width and 10 for the height.  Click OK.

Step 3

Using Free Transform (cmd + T), resize the image so it is as large as it can be without cutting off any of the edges.  Notice we have a small area on the bottom and side that we will need to fill in.

Step 4

Extract the text.  Select the Magic Wand tool.  Change sample size to 3 by 3, and tolarance to 12.  Select a black portion of the text.  Right click and select ‘Similar’.  If there are more pixels to be selected within the text, select Similar again.  Right click in the selection and select Make Work Path.  For the tolerance, use 2.0.  The text and graphics will be extracted as a path and can be found in the Paths panel.

Step 5

Blur the background layer to remove pixilation.  Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.  Adjust the blur to your liking.  I used a 4 pixel blur.

Step 6

Fill in the missing areas on the bottom and right hand side.  Use the Marquee tool to select the blank areas.  Be sure to overlap the surrounding pixels so Photoshop knows what to fill the area in with.  After making the selection press Shift + Delete to bring up the Fill dialog box.  Choose Content-Aware and click OK.  Blend further if necessary.

Step 7

Add text back on top of image.  Create a new blank layer labeled Text.  Go into the Paths panel and highlight the work path that was created.  Right click and select Fill Path.  Use Black as the color for fill.

Step 8

Add stroke around text.  First setup your brush settings – use a hard edge brush and a width of 8 pixels in this case. Right click on the text Path again and select Stroke.  Use the Brush as the tool to stroke the path with.

Step 9

Increase Contrast.  Create a new curves adjustment layer.  Select preset called ‘Medium Contrast’. 

Step 10

Combine all layers and Sharpen.  Combine all layers using Shift + Option + CMD + E.  To sharpen the image go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen.  Use an amount of 200 and leave the rest of the settings as they are.  You’re Done!

Step 11

Send out for print, the image is complete!  The image is now 8x10 with a resolution of 300 ppi and will make a great print.

Thank you for watching! 

Adobe Photoshop CC - Custom Trees using Pattern Fill

Adobe Photoshop CC has a way to create a wide variety of 3D trees and shrubs that can be inserted into your images!  This is an awesome new feature that is customizable and easy to use.  As a Landscape Architect, I frequently use Photoshop as a visualization tool to help clients see the potential of their outdoor space.  I have found that many clients cannot fully understand a design simply by looking at an overhead plan view of their site.  Great photographs of the existing site combined with Photoshop compositing really help to get the design idea and intent across to clients.

Accessing and using the custom 3D trees in Photoshop is simple.  First, open the image you will be working on.  Next, create a new blank layer above the background layer.  Make the new blank layer active.  To add a new 3D tree onto our blank layer we need to ‘Fill’ the layer by pressing Shift + Delete.  There are several options here on how we can Fill the layer.  In the Fill dialog box, under the Contents section, choose ‘Pattern’.  The Blending section can remain as is.  Toggle on (check mark) ‘Scripted Pattern’.  Then click the drop down menu next to the word ‘Scripts’, select Tree.

The ‘Tree Pattern’ dialog box will now appear and gives you various ways the tree can be can customized.  From changing the direction of the light so shadows match the image to reducing or removing the leaves on the tree, this dialog box is where you would make those changes.  When you have made the necessary changes, click ‘OK’.

The tree will then be rendered and placed on your blank layer.  From this point the tree can be scaled and moved around the image.  It’s important to make sure the tree is placed on it’s own layer so you have the option to change the size and positioning of it later on if you need to. 

While I think it’s still necessary to have a large library of plant material images for anything your composite might need, this feature in Adobe Photoshop CC is really great and will help speed up the time it takes to make composite landscape images.

Before/After Image Processing - Bleeding Hearts

Before - RAW File Out of Camera, Canon 60D, 50mm f/1.4, 1/500 sec at f/2.0, ISO 200         

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After - Image Processed Using Adobe Lightroom & onOne Perfect Effects 8.                                                                                      

Ever have a chance to photograph a bleeding heart?  These are awesome plants!  The plants are beautiful when in bloom and I couldn't help but photograph this one.  This is a quick before/after tutorial to show you how I arrived at my final image.  After taking a few shots of this plant, I liked this one the best so lets get started!

Camera Setup & Settings

It was an overcast day with full cloud cover, just before a rain storm.  Cloudy days provide great light for photographs because the clouds cause the sky to act like a big soft box giving off nice even and diffuse light.  This image was shot with the Canon 60D using a 50mm f/1.4 lens.  The settings I used to create the image were 1/500 second at f/2.0, and and ISO of 200.  Every image I shoot is in RAW format.  I always recommend using RAW format since this will give you the highest quality and the best ability to modify images down the road if necessary.

Basic Panel Settings

Lightroom 

The first thing I did with this image was to bring the RAW file into Adobe Lightroom 5.  Next, I went into the develop module and applied some general adjustments to the image.  Starting at the top of the Basic panel, I worked my way down.  Exposure was increased by +.20 to help brighten the bleeding hearts a bit.  I reduced the contrast a because I love the dynamic contrast feature in Perfect Effects 8.  I'll use the dynamic contrast filter later on to bring back contrast in the image.  I pulled back on the highlights to insure there was no detail lost in the bottom section of the flowers.  Shadows were increased a bit to help bring out the entire flower.  Whites and blacks were adjusted a bit to help round out the image.  

Quick Tip:

When adjusting  Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks, you can hold the option key on Mac and alt. key on a PC to show you the clipping points for each slider.  It's helpful in determining how much of each slider you use.

Perfect Effects

With these few global adjustments made, I'm now ready to bring the file over into Perfect Effects.  In Lightroom go to File > Plug-in Extras > Perfect Effects 8.

Once the image is opened in Perfect Effects, The first filter layer I'm going to add is Dynamic Contrast - Natural.  There are a few modifications I want to make on the Dynamic Contrast layer.  On the right side of the window, under Filter Options, there is a section called 'Detail'.  Here you have the ability to adjust how the Dynamic Contrast is applied to the image.  'Small' makes contrast adjustments to all of the small or fine details within the image.  I used a setting if 10.  Next, 'Medium' effects the contrast of the medium or mid size-details within the picture.  Most of the areas I want to see more contrast in are within the medium range.  Therefore I used a setting of 25 to get the amount of contrast I liked without over doing it.  'Large' effects the larger areas and textures in your image.  Here I don't want to add much contrast to the background, so I use a setting of 2.  You might be thinking - how do I know what settings to use?  The best thing to do is play with the sliders and see what you like.  Experimentation is the best way to see how things work and are affected by different settings.

Perfect Effects 8 - Bleeding Hearts Image with Dynamic Contrast Applied.

Next, add 2 new filter layers by clicking the '+' in the filter layer stack.  I want to enhance the color of the image, so I'm going go to the Filters on the left side of the window, then find 'Color Enhancer'.  For the first filter layer, lets choose 'Increase Color'.  Reduce the layer opacity to 40% so the effect is not over done.  On the next filter layer, again go to 'Color Enhancer' and choose 'Red Enhancer' to help bring out the magenta in the bleeding hearts.  Reduce the layer opacity to 20%.  I also made some adjustments in the filter options of the 'Red Enhancer' layer.  Under 'Color Range' I increased the saturation of both Magenta and Green just a touch to help it all pop a little more.     

Perfect Effects 8 - Color Enhancer Filters

The next adjustment is to add a 'Sunshine Filter'.  The sunshine filter really helps warm everything up and gives it a slight glow.  It helps convey a warm, happy feeling through the image.

Next we need to apply some sharpening to the image to help tighten everything up.  To do this, add a new layer in the Filter Stack.  Then, look under 'Sharpening' in the Filters list on the left hand side.  Select 'Amazing Detail Finder'.   Reduce the layer opacity to 90%.  Finally I think a vignette will finish off this image nicely.  Again, add a new layer in the Filter Stack.  Choose 'Vignette', then select 'Subtle'.  Now the image is complete.  Click 'Apply' at the bottom right hand side of the window and the filters will be applied and brought back into Lightroom. 

I hope this tutorial helps you to further understand how Adobe Lightroom and onOne's Perfect Effects can be used together to create great images.  If you have any questions, leave a comment below.  Thanks!

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Lightroom 5 - Creating Metadata Presets

Metadata Presets

Setting up a metadata preset in Adobe Lightroom 5 is not only a timesaver, but it allows you to easily apply additional metadata information to any image file.  What is metadata?  Metadata is all of the information associated with your photograph.  For example, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, location, capture date/time and more.  Creating a preset is easy and only takes a few steps. 

In the Library Module, select an image.  Look on the right hand side of the screen for a tab titled ‘Metadata’.  Expand the tab.  Here you see all of the information that is associated with your images.  Take a look through all of the fields and fill out the ones that you would like to apply to your images.  Generally, the metadata information that I add includes my name, address, email, website and copyright information.  Once you have your information filled out you are ready to save it as a preset. 

Go to the top of the Edit Metadata Presets dialog box you’ll see the word ‘Preset’.  Click the pulldown menu and select ‘save current settings as new preset…’.  Name the preset and click ok. 

Now your metadata preset is all set up and ready to be used.  You can apply the preset on your images as you import them into Lightroom or to images that are already in your Lightroom library.

Thanks for watching!

Lightroom 5 - Creating Import Presets

Looking to speed up your Lightroom workflow?  Creating import presets is going to help you do that.  Import presets allow you to make all of the choices about how to import your images and where to store them and then save those settings as a preset.  Each time you import photos simply select your preset and all of your settings are applied automatically!  It’s a great time saver and prevents you from having to make all of the same choices and selections each time you import photos.   If you have any questions about setting up import presets in Adobe Lightroom, leave me a comment. 

Thanks for watching!

Before/After Image Processing - Old School Gas Pump

Recently I was looking through some old images and I came across the image below.  It is a photograph of an 'old school gas pump' in front of a vintage hardware store.  I liked the photograph, but I thought it looked flat, dull and needed some cleaning up.  The photograph was taken in Lancaster Pennsylvania back in 2008.  

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Canon Powershot A80, 7.8mm, 1/500 sec at F/5.0, ISO 50

Step One

First, some background information on this photograph - it was taken with a Canon Powershot A80.  Yes a point and shoot camera!  Regardless of the kind of camera you use, great images can be made with any camera.  You just have to put your mind to it and be creative.  

Adjustments made in Adobe Lightroom's 'Basic' panel

After finding this image, the first thing I did was to bring it into Adobe Lightroom.  As I've mentioned, I keep all of my images in Lightroom.  The first thing I did with the image was to go into the Develop module and make some global adjustments.  I increased the contrast, reduced the highlights, opened up the shadows, subtly reduced the whites and increased the blacks.  I also added a hint of clarity to help tighten everything up a bit.  Be careful with the clarity sliders.  Drastically increasing the clarity can create an unrealistic looking image.  Of course there are always exceptions - for example if you are trying to go for an HDR look for your image, the clarity slider will help you achieve that look.

Original Image out of camera

Image after being processed in Lightroom

Step 2

After some quick global adjustments in Lightroom, it's time to bring the image over to Adobe Photoshop for some retouching and enhancements.  I brought the image over to Photoshop using the Cmd + E shortcut.  You can also select the image, go to the menu bar and select Photo > Edit In > Edit In Adobe Photoshop CC (or the version you have).  

First I created a new layer above the background layer titled 'Retouching'.  I went through the entire image and removed all of the distractions, wires, pavement markings, imperfections in the gas pump, and shadows I didn't want to see. 

Image with Lightroom adjustments in Photoshop.  Yellow arrows indicate the major areas to be retouched.

Image in Photoshop after retouching is complete.

Step 3

Next, I combine the background image and the retouching layer using Shift + Opt + Cmd + E on the Mac (Shift + Ctrl + Alt + E on a PC).  This shortcut makes a new flattened layer of all the layers below it.  

Step 4

The next thing I'd like to do is make some adjustments to help the overall contrast of the image.  I added a curves adjustment layer and created a slight 'S' curve to help darken the shadows a bit and lighten the highlights a little.  Next I added an additional curves adjustments layer to open the shadows up just a little bit.

Curves 1 Adjustment Layer 

Curves 2 Adjustments Layer

Step 5

After the curves adjustment layers, I added a new layer to do some dodging & burning.  The layer was filled with 50% gray and set to the Soft Light layer blend mode.  By using the Soft Light blend mode, the gray will be invisible.  However, any areas that are dodged and burned will appear.  I then used the dodge and burn tools on that layer to darken and lighten various areas of the photo.  This helps bring back some depth into the image.  After the dodging and burning is complete, I lowered the layer opacity to 55%.

Retouched image after Dodging & Burning

Gradient Map Adjustment layer added in Step 6

Step 6

Once I was finished with dodging and burning, I added a gradient map adjustment layer.  I reduced the gradient map adjustment layer opacity to 10% and changed the blend mode to Soft Light.  I felt that it added a little more contrast/punch to the image and gave it that little extra boost. 

High Pass Filter Settings

Step 7

At this point, I felt the image process and retouching were complete.  The second to last step was to add some sharpening to the image.  To do this, I used the High Pass filter.  First, create a merged layer using Sift + Opt + Cmd + E on a Mac.  Next, go to Filter > Other > High Pass to bring up the High Pass filter window.  I used 1.5 pixels for the radius size, but you can play with different amounts to see what works for your image.  Click OK.  The layer blend mode should be set to either Overlay, Soft Light or Hard Light.  Each blend mode will give you a varying amount of intensity of the High Pass layer.  In this case, I chose Hard Light and reduced the opacity to 50%. 

Post Crop Vignette Settings

Step 8

Finally to complete the image, I added a Post Crop Vignette.  To do this, I again merged all the layers together using Shift + Opt + Cmd + E, then went to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.  I then went to the Effects panel and added the vignette.  With the vignette added, the image is complete.  I simply saved it and closed it to bring it back into Lightroom.  Below is the final image I ended up with.  Overall I am happy with the end result.  

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Final Image - 'After'

Original Image - 'Before'

Gloomy Morning Photographs

Foggy, wet, a little cool outside.  May not seem like ideal conditions to get out and shoot some photos, but I bet if you venture out you will find some interesting things.  That's exactly what I did late last week.  It was a cool, damp, foggy morning here in New Jersey.  As I looked at the fog in the morning light, I thought that there has to be some interesting images I could create.  So I ventured out in search of some interesting things to take pictures of.  

Below are a few of the images I captured during my 1 hour or so of being out and about.  All of the images are taking with the Canon 60D using an 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS lens.  Images were imported into Adobe Lightroom for cataloging and post processing.  Some of the images were then also brought into onOne's Perfect Effects for finishing touches.  

How often do you take photographs when the weather is less than ideal?

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One Way to Become a Better Photographer

Go out and take pictures!  That's right, the more you pick up your camera and go take pictures, the better a photographer you will become.  Like so many things in life, the art of photography requires practice.  There are many advantages to shooting more often.  Not only will you learn your camera better, you will also further develop your 'eye' for photographs.  Before you know it you will be 'seeing' photographs even when you don't have your camera with you.  Then again we all usually have our phones with us, so why not take the photograph you just saw with your phone?  Even on a rainy day like it was yesterday here in New Jersey, there's always something interesting to take pictures of.  Here is one of the shots I took today:  

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Canon 60D  1/160th at F8.0, ISO 800, 135mm

Here are a few things that you can look for and think about in your daily travels to help develop your photographic eye:

• Patterns
• Textures
• Lines
• Diagonals
• Shadows
• Highlights

• Filling the Frame
• Framing the Subject
• Forms
• Shapes
• Reflections
• Colors or Lack of Color

• Rule of Thirds
• Leading Lines
• Zoom in
• Zoom in some more!
• Go Wide Angle
• Shallow Depth of Field

The best way to learn is to get out there any practice.  Play around with settings, angles, motion and depth of field.  You never know what you might create!

Getting Started in Lightroom - Importing Photos

I'm a big fan and advocate of Adobe Lightroom.  Lightroom is a fantastic program that I use for importing, organizing, and developing all of my photographs.  It took some learning to get up to speed on the program and how to use it, but now I could never go back to using simple folders or other methods of organizing my photographs.  Below is a quick tutorial of how to import photos into Lightroom 5.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email me.