How To Add A Faded Effect To An Image

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Have you ever wanted to apply a faded look to an image?  It’s easier than you might think!  In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how to quickly and easily add a faded effect to your images in Adobe Lightroom.

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!

 

How to Prepare a Scanned Image for Print

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Have you ever scanned in an image you wanted to reproduce only to find that the scan does not look as good as you had hoped?  In this tutorial I’ll show you the process I used to scan in an image that was in an old calendar, then retouch and repair the image before sending it off to be printed.  One of the challenges with this image in particular was that after I scanned it in and brought it into Adobe Photoshop, I was able to see the small colored dots of ink that were used to print the image.  I’ll show you how I was able to remove the ink dots using smart filters in Photoshop 2014.  After adjusting the image in Photoshop, I will show you the final printed result. 

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!  Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel along with my website:  http://www.jasonyadlovski.com 

Please subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Thanks for watching!

pdn Photoplus Expo comes to NYC - Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2014

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The annual Photoplus International Conference and Expo is coming to the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City from October 29th to November 1st!  If you are in the New York City area, I would recommend stopping by to check it out.  Access to the Expo is free as long as you register before October 28, 2014.  Here is a link to the Photoplus website:

pdn Photoplus International Conference + Expo

There are also a variety of other paid options where you can attend:  seminars, classes, keynote presentations, networking events, etc.  At the link below, you will find the various pricing options:

2014 Registration Pricing

I have been attending the expo for the past few years and have always really enjoyed it.  It is a great place to see all kinds of new gear, software, products, etc. as well as talk with others who are in the industry.  You can tryout equipment, listen to free talks on the expo floor, check out printers, paper types, lighting setups, bags, tripods, and much more.  So if you are in the area while the expo is in NYC, stop by and check it out! 

Lightroom Quick Tip - Adding Keywords

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Adding keywords to your photographs is easy and allows you to search for specific photographs within your Lightroom catalog.  The more keywords you use that are specific to that image, the better the chance you have of finding that image in the future if you need it.  Everyone has great images, but if you can’t find them, it doesn’t do you any good. 

In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how to add keywords to your images that are already in your Lightroom catalog.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!  Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel.  If there is anything you would like to learn in a future tutorial, please leave it in a comment below.

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Thanks for watching!

Lightroom Quick Tip - Star Ratings & Pick Flags

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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

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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. 

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Thanks for watching!

Photoshop: How to use Layer Masks

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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. 

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).

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

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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

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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

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

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!  

Final Image

How to Enlarge a Low-Res Image for Print

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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

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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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Perfect Effects_Sunshine_Bleeding Hearts

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!