Digital Darkroom

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Darryl C. Nicholas  |  May 01, 2007  |  0 comments

If you have ever had the experience of trying to convert your favorite slide or color negative to an electronic file you have probably run into the problem called “noise.”...

Anthony L. Celeste  |  Apr 01, 2007  |  0 comments

Many people tend to associate JPEGs with poor quality. However, when a JPEG has poor quality, it's the result of the format being used incorrectly, not a flaw in the format itself. Used properly, JPEG can and will produce a file that cannot be distinguished from any other format.

The main advantage of JPEG is clearly its superior compression. An RGB image...

Jon Canfield  |  Mar 01, 2007  |  0 comments

One of the most frequent questions I get from readers or students is about dpi, or dots per inch. There's a great deal of confusion out there on what the best settings are, and it isn't being made any easier by the use of two different measurements for resolution.

First, we have ppi, or pixels per inch, which usually applies to image resolution. This is...

Steve Bedell  |  Mar 01, 2007  |  0 comments

In this article I'm going to show you how combining two software programs and one plug-in can make your life easier and your workflow faster. As a bonus (see sidebar), I'm going to show you a way to handle dodging and burning that is nondestructive to your files. First up, we've got a family portrait with 16 people to retouch. That sounds like an hour's...

Philip Andrews  |  Mar 01, 2007  |  0 comments

Despite what many photographers think, there is more to Photoshop's layer technology than its ability to bring together several images. Some of the most sophisticated layer techniques are not based on composing different image parts but rather use the characteristics of the layer technology to provide nondestructive editing alternatives for many of our standard enhancement...

Phillip Andrews  |  Feb 01, 2007  |  0 comments

For most photographers being able to switch from color to black and white with a few simple mouse clicks is one of the most powerful aspects of digital imaging. With digital you no longer need to pick color or black and white before taking the photo, as was the case when film was king. Now after color capture the decision to convert to monochrome can be made easily at the...

David B. Brooks  |  Dec 01, 2006  |  0 comments

This article is for those of you who color correct and adjust your image files to attain what looks like an ideal photograph on screen, but whose prints don't match that perfect screen image. Of all the challenges and disappointments digital photographers express to me in e-mails I receive almost daily, matching screen to print is the most common. It is also the most...

Jon Canfield  |  Dec 01, 2006  |  0 comments

In my last column I covered using Unsharp Mask to sharpen your images for output, whether print or screen. This time, we'll go a step further and talk about selective sharpening. Why would you want to use selective sharpening? It's the ideal choice when working on portraits, where you want to keep the skin smooth but have good detail and focus on the eyes. You'll...

Jon Canfield  |  Oct 01, 2006  |  0 comments

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is about the proper, or "best," way to sharpen images for printing or web use. Almost everyone has struggled with getting this right. Software has improved greatly over the past couple of years, both within Adobe's Photoshop, which recently added the Smart Sharpen filter, and with third-party tools like...

Darryl C. Nicholas  |  Oct 01, 2006  |  0 comments

If you photograph outdoors in daylight you're going to have minor exposure problems. You simply can't control the light as much as you might like, or need.

Our example is typical. The red barn is exposed correctly, but the grass is "hot" and the sky is washed out. Here is how you can correct these two little faults:
...

Darryl C. Nicholas  |  Jul 12, 2006  |  First Published: Jul 01, 2006  |  0 comments

I'm sure you all know how to do cloning with the Rubber Stamp tool in Photoshop. The tool picks up color from one place and lays it down in another place. It's a great tool for a lot of restoration repair jobs. However, when you have a restoration repair job that involves repairing areas of the picture that has a lot of straight lines, the Rubber Stamp tool...

Shutterbug Staff  |  May 01, 2006  |  0 comments

New developments in digital technology have given the artist new tools; digital cameras and software programs with incredibly creative options have allowed artists in all media to advance their work beyond the ordinary. While Jeff Berman, whose work appears on these pages, admits that new technology has opened creative doors, he also knows that at the heart of any work is an eye...

Brad Perks and Roger L. Johnson  |  May 01, 2006  |  0 comments

Custom designed for camera gear, comfort, mobile Internet access, and that go-anywhere performance, pros Roger L. Johnson and Brad Perks now use the PhotoMobile for photographic assignments, executive portrait sessions on location, and mobile photo services coast to coast.

Johnson's ideas took flight during a trip through the Rocky Mountains with Perks. They...

Howard Millard  |  Apr 01, 2006  |  0 comments

Just when you thought that there really wasn't much more that Adobe could possibly cram into Photoshop, Version CS2, part of the Creative Suite, was released last year. Whether you're a seasoned digital pro or a newcomer, how do all these new features work and how can they improve your workflow and shorten the time you spend in postproduction? Check out the valuable...

Phillip Andrews  |  Apr 01, 2006  |  0 comments

The prevailing attitude is that the only way to speed up Photoshop is to spend loads of money to buy the latest and best gear on the market. While it's true that better, faster, and more expensive gear will always drive those pixels around the screen with more speed than lower-priced systems, this is only part of the story. Many dedicated Photoshop users can get substantial...

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