Friday, 24 May 2013

Review Digital Camera World 05-25-2013

Digital Camera World
Image sharpening: how to bring out more detail in your favourite photos
May 24th 2013, 23:01

In this Photoshop Elements tutorial we show you clever ways of bringing out more detail through image sharpening, while keeping some of the side effects to a minimum.

Image sharpening: how to bring out more detail in your favourite photos

When you view a photo on your camera's relatively small rear screen, it may look crisp and sharp.

However, it's only when you view the image at actual size on your home computer's larger display that you realise it's not quite in sharp focus. This means some key details may look slightly blurred and lack real definition.

The image could also look soft due to your camera's built-in anti-moiré filter, which is designed to minimise unsightly blocky patterns and false colours caused by complex textures.

Fortunately, Photoshop Elements has a range of effective sharpening tools that enable you to reveal detail in soft-focus areas and create a print with more punch.

In this tutorial we'll show you how to sharpen up JPEGs in the standard Photoshop Elements editor and then move on to teasing out delicate details in a soft-looking raw file using the Adobe Camera Raw editor.

Photoshop Elements enables you to make a soft shot look sharper by increasing the contrast around the edge of objects in the scene. This gives delicate details more definition and impact.

However, by increasing the contrast you can also add unsightly artefacts such as harsh black or white halos around contrasting edges.

This gives the game away that the shot has been artificially sharpened, and you can also end up exaggerating picture noise caused by a high ISO setting when you sharpen your shot.

Here, we'll show you how to recognise sharpening artefacts and keep them to a minimum.

Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 1-2

Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 01

01 Open the start file
Open Photoshop Elements, click on the Quick editor tab to explore its sharpening options. Choose File>Open and browse to your start file. Click Open. The compressed JPEG image will open in Photoshop Elements' Quick Editor.

Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 02

02 Zoom in
To see how soft your shot actually looks, click on the Zoom tool. Click the 1:1 icon in the top options bar to see the shot's pixels at 100%. Our image is quite soft, so the delicate details lack impact. Click the Sharpen icon on the right to access a range of sharpening preset thumbnails.

PAGE 1: Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 1-2
PAGE 2: Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 3-4
PAGE 3: Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 5-6
PAGE 4: Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 7-8
PAGE 5: Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 9-10
PAGE 6: Photoshop image sharpening step-by-step: 11-12

READ MORE

How to process raw images the right way
34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try once
Crop photos the right way: classic mistakes and how to avoid them
Adobe Lightroom: what every photographer needs to know about the ‘alternative Photoshop’

Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review
May 24th 2013, 10:00

You may have forgotten amid all the attention Adobe has received in the wake of its Photoshop CC announcement, but the software giant also recently revealed an update to its popular Adobe Lightroom software. In our Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review we look at some of the key features of this ‘alternative Photoshop’ to see what they offer photographers.

Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review

It can't match Photoshop's layers, masks, Blend Modes and other high-end image-manipulation tools, but from the photographer's point of view, Adobe Lightroom still has practically all the enhancement and adjustment tools you need to make a good photograph great, together with some unique advantages.

First, all your adjustments are non-destructive – you can go back at any time to reverse, remove or re-edit them.

Second, it treats Raw files the same way as any other, editing them directly and seamlessly with no conversion process required.

Third, Lightroom is a full-powered, professional image cataloguing tool that can organise and search tens of thousands of images using EXIF data, IPTC metadata, 'smart collections' and more.

With Adobe Lightroom 5, the crossover between Lightroom and Photoshop is larger still, because Adobe has made major enhancements to one editing tool and added two completely new ones.

PAGE 1: Why choose Adobe Lightroom 5
PAGE 2: Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review – Advanced Healing Brush
PAGE 3: Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review – Upright
PAGE 4: Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review – Radial Gradient
PAGE 5: Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review – Smart Previews
PAGE 6: Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review – Video slideshow sharing
PAGE 7: Adobe Lightroom 5 beta review – Improved photo book creation
PAGE 8: A look at the Adobe Lightroom 5 interface
PAGE 9: Our Verdict

READ MORE

Photoshop Levels tool: 6 tricks all the pros use
Best photo editing software: 6 Photoshop alternatives tested and rated
Blend Modes: the 10 best blends for photographers (and how to use them)
Photoshop Layers Demystified: a beginner’s guide to smarter photo editing
101 Photoshop tips you really need to know

Issue 139 of Digital Camera magazine now on sale!
May 24th 2013, 09:47

Issue 139 of Digital Camera magazine now on sale!

Issue 139 of Digital Camera, Britain’s best-selling photography magazine, goes on sale today!

This issue’s main feature is about making cash with your camera, something that’s bound to appeal in these lean times.

Learn how to sell to galleries, stock libraries, shoot weddings and more; as well as inspirational real-life stories, we’ve also got some invaluable tips from Alamy’s chief picture buyer.

Another big highlight of this issue is an easy guide to exposure, which is essential reading for anyone who’s suffering from shots that are too light or too dark.

Hardware-wise, we review the exciting new Panasonic GH3, one of the best compact system cameras to date, and check out the latest power compacts. If you’re looking for a handy SLR back-up, this is all you need!

We’ve also got FOUR great free gifts this issue, including a fully working version of CyberLink PhotoDirector 3 for Windows. This is a fully featured photo editor that rivals more expensive programs, and there’s a full guide inside the magazine.

We’re also giving away a handy guide to family portraits, a mini-mag on portrait retouching and a packed video disc with all-new camera technique, Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials.

Pick up issue 139 now and discover why we’re Britain’s best!

READ MORE

Famous Photographers: 100 things we wish we knew starting out
10 things photographers can do to stop wasting pictures
15 common photography questions from beginners (and how to solve them)
44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

Get cash back on the Vanguard ABEO 283AV & Quovio 41 (Advertising Feature)
May 24th 2013, 09:13

As HD video recording capability has become standard in digital cameras, budding ‘HDSLR’ photographers increasingly need a solid, trustworthy video kit that will help them achieve the highest-quality video.

Thankfully, Vanguard, a global leader in high-quality photo and video accessories, has a solution.

Get cash back on the Vanguard ABEO 283AV & Quovio 41 (Advertising Feature)

Vanguard’s versatile ABEO 283AV tripod kit offers incredible stability, supporting up to 4kg (8.8lbs) of camcorders, cameras, and even spotting scopes for shooting videos or still images.

The ABEO 283AV owes its security to its premium magnesium die-cast construction and anti-twist central column.

Meanwhile, Vanguard’s PH-114V two-way pan head comes with the ABEO 283AV and moves fluidly while you frame and shoot your scene, allowing you to securely tilt from +60° to -90° angles to give your compositions more creative possibilities.

The ABEO 283AV's legs bring even more versatility to photographers. The tripod’s legs each have quick-flip leg locks to enable a fast set-up and are able to individually adjust to 25°, 50°, and 80° angles, allowing photographers and videographers to shoot from eye- down to ground-level.

It also comes with rubber feet to keep your set-up secure in rough terrain, and thick foam on its legs helps you to not lose your grip in case of wet weather.

But you won't have to worry about gripping the tripod for too long anyway if you've also got a Vanguard bag to carry it for you.

Vanguard’s Quovio 41 shoulder bag, which won the TIPA Award for best photo bag in 2013, is perfect for the photographer or videographer on the go.

There are two different ways to attach your tripod to your free Quovio 41 shoulder bag. Attach your tripod to the front of the bag so it's ready for action when you use the Quick Access opening to take photos.

Alternatively, if you have a heavy-duty video tripod you can simply strap it to the top of the bag where it will remain stable during transport.

Along with boasting multiple options for how to carry it, the Quovio 41 offers an attachment for your trolley or you can even attach it to an ICS Harness.

Inside the Quovio 41 is a roomy interior lined with thick padding and a divider system that can easily be rearranged to fit your pro DSLR body or semi-pro camcorder gear.

What’s more, the Quovio 41 incorporates two mesh pockets that are perfect for accessories, a memory card wallet and a 14in compartment for storing your laptop.

And what if it happens to be raining or you have to set your bag down in the snow? Don't worry – the bottom of the Quovio 41 is water-resistant and comes with a rain cover.

YOU CAN GET CASH BACK ON ABEO 283AV AND QUOVIO 41 PURCHASES

For a limited time you can claim cash back on purchases of the Vanguard ABEO 283AV and Quovio 41, as well as a number of other exciting Vanguard products.

Digital Camera World readers can claim up to £35 cash back on purchases of ABEO video kits, or £15 cash back on the Quovio 41 bag (as well as the Quovio 44 and 49T models).

Vanguard’s exclusive cash-back deal runs until 31 July 2013. For more information on the offers, the eligible products and to download cash-back forms, visit Vanguard’s cashback site.

READ MORE

Famous Photographers: 100 things we wish we knew starting out
10 things photographers can do to stop wasting pictures
15 common photography questions from beginners (and how to solve them)
44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

 

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

No comments:

Post a Comment