Review Digital Camera World 11-18-2013

Digital Camera World

Many wonderful memories are captured in black and white. With digital photographs, the art is now in creating black and white images. This course will teach you how to use Photoshop techniques to create beautiful images. From our sponsors

Nikon Capture NX2: how to create outstanding black and white conversions Nov 18th 2013, 00:01, by jmeyer Discover how Nikon Capture NX2 photo editing software can make tonal adjustments based on colour to improve contrast and composition in your images, helping you make stunning black and white conversions. By converting colour shots into black and white you can remove distracting colour information and draw the viewer's attention to other features in the scene, such as contrasting shapes and patterns. However, if you simply desaturate a shot, you run the risk of creating a drab wash of greyscale tones. Here, we’ll show you how to produce more striking monochrome prints using various Capture NX2 tricks and techniques. Using Capture NX2 to perfect colour and tone Traditional film photographers would pop coloured filters over the lens when shooting with black and white film. These filters lightened or darkened tones. For example, a red filter would darken blues. This created darker skies in the black and white print, which made white clouds stand out more in contrast. Capture NX2's Black and White Conversion command enables us to digitally recreate this approach and use sliders to lighten or darken colours in the mono conversion, so we can choose which areas stand out in contrast to others in the shot. The Photo Effects command does a similar tone-tweaking job, but also enables you to add a wash of colour to the monochrome conversion. We'll put both commands through their paces so that you can decide which approach you prefer. How to convert to black and white with Nikon Capture NX2 Desaturate the image Go to File > Open Image and browse to our mono_before.NEF shot. In the Adjust panel click New Step. Click Select Adjustment, Color, then Saturation/Warmth. Reduce Saturation to -100 for a monochrome shot. But it lacks contrast.   Black and White Conversion Click the ‘x’ icon to delete the adjustment. Click New Step, then the Select Adjustment drop-down menu and Black and White Conversion. Experiment by dragging the Filter Hue slider. Setting it at 244 darkens warmer colours.   Reveal the clouds The sky is a dull grey wash. Drag the Filter Hue slider left to a warmer 61. This darkens colder blues in the sky, making delicate clouds stand out more effectively. Boost the Color Filter Strength to 66 for more cloud and sky contrast.   Reduce the clipping We've clipped the highlights on the woman on the right. Press Shift+H to view the blown highlights as white patches on black. Drag the Contrast slider to -6 to recover the highlights, then press Shift+H again.   Improve the composition Grab the Crop tool from the top toolbar. Drag the crop handles to lose the distracting foreground detail, then press Enter. The shot is cleaner, and its wider aspect ratio helps enhance the location's sense of space.   Add contrast and tint Open sepia_before.NEF. Go to Filter > Photo Effects. In the Adjust panel set the Method to Black and White. Drag Cyan-Red to -83 to make the trees stand out. Boost Brightness to 7. Choose Sepia from the Method menu to add a warm tint. PAGE 1: How to convert to black and white using Nikon Capture NX2 PAGE 2: Get to know the Capture NX2 interface PAGE 3: How to discover (and recover) lost tonal information with Capture NX2 READ MORE Dodge and Burn: how to master one of the most vital photo editing skills Professional photo editing tricks: how to get perfect skies in ALL your raw photos Best photo editing tips for beginners: 18 quick fixes to common image problems 34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try once Photoshop reflection effect: how to add water to your landscapes Best camera settings for taking pictures at twilight Nov 17th 2013, 12:00, by jmeyer Do you struggle with colour rendition and sharpness when shooting in low light? In this quick guide we run through some of the best camera settings for taking pictures at twilight. The upside of the later sunrise and earlier sunset at this time of year is that you can set about getting dramatic twilight shots. It's usually best to shoot fairly soon before sunrise or after sunset, when the sun isn't too far below the horizon. At these times, clear skies take on a deep blue colour, and reflect fabulous light down onto the scene. Long exposures work well for static subjects. DON’T MISS: Night photography – how to set up your camera to shoot absolutely anything Use a tripod and keep your camera's sensitivity to a low value of around ISO 100 to 200. This will optimise picture quality, keeping image noise to a minimum. Watery surfaces, which are often good to include for reflecting city lights, take on a smooth and mirror-like sheen. However, if you're including a river or lake with boats bobbing about on a choppy surface, you'll need a faster shutter speed to avoid motion blur, so increase your ISO setting accordingly. This will also be necessary to avoid camera-shake if you're relying on handheld shooting. A neat trick is to select the tungsten or incandescent white balance setting in preference to auto white balance. You should get a much more natural colour rendition for artificially lit areas of the shot, while emphasising the deep blue of the twilight sky. READ MORE Night photography: 9 essential steps for beginners Bulb mode: how to get pro-quality shots in low light 12 common errors of night photography (and how to solve them) Night photography exposure guide: free cheat sheet

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