Review Digital Camera World 01-23-2014

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

Creative photography: how to think beyond the obvious with composition Jan 23rd 2014, 00:01, by jmeyer Break the rules and add variety and interest to your images! In this tutorial we show you how thinking beyond the obvious with your compositions leads to more creative photography. All images and words by Mark Hamblin The old adage "Rules are there to be broken" applies as much to photographic composition as it does to many other things in life. But you need to fully understand the basic rules of composition before you can intentionally break them. Whole books have been written about the compositional 'rules' you should follow to create a well-balanced picture. Some of those most commonly practised include the rule of thirds, lead-in lines, natural frames, a sense of scale, use of foreground interest and a single focal point. Many successful images employ one or several of these compositional rules. However, there's nothing to stop you throwing the rule book out of the window and creating equally powerful images. One of the most-cited compositional rules is to imagine the frame divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and then place the subject or main focal point on one of the intersections where the imaginary lines cross. This is how a lot of images are composed – but sometimes, placing the subject centrally in the frame can lead to a stronger image. This is particularly true if the subject is symmetrical in some way, such as a person or animal looking down the barrel of the lens, or a landscape plus its reflection. SEE MORE: The 10 Rules of Photo Composition (and why they work) The third way An alternative use of the rule of thirds is to apply it in a way that the viewer isn't expecting. For example, rather than placing the subject on one of the lower thirds of the frame with space above, place it higher up in the frame on one of the upper thirds. This creates an unusual balance to the picture and can add extra emphasis to the main subject. This can be further enhanced by using a technique of differential focus, where only the subject is sharp, with a large expanse of foreground as well as the background blurred out. Similarly, try breaking the rule of thirds in landscape images by composing the scene with only a slither of sky at the top of the frame rather than the usual third. This works well when there is little interest in the sky. You can also do the opposite by including just a thin strip of land at the bottom of the picture with a wide expanse of dramatic sky. Done successfully, breaking with conventional composition has the ability to surprise the viewer and force us to look more closely at a picture. SEE MORE: How to compose a photograph – start seeing images where you never saw them before Get down Another simple way to achieve this is to shoot from an unusual angle or perspective. One way is to shoot close-ups using a wide-angle lens. This distorts the appearance of the subject closest to the camera, causing it to appear to out of proportion. An extension of this approach is to shoot from a low angle, looking up at your subject, as opposed to the more usual way of shooting square-on or at eye level. When shooting trees or tall buildings, for example, this approach exaggerates their height and converging lines, making the subject look far more imposing. PAGE 1: Creative photography tips to try right now PAGE 2: How to break free from your rut for more creative photography PAGE 3: Be creative with focusing PAGE 4: Final tips for more creative photography READ MORE 10 common landscape photography mistakes every photographer makes Composing pictures with foreground interest: simple ways to draw in the eye Golden Hour photography: tips for making magical landscapes at dawn Pro Secrets: how to use a telephoto lens for awesome landscapes Leading lines: photography’s most underrated composition device Get superior prints with a Canon PIXMA PRO printer (Sponsored) Jan 22nd 2014, 14:27, by jmeyer There are no better printer partners for your Canon EOS DSLR than Canon's great PIXMA PRO range. Whether you're an advanced amateur, budding semi-pro or seasoned professional, Canon's PIXMA PRO printers will make sure you obtain prints to be proud of. From the PIXMA PRO-100, to the PIXMA PRO-10 and PIXMA PRO-1, there's an A3+ printer for every budget. With 8, 10 or 12 ink systems you'll be in full creative control to achieve stunning prints; whether glossy or matte, colour or black and white, whatever your paper choice, you'll be able to breathe life into your prints. This image shows the wonderful colour reproduction that can be achieved with a Canon printer. Exclusive Competition To help you to discover the power and potential of Canon's PIXMA PRO printers, we're giving away six PIXMA PRO-100 printers in our exclusive online competition – plus we're offering one reader the chance to win a professional Canon EOS 5D Mark III, along with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a one-to-one session with one of the UK's top Canon professional photographers. The best image from your day's shoot will be printed on a PIXMA PRO-1 printer. From learning how to master your Canon DSLR to getting the best out of your Canon printer, our Canon pro will help you to become a better photographer and will help to create better prints. To enter our competition we want to see your best images relating to the following themes: 1 Landscapes 2 Wildlife 3 Action 4 Portraits 5 Black & White 6 Close-ups The winners of each category will win a PIXMA PRO-100 printer. The overall winner will be selected from the category winners and will receive a Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR and a day's tuition with a leading Canon professional photographer. All winners will be announced in the April issues of PhotoPlus and Digital Camera magazines, and also online at www.digitalcameraworld.com. Click here to enter the competition online! Terms & Conditions The most suitable Canon professional photographer and location will be announced once we know the winning subject category. Entries must be received by 31 January 2014. The winners will be selected by the PhotoPlus and Digital Camera editorial teams. The prize is as stated: no alternatives, cash or otherwise, are available. For full terms and conditions please visit www.futuretcs.com. Photo to cartoon effect: how to use Photoshop to turn images into drawings Jan 22nd 2014, 12:21, by jmeyer The photo-to-cartoon effect is one of our favourite Photoshop effects, and it’s surprisingly easy to achieve. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to turn photos to cartoons using an assortment of filters and simple brushwork. Filters that turn your photos into drawings or paintings have been around in Photoshop for years. However, there have always been two problems with them: first, they've been used to death, and second, most of them aren't all that convincing. To get a good result requires more than just slapping a filter over an image – instead you'll need to combine filters with hand-painted brushwork and other Photoshop skills. In this tutorial you'll learn how to turn a portrait into a cartoon caricature with the help of a few Photoshop filters and some painting with the Brush tool. We'll begin by creating a sketch of our tattooed man here, which involves an unusual use for the Gaussian Blur filter. From here we'll use the brush to colour in the skin, hair and clothes. We'll also save ourselves some time by blending the original tattoos with our cartoon. And to finish it off, we'll add a striking line vortex effect to the background. Step by step how to make the photo-to-cartoon effect 01 Convert to sketch Open your start image. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the background layer, then Cmd/Ctrl+ Shift+U to remove colour. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J again, then Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert the tones. Change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge. Go to Filter>Blur> Gaussian Blur. Set Radius to 8px and hit OK.   02 Make lines stronger Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to merge a new layer, then Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy it. Set the Blend Mode to Multiply, then copy the layer three times to make the lines stronger. Highlight the top layer, Shift+click the layer above the background and hit Cmd/Ctrl+E to merge. Rename the layer Sketch.   03 Clean it up Make a new layer, drag it below the sketch layer, then go to Edit>Fill Layer. Set Use: White and hit OK. Next highlight the sketch layer and click the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers Panel. Grab the Brush tool and set colour to black, then paint to tidy up the skin, clothes and hair.   04 Paint in colours Change the Blend Mode of the sketch layer to Multiply, then make a new layer and drag it below. Grab the Brush tool and choose a colour for the skin, then begin painting. Make more new layers and paint different colours for the hair, eyes, mouth and jeans.   05 Reveal the tattoos Duplicate the background layer. Drag it to below the sketch layer. Go to Filter>Brush Strokes>Ink Outlines. Leave the default settings and hit OK. Alt-click the Add Layer Mask icon to add a mask that hides the layer, then paint with white to reveal the tattoos. Next highlight the white layer.   06 Add background effects Go to Filter>Texturiser>Grain. Set Grain Type: Vertical, Intensity 100, Contrast 0. Go to Filter> Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set Radius 4px. Go to Filter> Distort> Polar Coordinates and pick Rectangular to Polar. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+U, check Colorize, set Hue 211. Paint white over any lines that show through. Final Tip When colouring in different parts of an image, always use a separate layer for each colour so you can erase, tone down or change the shade at any time. READ MORE Fantasy landscape tutorial: how to blend images seamlessly in a dramatic montage 34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try once Photoshop reflection effect: how to add water to your landscapes Photoshop effects: recreate the look of a medium format portrait

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