Review Digital Camera World 05-15-2013

Digital Camera World

10 reasons why your photos aren't sharp (and how to fix them) May 14th 2013, 23:01 Getting sharp photos is one of the fundamental goals in photography. If your images aren't as sharp as you'd like, take a look at our ten-point guide to work out where you're going wrong and how to get it right next time. Reason No. 1. Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Shutter speed too low In the days of film photography there was a general rule that in order to get sharp images from a hand-held camera the shutter speed needed to be at least one second divided by the focal length of the lens. So if you were shooting with a 100mm optic the shutter speed needed to be at least 1/100sec, which because of the way shutter speed is set usually translates to a setting of 1/125sec or faster. This rule still holds today, but it is somewhat complicated by the focal length magnification factors of sub-full-frame sensors and image stabilisation systems. For example, if a 100mm lens is mounted on a Nikon APS-C format SLR like the D5200, which has a focal length magnification factor of 1.5x, the photographer would need to set a shutter speed of at least 1/150sec. Canon APS-C format DSLRs like the EOS 650D have a 1.6x focal length magnification factor, so the shutter speed would need to be at least 1/160sec. The image stabilisation systems built into some lenses and cameras have a mechanism to compensate for accidental camera movement and this allows slow shutter speeds to be used when the camera is handheld. Many lenses now claim a 4EV compensation, which means that the shutter speed can be reduced by 16x. That's the difference between 1/125sec and /18sec. Even with image stabilisation some people are better at handholding a camera steady than others. The amount of coffee and alcohol that you've drunk can make a difference as well. Reason No. 1. Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Shutter speed too low Reason No. 2 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Camera shake Reason No. 3 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Vibrations from touching the camera Reason No. 4 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Mirror-slap Reason No. 5 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Subject movement Reason No. 6 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: AF focused on wrong subject Reason No. 7 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Continuous AF not selected Reason No. 8 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Continuous AF selected Reason No. 9 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Depth of field too shallow Reason No. 10 Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Aperture too small READ MORE 10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes 10 common exposure problems every photographer faces (and how to fix them) Master your camera’s autofocus: which AF points to use and when to use them 15 common photography questions from beginners (and how to solve them) Adobe Lightroom tutorial: 6 fundamental Develop module edits for your raw files May 14th 2013, 10:00 Adobe Lightroom has quietly become one of the best photo editing software options for photographers thanks to its easy-to-use interface and extensive range of tools and controls. In our latest Raw Tuesday post, our Adobe Lightroom tutorial shows you how to use Lightroom’s Develop module for perfect edits. Lightroom 4 is far more than just an image organiser. Its Develop module houses a set of tonal controls that at least match, and arguably surpass Photoshop stalwarts like Levels and Curves. These tools enable you make a range of useful edits – from basic tonal tweaks to more creative effects. If you're used to Photoshop's Camera Raw plugin you'll find a near-identical set of controls on the right of the Develop Module's interface. Whether you want to make basic exposure tweaks, correct lens distortion, crop in tighter or remove spots, the Develop Module is the place to begin. And because Lightroom allows you to make these changes non-destructively to raw files, you can work on your images while retaining the highest possible quality. In this tutorial we'll start by making a few fundamental tweaks to exposure and tone in the Basic Panel, which is the best place to begin editing your raw files. We'll go on to use targeted tools to lighten eyes and darken the corners. One of the main reasons to work in Lightroom is that every single edit you make is completely reversible and editable at any time. So not only can you undo or tweak anything at any stage, you also have the freedom to try out different effects and treatments. The Develop Module isn't just essential for basic enhancements, it also lets you take your images in interesting and unexpected directions. 6 fundamental edits for raw files in the Adobe Lightroom Develop module 01 Make Basic Tweaks Open Lightroom and click the Library Module, then hit the Import button and import develop_before.dng. Next, click Develop. Go to the Basic Panel on the right of the interface and use the sliders to improve the tones. Set Exposure +0.35, Contrast +7, Highlights +20, Shadows +49, Whites +18, Blacks -7, Vibrance +29.   02 Curves and vignette Scroll down the set of controls on the right until you come to the Tone Curve. Either drag the line, or input these settings to create an S-shaped curve line: Highlights +15, Lights +5, Darks -9, Shadows -17. Next scroll down to the Effects Panel and set Post crop vignette, Style: Highlight Priority, Amount -20.   03 Crop in tighter Go to the tools below the histogram and click the Crop tool. Now scroll up to the top of the right-hand settings to find the Crop options. Click the Lock icon to lock the aspect ratio, then crop in to the top and right. Next, click the Adjustment Brush and hit Z to zoom in to the eyes.   04 Paint in adjustments Check Show Selected Mask Overlay, then set Brush size to 14 in the settings on the right. Click over Iris to set a pin, then paint over both irises. Hold Alt and paint to erase if you need to. Hide mask overlay, go to settings and input Exposure +0.94, Contrast +51, Clarity +48, Saturation +51 to boost the iris.   05 Reveal highlight details Click New at the top right of the screen, then click on the bright white flower to set another pin. Paint a new mask over the flower, as well as some of the brighter parts along the arm, then set Highlights -26 to reveal more of the detail in those areas. Next you need to grab the Graduated Filter tool.   06 Remove the flower Drag in from the edges to create several gradients, each with Clarity set to -71, to create a soft blur around the edges. Grab the Spot Removal tool. Set Spot Edit: Heal, Size 79 then zoom in to the flower under the arm. Click over the flower and drag to the left to remove it. READ MORE 34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try once 101 Photoshop tips you really need to know Adobe Lightroom 4 review Photoshop Curves Tool: 6 techniques every photographer should know How to retouch photos: pro techniques in 10 easy steps

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