Saturday, May 5, 2012
The three adjustments I always make in Photoshop
3:58 PM | 
Posted by
carrie |
The comment I get the most in my digital photography classes, online and in a Facebook group that I am involved in that offers digital photography tips for mom who want to take better photos of their kids is:
"I have just started editing photos and I have no idea what I am doing-- I have PSE, but it just looks too confusing to know where to begin- help!" ~ New Photographer
When I began, I knew that I wanted to do more with my images, but it seemed like most of the tutorials and books out there were for the full pricey) version of Photoshop, or assumed a certain level of knowledge before you even got to the beginning of the tutorial.
There are a couple of adjustments that I always find myself making, whether in PSE or Photoshop, and whatever the photo situation. These adjustments can quickly take away annoyances that you didn't even know you had with your image, and can take an image that you are satisfied with, to one you are proud of showing off to anyone.
When you open your photo in PSE, you will see a series of drop-down menus along the top of the screen. Amongst these is the Layer drop down menu. (There are other ways to create new layers, but for those of you that are just beginning, this is the easiest way and the method that changes least between different versions of Photoshop.) You can access all of the following Adjustment Layer by Choosing the Layer drop down and then "New Adjustment Layer." This will make the side-menu for Adjustment Layers pop out. This is where you will find these Adjustment Layers as choices.
The three adjustments I always make in PSE:
Layer=> New Adjustment Layer=>
Levels.
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| Photoshop Levels Adjustment |
All pixels in your image are given a number from 0-255, ranging from completely black to completely white. Say you move the slider to 3 (or manually change it in the field underneath this slider) Where only the pixels with a value of 0 were completely black before, then all of the pixels with a value of 0,1,2 and 3 will then be black.
You can also use the eye-drops pictured here to adjust the levels. Click on the black eye-dropper and move over to your image. Click again, this time on something in your image that is supposed to be completely black. I find that this works best with things like walls and furniture, and less well with black clothing, which may or may not be really black if it has been worn and washed multiple times.
Brightness/Contrast
I tend to like more contrast in my images, so I would move the sliders up about 3-5. Brightness is one adjustment where subtle is better, and this adjustment should only be done after the Levels Adjustment has been made.
As your image gets brighter, you may notice a loss of the fine detail in your image, and this is where Contrast comes in to play. Contrast makes the difference between the light pixels and dark pixels in your image more pronounces, and brings back a lot of the detail to your image. However, once again- less is more as you can accidentally age someone and make the soft face of a young child look harsh.
Hue/Saturation
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| Photoshop Hue/Saturation Adjustment |
The Saturation slider is one of my favorites, because it allows you to adjust not only the overall saturation of the image, but also the saturation of each color component of the image. By default, you will have Master selected in the drop down menu at the top of this palette. You can select other colors to warm up a cool face, or make a background color pop.
Labels:
help,
photography,
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Monday, February 6, 2012
Redeemer Church Family Fun Photos-- {Coon Rapids Event Photography}
The pastor at my church emailed me a few weeks ago with an idea that I couldn't pass up, even though the event in question fell in the first couple weeks of Grad School. Redeemer is currently doing a series on the importance of family, and wanted to do something unique to celebrate the families in our congregation-- a silly family photo booth on site during a normal Sunday service.
It was so much fun to photograph an event where I basically showed up with camera in hand and used their backdrop and props. My husband was working at a show downtown, so Noah had to hang out with Mommie and try to be patient while I worked, which was a bit of a challenge. He loved getting to see more of his friends from the church nursery and had to get in on some of the fun of making a silly face, which at this point as you can see for him means sticking out his tongue.
It was so much fun to photograph an event where I basically showed up with camera in hand and used their backdrop and props. My husband was working at a show downtown, so Noah had to hang out with Mommie and try to be patient while I worked, which was a bit of a challenge. He loved getting to see more of his friends from the church nursery and had to get in on some of the fun of making a silly face, which at this point as you can see for him means sticking out his tongue.
Here are just a few of the families I got to photograph. So much fun getting to know all of you a bit more!
Labels:
church,
Coon Rapids,
event,
family,
family photography,
Fridley,
fun,
group,
portrait,
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