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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

5 Reasons I Shoot my Photos in the RAW

November 2, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

RAW doesn’t mean I don’t wear clothes, RAW is a type of image format a digital camera uses to capture and store photographs. Every camera “takes” a RAW image, but most point and shoot cameras then process that image into the popular JPG format. So what is all the hoopla on RAW vs JPG and why does it matter?

Starting in 2012 I began to shoot RAW, I have my canon rebel set to RAW +jpg. I love getting a shot perfect SOOC, (straight out of camera) it saves time on the post processing side. But even in the film era professional photographers spent hours in the darkroom burning and dodging negatives to get the print quality they desired. Ansel Adams and other photography masters spent a lot of time retouching negatives to get the amazing images that have become iconic.

Even the best photo with the perfect exposure can benefit from a clean “pop” of contrast and sharpening.

Today the RAW image format gives professional and serious amateurs the same options in a virtual “digital darkroom”

1. Photographers excitement: Sometimes the excitement of an event will cause the photographer in you to forget all about settings and metering. I can easily over or underexpose a shot. This happens to me more often than not. THANK goodness for RAW!

Fixing underexposure in Lightroom
Fixing underexposure in Lightroom

2. Wider option of enlarging an image: I take a lot of scenery photos and my camera is only a 10 megapixel, so I need every pixel. The JPEG compression algorithm is lossy . That is, when an image is JPEG-compressed, data is discarded, and the image is permanently degraded. Apply enough JPEG compression and the degradation will become visible. If you want to enlarge your image a lot, JPEG artifacts could be a problem. Because raw files are not compressed, you never have to worry about this.

3. Control my white balance: Ever get that yellowish hue when you take photos inside at night? When shooting in RAW that yellow hue can be removed without the noisy pixelation.  The same with the blueish cast that sometime tints the skin on cloudy days.

4. Non destructive editing: Did you know that every time you open a JPG tiny parts of information are lost. When editing RAW files the program only records the edits and creates a new file. Your original is not lost.

Fixing overexposure and flash burn
Fixing overexposure and flash burn in Lightroom (click for larger image)

5. Higher level of photo quality: In the JPG compression artifacts occur which can throw tiny dots of obtrusive color into unwanted areas. (more on this later) Your camera probably captures 12 to 14 bits of data per pixel, but a JPEG file can only hold eight bits of data per pixel. This means that, when you shoot in JPEG mode, one of the first things your camera does is throw out a bunch of data that it captured. This can also lead to “banding” as evidenced in my previous example.

The digital photography school gives the best definition and explanation of RAW files

A Raw file is…

• not an image file per se (it will require special software to view, though this software is easy to get).
• typically a proprietary format (with the exception of Adobe’s DNG format that isn’t widely used yet).
• at least 8 bits per color – red, green, and blue (12-bits per X,Y location), though most DSLRs record 12-bit color (36-bits per location).
• uncompressed (an 8 megapixel camera will produce a 8 MB Raw file).
• the complete (lossless) data from the camera’s sensor.
• higher in dynamic range (ability to display highlights and shadows).
• lower in contrast (flatter, washed out looking).
• not as sharp.
• not suitable for printing directly from the camera or without post processing.
• read only (all changes are saved in an XMP “sidecar” file or to a JPEG or other image format).
• sometimes admissible in a court as evidence (as opposed to a changeable image format).
• waiting to be processed by your computer.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg#ixzz2AYsqePeU

How to Print RAW Files

Think of RAW camera files kinda like film. It needs to be processed and exposed to be printed in a common format like JPG or TIFF. If you are going to step into the RAW photography world then you will need to use post production software, such as Lightroom or Photoshop. Don’t think negatively of photo editing programs, in the right hands they serve as a tool to get your photo to look as it did when you saw the scene with your eyes.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6Adobe Lightroom 6 / CC Video Book: Training for Photographers

My favorite program is Lightroom, for reasons for many reasons. I can batch edit groups of photos with the same settings in just minutes instead of hours. I can also metatag, keyword and organize my files and folders for easy searching later. I use Photoshop for those designs which require text, layers and cloning. Individual photo work. For most people Photoshop Elements will be more than you will need and the full Photoshop is overkill.

If you don’t want to commit to buying the stand alone programs you can subscribe to Adobes Creative Cloud program for $10 per month and get both the full version of Photoshop and Lightroom to use as much as you want. The choice is really yours.

There are a myriad of Photoshop tutorial videos on YouTube, but some people really like a hard copy book to hold and make notes in the border.

Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC + Lightroom) [Digital Membership]Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Windows ; no monthly chargeAdobe Photoshop Elements 13The Photoshop Workbook: Professional Retouching and Compositing Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

 

RAW vs. JPG

  • Raw vs. JPEG: Which should you shoot and when? (techhive.com)
  • 10 Reasons to Shoot RAW
  • Adobe expands DNG spec with lossy compression … and why it matters to you (gizmag.com)
  • ‘Shopped? Don’t Sweat the Ingredients and Preparation, Just Enjoy the Meal (petapixel.com)

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, camera, Digital camera, Digital Negative, Digital single-lens reflex camera, Graphics, Image file formats, JPEG, photo editing, Photography, Photoshop, Point-and-shoot camera, Raw image format, raw vs jpeg

Taking the Leap, I Have a Logo

October 25, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

3 Quarters Images, is now an offshoot of my photography and editing passion. I’m taking the leap and going to launch a side business as a secondary stream of income. This is in addition to being surrounded by photographs where I work at Hamilton Color Lab in Omaha.

3 Quarters Images logo

Although I love taking photos, I enjoy the post production side even more.  I will be concentrating on helping people make the most of the images they take themselves through digital darkroom techniques. This could be using Lightroom 4, Photoshop, Portrait Professional, or other various editing and enhancing tools.

Some of my services will include scanning, restoration, design services for senior announcements, collages, anniversary gifts and wall groupings. Prints, canvases and prints will, of course, be provided from Hamilton Color Lab.

Senior Photo Collage
Senior Photo Collage

The official launch of 3 Quarters Images will be at the Elmwood Nebraska craft show, Saturday November 24th at the Josoff Social Hall. I will have examples restoration work, greeting cards for sale, and will be taking submissions for projects.

My dream? To create and generate a stream of income I can continue while I am retired and traveling  the United States. Oh to sit on a deck, overlooking a beach and work at something I love. Yup, that’s my dream.

Stay tuned for more and if you have an idea, or want to learn more please feel free to ask.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, business, design, Digital darkroom, Nebraska, photo editing, Photography, Photoshop, retirement, small business

Photo Friday: Lilly Pads in Lightroom

August 3, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Lightroom 4  is my new friend and I’m pulling out old photos that needed some more work. I used to have a feature Photoshop Friday, but it’s now named Photo Friday. I don’t think I’ll ever run out of photos to “fix” or improve. I have thousands on my hard drive.

Pond Lilies in Summer
Pond Lilies in Summer

I love how the result and am even further excited about being able to decrease the jpg noise from my old Fuji Fine Pix S1500 camera. My old camera took good pictures, and I pushed the limit with it, but now I’m using a Canon Rebel shooting  RAW and I can see a huge difference.  This is one setting I’m putting into my presets.

Below is the straight out the camera photo. Look for yourself the difference.

Pond Lilies in Summer SOOC
Pond Lilies in Summer SOOC

Click on the image below to see the larger tutorial Lightroom4 screen.

Decreasing noise in Lightroom  4
Decreasing noise in Lightroom 4 (click on image for larger view)
Related articles
  • How To Diminish Saturation and Increase the sharpness for your Flower Photos (digitalphotography.wordpress.com)
  • Lots of Lightroom Resources – Mostly Free (photofocus.com)
  • Introducing the new MOO Lightroom Plugin (moo.com)
  • Video Tutorial: Overview of Developing a Photo in Lightroom 4 (laurashoe.com)

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, camera, Lightroom, Lincoln, Nebraska, photo editing, photograph, Photography

Using Lightroom 4: Black and White Conversion

July 27, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Using Lightroom to Create Black & White Images

I am a person who sees in color and therefore my photographs are in color, but sometimes color is distracting and facial expressions and emotion get lost in the “clutter”. Black and white photography highlights the face, the eyes and expressive personalities. It doesn’t just work for people, but black and white photography works for animals as well.

Take for example this gorilla from the Omaha Zoo.

Gorilla at the Omaha Zoo
Gorilla at the Omaha Zoo

I’ve seen some amazing black and white photographs on the photography section of the WordPress blog.  So, I thought I would try my hand at using Adobe Lightroom to see if I could achieve the same thing. I love Adobe Lightroom, it’s easy to learn and no matter how many times you edit your photo you can go back to the original without worrying about losing data.

Stand Alone Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 Program | PC/Mac Disc$10/month Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC + Lightroom) subscription

It’s not as simple as clicking the black and white button. I also adjusted some of the underlying color tones and increased the clarity to bring out the details and shadows.

Black and White Lightroom Example
Click for bigger image and more detail

This is a time I wish my WordPress template was wider for images. If you click on the image you can see some of the changes in a bigger format.

The original black and white threw too many shadows around his eyes, but the adjustment lighten brush solved that problem.  I also used the adjustment brush to sharpen his nose, darken highlights in the fur and increase the clarity in the creases. There really was a lot I did to this image, so much so I couldn’t list them all.

Many photographers learn by watching YouTube videos but sometimes there is nothing like settling down with a book for inspiration. If you have a friend who loves photography and is creative these make great Christmas or birthday gifts.

Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual Third Revised EditionThe Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow

Photo info: This gorilla lives at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, it’s one of my favorite places to visit.  I posted earlier about the Gorilla exhibit, give it a read, it’s pretty amazing. If anyone visits Omaha contact me and I’ll be more than glad to take you on a tour.

Black and White Photography Hints and Tips

5 digital photography tips only the pros know

Black-and-white photography is a quick way to make a classy portrait photo or atmospheric cityscape. However, the black-and-white mode on your camera is not the way to do it. In that mode, the camera sensor only captures a fraction of the information …

Kim Komando: 5 digital photography tips from the pros

The major don’t of black-and-white photography. Black-and-white photography is a quick way to make a classy portrait photo or atmospheric cityscape. However, the black-and-white mode on your camera is not the way to do it. In that mode, the camera …

Black And White Photography Tips – The SITS Girls

Learn how to capture emotion, texture, light, shadows, and more with these black and white photography tips.

Black and white photography – Digital Camera World

In this black and white photography tutorial you’ll learn best camera settings, subjects and monochrome conversion methods for your photo editing software.

4 Tips to Help you Decide Between Black and White or Color

Half Color. There are many differing opinions when it comes to black and white photography. Some photographers love it, and shoot black and white exclusively, while other photographers absolutely shun the notion and shoot only in color.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, animals, Black & White, black and white photography, gorilla, Henry Doorly Zoo, Lightroom, Nebraska, Omaha, Omaha Nebraska, photo editing, PhotoFriday, Photography, tutorial, Wordpress, zoo

Save On Gas, Use Horsepower

June 15, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

I think gas prices are a little high when the department of roads starts using horsepower the sides of the road. This is a sight you don’t see very often, a team of horses mowing the grader ditches. I know the Nebraska state budget isn’t in that dire of straits, but I wonder if gas prices have just gone up a little too much?

Draft Horses (SOOC)
Draft Horses (SOOC)

My husband and I spotted these Belgian mares north of Lincoln Nebraska mowing the grass and also saw them four days later, raking the same ditch to turn the hay. They do not belong to the state of Nebraska, nor are they doing the county’s job of maintenance. Of course I had my camera with me, you never know when you will find a photo opportunity, and talked to the farmer. They had just mowed over two miles of grass and would go back in a few days to bale the hay. He believes that horses need to be exercised on a regular basis, especially draft horses, and what better way to do this than put them to work. 

 I don’t remember their names, but they are full sisters, one a seven year old and the other other eleven.

Team of Belgians Mowing
Team of Belgians Mowing

Edits were done in Lightroom 4 with a decrease in exposure, increase in clarity and opening up shadows on the horses to bring out detail. The sky was still washed out so I used the adjustment brush and decreased the exposure in the sky to get a better balanced image. Voilia! Clouds appeared.

 

Related articles
  • Horses (littlemarichris.wordpress.com)

Filed Under: Photoshop Friday Tagged With: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, animals, country, economy, horse, horsepower, Horses, Lightroom, Lincoln, Nebraska, photo editing, Photography, rural, scenic

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