photo editing

#19/52: Buffalo on the Prairie

June 1, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

A lone buffalo stands guard between Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska at the Lee Simmons Wildlife park. While he may not be wild, or even real, the buffalo inside the park are real. It is ironic this buffalo stands next to a fence, which to me symbolizes how barbed wire and man civilized the prairie to the point where the only buffalo can only be seen in captivity.

The above shot is straight out of camera shot, a little over exposed. When I adjusted the exposure the scene was just too contrasted for the texture of the bronze buffalo. So I turned him to black and white in Lightroom 4. This is a reach for me as I LOVE the blue of the sky and high contrast.

I adjusted the clarity in the clouds and reduced the shadows in the grass.

What version do you like best?

#17/52: Holy Family Shrine (ndjmom.wordpress.com)

Correcting Exposure Using the Histogram: Rowboat

April 20, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Using the Histogram on your Camera to get Better Photos

Now that I’ve improved my photography and editing skills I’m going through photographs from past years vacation and reworking them in Photoshop. This time I’m using the histogram to set optimum exposure and getting much better prints. So here is a good example of editing a photo in Photoshop using the histogram, if you remember I took a trip to Block Island, Rhode Island and have hundreds of photos I absolutely love. Too bad I wasn’t shooting RAW then.

Using the histogram in Photoshop — Rowboat on Block Island, RI edited in Photoshop

First I straightened the image about 2 degrees clockwise. I was a little off kilter taking the picture. The swimmers in the water were bothering me, so I cloned them out.

I’ve learned I cannot rely on my computer screen when it comes to the light balance in a photo. My computer screen is pretty bright and as a result I always misjudge the exposure in my edited photos. The best best is to use the histogram. The same is true when you take photos on your digital camera. Don’t rely on your camera LCD screen, especially during the summer. Use your histogram tool.

As you can see in the initial histogram below, the histogram is pushed to the darkside (left). In the levels adjustment tool I used the far right prompt and brought it to the edge of the curve to brighten up the whole photo. Much better.

Even with my Canon Rebel camera and exposing to the right, I still throw my exposure off, but I am getting better. Although I try not to chimp (constantly look at the camera screen after each shot) I will occasionally check the histogram in camera to make sure I’m not clipping my blacks or whites. As you can see int he photo above the left side of the graph is barely touching, so I didn’t lose very much information in the dark regions.

Canon DSLR Photography Quick Reference Tip Cards & Cheat Sheets for Canon Rebel T5i T4i T3i T3 T2i T1i XSi XS XTi XT 60D 7D 6D 5D Mark III II BuW OMES L-3 Photography Exposure Meter / Continuous Light Meter with LED Display

If you shoot in RAW then you can recover a lot of digital information in the lights and darks. But I prefer to get a photo properly exposed in the camera as best that I can to eliminate major digital darkroom edits.

Any of the below programs have a histogram function in the editing mode. If you are a beginner then Photoshop Elements is where I would start. That will give you the biggest flexibility as far as text, layers, cloning and photo manipulation. If you just want to edit your photos and not get really creative with layers then Lightroom is the way to go, I LOVE Lightroom. Many people choose to subscribe to the Adobe Cloud for the $10/month you have full usage of both Photoshop and Lightroom and never have to worry about outdated software.

Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC +Editors Keys Dedicated Keyboard for Photoshop | PC Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 | PC Download NEW ADOBE PHOTOSHOP KEYBOARD STICKERS FOR DESKTOP, LAPTOP AND NOTEBOOK

How to Use the Histogram to Get Better Photographs

Using the Histogram to Get Better Photos – Pentax Forums

Have you ever wondered what that graph-looking thing on your camera display or in Lightroom was? Or what you are supposed to do with it? If so, then read on to find out more about the mysterious histogram and what it can …

News Shooter | Blackmagic Design add histogram and …

Using the histogram scope, customers can now easily and rapidly set exposure in a shot as the histogram shows the the distribution of luminance in their images and if highlights or shadows are being clipped. Images with …

Histograms Explained: How a Simple Tool Can Help You …

There are a few drawbacks to using the histogram to judge exposure, however. Since it only gives you an overview of exposure by showing you the density of pixels, it can’t give you any specific information about which parts …

Lightroom Histogram Cheat sheet | Photographer Abroad

The contrast of the image can also be determined using the histogram. The more spread out the values are in the graph the more contrast is in the image. Conversely, an image with all the values concentrated in one zone is …

Blackmagic Camera 1.9

Using the histogram scope, customers can now easily and rapidly set exposure in a shot as the histogram shows the the distribution of luminance in their images and if highlights or shadows are being clipped. Images with clipped highlights or shadows …

U.S. Marine in Service Charlies

April 18, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Nothing is sexier than a Marine in his BCG glasses at boot camp. Or maybe not, considering the nickname for the standard issue Marine eye glasses in 2011 were called “Birth Control Glasses” as in you look like the ultimate nerd, they cover your face, make your eyes look big and even cause Mom (me) to snicker a bit.

If a recruit wears glasses or contacts they are issued standard-issue spectacles, S9s or commonly called or BCG’s “Birth Control Glasses” because they are so ugly that no girl will come near you. They have been a staple in the military and are tough, sturdy and just plain ugly.

Marines joke about them, raze each other, but they are just as much as they are hated they hold a certain affection amoung the ranks. I just read on the Marine Corp blog they are being retired for those interested “Goodbye Birth Control Glasses” is a very good read.

This image was taken on Family Day at MCRD San Diego after the MotoRun. The new Marines change into their Service Charlies uniform, and garrison hat, or cover (Marines often refer to it as their “piss cutter”.) and then have their first five hour liberty to spend with their families on base.

I have two sons in the U.S. Marine Corp, one stateside and one in Afghanistan and have come across a Twitter theme #WarriorWednesday. So I thought why not start a new theme and feature on my blog. I don’t know how long this will last, but at least until I run out of photos and images. So it might take a while.

This photo started off as “PhotoShopFriday posting until I thought of the #WarriorWednesday. I adjusted the levels, color selected the blue sky, and darkened the blues, used shadows and highlights to open up the shadows on his face and then cropped for a better balanced photo.

Marine Corps Boot Camp

If you are interested in what Marine boot camp is all about here are some books that come highly recommended by Marine recruiters for new poolees (recruits waiting to ship to boot cam) and parents of Marines.

Welcome to Hell: Three and a Half Months of Marine Corps Boot Camp Marine Corps Boot Camp Survival Guide: Everything You Need To Know To Prepare For (And Live Through) Marine Corps Boot Camp This Recruit: A Firsthand Account of Marine Corps Boot Camp, Written While Knee-Deep in the Mayhem of Parris Island There’s Always One!: 50 Rules for Surviving Marine Corps Boot Camp The Making of a Marine Making the Corps: 10th Anniversary Edition with a New Afterword by the Author

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Making Tulips “Pop” With Photoshop

April 6, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Photoshop is a powerful photography tool when used properly. My goal for most photo editing is to create an image that doesn’t look like it’s been edited. So let’s render an image of a tulip into something that pops just a little, but doesn’t take it over the edge.

See how subtle editing can improve a photograph without going over the top, as I have a tendency to do sometimes, according to my daughter.

This edit first involved adding a levels adjustment layer and darkening the whole image. I selected the pink color in Image/Adjustment/Selective Color and added more magenta, which brightened the color in the petals.

The white portion of the petals seemed washed out so I then used the Burn tool and stroked over the creases in the bottom of the petal, which brought out the fine streaks. I then used the sponge tool and desaturated the background.

120 Easy Tips And Tricks For Photoshop: Learning Adobe Photoshop CS6 Revealed (Adobe CS6)Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC +

Still Evaluating Shooting RAW Photography vs. JPG?

March 30, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

My journey of taking all my photographs in JPG format is over. After experimenting with photo editing between the two formats I will always shoot my RAW photography format (RAW +jpeg setting) photos. I have much more creativity range once I get to the editing or photo processing phase.

One thing I love about Spring in Nebraska is the blooming of spring flowers. I sometimes get so excited about the sun and colors I forget to meter my camera to the new lighting caused by the bright sun. I’m either over exposing or under exposing.

So how do we fix what could be a wonderful picture. If you have a RAW option in your camera you can easily adjust the exposure without causing image degradation or artifacts. If not using Photoshop and adjusting the levels might be your only option. But be warned it doesn’t work on all photos as you can see below.

Did you know that every time you open a jpg file you lose a little bit of digital information in the image? After a few times you don’t notice a difference, but work and rework that file and pixel by pixel it loses detail. (I’m learning just a little bit more and more)

Think of a RAW file as an undeveloped photo, much like film. In a RAW photo editing program you can adjust the exposure, without destroying pixels or the detail.

How to Fix an Underexposed Photo in RAW photography — I know, it’s not sharp either, darned Nebraska wind.

Below is an example of how messy adjusting jpg files can become. In most pictures there is enough texture to “hide” the destruction, but in this night sky the gradient colors quickly become degraded. “Banding” occurs in the color gradients detracting from the night image. With RAW photography files the gradients are smooth.

Ideally I would get the right exposure the first time and not have to adjust, but I’m not quite there yet. Many will argue that every digital image needs some post production to perfect it. What do you think? Do you shoot RAW?

Since I took this shot I have started using Adobe Lightroom to process my RAW images. The program is extremely powerful, yet economical in cost and user friendly.

If you want to learn more about why people take pictures in RAW this photography forum thread is worth reading http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=684360