perspective

This is the final installment in this series of tutorials. Here we are going to put to use all of the things we have learned so far and go way beyond sharpening. We are still using the overlay modes, and the high pass filter, but this time we are using them for a creative effect instead of simple sharpening.

This is also a perfect example of my general approach to photoshop. Lots of people use photoshop like a glorified plugin gallery. They have a few techniques that they know how to apply… kind of like being able to cook from a recipe. Others are even more hands off, having a large set of actions at their disposal. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this approach, but it is limiting and will produce vastly different results with different images. A good photoshop user can visualize the finished product before even starting. Only once you know where you are going then you can decide how you are going to get there.

I knew exactly where I wanted to take this photo before I started, and I knew that the high pass filter would be the building block of the effect. But, along the way I hit a few bumps that kept pushing the image away from what I had visualized. That is what I think should be most informative about this video: how to problem solve in photoshop. Never let the technique take control of the image and make it something you didn’t want.

View hi-res version here.

Sharpening is a crucial technique for any photographer to master.  Almost any digital image (and most film images as well) looks better with some amount of sharpening.  But unfortunately sharpening often involves adding artifacts as well as sharpness to the image.  Here we will discuss a technique that allows the photographer ultimate control of their sharpening process, allowing him to fine tune the sharpening process in ways not available with other sharpening methods.

Click here to view hi-res version.

The next tutorial in the series will use the same high pass filter to create dramatic contrast effects used frequently in commercial photography currently.

-Chad

This tutorial is going to be the first in a series of tutorials exploring the layer blending modes in the overlay group. It is a little more advanced than my other tutorials, so before you tackle blending modes make sure you have a grasp of most of the basic tools. This first installment is an intro, it really doesn’t get into how to use the blending modes. The idea is to give you a firm grasp of what the modes do before you start using them so that it isn’t just a recipe that can be used to do one thing, but a technique that can be applied to many problems you encounter.

View Hi-Res version here.

The next installment will use these blending modes to sharpen your images, so check back soon.

-Chad

I am always amazed at what photoshop can do. The possibilities are truly endless. Just when I feel that I have a relatively good grasp of how to accomplish something I bump into something like this: A Cool Lighting Effect In Photoshop. This is just one tutorial on a site just chock full of them. Most of them are graphic design type things, which is what I think makes it so foreign to me. I think we photogs stick to ourselves, and only trade tips with other photogs and only look for help from other photogs. The graphic designers of the world also rely on photoshop, and they have their own tricks and techniques. I wonder if it is actually possible to know everything photoshop is capable of doing? Well even if it isn’t that doesn’t stop us from tryin… right?

oh… btw, here is my first attempt at the effect. Not quite as good, but I’ll work on it.

Everybody has a different idea of what they want to get out of their senior photos, but in the end we all have the same goal; to create great images. To help make that easier I thought I would give you a few tips to think about before coming in.

1. Plan on spending some time here. Our standard package is a 2 hour session, and if you want to look your best you should plan on using most of it. The more photos we take the better the chance that we will get a few that you really fall in love with. Even if you only want one photo to use as your yearbook photo, you should still plan on taking some time and trying some different things.
2. Bring a couple of different outfits, but don’t expect to be photographed in all of them. This is and important one. The more clothes you bring the more variety you can have in your proofs, and variety is good. Even if you think you do not want or need variety you should still bring more than one outfit. Why? Because sometimes an outfit just doesn’t photograph well. Some fabrics look weird in photos and some colors that look great in person become distracting in a photograph.
3. Take a few minutes to think about what you want your photos to look like before you arrive. Do you want your photos to be edgy or relaxed? Dark and dramatic, or bright and beautiful? We can work with you to get exactly what you want, and we will always get there in the end, but if you have an idea of what that is before you arrive it just gives us more time to refine the photos instead of hunting around until we bump into it. You don’t have to have the whole thing planned out, and we might end up changing direction while we are shooting, but if you come in and say that you want your photos to look like the cover of GQ or Vogue, or that your really don’t want to have a big grin in every photo, or that you only want smiling photos, at least we have a defined place to start. Again, we will probably try lots of different things in the name of variety, but it is always best to have that starting point.
4. Try to have an open mind. I know it kinda sounds like the opposite of the one above, but it isn’t. Sometimes it is hard to relax when I am telling you to tilt you head back at some strange angle, but every time I ask you to tilt you head or exaggerate an expression you have to remember that it is to make the photograph better. My goal isn’t to make you look silly, actually quite the opposite. Sometimes we take photos at angles that people don’t usually look at you from, so we have to compensate by making you hold your head in a way you usually would not… but in the final result it will look natural even if it didn’t feel natural. And if it doesn’t look natural… we just wont use it! So, keep an open mind.
5. Ok… this one might be too much for some people, so it isn’t mandatory, but I think it could help some: try looking at yourself in the mirror. Models do it constantly. Just look in the mirror and make a few faces. Look at your simile, can you make it look relaxed? Or does it look forced? Can you do it another way (maybe with closed mouth) that does look relaxed? What do you look like not smiling? Can you make yourself look intense without a smile or do you just look bored? I am not saying you need to practice anything here, just take a look and get an idea. If nothing else this should get you in the mood to have some pictures taken and will hopefully help you relax.

I have already shown you a useful way to brighten/whiten eyes, but on many images that is only half the story. Many images benefit from an adjustment of the eye color itself. This can be an enhancement of the natural eye color, or a completely new color… the technique is the same. As always, my techniques are aimed at creating realistic results, but this technique in particular can be used to create very dramatic results if that is what is desired.

Click here to view hi-res version here.

On the left is the corrected image, the right is the “before.” As I said, if the result is too subtle, it can be easily enhanced… just use a higher opacity on the adjustment layer. Hope you found it useful!

-Chad

All of c.m.h. imaging’s photo greeting cards are custom designed in house. But, to help people out with the design process I have come up with a few templates that I think look pretty good. When ordering cards you can refer to the template gallery (it will be updated sporadically when new templates are completed) for ideas or to decide on a design. As I said, all of the designs are done by hand so any modification you want is possible. So, if you like the layout of one template, the font of another and the color scheme from a third, that is not a problem. Just about anything about the design can be changed to meet your needs, including text. Just tell me what you want and I will do a proof for you to make sure that it meets your expectations.

Take a look at the gallery here: Holiday Card template gallery

When ordering cards also remember to choose between Smooth, Watercolor and Linen for the paper.

Thanks,

-Chad

c.m.h. imaging is gearing up for a major project. The final result of this project will be a 20 page book/portfolio. We are looking for a single female model, age 20-30, interested in working TFP. This portfolio will require 3-4 days of shooting, mostly at our Dexter studio. The portfolio will require great versatility from the model, but in turn the final result will showcase that same quality. Compensation will be a copy of the final book as well as select images as digital files for your online portfolio. This is a great opportunity for an aspiring model, at the end of the project you will have an entire portfolio ready to show clients. If you are interested please contact me at chad@cmhimaging.com.

-Chad

The eyes are one of the most important aspects of any portrait. There are lots of different techniques for brighting and whitening eyes, some of them are easier than others, and some are more effective than others. Here I will show a technique I use on many portraits that is very simple and can be very realistic. It can add drama and contrast to the eyes, without making them look pure white and fake (like in most magazines these days). It is easy to do, even for photoshop beginers and can make a very big improvement in a wide range of photographs. I hope you like it:

And here is a hi-rez version: Photoshop Tutorial: “Eyes”

Here are the before and after images from the photo used in the tutorial:

Thanks for looking,

-Chad

That last post about the berry photo was perhapse a little vague on the actual techniques used to create the image. So… just in case anybody is interested, I went ahead and prepaired a short video tutorial about the technique I used to splice the images together. It isn’t earth shattering, but I am sure some people will find it informative.

Download the high-rez version here: Photoshop Tutorial: Composite Image “Berry Splash”

And finally the finished image:

Thanks for looking!
-Chad