August 2008

Photoshop Simple Workflow

An important factor of using Photoshop is workflow – having a routine and order for the various stages of processing: some of which can be personal preference, some more practical.  By having a routine will greatly improve your control and efficiency while working with Photoshop.  This is the Simple Workflow I use to process my images:

 

You can download the PDF version below

  Photoshop Simple Workflow (60kb)  Download

More worksheets can be downloaded on my Photoshop page

July 2008

Avoid The First Shot You See

Rather than taking the first shot you see - take time to explore the situation

It's all too easy to take the first shot you see when you walk up to a new subject - certainly take the picture if the situation or light is going to change - otherwise take time to explore the situation to get the best shot possible

June 2008

Photoshop Colour Settings

Are you using the correct Colour Settings in Photoshop?

The Colour Settings are important because they determine the range of colours that will be reproduced in the final output

 

Images to be printed should be produced in the Adobe RGB (1998) Work Space as it will provide a wide range of colours

 

 

Whereas, images that will be used on the web or digitally projected should be produced in the sRGB IEC61966-2.1 Work Space as this reflects the more limited range of colours which can be produced by a computer monitor or digital projector

 

 

You will find the Colour Settings by following the path:

Edit > Colour Settings

 Select the required setting from the drop down menu

Then, Under Colour Management Policies, in RGB check that Convert to Working RGB is selected.  If the Profile Mismatches and Missing Profiles boxes are ticked you will then get a warning if there is a profile mismatch when opening up an image

 

These instructions can be found on the Worksheet below

 Photoshop CS2 Preferences & Colour Settings (60kb) Download

More Worksheets can be found on my Photoshop page

May 2008

Underexpose

With a digital camera, to help preserve the details in the highlights, I underexpose by either .3 or .7 of a stop or sometimes slightly more depending on the contrast of the scene - the more the contrast the more the degree of underexposure

 The resulting images will be on the dark side, but the mid-tones and shadows are easily corrected by adjusting the "levels" in Photoshop.  This technique can be used with any digital camera, because digital cameras are much better at handling the shadows than they are the highlights, and once the highlight details have been lost it is impossible to bring them back

April 2008

Photoshop "Rule of Thirds" Grid

The grid in Photoshop can be set up to give a useful "Rule of Thirds" Grid to check the composition of your images

 

To set it up follow the path:

Edit > Preferences > Guide, Grid & Slices

Enter 33.3 in the Gridline every box then select percent as the unit of measure and enter 1 in the subdivisions box

Use the shortcut Ctrl and ' to turn it on and off

These instructions can be found on the Worksheet below

 Photoshop CS2 Preferences & Colour Settings (60kb) Download

More Worksheets can be found on my Photoshop page

March 2008

Use a Monopod

I often use a monopod for my landscape photography because:

• It enables me to keep the view framed while waiting for the light to change

• I can use a shutter speed of at least one stop, if not two stops, lower with the confidence that I will not get any camera shake

And remember, a monopod is a lot easier to carry that a tripod and will double as a walking pole

February 2008

Use The Notes Tool

Photoshop has a very useful Notes Tool.  By using it you will never forget how something was done.

 

     

 

It can be found just above the Hand Tool and the Notes can be turned on and off by: View > Show > Annotations

See the finished version in my Lakeland Gallery

January 2008

Back-up Your Data

You might think it will not happen to you, but it is always a possibility that you could loose all your data:

 

• Your computer might get stolen or destroyed in a fire

• The data could become corrupted by a virus

• The hard drive might just fail because of a fault or age

But, by backing-up the data on your hard drive on to an external hard drive and keeping it separate from your main computer, preferably in a fire safe, the risk will be kept to a minimum

December 2007

Highlights & Shadows

To reveal any burnt out highlight and blocked shadow areas in an image

 

 Just hold down the "Alt" key while adjusting the highlight and shadow sliders in Photoshop's levels

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