photography – Page 13

Rounded Corner Border – Creative Lightroom Episode 6

This weeks episode of Creative Lightroom has a super quick but very smart looking border effect.

Rounded rectangle borders like this look amazing not only on vintage and retro photos but are just great with any photo. Back when I started taking photos as a VERY young child all the prints would have rounded corners just like this.

In the video I show you just how quick this effect can be made, plus some variations on the look. OK I say variations but in reality you can have a black or white border that’s either soft or heard edged. You can also choose the roundness of the corners too.

To create this effect you’ll need either Lightroom 5, Lightroom 4 or Lightroom 3

In the video I mention my hand painted border effect from episode 2, which you can see here www.gavtrain.com/?p=3162

As always it’s worth mentioning that if you’re a Photoshop user rather then Lightroom user, EVERYTHING I show in the video is the same as Adobe Camera RAW in Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CC. It’s also possible to pull off the same trick with older version of Photoshop from CS4 onwards.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_xj4NSb7Y[/youtube]

Can’t see the video? Click here: http://youtu.be/8F_xj4NSb7Y

Pseudo HDR – Creative Lightroom Episode 5

Creative Lightroom has new reached episode 5, the half way point. In this weeks episode I’ve got a quick Lightroom trick which gives your photos a little bit of HDR magic.

When I say HDR don’t think for a second that this is a replacement to the traditional HDR technique of taking multiple images and merging the exposure together in Photoshop, Photomatix or Nik HDR Pro. No what it does is to pull the maximum detail from the shadows and highlights from a single image.

By far the best photos to play with are RAW files that are correctly exposed or a bit underexposed.

To fully pull off this effect you’ll need Lightroom 5 or Lightroom 4.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJvQWenordQ[/youtube]

Can’t see the video? Click here: http://youtu.be/NJvQWenordQ

Water shaped heart

I love photographing water. Technically it’s not hard to do and even with basic equipment the results can be amazing but water is a challenging subject if you want consistency. Every drip, splash or droplet of water will be a little different to the last and that element of slight unpredictability is what makes every water photo unique.

In this tutorial I make use of the uniqueness of a water splash by throwing some in the air and freezing it with a burst of flash. Repeating the action produces more splashes of a similar, yet different shape and then it’s into Photoshop to make this amazingly beautiful water heart.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrY78qEw68s&feature=c4-overview&list=UU8Pksdbj37CdE00kmE7Z1dw[/youtube]

Can’t see the video? Click Here http://youtu.be/LrY78qEw68s

Equipment used in this video:
Adobe Photoshop CS6 http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?searchinfo=photoshop+cs6&category=4294967278+11&KBID=67338

Canon 60D http://www.adorama.com/ICA60D.html?KBID=67338

Canon 24-105L f/4 IS http://www.adorama.com/CA24105AFU.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard ABEO Plus 283CT Tripod http://www.adorama.com/VGABEO283CT.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard GH-300 head http://www.adorama.com/VGGH300T.html?KBID=67338

Two Curves Tricks – Creative Lightroom Episode 4

In the fourth episode of Creative Lightroom, I have not one but two creative techniques and both of them involve using Curves.

You can still catch the first three episodes here
episode 1, Light leak effect
episode 2, Painted border
episode 3, Selective colour

The two effects couldn’t be more different even though the same tool is used to make them. The first technique is a very gritty posterization effect which looks amazing on the right image. The second effect is perfect for anyone who scans or copies old negatives and wants to make them back into a positive.

As always it’s worth mentioning that if you’re a Photoshop user rather then Lightroom user then remember EVERYTHING I show in the video is the same as Adobe Camera RAW in Photoshop CS3, CS4, Cs5, CS6 and Photoshop CC.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDg8EV-Byw[/youtube]

Can’t see the video? Click here: http://youtu.be/IsDg8EV-Byw

UPDATE
Lots of you have been guessing which of the men in the old photo is my Grandad. The answer is he’s the tallest one, in the middle holding his trademark pipe. As for the question of why the guy on thr right is without trousers, I’m not 100% sure. It’s probably a combination of the heat (they were in South Africa) and being taken in 1943, there was a war on!

Just one colour – Creative Lightroom Episode 3

In the third episode of Creative Lightroom, I have a very quick trick for reducing the number of colour tone ranges in your image to just one.

This is a really quick and simple technique that works with all versions of Lightroom including the latest and greatest version, Lightroom 5.

In the video I show you how to remove almost all the colour and leave just the reds in an image but you can just as easily leave blues, yellows or greens. I then go on to show you how to quickly tidy up any stray colour areas with the adjustment brush.

It’s worth mentioning that if you’re a Photoshop user rather then Lightroom user then remember EVERYTHING I show in the video is the same as Adobe Camera RAW in Photoshop CS3, CS4, Cs5, CS6 and Photoshop CC.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr6fSZY57R0&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Can’t see the video? Click here: http://youtu.be/wr6fSZY57R0

Coastal 15 minute photo challenge

I know there are a lot of photographers out there who enjoy my 15 minute photo challenge videos, including me. Although I don’t get the chance to make as many as I once did they’re certainly not consigned to the history book… far from it.

If you’re new to my blog then you may be wondering what a fifteen minute photo challenge is. Basically its my way of sharpening my camera skills and training my photographers eye but limiting myself to a fixed amount of shooting time. Not only that but I’m also restricting the geographic area in which I can look for photos which can be a blessing and a curse. The end result is often unpredictable and always challenging, it often takes me out of my comfort zone which is always a good thing to do every once in a while.

Keep scrolling down to see a few of the final photos.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFU4SSEjYVs[/youtube]
Can’t see the video? Click Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFU4SSEjYVs

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop CC
http://www.adorama.com/ABPSCS6W.html?KBID=67338

Canon 60D
http://www.adorama.com/ICA60D.html?KBID=67338

Sigma 10mm-20mm
http://www.adorama.com/SG1020EOS.html?KBID=67338

Sigma 10mm-20mm
http://www.adorama.com/BRRS7.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard ABEO Plus 283CT Tripod
http://www.adorama.com/VGABEO283CT.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard GH-200 head
http://www.adorama.com/VGGH200.html?KBID=67338

Planning for Black & White

Way back when I started learning photography the only real option for serious photographers was to make black and white prints and we were darn good at it too. Skip forward 25 years and now everyone takes colour photos but thanks to post processing everyone can also make black and white images too.

There’s an art to making top quality colour photos but making quality mono photos is an extra challenge. One of the reasons many photographers find shooting for black and white a challenge is because we don’t see the world monchrome, we see colour. However there a few tips you can apply at both the camera and Photoshop stages which will quickly step your black and white photography up a gear.

In this video for Adorama TV I visit Nutley Windmill on the Ashdown Forest with the plan of shooting for black and white. Then it’s into Photoshop to make the magic happen.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZhk-S9Y-vs[/youtube]

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop CS6
http://www.adorama.com/ABPSCS6W.html?KBID=67338

Canon 5D Mark II
http://www.adorama.com/ICA5DM2.html?KBID=67338

Canon 24-105L f/4 IS
http://www.adorama.com/CA24105AFU.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard ABEO Plus 283CT Tripod
http://www.adorama.com/VGABEO283CT.html?KBID=67338

Vanguard GH-200 head
http://www.adorama.com/VGGH200.html?KBID=67338

Bonus composite videos

Last week I uploaded the two part video with Mark Wallace and myself. If you missed it the click here to go back and see both videos.

Mark was kind enough to share all the photos he shot with me and it seemed like a terrible waste not make use of at lease one more. So in the video below I’ll show you how I created this photo composite. Going mono was all part of the plan and makes compositing two images together a whole lot easier as you no longer have the issue of matching colours to get in the way.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/vbFlTkkOglU[/youtube]
Can’t see the video? Click here http://youtu.be/vbFlTkkOglU

In this video I do a deep dive tutorial on how to use Photoshop to composite the original photos. I start with how to use Adobe Camera RAW to create an HDR background and then add some light rays with my recent Friday Freebie Light Ray Brushes.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/szQ0kj1xuZc[/youtube]
Can’t see the video? Click here http://youtu.be/szQ0kj1xuZc

Watercolour PSD template

This weeks Friday Freebie is a spin off from an article I wrote for Digital Photo Magazine a while back in which I created a bunch of images which, when combined together, create a great watercolour effect. Well I’ve made things easy by creating one of my templates in PSD format and sharing it with everyone for free.

Full download instructions are below but you can also
Click Here To Watercolour PSD template

If you’re wondering what a Photoshop PSD template is, then the answer is simple. It’s a Photoshop file with all the layers intact allowing you to tweak the end result as you see fit. There’s even a layer called “Your photo here” which is where your photo needs to be added.

With several layers and lots of fine textured detail, this weeks Friday Freebie PSD template comes in at around 81mb. If you’re not on a fast internet connection if might take a few minutes to download.

As always, if you create a photo using the Friday Freebie then let me (and everyone else) know by leaving the link in the comments below.

Usage rules
The template is copyright Gavin Hoey 2013. Use is limited to any personal, non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original image/template without my permission.

Download instructions
Click the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Mmmm3K1utNMnJoVEtKeUxMVDA/view?usp=sharing

1. Click the Download button

2. The download should start automatically

3. Save the template to your hard drive

4. Open in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements

5. Paste your photo BELOW the “Your Photo Here” layer

6. Hide or delete the the “Your Photo Here” layer

7. Use Free Transform (CTRL+T) to adjust the size of your photo

8. Adjust the Levels (CTRL+L)of the “paint” layer to change the look.

Candlelight From A Speedlite

Candle light is one of the toughest types of light to work with for several reasons. There’s the obvious health and safety issues with naked flames and when your studios ‘made of wood (like mine is) that’s a big concern. That aside, candle light is also incredibly dim which is why film and TV directors fake candle light… and so do I.

In this video tutorial I’ll show you how to turn a speedlight in to realistic candle light which is safe, predictable and bright enough to keep your ISO at sensible levels.

I’m using a modified lantern as my virtual light source. If you want to get the same lamp then pop along to your nearest Ikea where you can pick one of the Rotera Lanterns up for around £2.00 (see link below) all you need to is leave it exposed to the elements for a few years and it’ll look just like mine 🙂

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Z_7kQorCwkU[/youtube]
Can’t view the video? Try this link http://youtu.be/Z_7kQorCwkU

Equipment used in the video:

Adobe Photoshop CS6
http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?searchinfo=photoshop+cs6&category=4294967278+11&KBID=67338

Canon 60D
http://www.adorama.com/ICA60D.html?KBID=67338

Canon 24-105L f/4 IS
http://www.adorama.com/CA24105AFU.html?KBID=67338

Ikea Lantern
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/26472200/