One of the big advantages put forward for RAW files by experts is they make it possible to change the white balance setting later on. RAW files contain all the colour information captured by the sensor, whereas JPEGs, which have already been processed by the camera, have already had some colour data discarded according to […]
Tutorials
Create your own films with Silver Efex Pro Sensitivity settings!
You can use Silver Efex Pro perfectly effectively by choosing a preset and then modifying the settings as necessary using the tools panel. What you may not realise is that Silver Efex Pro simulates specific film types very closely. In fact, you can choose your film manually in the Film Types panel. And if that’s […]
Discover the potential of the Elements Lasso tool
I have to admit that at one time I used to go around telling people that the Elements Lasso tool was fit for nothing because there was no way you could draw a sufficiently accurate freehand selection with the mouse – and that there were plenty of other selection tools which were far better. Until […]
Give your landscapes a mystic glow with the Color Efex Pro Glamour Glow effect
The Color Efex Pro Glamour Glow effect would normally be used on portraits, but I think it works rather well on other subjects too. It adds an ethereal glow to everyday subjects, gives colours a pure, rich depth and lets you shift the colour balance too. I’m going to use it on this autumn shot […]
Create mono with a difference with this Lightroom selective colour technique
Black and white doesn’t have to be completely black and white! If you preserve just a splash of colour you can create a very striking effect, and it’s a very easy technique to try out because it doesn’t need any complex selections or colour adjustments. The same broad technique can be applied in most image-editors, but […]
How to use Viveza control points to transform your pictures
Viveza 2 is part of the DxO Nik Collection, but it’s often overlooked because it meets a fairly narrow need. It’s designed as a kind of colour ‘dodging and burning’ tool, where you use Nik Software’s clever control points to both mask and adjust specific areas of the photograph at the same time. These control […]
How well does the Elements 12 content aware move tool work?
This is one of the big new features in Photoshop Elements 12, and it sounds such a great idea! If something is in the wrong place in one of your pictures, you can select it, move it, and with the content aware move tool Elements 12 will merge it with its new surrounding, and fill […]
Have you ever tried HDR Efex Pro portraits?
HDR techniques are usually associated with surreal landscapes and architectural photography, but you can create HDR Efex Pro portraits for some unique and powerful effects. This works best with male subjects because it creates a dark, brooding look where every pore and wrinkle is emphasised. I’m starting with this informal photograph taken in the family […]
Speed up your workflow with Lightroom import settings
How often do you find yourself making the same adjustments to your images in Lightroom? In fact, there are some which are so useful you might want Lightroom to do them automatically for every image you import… and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that’s exactly what the Lightroom import settings allow you to […]
Exploring the Silver Efex Pro Film Noir effect
Silver Efex Pro comes with a large range of varied and powerful black and white presets, and one of my favourites is the Silver Efex Pro Film Noir effect. This does every bad thing we’re told to avoid with our high-quality digital images! It reduces the sharpness of the picture, adds a hefty dose of […]