Innehållsförteckning för Issue 7 2023 från Photoshop User

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StockSolo is a stock photography library search engine that gives you access to many thousands of photos that are free for personal and commercial use. No subscription is required and you have immediate access to countless high quality, full resolution images with no restrictions. You can download the Photoshop plugin and install it. When you start up Photoshop, you can find the plugin under Plugins > StockSolo. The plugin activates and you can browse or search by keyword for images. StockSolo has the option to search for free images from a number of stock library sites. At the time of writing, it allows you to search Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash. You simply put a subject name in the search field and hit Search to access the libraries of the stock…

The main interface of Camera Raw is comprised of a series of menus, each with a series of control sliders and some additional menu tabs to access further features. Although you will no doubt spend most of your time working in the Basic panel, when used in conjunction with adjustments from the other control panels, you will be able to enhance your images beyond what you thought possible. Basic The Basic panel in Camera Raw is probably the one you will spend the most time in and also making the most important global image adjustments. You can adjust White Balance, Exposure, Contrast, Highlights and Shadows as well as Whites and Black. To bring out detail, you can use Texture, Clarity and Dehaze to reduce haze in your photos. You can…

Dual lighting, as the name suggests, is a technique used by photographers to add two separate coloured lighting effects to a subject. Most typically, they are used in a studio setup and can add a lot of drama to a portrait session. One colour of light is used to strongly illuminate the subject from one side and then the second light is brought in to add a cross-lit effect with another complimentary colour on the other side. This can be done with just the head and shoulders or the whole body depending on the subject. Of course, not all of us are photographers with access to expensive studio space and photographic equipment, but with a good source image, Photoshop can turn a normal portrait into an image with just as…

King Midas was a character from Greek and Roman legend who wished that all he touched could turn to gold. When he got his wish, he nearly starved to death since his food was also turning to gold. He then realised his error and quickly wished for an end to the golden touch! Well, thanks to Photoshop, you can turn things into gold and not worry about your next meal being inedible. Using some fairly simple techniques, you can turn many subjects in your photos into golden objects that have that beautiful lustre that only comes from solid gold. We will take a photograph and manipulate it in such as way as to give it shine, highlights and the colours you associate with this precious metal. A couple of layers,…

Today’s smartphones are equipped with some pretty nifty camera technology and the shots you can take are amazing to say the least. If you really are looking to step up from selfies to more creative and higher quality images, then the Fujifilm XF10 may be just what you are looking for. The XF10 pulls off a neat trick by being able to appeal to a number of photographer types. It was designed partly as an upgrade path away from smartphones. It has a noticeable improvement in the quality of the images you get versus your smartphone and lets you get hands-on with some proper camera controls. The image quality it offers, thanks to a large APS-C sized sensor, is also suitable for enthusiast photographers who already own a DSLR, but…

Over time, as your camera gear list grows, you might be faced with the possibility of how to transport your precious equipment. Eventually, you are going to be looking at getting a camera bag. For a typical day out where you might only need one camera body and a couple of lenses, you are well catered for if you want a simple and small backpack to keep your gear in. Once you step up to the next level and you need to transport more gear, then you need something that can accommodate your equipment in as versatile a manner as possible and still be portable enough to be useful. With that in mind, here is another product with an incomprehensible model name. The Lowepro LP36876 Pro Runner RL X450 AW…

“Cameras come in many shapes, sizes and prices. At their heart though, they all do the same thing: capture light on a sensor and turn it into a digital image.” Cameras come in many shapes, sizes and prices. At their heart though, they all do the same thing: capture light on a sensor and turn it into a digital image. That’s a gross oversimplification but you get the general idea. Modern cameras also come with many features and functions. Although it would be difficult to list them all, here are the main dials and buttons that you can expect to find on many cameras. Different brands and models vary in their button and dial layouts as well as certain naming conventions but we’ve put together a little guide to the…

Shutter speed is another of the three main pillars of photography. It is used in conjunction with the aperture and camera sensitivity settings on your camera to get a correct exposure of your subject. A camera’s shutter is just a mechanical curtain that stays closed, covering your camera’s sensor, until you press your shutter button. When the shutter button is pressed, the shutter opens and allows light to fall onto the camera’s sensor. Based on the settings used, the shutter stays open for a certain amount of time until enough light has been collected for a correct exposure, and then closes again preventing any more light hitting the sensor. The amount of time the shutter allows light to hit the sensor is referred to as shutter speed. The slower the…

Knowing when to use your camera’s shutter speeds to their greatest creative effect is something that is easily learned but can often take time and practice to master. You have an immense range of shutter speeds to play with, from the fastest shutter speeds of 1/8000s down to durations measured in minutes or even hours. That is a lot to take in, but once you start exploring the effect of shutter speed on your images, you can start to understand its impact on your shots and its great potential. Camera shake notwithstanding, in scenes where there are no moving objects at all, the shutter speed is less important than in scenes where there is a lot of movement going on. You can choose to freeze movement from 1/250s upwards to…

The power of the black and white portrait cannot be denied. A wise soul once said: ‘If you want fashion, shoot in colour. If you want emotion, shoot in black and white.’ As we’ve mentioned before, there is a power and depth to a black and white shot that is often swamped by colour. The story behind a shot is easier to comprehend when it is in black and white and the distraction of colour has gone. Even if there is no real story being presented in the shot, you can suddenly find yourself paying more attention to a black and white portrait. Texture, form and tone become important to the shot. It draws you in more than a colour shot ever could. “If you want fashion, shoot in colour.…

Photoshop, Lightroom and Elements Q&A When Photoshop arrived on the scene all those years ago, no-one could really have predicted just what a monumental impact it would have on the fields of design, photography, art, and of course, image manipulation. Be in no doubt that there is a lot to learn, but also comfort yourself in the knowledge that it is also easier to grasp the basics than you might think. In this section, we shall cover a Q&A session where we will try to answer some of the more common (and perhaps not so common) questions that users both new and old are asking. There are no silly questions, even experienced users don’t know every single thing there is to know about Photoshop. We can speak from experience to…

If you are out and about doing landscape photography, there are times when you are faced with some compositional and technical challenges that could affect the quality and overall impact of your photos. One area that regularly demands your attention is that of exposure and getting a beautifully balanced tonal range. When trying to photograph scenes of very high contrast, that can be a very tall order. A lot of photographers will employ the HDR (high dynamic range) technique. This is where they will shoot the scene at three or more different exposures, capturing a much larger range of tonal values that can be merged at a later time on the computer. Great, but what happens if you are also tasked with shooting a very wide panoramic shot that cannot…

Have you ever been out with your camera, taking shots of some beautiful scene? It’s sunrise down by the water’s edge. The light is amazing, the clouds are well defined and lit by the rising sun, there is a glow along the horizon and some cool reflections in the wet sand at your feet. You compose a strong yet simple shot and click off a few frames. When you get home and download them to your computer, you open them up and are surprised how different the images look to how it was in real life. The images are a bit washed out, the colours seem a little weak. Did you get your camera settings wrong? There’s every chance you didn’t. Sometimes what you see with your own eyes is…

We make no bones about it; DSLRs are the ideal option if you want the best optical quality in your lenses, and the best sensor technology in your camera body. There is a downside of course. The prices of new DSLRs are not exactly wallet-friendly and once you have invested in your amazing bit of kit, you are going to make sure no harm comes to it. That will put a limit on the kinds of shots you can capture. For those with a more adventurous streak, capturing action in precarious and more perilous locations, both above and below the water, will require a camera that is somewhat more rugged and suited for purpose. This is where a rugged action compact will stand you in good stead. Enter the Olympus…

The number of camera models available to the budding photographer is vast. All the main manufacturers have a large number of different models and types of camera to suit every taste and also every pocket. A wide variety of choice is fine but it can be somewhat overwhelming when it comes to choosing a camera for yourself. It isn’t helped by the fact that the distinctions between various types of camera system have become quite blurred as the quality and the capabilities of these devices keep expanding. With that in mind, we have put together a little guide to the main types of camera out there. Hopefully it will help point you in the right direction so you get the right camera for the job. “A wide variety of choice…

Back in the old days of film photography, ISO, in its simplest sense, was a measure of how sensitive your camera’s film stock was to light. On modern digital cameras, altering the ISO value does not technically make your sensor more sensitive to light. What, in fact, happens is that the resulting image has its tonal values amplified, to simulate greater light sensitivity. Low ISO values mean the image is amplified less to simulate less light sensitivity and high values mean it is amplified to a much greater degree to simulate more sensitivity. Lower ISO means that you require more light, over a longer duration, for a good exposure and high ISO means that you require less light, over a shorter duration, for the same conditions. This assumes your camera’s…

Taking photos of landscapes is one thing, but when you decide it’s time to get involved in portrait photography, it can seem quite a daunting prospect. You might imagine it requires armfuls of expensive equipment and lots of lighting gear. Don’t worry; there are a few simple things that you can try to see if portrait work is for you. Indoor natural light is certainly a great and easy way to dip your toe into the portrait world. There are a few basics to be aware of, but it’s nothing that a photographer of any skill level can’t handle. “There are a few basics to be aware of, but it’s nothing that a photographer of any skill level can’t handle.” The camera For most applications, the camera can be anything…

Just to clarify, when we say high speed, we don’t mean that we are doing it very fast! In point of fact high speed, in this context, refers to being able to catch rapid movement in such a way that you effectively ‘freeze’ the action. There are two basic ways we can do this. First is to have enough light pouring on to your scene to give you the required shutter speeds (in excess of 1/2000th of a second) to have a hope of stopping an event dead in its tracks. The second method relies on the stopping power of flashguns and not the settings used on your camera. The camera, depending on how many flashes you are brining to bear on the scene, is normally set to ISO 100…

The Toolbar in the newly updated layout of Camera Raw sits vertically in the top right side of the interface. It is broken down into a series of buttons that you can click. Each button you click, will display its particular tools in the main control panel situated right next to the Toolbar. This version now looks more like Lightroom, the mobile-focused version. Edit First in the Toolbar is the Edit button. Clicking on this displays the main tools that you will be using to edit and adjust your photos. Edit is broken down into nine sections that cover all your typical adjustment tools such as altering Brightness and Contrast, Hue and Saturation, Detail and Noise Reduction. There are also tools to correct optical flaws in camera lenses and alter…

If there is one area that really helps artists to show off their skills, it is in the creation of unique images and fantasy artworks. Websites like DeviantArt and Pixabay are full of images that have been assembled in Photoshop using many disparate components to create a final, cohesive end result. Part of the attraction of those websites is that artists and photographers create content and allow others to download their images and use them for their own artworks. If you find yourself wanting to create your own brand new fantasy image, then Photoshop is perfect. It lets you put each image element on its own layer and with some careful editing and masking, you can blend them to produce a final image worthy of any fantasy genre. So why…

Before the advent of digital technology, it was the job of the makeup artist to get the skin looking perfect on set or in the studio. Now, thanks to Photoshop you are the makeup artist. You can control exactly how you want your model to look in the final image. As ever, there are numerous ways you can go about retouching skin. Some techniques are very simple but do not give natural results. Some take it to extremes and end up with their models looking like mannequins. Of course, there has been much debate about the use of retouching and manipulation of body shape. All we are looking to do is make our model’s skin look as healthy and glowing as possible. We are going to use a technique called…

One of the many techniques that Photoshop allows us, the digital artist, to do, is to manipulate colour and tone. Changing the colour of an object to a totally different colour is not too hard, but to do it in a realistic way can be a bit more challenging. The complexity increases when your original colour is white. Imagine trying to change a white shirt into a black one. How would you even do that and make it look convincing? Well, this tutorial aims to show you a relatively easy way to convert a white object with shadows and highlights and convert its colour into any other colour and still look great. We also take it a step further and convert the white object to black. In our example, we…

If you are a self-confessed selfie addict and love to share photos with your friends and loved ones, then you need something that is stylish, portable, and can give you instant results with the minimum of fuss. For every special moment that needs to be captured, you can have a camera and printer small enough to fit in your pocket and with such a compact system, it has never been easier to shoot and print on the go. Canon offers several options that range from 2-in-1 models with cameras and printers built in, to the option to use a portable printer that connects to your mobile devices for on-the-spot image capture and printing, just when you need it. You might wonder how it is possible to build a printer into…

First things first. The CITI600 is something of a chameleon. The flash unit itself is a Godox AD600 and in the USA it is known by another name, the Flashpoint XPLOR 600. Once you have that straight in your mind, you can turn to the flash and its capabilities. This is a self-contained high powered flash unit. Units of this type are referred to as monoblocs. It even comes with a 10W modelling lamp to let you gauge where shadows will fall on your subject before you take the shot. Battery power is supplied by a hefty 8700mAh lithium power pack. This does make the unit fairly heavy overall but that’s the price you pay for true portable power that can last you for a day’s worth of shooting. With…

It’s no surprise that if you purchase a new camera with an interchangeable lens system, one of the first questions you might ask yourself is ‘which lens should I buy for my camera?’. That is not quite as easy a question to answer as you would hope. Manufacturers offer increasingly varied lenses to suit different photographers’ requirements. To add to the confusion, there is also quite a varied range in price and quality to take into consideration. On top of that there is also the cropped sensor and full-frame issue to consider. Certain lenses will only work with certain camera bodies because of the mounting system used, and so on and on it goes. Everyone shoots differently, with a different style and preference and the type of shot you are…

Aperture is one of the three main aspects of photography that help control the brightness of your photographs, and also how sharp your photos are throughout the scene. Aperture is responsible for how much of your scene is blurred or sharp; it is also known as an f-stop. This is a reference to the early days of photography when the aperture was actually adjusted by using cards with different sized holes in them. They were slotted into the camera behind the lens and were known as ‘stops’. That terminology has stuck and it has been with us ever since. The f number These days, cards have been replaced with mechanical diaphragms which use a series of curved blades that can expand or contract to alter the size of the aperture…

Much like learning when to use fast shutter speeds or slow ones, how you use aperture to control depth of field in your shots is just as important a creative choice as any in photography. Whilst it does come down to personal preference, there are a couple of golden rules we’ve mentioned that are worth bearing in mind. A good portrait photo with a cluttered background for instance, is not going to work if the background is in sharp focus along with your subject. The shot will be confusing and that background will just be an eyesore. That’s when setting your lens to its maximum aperture to create shallow depth of field will help massively. A good prime lens around the 50-135mm focal length range with a wide aperture of…

Whether it’s the lure of bright city lights, barren moorland bathed in moonlight, or a tumbledown barn in the country under a starry sky, night-time photography is a big draw for many photographers. It can be challenging, very frustrating and time-consuming, but it’s a hard habit to break when you get such great results. You are normally dealing with much longer exposures than usual, while having to carefully compose and focus your shots and, as such, it forces you to slow it all down and take a much more considered approach. We have some helpful insights to lure you over to the dark side. “It can be challenging, very frustrating and time-consuming, but it’s a hard habit to break when you get such great results.” Tripod This may sound a…

If you’ve ever been on certain auction websites where people are selling items, chances are you’ve encountered a lot of product photography. Chances are equally good that you’ve encountered a lot of bad product photography too. If you want something to look good in a photograph, then you need to take care about how it is lit. Placing it on a table and snapping away with direct flash is not going to render you results that people will be attracted to. You’d be amazed at how a little extra care when photographing the item, will yield results that stand head and shoulders above the rest. We’ve already covered how to get some great captures of glass objects like wineglasses, and now we’re going to have a look at some more…

Thomas and John Knoll created Photoshop in 1988 with the release of Photoshop 1.0 following in February 1990. It is a raster graphics editor and has become the predominant industry standard for digital image editing. At its heart, it has a suite of tools that allow the user to edit, assemble and compose images using multiple layers and masks. It is this use of layers and masks that are the core features of Photoshop’s power. Such layer-based editing means you can build very complex images and create incredible works of art using this method. Photoshop’s Strengths Photoshop is a pixel-level editor. Where Lightroom allows you to adjust pixels in an image, Photoshop lets you move them and manipulate them in a way that’s nothing short of magical. Photoshop allows multiple…

Lr or Ps? It’s not always an easy choice but there are vast differences between Lightroom and Photoshop that can help make your mind up. These differences depend on the situation and what you intend to do with the finished product. Let’s break down a few strengths of each. Lrc vs Ps Lightroom Classic CC Strengths Lightroom can manipulate and edit Raw files directly from your camera, without the need to install or use another plugin. Workflow and image management is one of Lightroom’s main draws. You can easily import, organise, edit and manage each of your images without too much in-depth knowledge of advanced design techniques. There are less features than with Photoshop, which lessens its learning curve and thanks to a well-planned user interface, it’s relatively easy to…