Welcome to the 15th issue of the Digital Darkroom

Hi

Lots of great news this month, and it begins with the May contest! A big congratulations to Heather McFarland for her Grand Prize winning photo, "Swept Away." Kudos also go to Donna Rae, Patrick Campbell, Dean Husson, Jessica Hughes, and David Wilkinson for their terrific First Place prize winning images. Also, special praise goes to Kathleen Clemons for achieving Second Place finishes in three categories. View all of the winning shots at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/contest/winners/0405.asp

In other news, we extend a warm welcome to Peter K. Burian to BetterPhoto's outstanding team of online instructors. Peter, whose new book is "Mastering Digital Photography and Imaging," will guest-instruct my Digital Photography online course. For details, please visit:
http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/PBN01.asp

Now for the "regular" features in this issue of Digital Darkroom. First, the Featured Article offers some excellent tips and examples for toning your images. Next, don't miss the Featured Photo and the Before and After images. And, finally, we have a fantastic collection of photo discussions.

To read the online version of the Digital Darkroom at our Web site, visit http://www.betterphoto.com/digitalpics/

Have a great month!
Jim Miotke
http://www.betterphoto.com/MG.asp?ID=124

In This Issue: Wednesday, June 16, 2004

• Featured Photo: Waterworks
• Featured Article: Toning Your Images: Digital Colorization
• Digital Before and After
• New Photo Discussion 1: Mountain Reflection
• New Photo Discussion 2: Palms Askew
• New Photo Discussion 3: Color Curls
• New Photo Discussion 4: Frosted Flakes
• New Photo Discussion 5: Afternoon Delight
• New Photo Discussion 6: I Am Not Getting Up
• New Photo Discussion 7: Iris
• New Photo Discussion 8: How Butterflies Really Get Their Colors
• New Photo Discussion 9: A Walk in the Woods
• New Photo Discussion 10: The Dynamic Duo
• New Photo Discussion 11: Doll and Vase Refraction Fun
• New Photo Discussion 12: Photographer's Second Selves and Ghosts
• New Photo Discussion 13: Then and Now
• The Next Step: Where to Go From Here

Featured Photo: Waterworks

Waterworks The Escort and Response Vessels & the Tugs putting on a show for the local Marine Expo. 9 vertical photos shot @ f8.0, 1/400 & stitched in Panorama Factory. © Gary H. Minish Sony DSC-F707 Cybe...

Featured Article: Toning Your Images: Digital Colorization
When it comes to working with color in the digital darkroom, almost anything goes - whether you're doing minor enhancements, selective coloring, or major color alterations. In his article, "Toning Your Images with Digital Colorization," instructor Kerry Drager offers some great tips from BetterPhoto's Jim Miotke, while also putting the spotlight on an outstanding gallery on the subject. Read this article at:
Read more...
 

Digital Before and After

Windmill Sunset Digital composite of three images. Windmill, wagon silhouette and sunset combined in PS7, reworked with filters for final effects.

Windmill Sunset Windmill in sunset prior to filters in PS7.

BetterPhoto's Summer School: In a Class by Itself!

Improve your photographic skills while having a great time! Each of our online photography classes are designed to teach you how to make great photos. And, best yet, BetterPhoto's online courses include something for just about everyone - from exposure and composition, to digital photography and field techniques. But in addition to our "traditional" courses, we have an exciting lineup of online Photoshop classes. With eye-opening lessons, inspiring weekly assignments, and helpful critiques direct from the instructor, you just can't miss with an online photo course. Check out BetterPhoto's summer lineup at:  Learn more...

New Photo Discussions

New Photo Discussion 1: Mountain Reflection mountain reflection ps work from photo explosion and arcsoft. image taken in Joseph, OR. of Wallowa Lake.. © Shirley L. Carpenter scarpenterphotos.com Canon AE-1 35mm Pr... Gorgeous image, Shirley!! - Charlene Bayerle See Charlene's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit PictureThisbyChar.com - Charlene's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 1:Awesome image and very nice reflections and beautiful colors, Shirley. Outstanding!!! - Robin L. Wehrman See Robin's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:You got me with the mountains, lake, hills, and the reflections, eh. Very well done, my dear friend - your friend, Allan. - Allan L. Whitehead See Allan's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit ArrowheadFotos.com - Allan's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 2: Palms Askew Palms Askew Captured at the Oceanside Harbor while rollerblading. Used the duatone effect to alter the photograph, then posterized. © Donna Pagakis Olympus Camedia C-... Nice viewpoint. Sounds perilous :) - Carolina K. Smith Visit CarolinaSmith.com - Carolina K.'s Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 1:Cool graphics, Donna ~ brave you on the blades! - Susan Peek-Swint See Susan's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thanks, Carolina and Susan. Actually, a lot of the photos that I have been entering, that are captured in Oceanside, are shot with my rollerblades on. It is a very relaxing sport and at the harbor the ride is level. Take care and thanks for commenting. - Donna Pagakis Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 3: Color Curls Color Curls Abstract of crayon shavings. Natural window light, zoom lens on macro setting, tripod. Light frosted glass filter applied in ps8. © Marie C. Fields Nikon N80/F80 SLR ... Very cool, Marie! - Joy E. Brown Visit enJOYphotography.com - Joy's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 1:Well, I gotta admit, it's pretty cool. Whose kid did you take the crayons away from?? LOL - Carolyn Fletcher See Carolyn's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit PickYourShots.com - Carolyn's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 2:My nieces would like to play with this now! Oh my - can you imagine the mess? :) I'm thinking lots of crayon shavings in hair! Beautiful and creative photo, Marie - love the comp, color and detail! -K - K Stevens See K's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:This is great. I love all of the colors and the abstract look, not to mention the texture you have captured. - Darren K. Fisher See Darren's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 4:What delightful profusion of bright primary colors in this abstract image, Marie! Looks like a Crayola box gone ballistic!! - Carol Brill Visit cdubvarsityfootball.com - Carol's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 4: Frosted Flakes Frosted Flakes f/4.0, 1/250, iso 100, in photoshop: brightness +45, ends of histogram pulled in to edges (enhance/levels) © Audrea Telkamp Sony DSC-F717 Cybe... A beautiful shot, Audrea. Very inspiring. - Joe Terni Response 1:Thank you so much, Joe! Snow (we get a lot of it here) has been a challenging exposure learning experience for me. - Audrea Telkamp Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 5: Afternoon Delight Afternoon delight I took this picture late in the afternoon to get the shadow I wanted, full auto. Opened in PS, added a watercolor effect, a few textured layers each with a different style, and a few other adjustments. I placed the original image in the top left corner for comparison. © Kathy Zinn Canon EOS 10D Digi... I really like the outcome!! Good job! It is very interesting to see the original! - Olmary Gonzalez Response 1:Great image! Exposure, color and PS work are done very well!! - Jim Kinnunen Visit KinnunenPhoto.com - Jim's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 2:Awesome PS work! - Kristen W See Kristen's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Wonderful transitions you created between the two. Love it! It would be hard for anyone to tell what you had done if it not for the little insert you gave us! Excellent!! Mike - Michael Brown See Michael's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 4:Thank you all so much for your comments. They are so important as part of the "growing process" in anything we do. I have worked with Photoshop for 6 yrs., self taught. It's the honest critiques that have given me the most valuable lessons. Thanks again. - Kathy Zinn Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 6: I Am Not Getting Up I am not getting up © Detrick V. Martin Fuji Finepix s7000... That is a pretty cat and a great picture! - Penny Propst Response 1:How did you do this?! I have so much I want to learn! - Lisa M. Holm Response 2:I used Photoshop, cut out the cat and made a layer with just the cat. Then I used Radical Blur on the original picture so everything was blurred on the original layer. Then when I put the 2 together, this is what I got! - Detrick V. Martin Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 7: Iris Iris Auto aperture. Two photos were taken, flower and baby extracted, and placed together on a background to create what you see here. © Vanessa Vroon Sony DSC-F828 Digi... Well thought out and performed execution. Good details and a seamless PS work. Very well done! - Ganeshwar Prasad Response 1:Thank you very much. This is my first post on this site, and your comments are greatly appreciated. - Vanessa Vroon Response 2:Welcome, Vanessa. This is fantastic work. I love it. Keep posting. I for one would be very interested in what you have to offer. This is one excellent start. - Paul Michko Response 3: Lovely thought-out photo, lots of good work, and has great overall appeal. Welcome!! - Bernice Wood Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 8: How Butterflies Really Get Their Colors How Butterflies Really Get Their Colors 6/5/04, 3:30 p.m., natural light, hand-held, f/4.5, 1/220, ISO 400. "Hand"-colored and shaded sections of butterflies to match caps and framed in PSP 8. Taken at Papiliorama in Kerzers, Switzerland (a butterfly garden). © Jan Stadelmyer Fuji Finepix s7000... But I believed you! Very creative, Jan, and a lovely image to boot! - Bonnie Lackey See Bonnie's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Wonderful idea and editng, Jan. Love the great colors. Very well done! Bill - William Raco See William's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Marvelous capture and presentation, Jan. I love everything about this and the effects are just simply stunning. Very well done, my dear friend - Allan - Allan L. Whitehead See Allan's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit ArrowheadFotos.com - Allan's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 3:Wow, Jan, I was just thinking before I read how you did it. How did they all know to get on the right color cup ... lol ... Very creative and wonderful PS work. - Donna W. Neal See Donna's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 9: A Walk in the Woods A Walk in the Woods Simplifier #1 in PSE2. © Susan T. Parady Canon EOS Digital ... Very nice Susan - looks great buzzed. I like the man and dog way in the back. - Claudia Kuhn See Claudia's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Beautiful canopy of trees, I like the rich greens and the forward-leading path! - Deborah Sandidge See Deborah's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thanks everyone! This photo was taken at the Manchester-Essex Conservation Area. The beaver photos that I posted this past week were taken just a little further down the road. I was photographing a red-winged blackbird in the trees when this man and his dog walked by. I thought this was a good photo opportunity so I waited for them to walk down near the bend in the road. He turned around to see if I was photographing him, and as you can see, he was right! - Susan T. Parady See Susan's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Looks like a painting! Love the lighting and all the shades of green! - Janet L. Detota See Janet's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 10: The Dynamic Duo The Dynamic Duo © Kevin Nugent Minolta X 9 (X 370... Wow! Great image, Kevin!! That is really a "Dynamic Duo" - very striking! What flowers are they, and how did you actually arrive at your finished photograph? Best regards. - Carolyn J. Connolly Response 1:Thanks very much, Carolyn! I don't know the name of the flower, but they were originally light blue. I changed them to black and white, then used a diffused glow effect, and turned the background black. Thanks again. - Kevin Nugent See Kevin's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 11: Doll and Vase Refraction Fun Doll and Vase Refraction Fun This is a matryoshka doll under a cut glass vase on a piece of blue craft board, lit by a southwest facing window on a rainy day. Aperture priority; ISO 200; f/5.0, ss 1/25. I think I used a 4x close-up filter, but I'm not sure. Modiefied in PS cs with, among other things, the Dry Brush filter and the Stained Glass filter. © Gerda Grice Minolta Dimage A1 ... I like the textures, Gerda! - Leanne M.E. Boyd See Leanne's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thank you very much, Brenda. I had a lot of fun yesterday playing with taking pictures of various small objects through the (fake) cut glass vase. Then I had more fun trying out various filters on the results! Yesterday was such a miserable day that shooting outdoors was a lost cause. - Gerda Grice See Gerda's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Your PS work turned out an intriguing graphic, Gerda. Beautiful colors. - Mary K. Robison See Mary's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Thank you very much, Mary! - Gerda Grice See Gerda's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 12: Photographer's Second Selves and Ghosts Photographer's second selves and ghosts some playing with p/s © Inna Strauss Canon EOS Rebel 20... Hi Inna, this is very well done!!! Great work!!! - Nicole S. McGrade See Nicole's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Neat image ... great post-cam work - Cathy I. Barrows See Cathy's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Inna, What a clever way to promote photography. I love it. Would you share your secrets on how you put this together? - Diane Thomas See Diane 's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Thank you, Nicole, Cathy and Diane. I appreciate very much your kind comments. This was done as following: I removed the background with the "delete background" tool, then worked with 4 layers of the same image, after adjusting their size. The light behind the camera is a "lens flare" filter. The ghostly appearance is a copy of the same layers with their size changed and opacity reduced considerably. Background was altered a little with gradient tool. - Inna Strauss Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 13: Then and Now Then and now 36mm F/9.5 1/90s ISO 200 Waiheke Island New Zealand © Keith M Nikon D100 Digital... Nice shot, Keith! Love the color! - Lori Ditlefsen See Lori's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thanks, Lori. The original contained bright orange, blue, and white tones that needed to be subdued. The desaturation and sepia toning took care of the problem and adds a character of its own, I think. - Keith M Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

The Next Step: Where to Go From Here

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