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Welcome to the 23rd issue of the Digital Darkroom
Hi
Lots of great news this month! Our spring schedule of online photo courses has been posted, and our lineup is better than ever. Leading the way for the next session is Jim Zuckerman's exciting new course, "Photoshop II - Advanced Creative Techniques". Learn about this class, as well as all of our other offerings, at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/categories.asp
Instructor Lewis Kemper teaches the awesome Photographer's Toolbox for Photoshop series for BetterPhoto. He shares some excellent tips in a new article at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/article.asp?id=51
Also, in this issue of Digital Darkroom, check out the Featured Photo, the Before and After series, and yet another fine 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: Thursday, February 17, 2005
Featured Photo: Heading Home Again
![]() Heading Home Again F5.6, 1/20 sec., ISO 400, 6:00 P.M. Blount Cultural Park, Montgomery, AL. In PSCS: Levels adjustment layer, greatly increased saturation and contrast, gaussian blur layer in soft light mode, Virtual Photographer's landscape filter, soft posterize action from the How to Wow seminar. © DiAnna F. Paulk Canon EOS 10D Digi... |
Featured Article: Exposure Snag? Digital Darkroom Can Save the Day ... by Lewis Kemper
The most critical part of making any photograph is controlling the exposure, points out master photographer and BetterPhoto instructor Lewis Kemper. Although modern cameras make it easier than ever to get correct exposures, there is always the lighting condition that fools the meter, or the operator error that creates a poor exposure. Today, with the digital darkroom, many of those past failures can be rescued. Read all about it in Lewis's terrific new article.
Read more...
| Each month, the best Before and After will be featured in the Digital Darkroom. To participate, upload a Before (original) picture then start a discussion on it (using the Discuss This Photo link under the picture). After telling us how you did created the effect, select "1" or "2" from the Upload Image pull-down menu, and submit an optional intermediate image and a final (After) photo. Aim to educate and inspire by sharing a concise, detailed explanation of your technique. Enjoy! |
Jim Zuckerman's New Course: Photoshop II - Advanced Creative Techniques
| Expert photographer and author Jim Zuckerman is widely known at BetterPhoto for being a patient instructor who is knowledgeable about all aspects of photography. Now, he's offering an exciting new online course: Photoshop II: Advanced Creative Techniques. This class is designed to expand your creativity to 3D and to broaden your skill with Photoshop. For all the details, visit: http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/JZK12.asp BetterPhoto also offers other Photoshop classes, plus these courses on these subjects: digital photography, exposure, composition, photographic field techniques, and business and marketing. Learn more... |
New Photo Discussions
New Photo Discussion 1: Southern Belle in Training
- Jane Summa See Jane's Member Gallery Response 1:Awesome shot! How do you do that in Photoshop? - Saul A. Martinez Response 2:Thanks, everyone, for your feedback! I always appreciate it! Saul: To spot color in Photoshop, I just created a hue/saturation adjustment layer. I then adjusted the hue and saturation all the way to the left to make the layer black and white. Then, working with your adjustment layer, choose black as your foreground color, choose a brush with smooth edges, and begin to go brush over the area where you want the original color from the background layer to show through. If you uncover too much, change your foreground color to white and brush the area you want to return to black and white. Black reveals the color, white takes it away. | |
New Photo Discussion 2: Sweetness Of A Child
- Shannon Collett Response 1:I love the desaturation of color here!! Great Shot! ~ Amy ~
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New Photo Discussion 3: Blue Face, Yellow Eyes
- Jim S Response 1:AWESOME!!! I love this; it's really cool! The yellow just pops, amazing! :) - Amanda Olson Response 2:Thanks. This was actually somewhat of a grab shot of a teenage girl who had dropped by a friend to visit my sons. While hanging around, they decided to paint her face, and I thought it looked interesting so I got my camera and snapped a handful of shots. I did enhance her eyes to make them more yellow to work with the stripe. The catch lights were added in Photoshop to give a little more focus and pop. - Dean L. Kirby Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 4: Lonely Beach
What plug-ins did you use for that effect? - jon urquico Response 1:Thanks, Jon. I use a lot of the Artistic filters in Photoshop and quite often mix them to get special effects. I mixed several to get the painterly effect in this shot -e.g., pallette knife and watercolor. - Terri Creswell Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 5: Collision Course
- Paul Michko See Paul's Member Gallery Response 1:How cool.... Nice work, Allan! -cathy - Cathy Gregor See Cathy's Member Gallery Response 2:Great image, love the bird... - Colleen Braun See Colleen's Member Gallery Response 3:I really really really like this one, Allan!! I bet it shows up again! - Carolyn Fletcher See Carolyn's Member Gallery Visit PickYourShots.com - Carolyn's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 4:I want to thank you all (Paul, Cathy G, Colleen, Carolyn, Bill, Arya, Debby, Claudia, Charlene, Sanjay, Cindy, Carla, Murry, Casey, Donna, Shirley, and Kip) very much, for your wonderful comments and really kind words, my friends. They are truly appreciated - your friend, Allan - Allan L. Whitehead See Allan's Member Gallery Visit ArrowheadFotos.com - Allan's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 6: Individuality
- Kara L. Hendricks See Kara's Member Gallery Response 1:Thanks Kara! I copied the original flower 9 times to make nine layers, I used the grid to line them up, adjusted the hue/saturation to each layer, then flattened the visible layers, selected the background, painted that black, feathered 5pixels, then applied the diffused glow filter. - Jessica Frolio See Jessica's Member Gallery Response 2:Is that all?...lol Thanks for the tip.. - Kara L. Hendricks See Kara's Member Gallery Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 7: Hood of a 1939 Plymouth
- Jane Summa See Jane's Member Gallery Response 1:Looking for feedback! When I originally took this photo, there was a lot of junk in the background that distracted from the photo. Because of that, I cut the car out using Photoshop and pasted it on a blue sky background. I'm concerned that people might be able to tell where I cropped the car out. Any feedback on this would be great! - James P. Reininger Response 2:I sure can't tell where you cut it out, James. Never would have known the blue sky wasn't the natural background if you hadn't said so. Great work. Love the perspective. - Marcie Fowler See Marcie's Member Gallery Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 8: Cypress Tree Swamp
- Colleen Braun See Colleen's Member Gallery Response 1:Fantastic swamp vista, Marsha. I love the effects. - Paul Michko See Paul's Member Gallery Response 2:This has a surreal feel to it, Marsha. Nicely done! - Kathleen Clemons See Kathleen's Member Gallery Visit kathleenclemonsphotography.com - Kathleen's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 3:Thanks to all you guys, Kathleen, Arya, Cindy, Sanjay, Kara and Adilson. Cindy, I live in SE Texas just across the Louisiana line so we have swamps and bayous aplenty down here. This was actually taken in a local park. It is a huge pond with cypress trees and "gators" and ducks. I couldn't find a gator to shoot, though. - Marsha S. Smith See Marsha's Member Gallery Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 9: Hotel California
- Donna W. Neal See Donna's Member Gallery Response 1:"Mirrors on the ceiling Pink champagne on ice, And she said 'We are all just prisoners here Of our own device' (3rd verse)" Magnificent presentation, Stephen, I love the coloring, the composition, and the over-all imagery. Very well done, my dear friend - your good friend, Allan 'Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place, such a lovely place…' | |
New Photo Discussion 10: Little Grass Shack
- Murry Grigsby See Murry's Member Gallery Visit photomurrage.com - Murry's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 1:This is beautiful, Patty! I love the bright color, the scene and the effects. Very nicely done! bill - William C. Raco See William's Member Gallery Visit williamracophotography.com - William's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 2:Patty, I must say, the effects really enhanced this photograph. Nicely done! You applied effects without taking away from the color or detail, and added to a great photograph. - Phillip L. Sauvey See Phillip's Member Gallery Response 3:Your comment is greatly appreciated, Phillip!!! Thank you very, very much!!! I wanted to give this image an "island feeling" with the effects. Mahalo & Aloha! Patty - Patty Razonable See Patty's Member Gallery Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
New Photo Discussion 11: Sweet Sixteen
Cindy - Cynthia A. Gunderson See Cynthia's Member Gallery Response 1:Beautiful image & lighting Carolyn! - Kip T. Berger See Kip's Member Gallery Response 2:Thanks, Kip and Cindy. Cindy, I use cheap-o halogen worklights that you can buy at Home Depot for my lights. You just have to be sure to set a custom WB for your photos. Cari - Carolyn Foster Spano Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion | |
The Next Step: Where to Go From Here