Dark Side of the Lens

For those with iPhones (boy do I love mine!), iPod Touch’s or other similar devices that can view video podcasts, you can now download my video tutorials from iTunes (for free naturally). The videos have been specially formatted for mobile devices.

Simply go to the iTunes store and search for “Dark Side of the Lens”.

At present the first two tutorials are there and I’ll be adding the rest periodically until I catch up. From then on I’ll publish each tutorial on iTunes the same day as they appear on my blog.

Things here are a little hectic right now with my 2 year old and the fact that his little brother is due in a few weeks. Hopefully though I’ll find the time to get back into video production again shortly.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

As promised, here is the second part of the video tutorial on layer masks.

Photoshop Elements does not include the layer mask functionality, in its native form at least. However, it does include adjustment layers, and these little beauties have their own layer masks. In this video I show you a rather clever trick whereby you can hijack this mask and use it as you would a normal layer mask.

Best of all … it’s really easy to use.

If you are not already used to the concept of layer masks then please ensure you view the video tutorial prior to this one as that will give you the grounding you need to make sense of the one shown here.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

As I mentioned in my last video, I see layers as being about the most powerful tool there is in Photoshop, Elements, and all the good photo editing packages.

Within the topic of layers there are two specific areas that I would define as being the most powerful aspects of layers. These are layer masks and Adjustment layers. In this video, and the next, I will address the former of these, the wonderful layer mask.

As you may have discovered by now, layer masks are not available in Elements in their native form. I will therefore be using Photoshop CS3 to demonstrate the use of layers. However, fear not, as there is a way you can “cheat” in Elements and work with layer masks the same way you would in Photoshop CS3 … but that is something I will address in the next video.

Even though you may not be using Photoshop do watch this video as it explains the principles involved, which you will need an understanding of to then apply them in Elements.

I will try and get the second half of this video up within the next day, so I don’t leave anyone hanging for too long.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

I have had several requests from people (thank you) for some
tutorials on using layers in Photoshop Elements. I had intended to
leave this until a little later in the piece, but there’s no harm in
bringing it forward a little, so here we go.

This first video explains the basic principles. Some of you may
already know layers at this level but I want to make sure that everyone
has the basics mastered so we can attack the more complicated stuff in
the next few videos.

Things may evolve as I go, but at present I thing the rest of the video series on layers is likely to go:

Layer masks

Adjustment layers

Layer Styles

Layer Blending Modes

So, get stuck in with this initial video and by the end of the
series you should be working magnificently with layers and you’ll be
amazed at what you find you are then able to achieve with your photos.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

Adobe have announced the upcoming launch of the next version of Photoshop Elements, version 7.

It is due to hit the shelves in October with an expected retail
price of US$99.99 (with a reduced price for an upgrade) is purchased
alone, or it is also being bundled with Photoshop.com Plus and Premiere
Elements 7 (US$149.99).

Is it worth waiting for this new version if you are looking to buy
Elements? Is it worth upgrading from an earlier version? From what I
have read it sounds like Elements 7 is going to be a large improvement
on previous versions, and let’s face it, Elements 6 is pretty swish
anyway.

A major new focus for Elements 7 seems to be online photo sharing,
an ever growing trend on the web. It is being bundled with a year’s
subscription to Photoshop.com Plus.

Photoshop.com
extends the reach of your photo editing by providing online storage
(5GB for free members, 20 for the paying members at $50 a year (so not
unreasonable at all for that much storage) allowing you to access your
photos from anywhere.  The service will also provide templates and
tutorials.

New features include a Smart Brush tool, taken from Photoshop CS3 and a Scene Cleanerhas been added to the Photomerge tool.

Kathleen Cullen, from PC World, has a good review of the beta version of the product published on the Washington Post site, and there is also a comprehensive article at the Photography Bay.

So, do you wait to purchase? Do you upgrade?

Well, I admit I’ll be there knocking on the doors the day it goes on
sale. Depending on your finances (hopefully better than mine, but I
just can’t resist some things) I would strongly suggest that anyone
looking to purchase Elements 6 waits just a little longer and opts for
the new version.

If you are considering upgrading then, unless you are as impatient
as I am, you see if Adobe offers a 30 day trial (which I bet they will)
and see what you think and if there are new features you’ll enjoy. From
what I have been reading I suspect a taste will be all it takes to have
you grabbing for your plastic.

An excellent way to speed up your editing in Elements, on either the Mac or PC, is to start using keyboard shortcuts.

When I first started photo editing I did everything using the
pulldown menus, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. As
I became more proficient I found myself starting to use keyboard
shortcuts. Even those these may seen, to some, an antiquated approach
(who else remembers the days of using something like Wordperfect with
huge keyboard overlays to help you remember eleventy hundred keyboard
shortcuts?) they can greatly increase your speed when doing common
tasks. For instance, it is far faster to do “<command>o” to open
a new file than it is to select the correct menu pulldown with your
mouse.

So, I have composed a list of shortcut keys to help those that wish
to use them. The list is not exhaustive but it covers all of the ones
that I feel you are likely to use frequently enough to make them worth
remembering.

Don’t worry if you do not understand what all of these keys do yet,
all will become clear as we explore deeper into the wonderful world of
Elements.

In addition to the images above, which have limited practical use in
this format, I have provided you a PDF which you can download to use or
print. If you do not have Adobe Reader to access this file you can get
it for free from here.

Download printable version

You are welcome to use this document however you wish, even put it
on your own web site or blog, as long as you do not remove the Dark
Side of the Lens information shown within.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

A bit of a gap since my last video, thanks
to a nasty case of the flu doing the rounds robbing me of my voice
(must have also affected my hearing as I didn’t hear anyone being sorry
about that!). So, here we go with my latest offering.

Unless you frame every shot perfectly (can
anyone outside of a studio?) you will inevitably want to “reframe” some
of your photos where your subject is not quite where you want them, or
maybe to take out distracting objects close to the edges. If these
adjustments can be made by retaining a rectangular section of your
photo, and disregarding the rest, then that is exactly when cropping
comes into play.

This tutorial shows you several ways to
crop your photos, a process that is far easier than many people
realise. All the techniques shown can be applied in Photoshop or
Elements (with one exception with the guided learning feature in
Elements).

I have a large collection of books,
photographic books included, as I am somewhat of a bookaholic. Some of
the books I have are better than others, and these are the ones I will
be reviewing.

I, like many people, have my favorite
authors, and probably my very favorite authors in the photo editing
book world are Mark Galer and Philip Andrews, who often team up for a
publication.

The main reason I like their works in
general is their straight forward approach and clear explanations to,
often, complex tasks in either Photoshop or Elements. I have been lucky
enough to see them give demonstrations at trade shows on several
occasions, which usually turns out to be an expensive exercise for me
as I end up grabbing whatever latest book(s) either of them has
published (remember your mantra Simon “I will not buy, I must not buy,
I can not buy …. oh look, a book, let’s buy it!”).

They,
currently at least, publish with Focal Press. A quick observation here
from me is that I really like Focal Press as a publishing house due to
the quality of the books they produce. By this I mean the general feel,
the paper, the quality of illustrations, they are all important factors
for me when buying a book and if I am ordering a book online and see it
is from Focal Press I know what to expect (and no, I am not associated
with them in any way …. be nice though *laugh*)

So, enough waffle and on to this particular book…

Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills (Photography Essential Skills)

This excellent book, my current favorite
Photoshop CS3 book, covers everything from the basics to advanced
techniques at a level that both the novice and advanced user will find
incredibly useful. I have found that in general books are better aimed
at just the basics, just advanced techniques etc, and trying to cover
too large a spread leads to weaker content, but this is very much not
the case here.

The
various techniques, including full projects, are well illustrated and
explained with enough detail to make them easy to follow but not enough
to bog you down. I don’t see any level of digital photo editor not
coming away from this book with a bundle of new techniques to add to
their arsenal.

I am a huge fan, as you may have guessed,
of learning via video tutorials. Personally I find that approach more
interactive and definitely more fun. Luckily this book includes an
excellent DVD containing over 8 hours of video tutorials. If I had to
find one gripe about the book it is just that the DVD lacks the nice
user interface sometimes found and you just have the movies in folders.
Trivial gripe, it just means it takes a few extra seconds to explore
what is there.

A
nice surprise though on the DVD was the collection of royalty free
images that you can use in your own projects, and also they have
supplied some nice Photoshop actions you can add into your own copy of
Photoshop.

At the time of writing this the book is
selling for $24.39 on Amazon (or £20.89 on Amazon the UK - why the
massive difference???) which, especially as it includes the DVD, I
think it truly exceptional value (especially in the US). Amazon also
has second hand copies available but although that may save you $2 I
don’t think the small saving is worth it as you risk scratches on the
DVD (maybe that is just me though).

So, if you are looking for one Photoshop
book that will keep “working” at it for hours, then I strongly
recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this one.

Amazon US: Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills (Photography Essential Skills)

Amazon UK: Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills (Photography Essential Skills)

Philip and Mark have produced earlier
editions of this particular work for both Photoshop CS and Photoshop
CS2. Although I have not read these editions myself I would expect the
content, and hence the quality, to be very similar to the CS3 edition
but with features for the relevant version of photoshop. Both earlier
books are still available, so if you are using an earlier version of
Photoshop CS then maybe these links will be more useful to you.

Photoshop CS (Amazon US): Photoshop CS Essential Skills

Photoshop CS (Amazon UK): Photoshop CS Essential Skills

Photoshop CS2 (Amazon US): Photoshop CS2 Essential Skills

Photoshop CS2 (Amazon UK): Photoshop CS2 Essential Skills

If you are ordering a copy then please do
ensure you are using the correct link above, as I would hate for you to
accidentally order a copy for the wrong edition of Photoshop.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

Adjusting the colors in your image is an
area of photo editing that many find time consuming and very
confusing.  However, it need not be that way. Here I give an
explanation of the RGB color space, which you will most likely find
yourself using.

The principles discussed here apply to all
photo editing software if you are working with RGB (all the ones I know
of can) so is applicable to Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, Painter or
any of the other products out there.

Once you have grasped the basics explained
here you will hopefully find color adjustments make a lot more sense
and your results will improve accordingly.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com

So, here we go. A short video tutorial
(5:14) giving an overview of the basic user interface of Elements 6.0.
Click on the image to take you to the video.

For the moment the video is only available
as a Flash video (400 x 300 pixels). However, I will be putting up
larger versions (800 x 600 pixels) once I find the time to mess around
a bit with the back end of the blog (which is nowhere near as rude as
it sounds!).

I think I have ironed out the kinks and
the video should play in most browsers. If you have any problems
viewing it please let me know.

Simon
http://darksideofthelens.com