We welcome all photographers to join and participate in its events and by sharing knowledge to improve and enhance photographic skills. Our club aims to mentor, support, and educate its members, and to foster skills and passion for photography in a collegiate and enjoyable atmosphere.
Meeting Address only: Uniting Church Hall – Corner of Boundary Road and Bellamy Street. Parking is on a grassed block of land opposite the church in Bellamy St., and the entrance we use is facing Bellamy St.
For information on the club please view this link.
Photoshop is a powerhouse for photo editing, offering a suite of tools designed to help users refine, enhance, and perfect their images. Among the many tools available, the Remove Tool and the Spot Healing Brush stand out for their ability to remove unwanted elements from an image. While they share some similarities, their functionality and use cases differ significantly. Let’s break down how these tools work and when to use each.
The Remove Tool is a newer addition to Photoshop that leverages advanced AI-powered algorithms to handle more complex edits. It’s designed for situations where the Spot Healing Brush may fall short, such as removing larger objects or elements from images with intricate backgrounds. The Remove Tool ensures the final result is clean and free of noticeable artifacts.
Key Features of the Remove Tool:
AI-Driven Technology: Uses Photoshop’s latest artificial intelligence to accurately predict and reconstruct missing details.
Handles Complex Edits: Capable of removing larger objects or objects in detailed and textured environments.
Automatic Edge Refinement: Ensures smooth transitions and precise corrections, even in challenging areas.
How to Use the Remove Tool:
Select the Remove Tool from the toolbar (found in the same group as the Spot Healing Brush).
Adjust the size of the tool to cover the object you want to remove.
Click and drag over the area, and Photoshop will intelligently remove the object, blending the area seamlessly.
What is the Spot Healing Brush?
The Spot Healing Brush is one of Photoshop’s most popular tools for quick fixes. It allows you to remove blemishes, dust spots, or other minor distractions from an image by blending the corrected area with surrounding pixels. The tool is highly intuitive and works by automatically sampling texture, lighting, and color from nearby areas to seamlessly integrate corrections.
Key Features of the Spot Healing Brush:
Content-Aware Technology: Automatically analyzes the area around the spot and fills it in with matching details.
Brush-Based Control: Allows users to paint over the unwanted area, giving precision over what to fix.
Best for Small Areas: Ideal for minor edits such as skin blemishes, scratches, or small distractions.
How to Use the Spot Healing Brush:
Select the tool from the toolbar or press J on your keyboard.
Adjust the brush size to slightly larger than the area you want to fix.
Click or drag over the spot to remove it. Photoshop will do the rest.
While the Spot Healing Brush is quick and efficient for small imperfections, it may struggle with larger or more complex objects, especially when the background is textured or detailed.
When to Use Each Tool
Remove Tool: Use this for more challenging edits, such as removing entire objects, large distractions, or elements from textured or patterned backgrounds. Its AI capabilities make it indispensable for professional-quality results.
Spot Healing Brush: Use this for quick touch-ups on minor distractions like skin blemishes, dust spots, or simple scratches. It’s perfect for situations where precision and subtlety are key.
Summary:
Both the Remove Tool and the Spot Healing Brush are essential components of Photoshop’s editing arsenal. The Remove Tool is a powerhouse for tackling more complex edits, while the Spot Healing Brush excels at making fast, simple fixes. By understanding their strengths and applications, you can choose the right tool for the task and elevate the quality of your photo edits.
The digital revolution has dramatically changed the landscape of photography. From cameras that capture the minutest of details to post-processing software that allows unlimited creative possibilities, technology has expanded the boundaries of what’s possible. One such technological leap has been the advent of sky replacement techniques in photo editing software. However, this tool has sparked considerable debate within the photography community.
Sky replacement allows photographers to substitute a dull, uninspiring sky in their image with a more dramatic or visually appealing one from a different photograph. This is made possible through the use of powerful artificial intelligence algorithms in photo editing software such as Adobe’s Photoshop, which can seamlessly blend different images together.
The proponents of sky replacement argue that it is just another tool in a photographer’s digital toolbox. Like any other form of post-processing – adjusting contrast, saturation, or sharpness – sky replacement is seen as an extension of the creative process. It allows photographers to realize their creative vision without being limited by the circumstances of a shoot. For instance, a landscape photographer who has traveled to a remote location only to encounter lackluster weather conditions can substitute the sky to better reflect their artistic vision.
Moreover, from a commercial perspective, sky replacement can be a valuable asset. Real estate photographers, for instance, often have to deal with uncooperative weather conditions. A gloomy sky can make a property appear less attractive, potentially affecting its marketability. In such cases, sky replacement can help to present the property in a more favorable light.
However, the use of sky replacement techniques has also generated considerable controversy. Detractors argue that it crosses the boundary from image editing into image creation, diluting the authenticity of photography. They contend that part of the challenge, and therefore the art of photography, lies in the ability to capture stunning images in spite of unfavorable conditions. Sky replacement, in their view, lessens the skill and talent involved in photography.
Critics also raise ethical concerns, especially in areas like photojournalism and documentary photography, where authenticity is paramount. If the sky in a war-torn region is replaced with a peaceful sunset, the image could misrepresent the reality of the situation, potentially misleading viewers.
There is also the argument that sky replacement creates an unrealistic standard for what a photograph should look like. As more images feature perfect, dramatic skies, there is a risk of homogenizing the aesthetic of photography and creating a culture where only ‘perfect’ images are valued.
As with many debates, the issue is not black and white. The use of sky replacement is dependent on the context, the intent of the photographer, and the expectations of the audience. It’s crucial to maintain an open dialogue about the ethical implications and to ensure that as technology continues to advance, it enhances the art of photography rather than dilutes it.
The sky replacement debate underlines the broader discourse on how far photographic manipulation can go before it crosses ethical boundaries. It’s a conversation that the photography community will continue to have as it navigates the digital era’s uncharted territories. After all, at the heart of photography lies the pursuit of truth and beauty, and it’s essential to strike a balance between them in the age of digital manipulation.
At this time of year, many of the world’s cultures and religions celebrate holidays that involve lights. While the use of lights and candles is often explained in terms of the rites of the particular culture, most scholars agree that the lights came first; the explanations followed. After all, since humans gained control of fire, light has been used to illuminate the darkness – especially, during the depths of winter – rather than curse it.
Photo by kennysarmy; ISO 100, f/16, 20-second exposure.
Christians explain the candles, tree lights, and Yule log in terms of the birth of Christ and the Star of Bethlehem. The impact of these lights – if not the explanation – is so powerful that even modern-day Buddhist and Shinto Japan is ablaze with lights and decorations at “Christmas time.” And, in the same dark days of the winter solstice, Hanukkah is the “Festival of Lights” celebrated by Jews around the world.
Years ago, taking great photographs of holiday lights was difficult because the films of yesteryear weren’t very sensitive. They had difficulty recording an image in the low-light of a candle, for example.
This is no longer the case as technology has solved these problems. Many DSLRs or Mirrorless cameras can be set to ISO 800, 1600 and even higher settings with little noise.
In addition, most photographers today rely on auto-exposure with their point-and-shoots or SLRs. Unlike the light meters of old, which were often “fooled” by low-light situations, today’s meters in auto-exposure cameras are able to give good readings even in low light.
This is an important point because holiday lights usually look their best when shot without added light. In fact, this is Rule One when it comes to getting good pictures of lights: Turn off your flash. Let’s repeat that: For most pictures of holiday lights, turn off your flash!
Note that we said “most.” There are a few occasions when you will want to add light, but usually you won’t. So this brings us to the question: When should you use your flash, and when should you avoid it?
Now, let’s remember one important point if you’re taking a picture without flash: You’re probably going to need a slow shutter speed. This means you may need to mount your camera on a solid unmoving surface to avoid camera-shake. A tripod is best.
When else might you want to use your flash? Let’s say the subject of your picture is your kids under the tree. How are you going to light their faces? On the one hand, you may find that the Christmas-tree lights are sufficient and give a very soft glow to their cherubic expressions. Or maybe it is Christmas morning, and they are lighted by window-light that is streaming into the room. In these cases, you don’t need your flash. But, on the other hand, maybe you don’t have enough light to really see their faces. Then you may have to use your flash. How do you know which way to go?
One approach is to shoot both ways, then select the better image. We think a better way is to plan ahead and meter your subject. Remember that Guideline One of the Three NYI Guidelines for Great Pictures is to decide on your subject before you do anything else. You can learn this at the photography school. In this case, you’ve decided that the subject is the faces of the kids. Guideline Two is to draw attention to your subject. One method of drawing attention is to make sure your subject is well-exposed. So meter the light that falls on their faces from the lighted tree. Get in close and meter just the faces! If there’s enough available light for a well-exposed picture, shoot it. If not, use your flash.
Now let’s move outdoors. Outdoor photo subjects include elaborate lighting and decoration on houses, stores, and streets. Again, if you want to capture the lights themselves, don’t use your flash. One other tip for outdoor lights – you’ll get the best results when you shoot at twilight. That way, you’ll capture some color in the sky, rather than the pitch-black tone that will be recorded on film later at night. But what if you want to take a picture of your friend in front of a brightly lit display?
You want to capture both the bright lights and your friend. If you use flash, you get your friend, but you’re in danger of minimizing the bright lights behind. On the other hand, if you don’t use flash, you get better detail of the lights but your friend is reduced to a silhouette.
There’s an answer. Many of today’s point-and-shoot cameras both film and digital have a funny-looking setting that looks like a person with a star in the background.
This setting tells the camera that you want the flash to fire (which will light your friend in the foreground), but that you also want the lens to stay open long enough to record the lights in the background. In fact, the symbol for this setting on many cameras is sort of a hieroglyph that tries to indicate “person at night in front of lights.” Your solution to getting light on your friend’s face and capturing the light display is to use this setting. The flash exposes the face. The long exposure captures the lights.
But, again, watch out here. The long exposure – typically, one-quarter of a second long – requires that you steady your camera to avoid camera shake. Once again, we advise you to use a tripod.
So, to take great holiday photos in this season of lights, we offer you these four tips we explore in our photography classes:
Turn off your flash unless you have a very good reason to use it.
Use a fast ISO – we suggest ISO 800.
Avoid camera shake.
Use a tripod…or, at least, brace the camera. Trust your camera’s built-in meter.
Some Special Considerations
Digital ISO
Amplifying a digital signal is like turning the volume up on your radio as loud as it will go. At the maximum volume every hiss, pop, and scratch is heard and, depending on the quality of the equipment, quality is diminished. The same thing happens in a digital camera. When the ISO setting is increased, every image artifact and defect is magnified.
To achieve the best image quality, you might try working with a slower ISO setting to start. If you are having trouble getting a good exposure, increase the ISO as needed. You might even try using the Auto ISO setting and see how the camera chooses to handle exposure.
Digital Noise
Regardless of the ISO setting chosen, most inexpensive digital cameras produce “noise” during long exposures. Noise is caused by the small electrical disturbances that are present in every electrical system. In order to capture a weak light signal, such as a subject in low-light, longer exposures are usually needed. The longer a digital camera shutter is open, the more electrical noise is recorded as well.
Increase the ISO to achieve faster shutter speeds and you will amplify noise and other image problems.
Reduce the ISO and shutter speeds are slower. As a result, you will record inherent noise that might not be seen in a “normal” exposure.
Limited Dynamic Range
To make things worse, digital cameras have a limited dynamic range. Image sensors are only sensitive to a specific range of brightness. Anything outside of that range is recorded as pure white or pure black. This can result in an image without shadow or highlight detail.
Solutions
Here are a few ways to solve these problems. Noise can be reduced with software. In fact some cameras offer in-camera noise reduction features. Proprietary software is used exclusively, yielding uneven results. Test your camera’s capabilities before committing to this feature. There are many noise reduction software products on the market today, some as stand-alone applications and others which are plug-ins that work in conjunction with your favorite image editor. This means you can select a camera with noise reduction or address any problems later in the digital “darkroom.”
Timing is Everything
As we noted earlier in this article, when shooting holiday lights outside, I find that the best exposures can be made at twilight. Twilight is after the sun has set but before the dark of night. This fleeting balance of light and shadow will yield the brilliance of the lights while maintaining details in the shadow. Don’t underestimate shadow detail to help establish your composition. Consult your camera’s manual for details on your white balance options and how to adjust them. In the finished photo the viewer will perceive the twilight photo to be taken at night.
Photo captured by Tim Schmidbauer
When shooting holiday lights inside, try turning on lights in the room to increase the ambient light, rather than using a flash. Flash can produce a harsh, high-contrast quality that obliterates the brilliance of the light. A carefully positioned incandescent light can increase the ambient light without overpowering your holiday lights.
Shoot Two Exposures
One way to extend the tonal range of a digital image is by making two exposures of a scene. Shooting in Manual mode, make one exposure configured to capture the best highlight detail. Make a second exposure to capture the best shadow detail. Then combine the two exposures in Photoshop as separate Layers. Using the Eraser tool remove poorly exposed areas to reveal detail and take advantage of the best parts of each Layer/exposure. Using this technique you could extend the tonal range well beyond the possibility of any single exposure made with the same camera. Of course this requires a strong tripod to ensure both compositions match perfectly. Consider using a remote control to reduce the possibility of camera movement.
Accomplished photographers may also create two separate images’- one favoring highlights, the other shadows’ – from a single RAW file.
Turn Off Automatic White Balance
In many photographic situations white balance is a godsend. By automatically neutralizing extreme color casts, believable digital color is rendered without breaking a sweat. It is important to remember, not all photos require white balance. Tone down the rich, saturated colors of a sunset and you’re left with nothing. Attempt to white balance a fireworks display and you end up with dull lifeless, de-saturated bursts and streaks of light. Holiday lights should be treated similarly. By turning off the auto white balance feature you are sure to capture the exaggerated colors the holidays have to offer.
You could try turning off white balance altogether or even experiment with any of the other manual settings to find a color balance that suits your visual needs. Either way is a better bet than giving the decision to the camera.
Test, Test, Test
The immediate feedback of digital photography begs you to test your exposures to determine what works best. Take advantage of the metadata that most digital cameras embed inside every digital picture you make. Metadata can include camera make and model, exposure, flash, white balance and other important information that can help you to determine what works and what doesn’t work. This means you don’t even have to take notes! To access your digital image metadata, open a file in Adobe Photoshop.
Photo by Bob Jagendorf; ISO 1600, f/2, 1/125-second exposure.
Choose File > File Info. The File Info dialog box appears. Select the Camera Data option on the left side of the screen. The Camera Data screen reveals shutter speed, aperture, ISO settings, lens focal length, flash settings and even the metering modes. Holiday lights are usually around for more than a couple of days each year, take advantage of this by shooting early in the season and then re-shooting if you have too.
About the Author: Chuck DeLaney has been a professional photographer for over 30 years. Since 1998 he has been the director of the NYIP, America’s oldest and largest photography school. DeLaney has taught photography classes in colleges, community programs and institutional settings. In addition to teaching, he has written two books about photography and written hundreds of magazine and Web articles also.
For Help with Photo Editing, Holiday Deal Ending Soon:
Skylum recently updated the Luminar Neo Photo Editor, an image editor designed to empower visual storytellers and bring their boldest ideas to life. They designed Luminar Neo with input from working photographers, artists, and colorists. Deal ending soon for a holiday sale if you want to explore it.
Understanding Light with Black & White Photo Editing
Posted: 11/11/2024
If you want to give yourself a “light education” in the context of photo editing, experimenting with black and white photography is a fun and effective way to do it.
By removing color from an image, you are left with only the light and the shapes of the objects it bounces off. Studying this can help you better understand how light is affecting a scene and how to manipulate it to achieve a certain look and feel to your photo.
A benefit of doing this even if you never normally create black and white photos, is that it allows you to focus solely on the tonal values of an image.
When an image is in color, our eyes tend to be drawn to the colors and can distract us from the overall composition and lighting of the image. By removing the colors, we can focus on the different shades of grey, and this can help us better understand how the light is affecting the scene.
Even when you are mid-edit on a color image, a quick black and white conversion can help you better visualize the contrast and drama in the scene, as well as the overall balance of the light and even composition.
A quote I remember hearing someone say on YouTube once (forgive me, I forget who, it was a long time ago) is that:
“If an image doesn’t look good in black and white, it won’t look good in color.”
There are always exceptions to every rule, but I think this is pretty spot on.
It’s always important to pay attention to the lines, shapes, and light in any image you photograph, but these elements become even more important once color is removed, as they are become the main visual elements in the image.
Something you might not have noticed in a color version might become glaringly obvious once the color is removed.
Or perhaps the black and white version reveals something subtle that improves the color version but you’d have never picked up on it without removing color first.
One slightly less obvious bonus of experimenting and having fun with black and white editing is that the more time you spend doing it, working only with lines, shapes, and light, the more you’ll start to just get a bit of a knack for spotting great compositions and light when out in the field with your camera because you’ll be able to “think” in black and white. And the upshot of that means even more “keepers” from every shoot!
A quick process for when you want to check how the light looks with a B&W conversion while you’re editing a photo in your regular workflow is:
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
Reduce saturation to 0%
Important: Set the adjustment layers blend mode to “color”
The third step is important because simply removing saturation does not tell the full story. (You’ll notice a slight shift when toggling between “color” and “normal” blend modes – try it and see)
If you’re like me, once you start to go down the black and white rabbit hole (even if just for fun at first) then you’ll start to enjoy some of the results…
And dare I say you may even prefer the black and white versions of some of your images!
While going deeper down this rabbit hole myself a while back, I started enjoying the results of my “quick” B&W conversions and I started experimenting more and more.
One thing led to another and before I knew it, I’d accumulated a whole collection of techniques and ideas for producing some pretty awesome-looking black and white images.
Like the following:
These techniques work great on landscapes for a distinctive look and feel, they work wonders on architectural / city photos too.
From Warmth to Winter: Pre-Cooling Tips for Your Camera
Posted: 12/02/2024
As photographers, we often find ourselves drawn to the stark beauty of cold weather environments. However, transitioning your camera from a warm indoor environment to the icy outdoors can be a challenge. The key to seamless cold weather photography lies in effectively pre-cooling your camera. Let’s dive into how you can prepare your gear for the chill and capture those winter wonderland shots flawlessly.
Quick reminder: today’s quick tip comes from the Full Photography Cheat Sheets which are currently 83% off for Cyber Monday.
Photo captured by Jonas Allert
The Risks of Rushing the Pre-Cooling Process:
It’s tempting to skip the gradual pre-cooling process, especially when you’re eager to capture a fleeting winter moment. However, rushing it can occasionally lead to some issues. The most common problem is condensation – when warm, moist air from inside the camera condenses on the cold camera sensor and internal components. This can result in foggy images and, in worse cases, damage to the camera’s electronics.
Additionally, rapid temperature changes can cause lens elements to contract unevenly, potentially affecting focus and optical quality. In extreme cases, it can even lead to cracking of the lens elements. Therefore, patience is more than a virtue in cold weather photography; it’s a necessity for safeguarding your precious gear.
Understanding Condensation
Condensation occurs when warm, moist air meets a cold surface, a common challenge in cold weather photography. Inside a warm environment, your camera and its internal components, including the sensor and electronic circuitry, are at a much higher temperature compared to the frigid outdoor air. When you take your camera from a warm room to a cold outdoor setting, the moisture in the air inside and around the camera quickly cools down.
Since cold air holds less moisture than warm air, this rapid cooling causes the moisture to condense into water droplets. These droplets can form on both the external and internal parts of your camera, including the lens and sensor. This not only affects image clarity but also risks damaging the sensitive electronics inside your camera. Understanding this phenomenon underscores the importance of gradually acclimating your camera to colder temperatures to prevent condensation and ensure optimal performance. Here are some tips to prevent it:
1. Gradual Temperature Adjustment:
Start by gradually exposing your camera to colder temperatures. Moving your camera directly from a warm room to freezing temperatures can cause condensation, which might damage your camera’s internal components. An effective way to do this is by placing your camera in a cooler area of your house, like a garage or near a window, before taking it outside.
2. Use a Ziploc Bag:
Before stepping out, place your camera in a large Ziploc bag. This will trap the warmer air around the camera and prevent condensation when you move outdoors. Once outside, allow the camera to acclimate to the external temperature while still in the bag. This usually takes about 30 minutes.
3. Pre-Cool Your Lenses:
Lenses are just as susceptible to temperature shock as your camera body. Apply the same gradual temperature adjustment to your lenses. Remember, changing lenses in cold conditions can introduce moisture, so try to decide on a lens before heading out.
4. Keep Spare Batteries Warm:
Battery performance can drastically drop in cold conditions. Keep spare batteries in a warm pocket close to your body. This will ensure they retain their charge longer when you need to swap them out.
5. Avoid Breathing on Your Equipment:
It might be tempting to use your breath to clean the viewfinder or lens, but in cold weather, this can cause immediate frosting. Use a lens cloth or blower instead.
6. Use Silica Gel Packets:
Placing silica gel packets in your camera bag can help absorb any moisture that might accumulate, offering an extra layer of protection against condensation.
By pre-cooling your camera properly, you can make the transition to cold environments much smoother and protect your equipment from ruined images or potential damage. Remember, the beauty of winter photography is unmatched, and with these tips, you’re all set to capture it in all its glory.
