Photoshop Layer Masks – Thinking “Inside” the (Layer Mask Thumbnail) Box – Part II

04/02/20 Updated here:  https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=2283 _________________ In the last post, I talked about the purpose of a layer mask: To hide or reveal portions of a layer. If you did not read the last post, I would strongly urge you to do so, and to study the accompanying image. Now I’ll talk about how to create and use a layer mask. So, where do you find or how do you create layer masks? Three places: When you create an adjustment layer, Photoshop automatically adds a “Layer Mask Thumbnail” to your layer (the white box on the right). For a new layer

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Photoshop Layer Masks – Thinking “Inside” the (Layer Mask Thumbnail) Box – Part I

    04/02/20 Updated here:  https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=2283 ___________________________   One of the beauties of Photoshop is the ability to make changes locally, not just globally. There are two main techniques to “localize” your changes – one is to make a “selection” using tools such as the Magic Wand or Lasso tools, then creating an adjustment layer to make your changes to that selection. The other technique, and one that can be far quicker, is by using Layer Masks. The purpose of of a Layer Mask is to hide or reveal portions of a layer. It can be used instead of or

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Film vs. Digital: Which is Better? Part II

Updated 08/30/21 In the first post on this subject, I discussed qualitative issues between Film and Digital. The gist of that post was that there is no perfect answer to the question of “which is better” – – Film and Digital are essentially two different “animals”. Although Digital is certainly more prevalent, both have their place in Photography, or as Paul Lester commented on the first post: “In the end, it’s picking the right tool for the job.” Quality issues aside, let’s talk about other advantages and disadvantages of each, mainly as it relates to the gear and media… FILM

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Film vs. Digital: Which is Better?

Updated 08/30/21 The answer may surprise you, because – There really isn’t a perfect answer – – Film and Digital are essentially two different “animals”, and both have their place…. __________ My buddy Ken Rockwell, a fellow San Diegan, explains it rather succinctly in this post: “I use both digital and film cameras all the time. They each serve a different purpose. Film and digital capture are completely different media. They are used for similar purposes, but they themselves are completely unrelated to each other. I’d have an easier time and get in less trouble comparing my mom to a

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Photoshop Speed Keys: Instant Gratification

  12/15/21 – This post has been updated, click here: https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/not-a-fan-of-photoshop-speed-keys-here-are-the-10-essential-ones/   _____________     We live in an “Instant Gratification” world – Some things that we get instantly are good, and some are bad. Here’s my contribution to the “good” instant gratification – – My favorite Photoshop Speed Keys.   Once you start using speed keys, you may never use menus again for a particular function. I have gotten in the habit of keeping my left hand hovering over the keyboard, ready to use the speed keys at a moment’s notice. By the way, if you use a function

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Pssst – – Wanna Buy a Legal and Full Copy of Photoshop CS3 – Cheap?

Now that I’ve got your attention… 🙂 If you’re reading this, you may fall into one of two categories: 1) You are using someone else’s illegal “copy” of PS, and cannot legally upgrade, or 2) You are brand new to the program, ready to “take the plunge”, and start learning how it works. Either way, the $650+ price tag is holding you back. You can get a full and legal copy of CS3 for 1/2 to 2/3 of the cost, and here’s how: Buy an unregistered full copy of Photoshop 7 or later, register it, then buy the CS3 upgrade…

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Judging your Color in Photoshop and Digital Printing

  Updated 09/09/21, and still relevant today …     _______________   “The color in my print doesn’t look right … ”   How many of us have heard this from other photographers, or have said this about our own prints? Let’s go over some basic of Color – then you can color correct with more confidence and accuracy!   So what is Color? The dictionary defines it as the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light.   Three

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Color Management in Photoshop: What are you REALLY seeing?

  08/01/22 – This post has been updated – WITH VIDEO: https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/color-management-101-for-photographers/   Howdy folks… It has been my experience that of the three steps to proper Color Management in Photoshop the most overlooked is #3: Assure that you have the proper Lighting Conditions and Perception. I want to prove my point on Perception. Have you ever walked inside a building after being outside in bright sunlight, and had to wait for your eyes to adjust to the inside lighting conditions? Our eyes adjust to the environment around us, which is why, when you are working on your images on

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The Deadly “I’ll-Just-Fix-It-In-Photoshop” Syndrome…

Howdy to all… Here’s a great read from Kevin Michael Reed’s ExposingFashion Blog entitled “Stop this ‘Fix It In Photoshop’ nonsense!” I get a sense of righteous anger from Kevin that is well-placed….I blogged briefly about this last year on this post, but Kevin, as a working photographer who has to deal in the sometimes surrealistic and admittedly vain world of fashion photography, puts it even more succinctly. It is definitely a more in-depth analysis on why this trend of “I’ll-Just-Fix-It-In-Photoshop” has to stop!!! (Oh, and Kevin must be a great guy – after all, he quoted me in his

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Thoughts From A Photo Contest

  09/01/2021 – Updated, and still relevant today …   _____________     02/12/-2008 – Last summer, I was privileged to be a Judge and Speaker at one of the most prestigious photographic contests on the West Coast – the San Diego County Fair International Exhibition of Photography. While the fair was running, we held a “Digital Dialog Discussion” for the public – there were seven experts from the digital realm, including myself, talking about the present and future of digital imaging.   A client of mine recently reminded me of how much he was able to glean from that

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The Most-Abused Tools in Photoshop…

  Updated 09/01/21, and still relevant today …   _________________   As I go to various art shows, galleries, contests and photo club exhibits, and as I judge various photo contests, I notice two common Photoshop errors repeatedly. If someone looks at your traditional print and says, “Oh, that’s digital!”, it is usually not a compliment. It usually denotes manipulation and phoniness. There is probably nothing wrong with the original image.   More than likely it is just over-saturated and over-sharpened in Photoshop.   Let me clarify what I’m going to say by adding that I’m not talking about “Photoshop

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Straighten the Horizon in your Digital Images using Photoshop CC

  Updated 08/25/21 •  More on cropping your image here – WTH VIDEO:  https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/how-to-crop-your-image-in-photoshop-cc/     Is the horizon in your digital image not straight? If not, it can be very distracting. Here’s an easy way to straighten it in Photoshop:   1) Activate the Crop Tool & press the “Straighten” icon in the Options Bar. Clear the “Width, Height, & Resolution” values.   2) While holding down your left mouse button, draw a line along the horizon (or vertical) in your image.   3) When you let up off your mouse button, your image is straightened and cropped so that

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Test Targets for Digital Printing Evaluation

Howdy to all! Here are links to pages where you can download test targets – I’m very partial to the Photodisc Target myself… These are great for evaluating your printer’s output and how it compares to your monitor, among other things – Enjoy! Inkjetart.com Dry Creek Photo Colormanagement.com So, do you know of others you like? Let me know! Cheers, John 🙂

Thoughts on Selling Your Prints Online …

  Updated 08/30/21, & still relevant today!     02/02/2008 – Here is an excellent post at Paul Lester’s Blog entitled “Business Decisions: Selling Prints Online” …. I’ll let you read it, but basically he’s comparing different websites that allow you to sell your photos online. It’s well-researched – Paul has done his homework!   I want to add some thoughts that popped into my mind while reading his post – I left the following as a comment on his site – read on….   _________________________________________   Paul,   Great post, as usual!   I’ve never had experience with the

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How To Put A Watermark on your Image with Photoshop…

By request, here’s a great way to protect your images – “Watermark” them in Photoshop! Anytime you send out a file or small print of your images to a potential client for review or post your images on the web, you are at risk of someone stealing your images. By putting a simple watermark on your images in Photoshop, you can help reduce this possibility. Here are the steps (I am assuming a basic familiarity with Photoshop): 1) In Photoshop, create a new file. Go to the “File” menu ? “New…”. I’d suggest a Width of 10”, a height of

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I need your help – I’ve just gotta know!!!

Hello to all! I’d sure appreciate your input on this… I’m in the process of putting the finishing touches on an E-book and Video Series called “Photofinishing with Photoshop”. What instructional method works best for you – – An E-Book, A Video Series, or both? [poll=2] Thanks for your Vote! Cheers, John

Color Management on a Budget for Photographers

  06/22/21 – – The answer to this post is still relevant, but has been further updated – WITH VIDEO: https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/color-management-101-for-photographers/   Hello to all… OK, OK, you WANT to use proper Color Management techniques so that you are printing for consistency and repeatability, but you’re on a budget – – here are some suggestions from an email I sent out recently to one of my clients. Let me preface what you are going to read by saying that you will ALWAYS get the best results by investing in the proper gear, software, custom printer profiles, etc – an investment of about $275,

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Printer and Monitor don’t match? Try this …

  02-01-23 – The answer to this post is still relevant, but has been further updated – https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/color-management-101-for-photographers/Click here __________ Here’s another excellent email from Rachel, a client, which clarifies the previous post: My prints are consistently darker than they appear on my monitor and I have been using lumens 140, 6500 Kelvin and 2.2 gamma settings. I use an LCD monitor. What settings do you suggest I try when I calibrate with the Gretag Macbeth Eye One? And my answer… I would recommend a “starting” setting of 5500K, 110 Lumens, and 2.2 gamma .. I say “starting” because each system is

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Printer and Monitor don’t match? Try this …

    05/01/22 – This post has been updated: https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/color-management-101-for-photographers/ _____________   One of my clients had a question that brought up a common scenario – – Your prints are lighter/darker/ warmer/cooler (pick one) than your monitor. Although one of the services I offer is the creation of custom printer profiles (ALWAYS better than “canned” profiles, and essential for critical work), perhaps the only thing that needs to be done is to properly calibrate and profile your monitor with a colorimeter such as the Gretag-Macbeth Eye-One Display 2 (my favorite)…   Here’s an email from Peter Nagainis (www.panartphoto) in San

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Photoshop CS3 – Worth the Upgrade?

So Adobe has come out with another upgrade – Big deal, you say – Why should I upgrade to CS3? Is it worth the extra expense? The answer is a resounding “yes”! . Here are five excellent reasons to upgrade (There are lots more, but I’ve found these to be the most useful): 1) New RAW converter – To me, this new feature alone is worth the price of the upgrade. You now have so much control with new tonal and color features such as “Recovery”, “Fill Light”, “Blacks”, “Clarity”, “Vibrance” and “Tone Curve”. For more information, please contact me

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