From camera to computer how to make fine photographs through examples, tips, and techniques george barr

FromCameratoComputer
HowToMakeFinePhotographsThroughExamples,Tips,
andTechniques

GeorgeBarr


GeorgeBarr(www.georgebarr.com)
Editor:JoanDixon
Copyeditor:MarkHall
Layoutandtype:TerriWrightDesign,www.terriwright.com
Coverdesign:HelmutKraus,www.exclam.de
Coverphotos:GeorgeBarr
Printer:FriesensCorporation,Altona,Canada
ISBN978-1-933952-37-6
1stEdition
©2009GeorgeBarr
RockyNook,Inc.
26WestMissionStreet,Ste3
SantaBarbara,CA93111-2432
www.rockynook.com
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Barr,George,1949Fromcameratocomputer:howtomakefinephotographsthroughexamples,tips,and
techniques/GeorgeBarr.—1sted.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-933952-37-6(alk.paper)
1.Photography—Technique.2.Photography—Digitaltechniques.3.Example.4.
Composition(Photography)I.Title.
TR146.B31752009

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PrintedinCanada.Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
Unlessotherwisenoted,allphotographsandillustrationsarebytheauthor.


WithouttheundyingsupportofmytrouperwifeIsabelleFox-Barr,thisbookwould
nothavecometofruition.You’dthinkthatwritingthebookwouldbethehardpart,
buttruly,whenyoustopwritingyouareonlyonethirdofthewaythroughtheprocess,
andIhavenotbeen“there”todomyshareformorethanayearnow.Throughout,she
hasencouragedmewithoutahintoffrustrationorcriticism,soIcannotthankher
enough.
ThisismysecondbookwithRockyNookandspecificallywithmyeditorJoan
Dixon,whohasbeenabsolutelytremendous;inherenthusiasmwhenminelagged,in
patientlylisteningwhenyetagainIcameupwithoneofthealltoomanychangesI
wanted,andinhereditorialskillsoftakingtheroughedgesfrommyprose.
I’dliketoalsothankAndyIlachinski,fellowphotographer,whowaskindenoughto

proofchaptersformeandwhoofferedseveralsuggestionswhichhavematerially
improvedthebook.
Toyou,thereader,weshareawonderfulpastime,anoutletforourcreativity,a
challengetoourintellect,andnotincidentally,anactivitythatisawholelotoffun.I
wishyouthebestoftimesandabundleofwonderfulimages.


TableofContents
INTRODUCTION
NOTESONUSINGTHISBOOK
CHAPTER1Athabasca

Doingwhatyoumusttogettheimage

Correctingandimprovingalandscape

ImageeditingusingCurves

Highlightdodging

Selectivecolor

Thresholdhighlightprotection

AkvisEnhancer
CHAPTER2BluffsandBush

Bringingouttexture

Whethertostaywithcolororswitchtoblackandwhite

Convertingtoblackandwhite

Erasingskidmarks

ComparisonofanimagewithandwithoutAkvisEnhancer


CHAPTER3GrainElevator

Workingthescene

Useofseparateexposures

Applyingperspectivecorrection

ATalkaboutperfection
CHAPTER4Fruit

EditinganimageusingmultipleCurves

AddinghighlightsviaDodgeHighlights

RemovingnoisewithGaussianBlur

IncreasinglocalcontrastwithAkvisEnhancerandothertools
CHAPTER5SculptureandArchitecture

Howtoputsomeofyourselfintoimagesofobjectsthatwereoriginallydesignedasart
orarchitecture

Whyyoumightwanttophotographartanyway

Someofthefinepointsofcomposingimages
CHAPTER6People

Makingtheenvironmentalportrait

Managingyourmodel


Compositionandpeoplepictures

Rescuingaportraitimage

Modelreleasesandetiquette
CHAPTER7Racks

Copingwithdistractingbackgrounds

UsingHeliconFocusorPhotoshopCS4tofocusblendforincreaseddepthoffield

Issuesincropping

Compositionvs.substance

Repetitivepatterns

Strongdesign

Centerofinterest
CHAPTER8StoneyPark

Photographingwithafriend

Blackandwhiteconversion

Fixingthelessthanperfectimage

Knowingwhenyouhavegonetoofar
CHAPTER9Logs


Longpanoramas

Moreonblackandwhite

Workingthescene

Walkingaway

Returningtothesceneasecondtime
CHAPTER10AbstractImages

Howtofindandmakeabstractimages

Justhowobscuredoesanabstractneedtobe?

Cluesastomaterial,scale,subject,andlocation
CHAPTER11Cabbage

Matchingcolorbalanceinasequenceofimages

Whatitisaboutasubjectthatmakesmewanttomakeanimageofit

Goingbeyondsimplyfixinganimage
CHAPTER12Europe

Whattotake

Howtocarryit

Whattoshootwhiletraveling


CHAPTER13Steps

Highdynamicrange(HDR)vs.manualblendingofexposures

Focusblendingandexposureblendingatthesametime

Revisitingascenetofixproblems

Croppingandframing
CHAPTER14Waterfall

Takingthegrandlandscapeandstuffingitintoasmallprint

Alternativestothepostcard

Capturingthefeeling
CHAPTER15Lensbaby

Lensbabyasatoolforabstractimages

Contemplatingthecharacteristicsofalenstouseittomaximumadvantage
CHAPTER16Knuckle

Workingthescene

ExposureblendingwithPhotomatixPro

Findingtheunexpected

Returningtooldimagestomakesuccessfulprints
CHAPTER17Manipulations


Inversions,posterizations,trickycurves,andothermanipulations

Thoughtsontheroleofmanipulatedimagesandjusthavingfun

Diffusedhighlightstechniques

Isit“Art”

Goingwellbeyondreal

Areartistsallowedtohavefunandwhatdoyoudowiththeresultsiftheydo?
CHAPTER18Pairs

Whatmakesoneimagebetterthananother

Understandingthedifferencebetweenzoomingandmoving

Refiningcompositions

Lightnessanddarknessofprints

LensworkSpecialEditionFolios

Tellingastorywithanimage

Finding,recognizing,andmakinghighqualityprints
CHAPTER19Sunflower

Photographingstrangers


Workingwithnoagenda

Photographinggraffiti

Capturingimagesofordinarylife
CHAPTER20BreakingtheRules

Aboutdepthoffield

Oddimages

Multipleexposures

Missingtheobvious

Dealingwith“seeingthings”inimages
CHAPTER21SnowPlow

Techniquesforenhancinglocalcontrast

FurtheruseoftheBlack&WhiteConversionAdjustmentLayer

TheCanon18-55mmISlens

Takinglocalcontrast(andsharpening)toofar

Mysharpeningroutines

Going“overthetop”withimageprocessing


HowtousePhotoshoptodowhatAkvisEnhancerdoes,andreworkinganimagewhen
youdo

Returningtoanoldimagetoreworkitfromscratch
CHAPTER22StillLife

Finding,adjusting,andcreatingimagesfromfoundobjects

Zoomsvs.fixedfocallengthlenses

Checkingdepthoffield
CHAPTER23Turbine

Workingthescene

Graduallyrefiningimages

Somethoughtsonsuccessrate

Productivity
AFTERWORD
APHOTOSHOPPRIMER
INDEX


Introduction
Iwrotethisbookforseveralreasons.Firstandforemost,Iwantedtoprovideabookof
realworldexamplesfromthepointofviewofafineartphotographerinsteadofa
commercialshooter.Itismyimpressionthatalotofphotographersstillstrugglewith
workingthesceneandevencomingupwithideasonwhattophotograph.Evenmore
photographersstrugglewithwhattodowitheditingratherthanhowtodotheediting.
Manyarecomfortablewithfixingproblemswithanimage,butaresublimelyunawareof
justhowmuchfurtheryoucantakeanimagebeyondbasicfixing,toaddlightandlifeto
it.
Inanidealworld,I’dgoalongwithyouasyouphotographyourfavoritesubjects,lean
overyourshoulder,peerthroughyourviewfinder,discusswithyouhowyouarehandling
theedgesoftheimage,commentonthelighting,andsuggestbetterangles.SinceIcannot
dothat,Ihavewrittenindetailthesteps,problems,andsolutionsIgothroughtomakemy
images.
Now,myimagesaren’tyourimages,butinthisbookIhavemadeanefforttoinclude

broadsubjectmatter,includingachapterontravelandanotheronpeople—subjectsI
rarelyphotographeduntilrecently.Somechaptersshowyoudigitalproofsheetssoyouget
anideaofthethingsItryasIworktowardthebestpossibleimage.Idiscusswhat’sgoing
throughmymindasIlookatthescene.Inonechapter,Isupplyaseriesofimagepairs
fromthesamesceneanddiscussthestrengthsandweaknessesofeachimage.I’mpretty
forthcomingonmymistakesinthehopethatyouwilllearnfromthem,andthenyou’ll
havetofindyourownmistakestomake.Therecan’tbethatmanymistakeslefttobe
made!
Throughoutthebook,andusuallywheretheissuesfirstcomeup,Ihavewrittenabout
stitching,focusblending,high-dynamicrange(HDR),sharpening,andothertechnical
issues.Ihaveprovidedsomeimagecropstoshowyoutheproblemsofnoiseinshadows
andtheeffectoflocalcontrastenhancement.SinceIfrequentlyuseAkvisEnhancer,
whichisaplug-inforPhotoshoptoincreaselocalcontrast,Idiscussbothitsstrengthsand
weaknessesandillustrateitseffects.
Manyphotographicbooks,especiallyonesthatdiscussPhotoshop,arewrittenby
commercialphotographers.Theycomeatimageeditingfromanentirelydifferentslant
thanwouldahobbyist,seriousamateur,orfineartphotographer.Thecommercial
photographerhashundredsofimagestoadjustandatightdeadlinetomeet,oftenwith
onlyminorvariationsbetweenimages.Ifthecommercialphotographercancomeupwith
a“trick”toquicklyandpainlesslyadjustanimage,and,evenbetter,ifhecanapplythe
tricktoalloftheimages,thenitisinhisinteresttodoso.Timeismoneyforthe
commercialphotographer.
Thefineartorhobbist-photographertypicallyapproachesanimagewithoutdeadlines.
Imagesareeachuniqueandtheclientis“myself”.Almostalways,weareworkingona
singleimageandthelengthoftimeittakestogetitrightdoesn’treallyenterintothe
equation,aslongaswearemakingprogresstoimprovetheimage.Thefineart


photographerorseriousamateurisconcernedonlywithquality,andifatrickproducesa
resultthatisawholeloteasierwhilebeingalmostasgood,thenthat“almost”rulesoutthe

trick.
Anotherproblemariseswiththecommercialphotographertricks,andthatistheir
sheervolume.Youcanreadaboutdozens,ifnothundredsoftricksinjustonebook.How
youcouldbeexpectedtoremember,nevermindbecomeexpertatthesetricks,isa
significantissue.Inthisbookyouwon’tlearnhundredsoftricks,andcertainlynonethat
willmakeyourimages“almost”asgood.WhatIwillshowyouaretricksandtechniques
thatcanbeappliedtomanykindsofimagessoyoucanusethemfrequentlyandbecome
skilledintheiruse.Idomyimageeditingwithaverysmallsetoftoolsthatdoan
excellentjobofimprovingimages.Mostcertainly,thereareotherwaystogettheeffectsI
aimfor,andthisbookisnotareviewofallthepossiblemethodsofediting.Rather,it
showsyouthetoolsIuseonadailybasisonmyimages.IfyouliketheimagesImake,
andwanttoknowhowImakethem,thenthisbookwillhelpyou.Evenifmyimagesare
nottoyourtaste,youcanstilllearntoimproveyourownimagestomakeastrong
statement.
AnissuethatIfeelstronglyaboutisthatwhenImakeaphotograph,itisnotintended
asaliteraltranslationofwhatIsaw.Instead,itisaboutwhatIfeltorevenwhatIthoughtI
coulddowiththesubject.EverythingIdoisgearedtowardthefineartprint.Withmy
backgroundinblackandwhitephotography,itwasalwaysnaturaltoenhanceimageswith
abitofdodginghere,burningthere,andeventuallybleaching.Itseemedonlynaturalto
extendthesesametechniquesfirsttothedigitalworldandthentocolor.Iwillshowyou
howfaryoucantakeanimagetomakethatfineprint.Thismayseemoddwhenoneof
thecommonfaultsofnovicesistoproducegarishcolor,overdolocalcontrast,and
generallyproduceanimagethatishardontheeye,whileIwouldliketothinkthatmostof
myimageslooknaturalanddon’tstraincredibility.
Somechaptersofthisbookdiscussonlyasingleimage—eitherhowIcaptureditor
thestepsItookineditingit.Otherchaptersdiscussaseriesofimagesandconcentrateon
theissuesoffindingandrecordingtheimages.
Almostalltheimagesinthisbookarerecent,andveryfewwereinTakeYour
PhotographytotheNextLevel,mypreviousbookpublishedbyRockyNook.Allthe
images,exceptthosefromSanFranciscoandEurope,weretakenwithina3-hourdriveof

myhouse.Infact,halfthechaptersfeatureimagestakenwithin30minutesfrommydoor.
AlmosteveryimagecouldhavebeentakenwiththemostbasicDSLRwithacoupleofkit
lenses,andmaybeacloseuplensorextensiontube.Idohavegoodequipment,butthat
hasmoretodowithbeingabletomakereallybigprintsthatcustomerssometimesrequire
thanitdoeswithbeingabletocapturetheimageinthefirstplace.
MymaincameraforthelastthreeyearsismyCanon1DsMarkIIwhichIhavenow
supplementedwithaCanon5D2.ItravelwithaCanon40D.IwouldhappilyuseNikon
equipment,exceptthatCanonwastheonlypracticalchoiceformeafewyearsago.Now,
withadecentcollectionoflenses,Iamnotabouttostartover.
ConsiderthewonderfulimagesofHaroldMantewholovestoshowoffhislatest
“fancy”equipmenttohisstudents—a20yearoldMinoltainwhichhecontinuestovery


successfullyuseslidefilm.Haroldhasseveralwonderfulbookstohisname.
Mostofmyimagesaremanuallyfocused(albeitwithfocusconfirmation).Iusea
tripodwithmirrorlock-upandcablereleaseforallbutahandfulofimages.Lately,with
the5D2,IroutinelyuseLiveView(whichautomaticallypopsupthemirrorandeliminates
theshutteropening).Iusea4-year-oldG5Macand20-inchLCDscreenformyediting.I
ownavarietyofprinters,mostrecentlyanEpson3800.IprintonMoabEntradabright
whiteorHarmanFBALglosspapers,thelattermoreandmore.
Alotofphotographers,someofthemfamous,givetheimpressionthatmostimages
canbemanagedwithglobalcorrectionswithinAdobeCameraRaworLightroom.These
areadjustmentsthatapplytotheentireimage,say,colorcorrectionorcontrastadjustment.
ItisinterestingthatLightoomnowhassomeofthelocaladjustmentabilitiesthatthesame
peopleclaimedtheyrarelyneeded.IhopethatinthisbookIwillconvinceyouofboththe
powerandthesuitabilityoflocaladjustmentstopartsofanimageasaveryeffective
workflowformakingthefineprint.
WithLightroomandCameraRawnowcapableofmakinglocalcorrections,youmay
wonder(quitereasonably)ifyoureallyneedPhotoshopatall.Myfeelingisthat
LightroomandCameraRawareidealformakingafewbasiccorrections,butarefarfrom

idealwhenmakinghundredsofcorrectionsandimprovementstoanimage,asItypically
dowithmyphotographs.IwillcertainlycontinuetousePhotoshopformylocalediting
andsuggestthatifyouareinterestedinthebesttoolsforimageediting,thatyoudotoo.
Somewarnings:Thisbookdoesnotdiscussprinting.Youwillneedotherresourcesto
gofromyoureditedimageonscreentomakeaprintthatdoesjusticetobothyour
photographyandyourediting.AlthoughImentiontheequipmentIuse,Idonotdiscuss
relativemeritsofbrandsandmodelsofcamerasandlenses.
Iwillhavesucceededwiththisbookif,whenyougooutphotographinginthefuture,
youthinkaboutsomeofthethingsIhaveshownhere,perhapsmodifyingyourstrategies
andtechniquesbasedonmyideas;and,mostimportantly,ifmyadviceresultsingreater
satisfactionwithyourartandcraft.Theideaspresentedinthisbookhavegivenmeagreat
dealofenjoyment,satisfaction,andgoodsuccess.Iseenoreasonforthisnottoruboffon
you.
GEORGEBARR,2009
www.georgebarr.com


NotesOnUsingThisBook
Firstandforemost,thisisnota“HowToUsePhotoshop”book.Ifyouaren’tfamiliar
withbasicimageeditinginPhotoshopandtheconceptsofadjustmentlayersandmasking,
youaregoingtostrugglereadingmuchofthisbook.Forthosewhoarenotconversant
withPhotoshopuse,Ihaveprovideda“PhotoshopPrimer”asanappendixattheendof
thebook.ThisappendixexplainsthosepartsofPhotoshopthatInormallyuseandignores
themanythatIrarelyorneveruse,thussimplifyingthishugeandsophisticatedpieceof
software.
Ifyoufindthatyouneedmorehelpthanisprovidedinthe“PhotoshopPrimer”
appendix,thenyouprobablywanttopurchaseoneofthemanygoodbooksspecifically
writtentoexplainPhotoshop.Inaddition,thereareclasses,videotutorials,andtipsonthe
InternettohelpexpandyouruseofPhotoshop.
InadditiontoPhotoshop,IusePhotoshopplug-insandstandaloneproductstohelpmy

workflow,specificallyAkvisEnhancer,Photomatix,PhotokitSharpener,andsomeofthe
toolsavailablefromOutbackPhotofordetailenhancementandlocalcontrastcontrol.For
assistancewiththewholeissueofhighdynamicrange(HDR)photography,Ihighly
recommendthewebsitewww.outbackphoto.com.Inaddition,IuseHeliconFocusfor
focusblendingandPTGuiforstitching.
Ihavetriedtomaintainsomeconventionsinthebook.Mostchaptertitlesrefertoa
specificimageorproject,butIsometimesincludevariousimagesinasinglechapterto
illustrateapointI’mmaking.Eachchapterstartswithaverybriefdescriptionofthe
conceptsdiscussedwithin.
ThroughoutthisbookIoffertipsandsuggestions,whichyou’llfindinthehighlighted
textboxes,makingthemeasytospot.Simplyflippingthroughthesealonewillgiveyoua
minicourseinphotography.
Imagesandillustrationshaveabriefdescriptionandyoucanlearnafairamountby
justlookingatthevariousimagesinsequence,butIhavetriedtoavoidalotofduplication
withthetextandkepttheimagedescriptionsshort.
Ihaveuploadedanumberofimagestomywebsitetofit1000pixelswideby800
high.Theyarelocatedonmywebsiteinthisbook’ssection;youcanfindthembychapter
andfigurenumber.Youmaydownloadthemandexperimentwithyourowneditingor
cropping.YoucanputtheimagesinlayersintoPhotoshopandturnlayersonandoffto
seetheeffectsoftheeditingstepsmoreclearly.
Imakemyimagesavailabletoyouwiththeunderstandingthatyouwillusethem
solelyforyourowneducationalpurposes.Theimagesarenottobeshared,postedtothe
web,orprintedforanypurposeotherthanforyourowneducation.Iownthecopyrightto
alltheseimagesandhavepermissionfromallofthepeoplewholetmephotographthem
formyuse.
Shouldmyreadersdiscoveranyerrorsoromissionsinthisbook,pleaseletmeknow
andIwillpostthemtomywebsiteaswell.Unfortunately,anentirelistofpointswent


missingfrommyfirstbookanditwasonlywhenaChinesenon-photographertranslator

thoughtitoddthatnothingfollowedafterannouncingalistofpointsthatwerealizedthe
error.Ihadn’tnoticedit,theeditordidn’teither,northeGermantranslator,norforthat
matterthefirst7,000readersofthebook.Iwasmostimpressedwiththisinterpreter.
Here’shopinganylistofcorrectionstothisbookisasmallone.
ThisbookhasbeenwrittenfromthepointofviewofaMacintoshcomputeruser,
becausethat’swhatIuse,andmanyPhotoshopusersalsoworkonaMac.Ifyouarea
Windowsuser,itisnotdifficulttoswitchfromCommand-LettertoControl-Letter.
Photoshopissetuptooperatealmostidenticallyoneithersystem.


1Athabasca

Doingwhatyoumusttogettheimage

Correctingandimprovingalandscape


ImageeditingusingCurves

Highlightdodging

Selectivecolor

Thresholdhighlightprotection

AkvisEnhancer

ALittleBackgroundonAthabascaFalls
Waterfallsaresuchaningrainedpartofphotographingthelandscape.Theyfeatureon
postcardsandcalendarsandillustratebooks.Mosthobbyphotographersapproachthe

subjectearlyintheirdevelopment.Idiscussissuesrelatedtophotographingfamous
subjectsinchapter14,“Waterfall”,butinthischapterI’mgoingtosharewithyouthe
stepsItooktorecordthisimageandalotmoreoneditingitsoitwouldreflectwhatIsaw
andfeltwhilestandingbeforethefalls.
AthabascaFallsisafamoustouriststopsouthofthetownofJasper,inJasperNational
Park,Alberta,Canada.Thereareviewpointswithrailingsandevenabridgebelowthe
fallssoyoucangettotheothersideforanevenbetterview.Problemwas,therailingwas
severalfeetfromtheedgeandblockedthebestviewofthefalls,atleastphotographically.
IfyoudoaGoogleimagesearchforAthabascaFalls,youwillseealargecollectionof
images,mostofwhichincludetheriverwiththeforestandmountainsabove,andmake
thesemagnificentfallslookquiteunimpressive.IknewimmediatelythatIwantedto
concentrateonthebestpartofthefalls.InthepastImadeaverysuccessfulimagewhile
standingonthebridgebelowthefalls,butonthisoccasionreallylikedwhatIcouldseeof
thefallsfromthehigherviewingarea.However,Iwouldhavetoovercometheproblems
ofthelocation.

TheImageCapture
TheimagewascapturedbymountingmyCanon1Ds2and17-40mmlensontheendof
mytripod,andthenwhileholding(tightly!)thebottomofthetripodIresteditonthe
railingabouttwofeetfromtheend.InthiswayIwasabletoextendthecameraagood
fourfeetpasttherailing,whereIcouldseenothingofwhatitwascapturing,buthey,you
dowhatyouhavetodo.


Figure1.1ThedaypromisedtobegoodwhenIwentouttofindthislovelyfrostpattern
ontheroofofmycar–Imageblendfordepthoffield.
Itriggeredeachimageusingmypluginelectricalcablereleasealthoughthetwoor
even10-secondself-timerwouldbeanalternativeinmostcameras.Ittookseveraltrialsto
gettheframingIneeded.Iclampedtheballhead,ranthecameraout,checkedthatnoone
wasleaningontherailing,andshotthepicture.Ithenbroughtthecamerabacktomyself

andcheckedtheLCDfortheframingoftheimage.Ihadtoguesshowfartoadjustthe
cameraandtriedagainandagain,untilafterseveraltriesIwasabletocapturetheimageI
hadhopedfor.Ofcourse,oneofthenewcameraswithatitling,swingingLCDscreen
wouldbewonderfulinthiskindofsituation.
Knowyourcameraandwhatitslimitsareintermsofresolution,depthoffield,maximumf-stop.useableISOs,
shutterspeedlimitationsforbothhandheldandothersituations.Don’tlookthemup—testthemforyourself.

Icapturedthisimageat29mmfocallength,f-10,1/60secondatISO200(figure1.2).
Thewatermighthavelookedbetterataslowerspeed,butIdoubtedIcouldholdthe
camerasteadilyenoughwhileextendingitsofarbeyondtherailing.Basicallyallthree
settingswereacompromise—adequatedepthoffieldwithawideanglelens,shortenough
shutterspeed(thiswasn’tanimagestabilizedlens),andalowenoughISOtomakeagood
imagewhilehighenoughtogetthatshutterspeedtoareasonablesemi-hand-holdable1/60
second.WithsomeofthenewestcamerasIwouldhavehappilygonetoISO400,oreven
800,butIknewI’dbelighteningsomeshadowsintheoverhangingrocks.Theseareas
wereparticularlydark,andonmycamera,asgoodasitis,noiseintheseareaswouldbe
problematic

AdvantagesofRAWvs.JPEG
IalwaysphotographinRAWformat.Withmemorycardsasinexpensiveandlargeasthey
havebecome,memorylimitationsarenotareasontouseJPEGs.Abouttheonlygood
reasontousetheheavilycompressedJPEGformatisthat,oddly,mostcamerascan
converttoaJPEGveryrapidlyandresultinonlyasmallfiletosendtothememorycard.
RAWfilesarebasicallythedatarightfromthesensor,withnomanipulationatall,and
shouldintheorybefaster.However,thebottleneckoftheprocessiswritingtothe
memorycardandthemuchlargerfilesizeofRAWimagescanslowthingsdownorlimit


thenumberofimagestakeninasequence.Thishasneverbeenaproblemformebutit
canbeforsportsphotographerswho,inanefforttogettheperfectshot,holdtheshutter

buttondownandfireoffadozenormoreimagesintheknowledgethatonewilllikely
capturetheabsolutepeakofaction.

Figure1.2AthabascaFalls–outputfromAdobeCameraRaw.
IfRAWisslower,thenwhybother?JPEGactuallydoesaremarkablygoodjobof
storingmostoftheimageinformationinaslittleasone-tenththefilesize.Thatsaid,it
isn’tperfectandthereisalittlebitmoredetailandhigherqualityinaRAWfile.More
importantforme,RAWdoesnotfiddlewiththeimageinanyway,lettingmecontrol
thingslikesharpening,whitebalance,shadows,andhighlights,allonmycomputerwhile
viewedonalargescreen.
CanoncamerasarenotrenownedfortheirhighqualityJPEGimages,butevenNikons
andotherbrandscanbenefitfromshootingRAWbyusingtheRecoverysliderinAdobe
CameraRawtorecoverlosthighlights.WithmyCanoncameras,theRecoverysliderdoes
astellarjobreigninginunrulyhighlights,tothetuneofacoupleoff-stopsworth
comparedtoJPEG.
OntheissueofwhichRAWprocessortouse,Ihavedabbledwithothersoftware—
RawDeveloper,CanonDPP,andC1—buteachtime,thoughinsomeareastheyhave
advantages,inotherareasIpreferwhatAdobeCameraRawdoesandIhavesettledonit
forallmywork.Forexample,IhadtheimpressionthatRawDeveloperseemedtoshow
morefinedetail,thoughitturnedouttobesimplyagrainypatternontheimagethat
appearedlikerealtexture.IpreferredthesmoothnessofCameraRawthatgavedigital
imagesthelookofhavingbeenphotographedonamuchlargerformatfilmcamera.
OvertimeRAWimageprocessorshaveallimprovedsubstantially.InonecaseIwas
abletodoublethesizeofprintIcouldmakejustbecauseofimprovementsinRAW
processingandsharpeningcomparedtothreeyearsprevious.WithJPEGfiles,youare
stuckwithtoday’stechnologyforeverandyoudon’tknowthatafewyearsfromnow,you
mightwellregretnotbeingabletoavailyourselfofthelatestRAWsoftware
improvements.

Figure1.2istheoutputfromCameraRaw.WhileIcouldcertainlyhavemadeitlook
betterusingthestandardCameraRawAdjustmentsliders,theimageasitishasonemain
thinggoingforit:detail—everywhere—theshadowsareopen,andthehighlightsare
undercontrol.Frankly,thisisallIneedfrommyRawprocessor.Ivirtuallyalwaysdo
furthereditingaftertheconversioninCameraRaw,soallIwantisafilethatIcanwork
withinPhotoshop,andtheimageinthisexampleisperfectasastartingpoint.
Lightroomcandoalot,butthemorepowerfultoolsinPhotoshoparebettersuitedtothefineartimage,while
Lightroomisidealforthe“inahurry”commercialstudio.

EditingtheImage
Theimagemayhaveallthedetailitneedsbutitsurehasanumberofproblems.The
wateristoowashedout(Canyousaythataboutwater?),andtherocksontheleftand
rightaren’tthesamehue;theonesonthelefthavingadistinctyellow/greentingethatI
don’tlike.Thatflatrockontherightsureisanemic.There’saloginthebottomleftthat
hastogo.Astick,orsomethingissittingontheflatrockontherightandsomethinggreen
projectsintothebottomrightcorner.Andthat’sjustforstarters.
Myfirsttaskistocorrecttheleftsideoftheimagetoremovetheseasicklookofthe
rocks.Icertainlywasn’tawareofthatcolorasIstoodtherebutitdoesn’tlookrighton
screen.IcoulduseaColorBalanceAdjustmentLayer,orCurves,perhapsHue/Saturation
oranyoneofanumberofothermethodstoimprovethecolorontheleft.
IchosetousetheSelectiveColorAdjustmentLayerbecauseIthoughtitwouldbe
simpleandeffective,whiledoingtheleastdamagetootherareasoftheimage.AlthoughI
wantedtheyellow/greenout,Ididn’twanttoturnthewholeareapink,whichiswhata
ColorBalanceAdjustmentLayerwouldhavedone.Iknewtheproblemwasa
predominanceofyellow/greenintherock,soitseemedreasonabletochoosetochangethe
yellowandtoreducethecyancomponent.Icouldhaveincreasedthemagentaofthe
yellows,butIwantedlessgreen,notmorered.Ofcourse,theAdjustmentLayerismasked
sotheeffectisonlyappliedtotherelevantrocks.Result:perfect.
Next,Idecidedtotacklethedetailinthewater.IcouldusetheBurntoolonit,butI
prefertoleaveburninganddodgingforneartheendofmyworkflow,soIchosetostart

withasimpleCurvesAdjustmentLayer.Usingburnanddodgerequiresmanystrokesof
thebrush,eachonetakingupone“undo”inthehistoryandrapidlyusingthemallup.The
onlypracticalwaytouseburnanddodgewouldbetoduplicatetheimageandworkonthe
copy,butevenwiththismethodthereareproblemsthatIaddressinafuturechapter.
ItisimportantformetouseanAdjustmentLayerfortheediting.Itmeansthatatany
pointpriortoflatteningtheimageIcangobacktoadjustsomething.ItalsomeansthatI
canreducetheeffectofalayerbyturningdowntheopacityofthatlayer(I’llshowyou
howlater).Combinedwithusingmasksforeachlayertocontrolbothwhereandhow
muchofthelayerseffectcomesthrough,Ihaveaverypowerfultoolformodifyingan
image.
Figure1.4showsthecurvethatIused.Theeffectmakesthewaterlookwaytoodark,
butitdoesalovelyjobofbringingoutthedetailinthewhitewater.Also,Ihappento
knowthatneartheendoftheeditingprocessIcaneasilyfixthedarknessofthewaterand


makethatfoamsparkle.
WhencreatinganeffectwithanAdjustmentLayer,itoftenpaystotaketheeffecttoofar,thenusemaskingoreven
theopacitysliderofthelayertotonedowntheeffect.

Iwillbemaskingthecurvesoitonlyappliestothewater,butthere’snopointin
creatingheadachesformyselfbyhavingtheshadowssodarkthatIhavetospendhours
gettingthemaskingjustright.Ithereforeleveloffthecurve(figure1.4)inthelower
darkerpartsoftheimageratherthanusingastraightlinedown.Note,thatthewater
consistsofverylighttomediumtonesandisthusnotaffectedbythedarkerpartsofthe
curve.Bymakingacurvethatdoesn’tcausebigproblemsforadjacentareas,youmake
thingseasierforyourselfwhenitcomestopaintingintothemask.Forexample,ifyou
wanttodarkenthewaterbutnottherocksandyoudon’twanttospendhoursfiddlingwith
theedgebetweenthetwo,creatingacurvethatwillchangethewaterwithoutcreating
muchchangeintherockwillsavetimeandmakethejobofmaskingeasier.

Figure1.3GreentingetorocksonleftremovedwithSelectiveColorAdjustmentLayer,
coloryellow,reducecyanslider.
Next,Iwanttoincreaseoverallcontrastinthatflatrockareaontheright.Clearly,this
isacallforanotherCurvesAdjustmentLayer.AnS-shapedcurveincreasescontrast.
ThesteepestpartoftheS-curveiswherethecontrastisincreased,somovethesteepestparttotheleftorright
dependingonwhetheryouwanttoboostthecontrastinthedarkerorlighterpartsoftheimage.


Figure1.4CurveAdjustmentLayertodarkenthewhitewater.

Figure1.5Darkenwatercurveappliedeverywhere.


Figure1.6Darkenwatercurvenowmaskedsoonlywaterisaffected.
Itispossibletochangeblendingmodefromnormaltosomeotherblendingmode,for
example,toincreasecontrastandhaveitworkacrossanimage,thussavingtime,butI
prefertobetheonecallingtheshots,ratherthansomeformulabuiltintoPhotoshopfor
overlaying,multiplying,darkening,orwhatever.Blendingmodesreferstothewaythat
onelayeraffectsthelayersbelowit.Forexample,ifyouswitchfromnormalblendingto
lighten,onlythosepixelsthatarelightenedbythetoplayerseffectarechanged.Those
thatwouldhavebeendarkenedareleft“asis”.Therearemorethanadozenblending
modesotherthannormal,eachhavingpowerfuleffectsontheimage,butyoucannot
controlhowthemodesaffecttheimageotherthantochangetoadifferentblend.Thereis
nosubtlety,nofinecontrol,otherthantohavealittlelayereffect,oralot.Moreblending
modechoiceswouldjustbeconfusing.
Manybooksshowallmanneroftrickstocreateselectionsthatcanthenbeadjusted.
SowhyisitthatIchooseto“handpaint”masksinstead?Frankly,itisbotheasierand
better.Itiseasierbecauserememberingtheexactstepstocreateaparticulartypeof
selectionisproblematic,whetheritisbasedoncolororbrightness,aparticularchannel,or
someotheraspect.Itiseasierbecauseautomaticselectionscaneasilyselectmoreorless

thanwhatyouwouldhavemostlikelywanted,orleavetelltaleedges.Ifyouare
photographingawhiteweddingdressagainstabrightredbackground,it’sprettyeasyto
makeaselectionforjustthedress.Butwhenworkingononeparticulartreeagainsta
backgroundofaforest,it’salotharder.
Youcanaddamaskusingtheiconsatthebottomofthelayerspalette.Whenalayer
withoutamaskishighlighted(i.e.,theactivelayer)theiconsecondfromtheleftatthe
bottomofthelayerspalette(thecirclewithinarectangle)becomesatooltoaddamask.If
youholddowntheoptionkeyfirst,yougetablackmask,otherwiseit’sawhiteone.
Toadjustanimage,makesurethemaskisselected(hasarectanglearoundit).Awhite