No one needs to learn to “think outside the box” more than photographers. The frame, literally a box, is often our greatest ally. Learning to see photographically is, in part, learning to see within the limits of this box and use them creatively. But there are times when this limits our vision unnecessarily. Once we’ve learned to see within the box, we then also need to learn to see outside the box—and start extending the frame with multiple exposures to perfect select compositions. Extending format techniques aren’t just for panoramic image formats. They can be used to give you the extra inch that can make all the difference in the world for your compositions …

Read more about panoramic stitches on Digital Photo Pro.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: Exposure, Photoshop, Technique
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Photoshop Masking Key Commands

October 17, 2012 | Comments Off

Photoshop key commands make masking faster and easier. Here’s a list of  the most useful ones. The best way to memorize them is to use them. (Note for PC substitute Alt for Option.)

 

The following key commands do not require clicking on the mask.

X                               reverses Foreground and Background colors

Numbers                    number keys change the Opacity of a brush

[ and ]                       makes a brush smaller and  larger

Shift [ and Shift ]       makes a brush softer and  harder

Opt Delete                  fills a mask with the Foreground color

Command I                inverts a mask

 

The following key commands require clicking on the mask.

Control Click                        displays mask options

Opt Click                              displays a mask in black and white

Shift Opt Click                      displays a mask as a red overlay

 

Command Click                    loads the mask as a selection

Shift Command Click            adds the mask to a selection

Option Command Click          subtracts the mask from a selection

Shift Option Command          loads the intersection of two masks

Shift Command I                   inverses a selection

 

Drag & drop                           to move a mask from one layer to another

Option drag & drop                to copy a mask from one layer to another

 

Find more Photoshop masking resources here.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: Photoshop
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Noiseware 5 did an even better job than Noiseware 4 at reducing noise on a new series of images I’m printing now.

Noiseware 5 is now available.

- New algorithms are 25% more effective and retain more detail
- 64 bit compatible (Mac and Windows)(CS6)
- 4X faster with multi-core support
- New History feature with unlimited undos
- New Preset Manager for presets, notes, and import/export

The upgrade is free for registered users.
New users get a 20% discount with this code JPC2007.

Read my review here.

Download Noiseware 5 here.

Learn more about controlling noise in digital images here.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: Photoshop
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“The new Color Lookup Adjustment Layer in Photoshop CS 6 has several options (3DLUT File, Abstract, and Device Link) that are used to load different “looks”. These looks are achieved by remapping every color in the image to a different one using a lookup table (LUT). I think that many photographers and designers will find their resulting color shifts quite interesting. You can think of these tables as a sort of meta-adjustment, a way to apply pre-packaged adjustments (sometimes lots of adjustments together) in one step.”

Julianne Kost has created a file that you can download free and test all the new CS6 Lookup adjustments on your image. Simply open the file and replace the contents of the Smart Object in it with one of your own images. It’s a great way to visually compare the various results in a ring around.

Find out more and download the file here.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: CS6, Photoshop
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Patch images with greater control using Content-Aware Patch, which allows you to choose the area that Content-Aware will use to create your patch.

View more Photoshop CS6 videos here.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: CS6, Video - Photoshop
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Quickly create photographic blur effects using a simple new interface with on-image controls. Create tilt-shift effects, blur everything and then sharpen one focal point, or vary the blurriness between multiple focal points. The Mercury Graphics Engine delivers immediate results.

View more Photoshop CS6 videos here.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: CS6, Video - Photoshop
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The Photoshop Guys at NAPP put together 20 new videos on Photoshop CS6.

They’re all free!

View them here.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: CS6, Video - Photoshop
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Colin Smith demos new features of Photoshop CS6 beta in these 5 videos.

Plus Colin shares even more insights at Photoshop Cafe.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: CS6, Photoshop, Video - Photoshop
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Adobe Photoshop CS6 Public Beta is now available as a free download.

Download it here today.

You can use it to get used to the new interface and features and decide whether/when to upgrade.You don’t need a lot of reasons to upgrade, you only need one, significantly better shadow and highlight rendition during Raw conversion.

Plus see some of the new magic in these 6 Sneak Peeks and 5 Gurus’ 6 Favorite Features.

I’ve collected all 11 videos in this post.

Read more

Category: CS6, Photoshop, Video - Photoshop
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Plus view 19 more videos at NAPP’s Photoshop CS6 Beta Launch Center.

Are these enough reasons to upgrade?

You only need one, better shadow and highlight rendition during Raw conversion.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Category: CS6, Photoshop, Video - Photoshop
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