tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42684183414526432012011-11-27T16:20:20.519-07:00A rambling archive of a few thoughts, tutorials and galleriesJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-32923919390749392042011-07-04T23:01:00.010-06:002011-10-13T19:05:08.805-06:00

One of the side effects of the megapixel race is very large pictures. Both in terms of file size and image dimensions. It's long past the point of practical use - as I've implied in earlier articles.A 4x6 print @ 300 dots per inch (normal printing quality) requires an image 1200x1800 pixels. Although "requires" is a bit strong of a word - most printers will upscale an image anywhere close to

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-30823429975476287282011-07-04T20:15:00.008-06:002011-07-05T16:15:51.855-06:00

I've read a few articles on Image Compression. That's where you specify if your camera is taking Superfine, Fine, or Normal quality shots. Different brands (and years) of cameras have different names for this - but it boils down to the same thing. Most of these articles suggest that, if you have the room, you should *always* set your camera to the highest quality and highest Megapixels.

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-25139590607115177412011-05-15T20:16:00.008-06:002011-05-15T21:43:52.279-06:00

Well, not really.The previous post contains techniques you probably should keep in mind – but more that when you disregard the suggestions, you do so for a reason and/or with panache.Never in the middle – except...The case against putting something in the centre falls apart somewhat if the focus is asymmetrical. The more irregular the shape, the less it seems to matter.Centred, but not dullIf

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-75705206306281954842011-05-11T22:37:00.001-06:002011-05-15T18:52:19.122-06:00

It doesn't take much to pick up a camera, point it at something, and push the shutter button. However, if that's all you're doing, it's usually pretty obvious.Which isn't to say it's an unforgivable thing. Some subjects are outstanding enough on their own that it's difficult to take a dull picture of them. Or it could be more about capturing the moment than making a work of art. Other times,

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-36520059768779434252011-05-10T17:12:00.013-06:002011-05-10T18:45:41.404-06:00

While the words of Lady Macbeth might be taken somewhat out of context, finding out that treasured photographs (slides or film) have been damaged by age, weather and accidents can be pretty infuriating.Fortunately though, we live in a time where technology can come to the rescue, sortof. Infrared Scanning can remove dust and scratches automatically though only from semi-transparent original

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-88633446620364977132011-02-07T10:42:00.003-07:002011-02-07T11:05:22.535-07:00

In the interest of having a 'bite-sized' post and a bit of a review/re-link to my earlier posts - here's a bare bones list of tips for Photography and Photoshop. I'll try and list them from simplest to more advanced.Photography Shoot pictures in bright light. The more light the better, diffused light if possibly (less harsh shadows)Learn the different shooting modes. With the exception of the

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-77990320101858814192011-02-03T20:20:00.006-07:002011-02-03T21:20:42.671-07:00

Well, do ya, punk?Auto image correction, whether in Picasa (source of the question) or in Photoshop is a quick way to (sometimes) improve your image. Luck doesn't really come into the picture though, as the Undo button can always fix this one-step action. Fortunately though, it usually does benefit your image, or at the very least, does nothing all that noticeable.Most of the time it seems to

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-24482824172070266892010-08-21T19:44:00.000-06:002010-08-21T19:45:30.529-06:00

It's possible you've heard of the Rule of Thirds. It's a guideline for composing photographs so that your focus *isn't* the dead center of the picture. This, however, is not what this post is about.Instead it's a personal rule of mine to override the camera's Exposure Compensation.Now when you take a picture the camera decides, based on some other settings I won't go into yet, how bright to

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-31121957532125991252010-07-12T21:29:00.011-06:002010-07-13T10:13:25.006-06:00

Definition Now, technically, macro photography only applies to situations where the subject of the photo is the same size as the image sensor (35mm or smaller) - and takes up the whole frame. This is known as 1:1 magnification.For the purpose of this article, however, I'll simplify to things the size of a quarter or smaller being the main subject.MethodGenerally speaking, there's two ways to go

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-12557728638923448352010-06-01T21:58:00.009-06:002010-06-02T10:14:42.652-06:00

Most cameras will let you pick them up and start shooting right away. Set the camera to Auto, indicated by a Square, the word 'Auto' or some other picture (all dependant on camera type, but almost always green) and it will adjust the settings for you. A lot of the time 'right' as well. Which is to say they generally get the shadows dark, but not pitch black, and the whites bright, but not blown

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-20020190526781658422010-05-22T17:44:00.008-06:002010-05-22T21:12:34.093-06:00

4x6? 8x10? 4:3? 16:9? Possibly the last thing on your mind when you're taking a picture. Especially so if you didn't know that these setting can often be changed *before* you even line up the shot.Let's back up a bit.What are those numbers? 4x6 is a measurement, in inches, of the smallest (non-wallet sized) printed photograph. It's also a ratio which can be expressed in a few different ways.

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-39193206069182139502010-04-19T10:26:00.013-06:002010-04-19T20:16:21.405-06:00

Every so often I find a 'new' feature in Photoshop. Which is odd - since the feature in question usually isn't new and I've been using the program rather heavily for the better part of 10 years.The most recent discovery is the Shadow/Highlights adjustment. It became a part of Photoshop in CS(1) - as of writing CS5 is almost due - and is also available in the more recent Elements versions.While

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-132540192010104642010-04-15T11:04:00.008-06:002011-05-15T16:42:02.122-06:00

Card TypeMost cameras today take SD / SDHC cards. As a result, you have the most choice in card size, manufacturer and the likelihood of multicard deals increases. The HC addition (under the letters SD in the graphic) apply to cards 4GB and higher - these cards will likely not work in pre-2007(ish) cameras.While they are the most common type - there are definitely exceptions:Older Sony cameras

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-26726265115723879522010-04-03T10:36:00.019-06:002010-04-05T20:38:55.299-06:00

Fortunately, not everything in Photoshop is labour intensive. Some of the coolest stuff is automated.While some newer cameras have image stitch (panorama mode or another name depending on brand), they are somewhat limited in what they do.Essentially these lock the cameras setting and let you 'weld' a few pictures together. It can also show you a bit of the previous image to help guide you on how

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-43234243187107922902010-03-29T12:16:00.010-06:002010-03-30T10:49:00.833-06:00

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe you don't have a digital camera yet. While this is a rather huge topic, I'll try and distill it to its most basic points.PriceLikely your first consideration. Most retail (i.e. not used) digital cameras will run somewhere between $100-$300 US/Canadian.Much less than that and you'll likely run into problems. Very cheap cameras lose the pictures when

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-11405289800858718532010-03-28T19:31:00.015-06:002010-03-29T10:34:50.362-06:00

You're inside. Following the advice of the previous post, you turn on a lot of lights. The lighting *seems* fine, but you take a picture and this happens:What went wrong? Remember what I said earlier about cameras 'seeing' light in absolutes? It just happened again. Fortunately, most cameras have what's called White Balance. Unless you change it, it's also set to 'Auto' - which does a fine job

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-77186188144590985622010-03-26T17:40:00.006-06:002010-03-26T19:49:56.621-06:00

Cameras love light. How people perceive light and how cameras do is quite different. While people adjust organically to varying degrees of illumination so everything appears 'normal' - cameras take a more absolute approach. What does this mean? While you might not notice the difference between looking around your room inside, and looking out a window - the camera does. For this post, I'm

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-37406491215019080722010-03-25T21:38:00.002-06:002011-10-13T19:28:19.700-06:00

Without further ado, here's 454 of my better shots. They're sized at 800x480 which is a good size for widescreen photoframes. Not a bad size to see detail either, but not so big that people will be tempted to steal them for large prints.Photoframe

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-91616237416130848282010-03-25T21:22:00.006-06:002011-10-13T19:30:38.050-06:00

I've looked into a number of different sites for hosting pictures, and here's what I've found:Facebook the 720x(up to 720x) image size isn't great - the tie-ins to commenting/news/email is nice. EDIT - Now closer to 1000x1000, sometimes. Still not huge.Flickr is, for me, an exercise in frustration. Can't upload one file (2.3MB) via the web page. The uploader won't download (it quit twice in

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-45891642531330161862010-03-25T20:35:00.008-06:002010-03-25T21:12:41.024-06:00

While Photoshop has "Photo" in the name, it's also a good program for general graphic design.A good portion of this work is, as the title suggests, Text and Shapes. Initially, these elements can be rather dull, however there's a very quick way to spice things up.Blending Options. These can be mixed and matched as well as tweaked by a rather large number of variables. This video shows a very

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-74163490357937831682010-03-25T20:29:00.003-06:002010-03-25T20:34:47.814-06:00

Fixing Image QualityQuite a few things fall under this heading. The first being brightening/darkening.Now, to a computer, there is a lot more information in the average picture (just jpg, not even talking RAW here) than is readily apparent to the eye. Different methods (levels, contrast) have different effects on the values assigned for the pixels colour.Pictures can frequently be brought back

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-18080740774197729752010-03-25T20:08:00.006-06:002010-03-25T20:34:11.492-06:00

A lot of people are surprised by how flexible Photoshop (and other image editors) are. In this short series, I'll tackle some of the highlightsAdding and Removing contentThis is basically the bread and butter of Photoshop what people usually mean when they say an image has been Photoshopped (a term Adobe dislikes). From the very small - pimples and zits and minor scratches, to the very large -

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4268418341452643201.post-89021337565946555332010-03-25T17:58:00.002-06:002010-03-25T21:41:13.102-06:00

Let's start with a quick bit of colouring. Image borrowed from Inktank.comI like the idea of colouring on a computer, because if you don't like it you can do it again. It's a lot easier to do various effects - a number of which can be changed after the fact.There's also a few tricks you can do - like Multiply Layer - to let you work fast and (gasp!) sloppy and still have it look nice.Might have

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05306761705303843642noreply@blogger.com0