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Color Modes in Photoshop

The color modes and color models of digital imaging seem to be a bit of an enigma to those first experiencing Photoshop. The diversity of color modes can be so overwhelming that novice users many times avoid these features without realizing the impact color modes can have on the end results of the image.

The color modes establish the color model that should be applied to display and print digital pictures. Understanding color modes and models and how to utilize them in Photoshop is a must for those who are serious about professional quality digital imaging. Learn what color modes will work best for different application to optimize results. Many good Photoshop tutorials and training guides are available to instruct on when and how to use the various color modes for achieving the best image depending on your particular project.

Before you even begin working with the color modes in Photoshop it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of what the color modes are and why there are different models.

To start, digital images are displayed using several different color modes. This tutorial highlights the basic color modes you will come upon when working with digital images.

RGB

RGB stands re Red Green and Blue. In the RGB color mode colors are created by mixing these three primary colors. You are basically working in three color channels in RBG mode and you can adjust the intensity of each channel to obtain various degrees of colors. White is made by combining all of the three colors.

CMYK

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. RGB creates colors by mixing colors together, but CMYK basically generates color by reducing varying degrees of each color. As an example, if white is needed all colors would be subtracted to zero.

Learning about the color modes will result in big improvements in your digital imaging work. Printers use CMYK color while monitors use RGB. This is why there is sometimes a difference in what you see on your PC monitor and what you see on paper. Fortunately there is now software that you can install which will calibrate your monitor colors with your printer so what you see on your monitor is what you get when you print.

Tags: Photography   Posted in Photography

Why Choose Frances Meyer Scrapbooking Supplies?

Most experienced scrapbookers are familiar with Frances Meyer scrapbooking supplies. This line of products offers stickers, paper, embellishments, everything you need to create beautiful scrapbooking pages. Their scrapbooking supplies come in fun, creative designs and they all coordinate, making it easy for anyone to put together amazing page layouts.

Scrapbookers love the wide range of stickers that the Frances Meyer line of products offers. They offer themes in their stickers that many other scrapbooking manufacturers don’t. Look over their line of products and you will see stickers for things like barnyard animals, fishing, kids at wedding, and even doctor’s visits.

You don’t need to just reserve your scrapbook pages to typical events like weddings or graduations or the birth of a baby but can preserve any photo or other memento at any time.

Looking for just the right paper for your scrapbook albums? Again, Frances Meyer has just what you are looking for to complete your page layouts. You’ll find papers on a wide range of themes, from holidays, to sports, to vacation spots.

You can mix and match your papers easily since so many are designed to coordinate expertly. Also, there are many page templates available in the Frances Meyer scrapbooking supplies line as well. If you’re a bit creatively challenged and need more direction and guidance with the creation of your pages, then these templates might be a better way to go for you.

Everything you need to create lovely page layouts is included in the template, including photo frames, journaling and layout ideas. Use the template as a guideline, but remember to add your own personal touch to make it more a reflection of your taste and creativity.

While the France Meyer scrapbooking supplies you might find are beautifully and expertly coordinated, they always leave some room for your own unique touches, which is a very important part of scrapbooking. They still allow for your to add your own scrapbook style. Remember, you want your finished product to be beautiful and to look polished, but to also be something unique and personal as well.

Tags: Photography   Posted in Photography

Digital Camera Tips Are Great When Choosing a Camera

Digital cameras have been around a good while now, but there are still some real 35mm fans out there who have resisted the switch. While 35mm is still perfectly fine, it is hard to argue with some of the advantages of digital. Digital cameras allow you to immediately assess the pictures you capture, and with the software programs available on most computers, the possibilities for alteration and digital manipulation of photographs is practically limitless. There is a lot of confounding information, however, about which digitals are best.

Of course, you also have some digital users who are ready to invest in a newer or fancier digital, but are having a tough time choosing the perfect camera for their needs. When it comes to purchasing a new camera, then, it seems most everybody could use a few digital camera tips!

When thinking about a digital camera, you have to be candid with yourself about how you will be using the camera. If you are a professional or a keen photographer, you definitely want to go with Digital Single Lens Reflexes (DSLR). If you currently own a 35mm SLR you probably will be able to make the change quite easily, and you will probably even be able to use your old lenses with a digital camera body.

The advantages of DSLR include lens interchangeability, high speed shooting to photograph sports and other fast action, and a viewfinder that is through the lens. If, however, none of these things matter greatly to you, and you just want a light camera to carry around in your pocket on vacation or at family get-togethers, then what is commonly called a “point-and-shoot” will probably answer your needs. Be warned. though, that a point and shoot camera with an electronic viewfinder is the smartest choice. Those with optical viewfinders are frustrating at times in that it is hard to tell exactly what you are photographing, and if you are in bright light the glare will make it impossible to see the viewfinder at all!

No matter which camera you choose, going digital is a lot of fun. You can take all the pictures you want, dumping any bad pictures to make room for more, and you can see that same instant what kind of shots you are getting!

Tags: Cameras   Posted in Cameras

The Many Uses of Hispanic Stock Photos

If you are thinking of using Hispanic stock photos, you assuredly do not need to be told about the importance of images that are culturally relevant. You know that business communities, constituencies, and opportunities are continually being redefined. You also know that you have to use images that are not joined to stereotypes rooted in the past, but to images that legitimately portray how groups of people live now as well how they imagine themselves living in the future.

If you have thought about all these things but are worried about the quality of Hispanic stock photos that are now available, you need to stop. The quality of stock photography has increased dramatically from the past, when stock photos consisted almost entirely of outtakes or seconds from commercial magazine assignments. Now, quite a few of the most talented and accomplished photographers constantly create wonderful, new material to be used by stock photography agencies.

Once the image has been placed with the agency, you can go on-line and browse through a seemingly endless supply of Hispanic stock photos. The finest agencies are not only very selective, which means you get to choose from great images, but they also use market research to amplify the effectiveness of the image. For instance, knowing that Hispanic businesses have expanded three times faster than U. S. businesses as a whole, or that African-, Hispanic- and Asian-Americans total approximately one-third of the U.S. population helps the agency offer you the finest content.

Also, when you acquire a stock photo, the price that you pay depends on a myriad of factors. You can pay a one-time-fee to for unrestrained use of the image, you can pay to have absolute use of an image so that nobody else can use that photo, and you can pay several prices depending on whether or not the image is used in print, as outdoor advertising, indoor display, low resolution for the Web as well as a host of other factors.

Since ease of use, flexibility and quality best describe the current state of stock photography, what are you waiting for?

Tags: Photography   Posted in Photography

Photo Greeting Cards

You too can send out those fun and personalized photo greeting cards to friends and loved ones for any event or just to say hello. These custom greetings are as close as your favorite photo away. With only a few simple steps, you can add a creative touch to an already unique message that comes only from you.

Printable greeting cards are not only a great way to keep in contact with family and friends, but also to show off your digital photos. The best way to capture a moment is with a photo and transforming a snapshot into a customized greeting card for occasions such as birthdays, birth announcements, invitations and more are simple with the help of most online digital photo services.

Creating Printable Photo Greeting Cards:

Photo cards are easy and enjoyable to make. Top-quality custom made photo cards can be designed in a snap, complete with your own digital images and personalized message inside through online photo services such as Shutterfly and Ofoto. Photo greeting cards are printed usually on 5×7 card stock with either a glossy or matte finish. All you have to do is upload you digital photo/photos to the photo service of choice, select a layout and greeting, and add your personal message to finish your card. Photo cards typically come in sets of 20, complete with envelopes for mailing.

For the ultimate in convenience, Shutterfly will even let you import your addresses from Outlook or your Palm device and mail your photo greeting cards for you. All you have to do is choose a design and the rest is left to themno trip to the mailbox!

Software for Photo Greeting Cards:

Another option for creating printable greeting cards is with the use of digital photo software. Many easy to use programs are available with tons of template options for any holiday. These programs can assist you in designing your own personal Christmas card or birth announcement with that special message. Two of the most popular programs are Fotofinish and Adobe Photoshop Album (replaced by Photoshop Elements). Both of these programs have a diverse selection of templates including Valentine’s, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas photo cards and every occasion in between.

Digital cameras have so many fun uses beyond the quick snapshot. Be creative and have fun!

Tags: Photography   Posted in Photography

Understanding Digital Camera Flash Units

Digital cameras flash units come in many shapes and sizes. Low end digital cameras include low energy built in flash units. High end digital SLR cameras can support sophisticated external flash units which can provide superior lighting in difficult scenarios. Here are some basic facts about flash units both built in and external.

Flash units came a long way since their early days. Back then flash units were using powder that was lit by electrical current and literally “blew up” to produce the light energy. Using these flash units was a risky business. It was also difficult as the flash units were not automatically synchronized to the camera’s shutter. The photographer had to make sure that the flash goes off at the exact right time synchronized with the shooting of the photo.

Today flash units have eliminated this challenge. An electronic flash tube ensures flash timing is synchronized to the camera. The photographer now gets to concentrate on other aspects of the photo. New digital cameras can even determine on their own if the flash is even needed, set its intensity and other parameters and fire the flash at the precise time the shutter is opened. All of this is automatically done in the background. Should the user want to make their own adjustments, digital cameras also allow the user to manually control the flash, set its intensity and more.

Flash units are separated into two basic categories: Internal built-in flash units or external flash units. Internal flash units are naturally built into the camera. Nearly all digital cameras come with such a unit and permit the user some control over it through the camera’s menus and buttons. External flash units are attached to the camera’s body through a dedicated slide-in slot or by using an electrical cable. Not all digital cameras can support external flash units. Generally the lower end pocket cameras do not support external flash units while all high end digital SLR cameras will. There can be quite a bit of difference in external flash units. They can have different light energy levels that they can emit and different mechanical characteristics. Some external flash units also include smart sensors to measure ambient light, distance and other optical parameters in order to make the most of the flash effect.

Flash units can be used in both automatic and manual mode in most digital cameras. When in automatic mode, the camera measures ambient light and fires the flash when there is a lack of enough light. There can be times the camera will make the incorrect choice in using the flash and will either fire or not fire the flash when the contrary was needed. Setting the flash intensity is important also. Should the flash unit fire too much light energy on objects that are too close to the camera the digital photo will be washed out. Of course if the flash unit fires a small amount of light energy on an object that is farther away from the digital camera the digital photo will be a too dark.

Flash units have limitations too. They can not light any scene and any object at any distance from the camera. It is important to know your flash unit limitations. For example check what the maximum light energy that it can emit is and what the farthest that an object can be effectively lit from. This is also known as the effective flash range. If the object is out of the effective flash range it is actually better to turn off the flash altogether and use a tripod with a longer exposure. Sometimes it is useful to use the flash even if there is enough ambient light. In such cases you can manually force the camera to fire the flash. This is also known as fill-in flash as it is usually used to fill-in shadowed areas on objects in the digital photo.

Tags: Photography   Posted in Photography

Photoshop - Perfecting your image, layer by layer

Photography, as an art form is constituted of numerous intricacies. From selecting optimal light conditions, to varying the amount of exposure to even selecting the appropriate lens and filters and yet we find that despite our best efforts, we are usually never completely satisfied with the final outcome. The feeling of “What if” lingers and given the constraints of time and expenses incurred, it re-shooting the entire image, or series of images, as the case may be, is not always a feasible solution. And here’s where editing comes into the picture. Not just limited to digital photography, many conventional photographers edit the imperfections away from their photographs in their dark rooms. And with the advent of time and technology, many new and advanced kinds of software have been developed, amongst which a worthy forerunner is Adobe Photoshop.

Many photographers shy away from using editing software as extensive retouching of the image significantly deteriorates the image quality. But Photoshop effectively nullifies this obstacle as it allows you to touch up the image without burning the image itself. This it does through the use of layers. Layers function in a manner similar to transparencies, which when stacked on top of each other, form the complete image. Each layer consists of different parts of the image, to which you can apply different effects to modify only those parts of the picture which need to be worked on and leaving the rest intact.

Hence, if you have a picture which is overexposed at certain parts, you can focus on building density and modifying the color of that particular layer, until it blends in with the rest of the image. And if your judgment is not wholly accurate at the first go, you can also choose to undo the effects in parts until you reach the phase which is workable and take it from there. This is because, you are undoing, not the overall effect of the image itself, but only of the particular layer or even a section of the layer, thus saving you from investing a lot more time and effort which redoing the entire image would have called for. Here, you can also experiment with the Multiple Undo option which lets you experiment to your hearts content and yet stick with only the changes which are appropriate to your final image.

If you make a complete mess of the image you are working on, don’t panic! Photoshop lets you undo all the changes you have made and redo your image, after having learnt from the experience all this, without an iota of damage to the image quality. You can even pause to analyze the overall appeal of your image, even while you are working on it by simply turning off the visibility of the layer you are working on and then turn it back on, when you are ready to get back to work.

You can custom create your own adjustment layer by making your selection from the New Adjustment Layer Sub-menu which you can find in the main Layer Menu, or click on the Palette Icon which opens up a pop up menu for you to make your selection from. Once you’ve found just the right adjustment layer, you can even preserve your preferences for later images to achieve the same spectacular effect without having to toil for hours over it.

To distinguish between layers, once you have divided your image, you can name each layer with a distinct title which will make it easier for you to switch between layers and avoid confusion. To do this, double click on the layer you wish to rename and enter the title you’ve selected in the name field. Once you click on OK, the new name will be saved, letting you proceed with the other layers. If it helps you focus, you can also hide the other layers and concentrate on only one specific layer at a time. You can do this by clicking on the eye icon beside each of the layers to make them disappear and then click on the icon again to bring them back. This allows you to work on one layer at a time, without being distracted by the other un-worked or reworked layers.

You may also inundate yourself with more layers than you can handle in which case, you can easily deleted the unwanted ones, without disturbing the others that you need. You can even select a combination of layers and merge them together by choosing the Merge layers Option in the Layer Menu. As any Photoshop expert will tell you, if there’s one tool you need to master when you learn Photoshop and make the most of it, it has got to be layers. So wait no further get to work on that image which you’ve always wanted to work on, but didn’t for fear of ruining it you can never tell just what you might unmask!

Tags: Photography   Posted in Photography