Photoshop Cs3: Things You Need To Know
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Editions and their applications Features Smart Editing toolset: Adjusting color of pictures, editing the images, blur and sharpen them are some smart features which makes Adobe Photoshop cs3 the most suitable application for professionals related to photography and designing. Drawing and painting tools: Wide varieties of drawing tools, artistic brushes and paint settings allows user of Adobe Photoshop cs3 to create and modify better quality images. Selection and edge refining tools: Selecting and refining portions of an image with the click of a button is made easy with these tools. > Compositing features: There are more advanced layer aligning and compositing features in Adobe Photoshop cs3. Better Printing quality: With more updated color management features, a bigger print preview window, more print control options – printing experience in Adobe Photoshop cs3 is much better than before. Compatible with more file formats: JPEG, JPEG2000, OpenEXR,Cineon, PSD, BMP, TIFF etc. are all supported by Adobe Photoshop cs3. User Community Designers, Developers and Educators form the most vital portion of the user community of Adobe Photoshop cs3 application. In designing it has a solution for every industry be it manufacturing or services. Web designing, print designing etc. has got a certain facelift with the help of Adobe Photoshop cs3. Photography Industry is one which is largely benefited with its applications. What would have been a photographers unachieved dreams are all being turned into reality with the tools and applications available in the software package. Video Editing and Digital imaging have reached highest standards all with the help of none other but Adobe Photoshop cs3. Education, teaching and learning has got an edge with the help of advanced curriculum and digital experiences. Before you find more information on photoshop cs3 tutorial, get the CS3 because overall, Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite3 is a designers dream come true.
Why Choose Digital Photography Over The Old Cameras?
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One thing I discovered during my experience with digital photography, is that digital photography is very well suited for the portrait photographer. So why are we the last to jump on the band wagon? Many commercial shooters have known about and mastered the use of digital in their business’s for far longer than the portrait photographer.
My guess is that we’re afraid. Afraid of the learning curve and afraid that the quality just isn’t there unless we spend an ungodly amount of our hard earned cash on some scary looking gigantic array of confusing and awkward, let alone “how am I going to learn how to use this stuff” equipment.
Truth is, you can easily get away with as little as a 3.5 megapixel camera. I know, I used my Canon D30 for the first eight months of my digital journey. That camera created more memories, more sales and more wall portraits that I ever thought imaginable.
Whoa, wait a minute you say, wall hangings? Can’t be!! When I put on my seminars I routinely display many large wall samples for all to see, with some of the older samples I created with the 3.5 megapixel camera; and the reaction I get is usually disbelief. The quality is there. I’ve proven it over and over and I know anyone can replicate the same results. Yes, even with a 3.5 megapixel camera.
You’ve just got be careful, that’s all. We have a collection of images at our studio, even large wall hangings captured with our dinky little D30, and they are “jaw-dropping” stunning. I know other photographers who have had amazing results as well. I know that it works and file size is secondary.
There are many reasons, but I’ll work with the main list. Here they are:
Quality.
The quality of images captured with a high quality lens, properly exposed and well posed is more than enough, even if you shoot JPEGS. Yes, JPEGS. Over 90% of the more than 30-40,000 exposures I put through my camera every year is shot in JPEG mode. Why? Why would anyone in their right mind shoot in such a “low quality” mode? The answer is simple: It works.
I like to compare JPEG’s to shooting with portrait film. It is slightly softer (although not even noticeable to the human eye) and muted, ideal for skin tones, right? Besides, we slap on “softar” filters in front of these outrageously expensive lenses and degrade the image even more. Don’t bother. Shoot with a good lens, in JPEG mode, expose properly, pose and create as usual, and it will all come together. Add any effects later. Look at what else portrait photographers have been doing to their finished images besides purposely degrading the image with “softars”. We retouch the surface of the print, sometimes extensively. We canvas mount. Add texture sprays.Oils. Linen laminates…on and on. My point is simple. Portrait photographers do not need to create the very sharpest, highest resolution images available. If they have in the past, they’ve always degraded the image through these other means. It’s kind of ironic don’t you think? You can still shoot in RAW mode if you wish, but it isn’t really needed.
If we needed the absolute highest quality image at capture we would have all been shooting with Kodachrome 64 or Velvia on a 4?x5 camera. But we don’t. JPEGs work. I have many 30? prints, and even a 70? print, that was captured in JPEG. And they look amazing. Your can too.
Control.
People want their photos fast. We live in a drive-through world and minutes count. In our studio we create a slide presentation for our sessions and we show them to the clients within 20 minutes of every shoot. Clients love it. They get to see the results instantly. If you fight this you’re fighting basic human nature. We want, want, want, and want to see it sooner than later. Sales go up, the client is already in the studio ready to see the images, and ready to spend. Their is ample evidence that when you show the images sooner, and you create large projected images, which is a cinch with digital, sales go up. Digital gives the portrait photographer more control over the sales process, and ultimately it means more profits. For instance, this photo was taken by digital camera :
| » Camera: | Canon DIGITAL IXUS 400 |
| » Exp. time: | 1/400 (0.003 secs) |
| » Aperture: | f/7.1 |
| » Focal length: | 7 mm |
Retouching.
Let’s face it, people want to look good. What used to take hours and whole lot of aggravation with spray booths, smelly and dangerous lacquers, is now possible with absolute ease. Even when I decided to farm out all my retouching because I had had enough, it still took weeks or months, and huge retouching bills.
Not to mention the loss of control I had over the retouching aspects. It was up to the subjective interpretation of the retouching artist to enhance the images the way I wanted them retouched. Now, with a few basic skills, and all those years of retouching experience all transferred over to the new darkroom, my computer, I can easily retouch to any degree I like. In mere minutes. With absolute astounding results. This ultimately translates to satisfying a basic need that needs to satisfied in our clients, their vanity. They want to look good, and they want it fast.
Innovation. I could go on for days when it comes to what new products, ideas, services, sales processes, packages, etc, etc…I have been able to create because of digital photography. Suffice it to say for now that I am excited and alive again with passion about my photography and about the possibilities. When you apply the power of digital, and get a handle on it in your workflow, you can create new and exciting products like never before.
I’ve seen it and experience it every week in our busy little small-city studio. The proof ultimately boils down to net profits, doesn’t it?
After all, we are in business first, and creative artists second, right? Right? Are you with me on this one? We are in business to make money and survive. We need new and exciting angles, ways to stay afloat, so we can pay our bills, keep the bankers happy and provide for our families. No one can predict will total accuracy how digital photography will ultimately evolve, but my betting dollar is with it all the way. I’m not taking any chances.
Anyone remember when colour film and paper was introduced as a mainstream commodity? I don’t, I was just a wee lad, but I heard stories about the many studio owners closing their doors and packing it in because they didn’t want to keep up with the demand and latest craze that colour film and colour paper had created. Dinosaurs. Every last one of them. Their loss, all because of a thick head and mis-guided egos. Don’t be a dinosaur.
My biggest discovery: Who the true expert is!
Ultimately the true expert in our business is not ourselves, or our peers. The real expert is the client. They open up their hearts and wallets and fork over hard earned cash for the memories we create for them. Do they care if it is shot on a JPEG? In RAW mode? Do they care if we use the biggest, best, strongest, fastest computers and software? Of course not. When you get into your clients head and listen to the conversation that goes on these things are totally irrelevant.
Far more important to her, and to us, is the fundamentals of good photography. In a whirlwind of technological advances nothing seems to ever stay the same. Truth is, the fundamentals of good photography will never change. That’s where is all starts. Master that and you have 99% of your digital photography challenges mastered.
Print Images using Adobe Photoshop
If you use Photoshop then you must be aware of its fine printing capabilities. People create images with Photoshop mostly for web design or printing purposes. Let’s discuss how you can print an image through the Photoshop interface the right way.
When printing through Photoshop there’s one thing you need to be aware of, the dots per inch (dpi). This refers to how many dots per inch of paper, your printer can print. If you want a clearer image then you want more dots per inch. The more dots a printer can print in an inch of paper the better the quality. Printers are clarified according to the dots per inch they print. A printer which prints more dots per inch is generally better and more expensive.
The most commonly used dpi value for image printing is 300 dpi. Meaning that the printer will print 300 dots per inch of paper. That is, if your printer can actually print in that resolution which is very likely, unless you own a really old printer.
You can set the dpi of an image through the Photoshop menu:
Image ? Image Size..? Resolution
In the Resolution input box enter the value you want for your image. Your version of Photoshop might not mention dots per inch but pixels per inch, which is the same thing.
Now let’s talk about the quality of ink for your image. This depends on your printer type. Inkjet printers for example can be cheap and they use jets of ink that they spray on paper. Ink quality is medium. Dye printers are more expensive than Inkjet printers and use a system to melt dots of dye that can generate over 16 million of colors. Ink quality is medium to high. Laser printers are very popular these days and they print in good quality. Ink quality is high. Last but not least there are the Thermal Wax printers that use blocks of wax that melt on the paper.
Now let’s say you want to print an image through Photoshop. Before doing anything else go to:
File ? Print with Preview
A dialog opens. Through that dialog you can set all kinds of properties for your image. For example you can define the position of the image on the piece of paper. You can specify the space you want to be left blank from top or bottom or you can let Photoshop center the image by ticking the “Center Image” check box.
Then you can define the scale of the image, it’s height and width. I use the “Scale to Fit Media” check box a lot, since it lets Photoshop automatically adjust the printable size of the image.
Depending on your image you might want to print on portrait or landscape. You can change that through the “Page Setup…” button on the right of the dialog. A new dialog will appear that also allows you to choose the type and the size of paper you will use for printing.
Well, that’s about it. All you have to do now is click the “Print…” button. Depending on your printer, a dialog will appear that will let you customize printer properties. For example you might want to print three copies of the image or tell the printer to use more or less ink. It’s really easy to print images through Photoshop. I use this software all the time mostly for the “Scale to Fit Media” check box I mentioned above.
If you are eager for more Photoshop and would like to master it, go grab this Photoshop Video Learning System that will show you step by step how to use Photoshop like a pro. The authors of the system claim that they can teach you everything about this popular software in two hours only! There’s also a free report that explains how their learning system works. Check it out.
Learning to Use Photoshop Layers
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When layers appeared back in version 2 of Photoshop, designers wondered how they had ever managed without the facility to create artwork on multiple editable layers. Although we now take layers for granted, there are some useful management options that many users may not be taking advantage of. Working smarter with layers means labelling them for a start; this saves you having to scroll up and down the Layers palette, trying to guess where a particular element is stored. Grouping related layers into sets, and colour-coding them, will help you to further streamline your workflow. Creating Layer sets: To quickly create a layer set, click on the chain icon link a group of related layers together. Open the Layers Palette menu and choose New Set From Linked. Layer sets can be opened for editing purposes and then collapsed to display a single folder icon, saving valuable screen space. Another way to create a layer set from linked layers is to click the Create a new set icon at the foot of the palette. When you create a new layer, colour-code and label it for easier access. You can easily remove and reorganize layer sets. Right-click on a set’s icon to delete the set while retaining the individual layers.
Quick tip: if you are working on a project and you are working in minimized mode, this will help you not to cullter your workspace and helps keep all the layers out of sight, but immediately accessible.
Why Should You Learn Photoshop?
Photoshop is an art to put it in the simplest form. It is a way for an artist to express him or herself as it can allow for the creation of an image which could never really happen or take place. Photoshop is a difficult program to learn. A novice user cannot just sit down and instantly be able to master the program in one night and create some stunning images. It takes years of practice and honing of skills in order to create a fantastic Photoshop image.
One reason to learn Photoshop is to simply express yourself. You may want to be an artist but you may not be able to sit there or want to sit there and paint on a canvas. Photoshop is the canvas of the future as it allows the freedom to do virtually anything you want with an image as long as you have the skills to pull it off and make it pure quality.
It is a form of expression because it allows a user to create an image any way they want and express it any way they want and then show it off to the world in a very easy and efficient way as that image can then be used on various mediums. A Photoshop user will create a style of his or her own and then use it whenever they please and with all of the options that the program offers, there truly are no limits to what can be done.
Besides the form of expression Photoshop is also something which can make you a great deal of money in the future. Photoshop is a skill which not very many people have and one which can take a long time to master. So if you have this skill and you are going for a job that requires an artistic background of sorts then knowing Photoshop can put you leaps and bounds above the competition.
An example of this could be if you are working for a marketing firm of sorts and you need to create something for an advertising campaign. The person with the skills in something like Photoshop would be able to create something far more complex and professional-looking compared to someone who may be a novice at using Paint or another program.
Photoshop can help in many ways as it can act as a form of expression, help get jobs, and even make you money in contests and such as it does on sites like this. If you have the skills you can put them to work and add some extra cash in your pocket while at the same time earning the respect of the Photoshop community and others who will look up to you and aspire to learn the technique and mastery which you have acquired. If you want to learn more PS trick, I recommend to visit Photoshoptalent.com.
