Tag: How To
Article: Pro Tips: Demystifying Image Resizing
Depending on how we want to use an image, we often need to create new copies at different resolutions. You might be making your image smaller for use on the web or increasing the resolution to make a larger print.
Article: Touching Up
Retouching a portrait usually takes several steps in Photoshop to make a well-exposed image effectively stand out. Pros use techniques like cloning, burning and dodging; various filters; and localized color enhancements with layer masks to get a...
Article: Quality Of Light
You may not believe it at first, but all the photographs in this issue of PCPhoto have something in common. That something in common is, of course, light.
Article: Your Best Prints Ever
Nothing gives a photograph more impact than a high-quality print. Printing today is easier than ever, with a number of options available for lab-quality prints on a wide variety of media types, but selecting the right printer, paper and ink type for...
Article: March/April 2009: Helpline
In my last column, I tackled a question about shutter lag. The reader was frustrated with his camera and how the shutter-release button caused problems. “When I take pictures, it seems I have to press pretty far on the shutter button to get the camera t...
Article: HDR
High dynamic range (HDR) imaging is one of the most exciting and inspiring (and misunderstood and maligned) recent technological developments in digital photography. At its simplest, HDR is nothing more than a series of field and postproduction...
Article: Framed!
One way to add interest and importance to a photo is to frame it. This is as true in the digital world of web-based photo galleries as it is in a brick-and-mortar gallery. Adding a decorative virtual frame to an image may also enhance its presentation...
Article: Setting The Stage
Environmental portraits—photographs of people in a surrounding that relates to who they are or what they do—have been the staple of newspaper and magazine photographs since the halftone process enabled images to be reproduced in those mediums. Early...
Article: Get The Right Light
One general question I’m asked frequently while teaching photo workshops is, “How can I improve my images?” Participants expect to hear answers like, “Try a different lens,” or, “Change the composition.” True, these things may help, but many times I...
Article: January/February 2009: Helpline
While you can use lenses designed for "full-frame" 35mm-sized sensors on smaller-format (APS-C) sensors (subject to the telephoto, or magnification effect), the converse isn't true. For example, the Canon EFS 18-55mm IS, included in the EOS Rebel XS...
Article: Once Upon A Time In The West
Howdy, pardner! I’m glad you could join the posse in the search to rustle up new creative imaging ideas. You’re riding with some talented folks. By now you may have guessed that, like many kids who grew up in the 1950s, I have the soul of a cowboy...
Article: Create A Web Gallery
It's pretty much expected these days that if you're a photographer, you'll have some kind of web gallery. The good news is that you don't have to know very much about how the web works to create a home on the web for your photos.
Article: October 2008 HelpLine
I typically use my camera in automatic mode, but occasionally I step out of my comfort zone and move into some of the other modes. I really understand the full manual mode but, quite honestly, I don't get the whole aperture priority and shutter...
Article: Add A Creative Touch To Your Pictures
We all strive for pictures that look unique, artistic and creative. That goes for when they're framed and hung on a wall, when they're posted on the web, and maybe even when they're published in a book or magazine article. One creative idea is to...
Article: Photo Workout: Flex Your Photographic Skills
How do you become a better photographer? You can read articles in magazines like PCPhoto, study books and attend workshops. All of these pursuits will help you learn new and improved techniques for photography.
Article: Golden Light Photography
The magic hours—the hours immediately after sunrise and just before sunset—are times of amazing light for photography. The time is brief, but the great thing is that twice a day, every day, there's a generous helping of breathtaking ambient light...
Article: Photoshop Actions And Batch Processing
I frequently hear photographers talk about maximizing their time behind a camera and minimizing their time at the computer. It's not the creative postproduction that these photographers want to avoid—it's the digital drudgery that can consume so much o...
Article: Keep The Noise Down In Your Digital Images
Noise, the digital equivalent of film grain, can be a challenge to overcome. It appears as an irregular, sand-like texture that, if small, is essentially invisible; if large, it can be unsightly and a distraction from your image. Noise can have...
Article: Print Smarter
Printing is one of those areas of digital photography that lead to baldness. Seeing a photo on paper, and often expensive paper, that looks nothing like the image on screen will have you pulling your hair out—hence, the baldness problem. There are a f...
Article: 10 Ingredients For Successful Images
If you're in the mood to cook up some sumptuous photographs, here's a quick 10-step recipe that I think you'll find appetizing. To illustrate this article, I'll use photographs that I took on a recent trip to Papua New Guinea. While some of you may...
Article: Exposure Creativity
Are you sure you want to do this? I holler to my friend Patrick above the thunderous roar of the waterfall. He gives me a thumbs-up and a smile. One mistake, and Patrick is going to get seriously injured—or worse.
Article: Exploring Focal Lengths
How much thought have you given to that lens on your camera? Most lenses today are zooms, and photographers use that zoom to get more or less of a scene, but your lens is capable of a lot more. Understanding lenses will help you better use any lens...
Article: Digital Infrared Photography
Digital infrared photography opens up a whole new world of creativity, even for photographers who already have a creative bent. If you have an older digital camera that you're not using, two companies, Life Pixel (
Article: Backup Strategy
Pro photographers are masters of archiving and safekeeping their photos. They have to be—losing a saleable image can amount to hundreds or even thousands of dollars of lost revenue. And when you consider that a typical working pro may capture t...
Article: Toolbox: External Storage Solutions
They say you never can be too thin or too rich. If you're a digital photographer, you can add "have too much disc space" to that list. As camera resolutions grow and shooting in the RAW format becomes more common, hard drives fill quickly with all...
Article: September 2008 HelpLine
While searching online for a mid-priced, 67mm circular polarizer for my Nikon D200, I came across this filter description that has me puzzled: "Used like and gives the same effect as [a] polarizer, but designed for cameras with beam-splitting...
Article: Adventures In Aperture
I made this image during my trip to Carnevale in Venice, Italy, this year. Sure, the model is terrific, and the location, an 800-year-old palace, is fantastic. From a technical standpoint, the image is super-sharp, the lighting is flattering and...
Article: The Need For Speed
My guess is that most of you won't be in a situation where you'll be photographing a subject speeding toward or past you at 220 mph, but that's exactly the challenge for Barry Zeek, who specializes in capturing lightning-fast motor-sports action. You...
Article: A Cloning Primer
No matter how hard you try to keep everything looking good in the picture area, sooner or later something creeps in that doesn't belong. Visual trash creates a distraction from your subject and your composition. It keeps you from enjoying your...
Article: Selective Sharpening
Digital photos typically need some sharpening in Photoshop to bring out the original sharpness of the scene as imaged by the lens. But not all photographs have everything in sharp focus, so they don't need overall sharpening.
