3D Fish in Photoshop CC
Use the 3D extrusion capabilities of Photoshop CC to create a realistic school of 3D fish, easily, by starting with a simple flat image. [More]
Diary
Live Shapes in Photoshop CC
Photoshop CC continues the progression started in version CS6, of offering ever more powerful and flexible vector shape capabilities. In addition to true fill and stroke, we have live shape properties adjustable on the fly. Learn how to take advantage of the new live shapes in Photoshop CC. [More]
3D Filmstrip Effect in Photoshop
Take advantage of the 3D capabilities of Photoshop to make a real film strip that you can twist, move and position in your composition with complete flexibility. [More]
Tonemap 32 bit Images in Lightroom
Lightroom has the capability to work with 32 bit images. This allows you to use all the familiar Lightroom Develop Module controls for adjusting and enhancing your high dynamic range (HDR) merged images. The results are natural and realistic, and it's a pleasure to work with the full range of adjustment controls and tools with which we're so familiar right within Lightroom. [More]
Photoshop Image Extraction with Channels
If you're creating image composites, and especially if you're working with stock images, you'll find yourself needing to extract image elements from a white background. This can be a straightforward task with Photoshop, and often you'll get better results with some of the old school techniques.
For example, take this image from Shutterstock. Here we have a figure on a white background, and your first thought might be, "I can make short work of this with Quick Selection Tool." (Or the magic wand). [More]
Add Copyright Information in Photoshop – Automatically
It's always a good idea to copyright your work, and that includes embedding the appropriate information into your image metadata. Learn the three step process to create a template to add copyright metadata, to create an action to apply your template, and to use Photoshop's Script Events Manager to run your action every time you work on a file. It may sound scary, but it's a simple process, and you can "set it and forget it." I’ve written about this before a few years back, but this is a good reminder, I’ve brought it up to date with the latest version of Photoshop, and here is a video tutorial for those who prefer video learning. [More]
Data Driven Images in Photoshop
You may find yourself with a list of images to create, each one based on a template but with unique data and imagery. An example would be sports team cards, or trading cards, with images and text on each one. Photoshop can help to automate this process, and all it requires is a bit of planning and up front work - and a small text file. Learn to take advantage of data driven images in Photoshop and save yourself loads of time. [More]
Lightroom Catalog Cloud Backup
With all the cloud backup solutions available today, you have access to lots of free online storage. Be it Dropbox, SpiderOak, Amazon Cloud Drive, Google Drive, Skydrive… you have access to many gigabytes of storage in the cloud. Why not use some of it to back up your Lightroom catalog? It's easy, and it's a good way to keep your backup. [More]
Fixing a Bad HDR Sky in Photoshop
HDR Tools are great for creating interesting images, but they can really destroy a sky. Here's a quick tip for rescuing an over baked sky and giving a more natural feel to your images. [More]
Photoshop Halftone Effect
Use some old-school Photoshop techniques to create a futuristic halftone effect. [More]
Image Based 3D Lights in Photoshop
Photoshop CS6 and later offers the traditional light sources for your 3D models: infinite lights, point lights, and spot lights, all fully customizable. However, there's another kind of light - an "image based light," or IBL - that has some special features. We can use any image as a light source, and in doing so, we can help our 3D model to more closely match the colors of its environment, adding an extra touch of realism. [More]
Single Image Collage in Photoshop
Starting with a single image in Photoshop, we can create the illusion of a casually stacked collage of smaller snapshots. It's a great look for event and vacation images! [More]
Camera Raw Integration in Photoshop CC
Photoshop Camera Raw as a filter? That's right, and even more besides. The Adobe Camera Raw toolset is becoming more and more integrated into our workflow in Photoshop, giving us a common set of tools and a more efficient workflow. [More]
Lightroom History and Snapshots
History and Snapshots are two Lightroom tools that work well together. Learn how to take advantage of the History Panel, and how to avoid losing your history states and save them permanently with a snapshot. [More]
Lightroom Curves Unleashed!
Sometimes, Lightroom's basic Develop controls aren't going to take you far enough, and you'll want to exercise a little more creative control over your images. Lightroom's Tone Curves feature can provide that added control you seek, but at a casual glance, the Tone Curve seems a bit limited. There are some safety nets built into the Lightroom Tone Curve panel to keep you from unwittingly making a mess of your image, but with a little care and exploration we can unleash the full power of curves, right within Lightroom. [More]
