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Learning Some Useful Digital Photography Tips

2010-09-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

If you are new to taking photos with a digital camera, it’s useful to have some digital photography tips to help you improve your technique. You don’t need to be an expert to take better photos you just need to know a range of digital photography tips that will enable you to take a much wider range of photos. Here is a selection to bear in mind.

Lighting

Before you take any photo, bear in mind where the light source is coming from. It doesn’t need to be a brilliant sunny day for the light to ruin what would otherwise be a good photo. That’s why you should always make sure the light is behind you when you are taking a good photo.

Another one of the best digital photography tips you could bear in mind concerns the lack of light in an indoors setting. Make sure the flash is on and try and avoid taking pictures in a dark room if you can.

Be Creative With Your Settings

It doesn’t pay to go for the obvious setting when just a few minor changes can turn your photo into a really good one. Good digital photography tips include changing the angle, moving objects out of the way that you don’t want to see and getting people to pose in slightly different ways instead of just standing together in a group.

Don’t forget that digital photography tip about taking more than one photo at a time can be really beneficial to remember. If you take a dozen pictures of the same scene you can easily delete all the ones you don’t like, or that don’t come out that well. That’s the advantage of having a digital camera instead of one that takes film, because you get to see the results straightaway instead of having to wait.

Making The Most Of Still Life Photos

There are plenty of digital photography tips when it comes to still life photography, and one of the best concerns the issue of composition. You need to take a unique angle when it comes to composing the items that you want to include in your picture, and one of the best digital photography tips here is that you should take your time and experiment before you even think about taking a picture.

By putting some time into your hobby you will learn a lot more about it, and the more digital photography tips you know, the better your photos will be.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article75743.html

10 Creative Photo Ideas

2010-07-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

David Peters

1. Watch films. Hard work I know. Films have an infinite amounts of ideas for inspiration with different concepts for lighting and composition. With 30 images per second, you'll have some great ideas in no time.

2. Enter online photography competitions. These can give you inspiration as they assign topics for your photos. The pressure can motivate you to shoot your best, and who knows, maybe you'll win a fantastic prize.

3. Plan a trip to a local zoo. Zoos have loads of interesting things to shoot and animals are always photogenic.

4. Look at things through the eyes of creativity. Pick anything and shoot it just to see what it looks like: things around your house, in the refrigerator, etc. The subject doesn't really matter all that much, what matters is how you shoot it. Shoot, shoot and still shoot even more. Digital is cheap.

5. Composition is the key. Think about what you are doing. Frame your photo in your mind. Look for interesting angles and light, go high, go low. The key is to shoot the subject in as many different ways, under different lighting, and try to make those images interesting. So, don't just point and shoot, but consider composition.

6. Learn about visual arts. Visit art galleries that have photography shows. Read about art history and learn how artists have developed different and exciting ways of depicting the world around us.

7. Shoot boring things. Take a look around you in a whole new way. Make an effort to shoot things that you would never consider shooting. A bottle. A phone. A lamp. Anything, just shoot it in lots of different ways and see what comes out.

8. Carry your camera everywhere. Take at least one photo a day so you can keep a record of your life in a whole new way.

9. Carry your camera with you everywhere you go. Often a great photo opportunity will present itself for only a moment. Take advantage of what life throws your way by being prepared.

10. Join photography forums. It's free and fun. You can discuss photography, post up photos and meet some cool people who love photography as much as you.

About the Author:

Want to Learn more about Editing Digital Photographs? Don't trust anybody's advice until you have read This Free Report

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article78248.html

Make Money Taking Great Photographs

2010-07-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

Make Money Taking Great Photographs
By: Christine Bettridge
You love taking photographs and people keep telling you that you have a great eye. How difficult is it really to make money from your photographs?

There's a lot to taking good photo's and there's no way that one article could cover all the aspects of a good photo. This is an overview on how to get started taking making money with your hobby.

Before you start you will need:

a decent camera doesn't have to cost the earth but it can be all the difference when it comes to making beautiful photo's
to understand the different features on your camera learning to use the special features on your camera can make all the difference.
to keep your eyes peeled for good photo opportunities at all times.

When judging photos generally the three main elements are judged. The crispness / sharpness of the image, the composition and the subject.

The sharpness of your images can be improved by focusing properly. Zoom all the way in to the intended subject and focus. Then zoom out to the desired distance. The focus should be sharper.

The composition: whole books have been written about composition and there is a broad and fascinating science behind it. In general the law of thirds should serve you well when trying to make a well composed shot. Divide the frame into 3x3 lined sections. All the action should center along the lines. This means the subject should never be entirely in the center of the frame. When trying to compose your shot always try to balance the elements within the frame. You will get a feel for this with practice.

The subject - when taking commercial photo's this is obviously very important. You will want to photograph a wide variety of subjects.

Anyone can make a good living from selling stock photos. Look online or even set up your own.

You must remember that selling anything takes work. You will need to spend a great deal of time marketing yourself and your work.

If you are serious about making money from your photo's then you need to start putting together a portfolio containing your best work. Having a portfolio on hand can be very useful when wanting to impress prospective buyers. Consider putting together an online portfolio to reach an international market faster. You could even set up an online sales system selling your photos.

If you really know a lot about photography consider sending some of your best work in to one of the photographic magazines with a step by step account of your procedure and equipment used. It's worth the effort because you gain valuable exposure as an expert in your field.

You could use some more unconventional methods to generate cash with your camera. What about making screensavers from beautiful photos? If you don't have the technical know how you can ask someone to show you quite easily. Many people make good money this way.

There are all kinds of other markets you can consider selling your photo's to. Online magazines, print magazines, newspapers, travel brochures and books all need photos. Keep your eye's open for any publications that appeal to your niche.

All that's left to do it grab your camera and start shooting!

Author Bio
Christine Bettridge has loved writing since childhood. She has written Plays, poetry and many articles on several topics. Her latest e-book End Time Secrets recently released by Cypress Street Publishing has caused an order craze in the religious world. It can be ordered and downloaded right now through the publishers website at End Time Secrets and she also is the editor of the article directory, aboveallcontent.com. Visit her blog at: biblesound.blogspot.com (The Bible Sound Blog)

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Take Better Photographs

2010-07-04T02:29:00.000-07:00

By: Ju Ashman

People think that with the arrival of the digital camera, it is easy to take good photographs.
What is easy, is for us to delete the bad ones. It is still tricky to take a good photograph.
The best thing you can do is relax and not be in too much of a hurry to take a photograph. Really take time to compose your shot and make sure everything looks right before you press that shutter. Even though it easy to just delete the picture with digital, it is good practice to slow down, otherwise you could end up with 50 quickly taken photos and not a decent shot among them.
There are many ways that even the average snapper, with a few pointers, can take photographs that will actually make them money.
If you are trying to sell your work to magazines or other publications, the following tips will help you with some of the techniques needed to take a photograph that will sell.
1) Always use a tripod or monopod when shooting in bad light or when usinga slow speed. If you haven't room for either, pack a small beanbag to steady the camera.
2) To avoid camera shake, hold the camera in a comfortable position before you take the shot, squeeze the shutter gently and tuck elbows into the body to avoid camera shake.
3) Try and fill the camera frame with your subject for greater impact (unless your photois for a magazine cover in which case you need to leave room at the top for the title).
4) Look ALL AROUND the viewfinder before you press the shutter to avoid any clutter spoiling the photo or any stray branches sticking out of a subjects head!
5) When photographing kids, try to shoot them when playing and having fun for more spontaneous pictures. Don't forget to get down to their level otherwise you will end up with shots of the top of their head.
6) When taking photographs, especially landscapes, always turn around and look BEHIND you.There has been many an instance of the best photo of a shoot lurking there.
I hope these points will help you take better photos. Have fun with your camera.
Author Bio
Julie Ashman. Visit www.e-information.co.uk for a superb business manual containing more than 10 ventures you can start with your camera.
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10 Tips For Using Adobe Photoshop

2010-06-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

By: Paul Wilson
Like a brush is to a painter an essential skill in the field of graphic design is Photoshop. The software offers increased productivity as well as flexibility. The features include aspects like file browser, vanishing point tool, smart sharpen filter, noise reduction filter, smart objects, as well as camera workflow enhancements. Photoshop offers professional photo editing features, digital imaging, as well as non destructive editing.

There are so many hidden features and insights to software, that it is often impossible to know them all.

1.    There is a hidden option using which you can simulate bold and italic formatting styles for fonts that do not have these options. Click the button on the type tool option to bring up the character palette. Then select text and click the arrow in the upper right hand corner of the palette menu where faux bold and italics are present. However you will not be able to warp type when formatting has been applied.

2.    One can quickly flip through blend modes while trying out effects by using the keys "shift+ to change to next mode and shift- to go to the previous mode." When a painting tool is active this shortcut will change the blend mode of the painting tool. However, if anything is highlighted then the shortcut will not work. You will have press esc and then use the shortcut keys again.

3.    The photomerge feature can be used to seamlessly combine multiple images to create a panorama. This feature can be accessed from the Automate menu. You can even refine the composition using tools like rotate, zoom, pan, and set vanishing point.

4.    When re-sampling images one can use either Bicubic Smoother or Bicubic Sharper. You can use Bicubic smoother for up sampling and Bicubic sharper for down sampling. You can actually specify which interpolation method is to be used by going to general preferences and setting a default.

5.    There are two features for printing. You can use contact sheet II or picture package. Use contact sheet when you want all images in the same size and you want to print the name below the image. Use printer package when you want different image sizes on the same page, or multiple copies of the same image, or a text overlay.

6.    If you want to remove a glare on the eyeglasses of an image you should use a part of the lens that does not have a glare and use it to layer the lens with a glare. Use tools like rotate and skew and soft-tip eraser to soften the edges. Ensure the glare does not show through from below. Or, do some careful work using the clone tool.

7.    The online services enable you to connect to online photo printing and sharing sites.

8.    The Web Photo gallery can generate hyperlink pages that can be uploaded to a server.

9.    The Picture Package option will help you prepare photos in layout with multiple size prints on one page.

10.    You will never forget how you achieved a certain result because the History Log will detail every step taken by you as well as time-tracking, and a legal record. There are three choices wherein, you can create a sessions only record where, it will record only when Photoshop is opened or closed; or a concise record which will record each action including the text that appears in the history palette; or the complete editing history including the text that appears in the actions palette.

Adobe Photoshop is a dream tool for every designer and one can over time master every subtlety of the tool and crop, rotate, resize, create shapes, add layers, change text, and play with colors. It is a hands on software where the more you use it the more you will learn.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for Free Online Games site www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com

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Sell Photos - Make Some Money

2009-05-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Kathy Austin

Photography, whether practiced as a hobby or as a profession is fun. The fun would be more if you could use of these photos to make some money, slowly and steadily, without interfering with your current work timetable, and relatively easily.

All that is needed is a digital camera and a fast broadband Internet connection. If you already have both for quite some time, the matter becomes even more simpler as you are bound to have accumulated a sizable number of photos during the course of your random ramblings or during your family vacations.

The photo industry does not differentiate your photos based on age or sex. And the photo industry is particularly large composed of magazine editors, travel agents, banks, web designers, students and even chefs. Each one of these people require a particular style or content of pictures and by trial and error and experience you can find out where your line of action falls and specialize accordingly.

You photos are not purchased based on the sex or age of the photographer. It is the content that matters most. The people who purchase photos come from all walks of life - web designers, travel agents, magazine editors, students and even banks and chefs. Each one of them has a specific requirement and the place they look for it is the Internet and that is the place where your photos aught.

Another would be to make use of Photo Stock Sites. These are online sites where you can upload your photos and wait for them to be sold. If you have had a camera for some years, then you are bound to have a stock of some photos (hence the Photo Stock Site) taken during your vacations with your family. With all the instructions required to upload photos posted on the site itself, these sites are fairly easy to use. There are a profusion of such site which can be located through the Net.

Another method would be to build and maintain your own site. This can be done in either of two ways. One, start from scratch and build your own site by yourself. This requires some in-depth knowledge of coding and SEO techniques. The decision on the layout and look of the web site, what photos should be displayed, how long they are to be exhibited are all yours. It is yours to do what you want.

An admirable way of selling photos, without using the Internet and which is applicable for those purists who still swear on their analog cameras, are photo competitions. Some more effort has to be put in by you in that you have to get the photo printed, find a suitable frame, hunt for the places where these competitions are going to be held and get you exhibit entered. Though the exposure is limited, it has its plus points. Whether your photo wins a price or not, droves of people do come and see it and photos do get sold here too.

Better start with the Stock sites at the initial stages and then graduate to one's own web site after gaining some experience. So, if you want to sell photos, try one or another or all of the methods given above and wait and see.. If your stock is limited, augment it with photos from you friends and acquaintances. Don't wait. Happy Selling!

About the Author:

Kathy Austin is a writer for an online gallery.Red Bubble enables you to sell photos, designer t shirts and more.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article78936.html

Resizing Images in Adobe Photoshop

2009-05-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

David Peters

When you make an image smaller you may interfere with the resolution making the final image take on a blurry appearance. With large, clear images this can be devastating to the effect of the image.

Fortunately Adobe Photoshop has the ability to fix this issue with its advanced editing tools.

This method will only work in Photoshop CS and CS2. These versions are more powerful in a lot of ways, so if you don't have them I'd recommend that you invest in a copy as you may find that you will need the more advanced features.

To reduce the size of an image go to Image> Image Size. Select Resample Image and then select Bicubic Sharper from the menu. This is the optimal setting for reducing the blurring of the image when you resize it.

When you want to increase the size of an image, but want to minimize the resolution loss choose Bicubic Smoother.

This process is so effective that I would recommend setting Bicubic Sharper as the default selection when you start the software. You can do this by going to Preferences> General> Image Interpolation. Here you can select Bicubic Sharper as the default.

Repeating the resizing process too many times will increase the resolution loss giving a blurry appearance. To avoid this only resize the image once. If you want try out different sizes, use a copy of the original image and when you find the right measurements, simply apply them to the original image once you're done.

About the Author:

Did you like this article? Curious about learning photoshop quickly? Well now you can by getting this free report...what are you waiting for?

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article77824.html

The Outdoor Photography Guide

2009-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Barry Craft

With outdoor photography you can share the beauty of the wilderness with your friends and family. The first and most important rule when taking pictures of wild animals is to be patient! Good pictures require lots of it so make sure you move slowly and don't scare the animals away. Keep far enough away to stay unnoticed, but close enough to get the good shots.

It's important to remember that small animals will look small in a picture, unless you take the picture closer to ground level or the same level as the animal. This will make them appear bigger. You may need a zoom lens for this type of a photograph. This is probably something you will want to consider when purchasing a camera.

Even if you don't get any good pictures on the first day, don't be discouraged. There will always be another opportunity to take a good picture. Also, don't get too close to large wildlife, since they are big and can be photographed easily.

Always be prepared since the right opportunity for that awesome shot can be there one second and gone the next. Be sure to capture the eyes of the animals that way it looks more like a portrait than a snapshot. This will make for a great photo.

Natural lighting is another important factor in outdoor photography. Depending on the time of year and time of day, your lighting will vary. The time of day, such as sunrise or sunset can give your photo a different personality and feeling because the angle of the sun will cast a different shadow.

You may have to use a fill flash to decrease the amount of shadows in the picture. The time of year also has some bearing on the lighting. The worst time of day to take pictures is mid-day, since the sun is directly overhead. The use of flash and help offset the harsh shadows the sun creates, especially in the middle of the day.

The best way to ensure photo brilliance is to use a tripod. It will bring out the best in your subjects and the lenses you buy. Find a sturdy, rigid tripod, as this will create the best images with the sharpest focus.

Make sure to keep your lens clean since sand or dust can create specks on all of your photos. If there is sand on your lens, you may not want to try cleaning it yourself. See a professional because if you scratch your lens, you will have to buy a replacement or else have scratches in all of your pictures, which is no good.

After you download your images to your computer, you can use a photo editing program to tweak or enhance your already beautiful photograph.

About the Author:

Barry Craft loves photography and has a particular interest in nature photography.To obtain a FREE copy of his latest report entitled, "Top 10 Tips for Great Photo Composition" please visit Take Better Photos.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article78633.html

How To Select The Right Digital Camera

2009-05-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

By: Roberto Sedycias
Capturing moments was never so easy before digital cameras came into the photography world. Ever since, there has been a big international market dealing with digital cameras. Japan, South Korea and China have been the main players in manufacturing new digital cameras since its inception. Today, no media house can run without digital cameras. Forget media agencies, in our day-to-day life, we have started considering digital camera as a handbag's must-keep item. It has truly given a new definition to the world of photography.

Many kinds of digital cameras with different features are hovering around the market today. And you need to decide on your choices and pick up the right one that fits your clicking needs. You must have already heard a lot about the top brands such as Kodak, Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Sony, Panasonic, Polaroid, Olympus, Fujifilm, HP, Samsung, etc. This article discusses features of famous brands and models of digital cameras to help you select the right one for yourself.

To start your selection process, you must consider whether you are looking for small and compact pocket camera, an advanced camera, a high zoom capability camera, or an SLR camera. These can range from USD 100 to USD 2,000. You will need to take your pick based on your budget and requirements.

What are the features that you should compare between brands while selecting a digital camera? The most important feature is its resolution in mega pixel. In simple language, this figure tells you how much you can expand your picture without parting with its quality. The higher the resolution, the better. But this doesn't mean that you have to go for the highest available model in the market. Usually people print photos that are sized 4x6 or 5x7 inhes. So for these photo sizes, any camera above 4 mega pixels will deliver great results.

Other feature that you should evaluate is zoom-in capability. Optical zoom and digital zoom are different terms. Optical zoom means actual zoom done by the lenses, while digital zoom simply increases the size of the picture display without increasing any details. In simple terms 3x optical zoom means you can get three times closer picture of the image you see with your eyes. For this reason, optical zoom is better.

The third important feature is compatibility with other devices. Find out if the camera you are going to buy is compatible with your computer, printer, memory card, USB drive, etc. Cameras have inbuilt flash memory but the space is limited, so you would have to buy external memory cards, popularly known as Secure Digital Card (SDC) and Multi Media Card (MMC).

The next important feature is the size of the screen that provides digital display of the image instantly. These screens were the major reason that digital cameras replaced conventional cameras so fast. The screen gives you the ability to review the image and delete the ones you do not like. The LCD digital camera screens are up to 3 inches in width.

The other features that make your camera more convenient include automatic light adjustment, automatic flash, red-eye reduction, file format (TIFF, RAW or JPEG), audio and video capability, image stabilizer, manual controls for aperture and exposure, camera speed, weight and size, body type, battery type (lithium of normal), battery life, picture modes for morning light, day light, cloudy day, etc.

The varieties and features of digital cameras are so many that it becomes really difficult for a first-timer to select one. This is worsened by everyday technological advancements. But all the features mentioned above impart a whole new dimension to photography and they make it easier for even an amateur to click great quality pictures.

Author Bio
This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/camera-digital.php - Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil.

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Here are some fun ways to edit digital photography

2009-05-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Dan Brown

Choosing photo-editing software can be difficult. Windows comes with rudimentary tools that will help you with your photos. But you'll need more if you plan on doing more than resizing and rotating photos. Also, cameras usually come with editing software. However, these probably lack essential features to editing your photos. For the average user, Photoshop is overkill. The learning curve is steep, to say the least. It will allow you to transform a photograph completely. However, its tools are aimed at creative professionals. Even experts struggle to master it! If you have outgrown lesser photo-editing programs, Photoshop may be for you. There are no other programs in the same league. The first thing you should look for is ease of use. Try editing one of your photos. With any program, there will be a learning curve. But, you should be able to find the controls you need fairly easily.

New and expert photographers alike have experienced it. You take an otherwise perfect picture of friends or family but there's one major flaw: glowing red eyes. Here are some reliable tips for avoiding red-eye in the first place: whenever possible, try not to use a flash. If you have to use a flash, ask your subject to look toward the camera, but not directly at the lens. Also, use additional light sources in the room. You can also take pictures during the day, because at night the pupils will dilate meaning red-eye will be a certainty. Lastly, you can stand farther away from your subject.

If you've taken a photo in a wrong orientation, it's easily corrected with little loss in quality by using a rotate tool. You'll also want to do some cropping of your photo to remove cluttered surroundings that draw attention away from your subject. Many photographs benefit from being cropped to show the most important feature and to remove the unwanted area around it. In fact, cropping is the single fix that is most likely to improve your photos. Your photo editing software will offer different methods of cropping your photos once you've downloaded them onto your computer. You might be surprised when you start cropping images very tightly and using shapes, as to just how different your image looks and how much of an improvement it makes.

Experimenting with colors can be a great way to create a whole new picture from something plain. There are so many ways to edit colors, and playing around with them can help you discover different techniques. You can make a photograph look aged with sepia, or you can change a color photograph to black and white. Just about all photo-editing programs have color-balance options. All you have to do is experiment with them to find results you like.

When you upload your pictures from your digital camera to your computer, most of them will probably be a little blurry. Probably it won't be enough to make you want to change it, but if it's not, there's always the UnSharp Mask that you can use to sharpen the image. Most cameras don't apply any kind of sharpening filter to pictures they take, and so they won't always look as crisp as you might want. Most likely if you have a basic editing program you will be able to sharpen your pictures successfully, and you can sharpen them as much or as little as you want.

What's the "right" size for a picture? Well, that depends on the photo. Most monitors display at 72 dpi (dots per inch). So, if you want the picture to be 5 inches wide (probably about the biggest you would want for an e-mail message), the picture would be 360 pixels wide (5 inches x 72 dpi = 360 pixels). Pixel is short for "Picture Element" and is the smallest unit of visual information used to build an image. If you have ever zoomed in on an image, Pixels are those little squares that you see. The more pixels in an image, the better the resolution.

Remember to save your work in the appropriate image format. Use the large TIFF image format if you want to retain all details for subsequent image editing. On the other hand, you can use the JPEG image format if you want to just send the picture via email or upload them to your website. With the explosion of scanners, digital cameras and the World Wide Web, the JPEG image format has quickly become the most widely used digital image format. Many people believe a JPEG image will lose quality every time it is opened or saved. This is simply not true. Saving a JPEG repeatedly during the same editing session (without ever closing the image) will not accumulate a loss in quality. Copying and renaming a JPEG will not introduce any loss, but some image editors do recompress JPEGs when the Save As command is used. To avoid more loss you should duplicate and rename JPEGs in a file manager rather than using "Save As JPEG" in an editing program. However, if a JPEG image is opened, edited, and saved again it results in additional image degradation.

http://www.edityourdigitalphotos.com/edit-digital-photos_.php) Editing digital photos? Curious about finding more about editing digital photos? Well now you can just by looking over http://www.edityourdigitalphotos.com/blog/) this free report what are you waiting for?

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article73991.html

Learn Photoshop the fast and easy way

2009-05-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

by David Peters

Because the Clone Stamp's function is to subtly replace one area of pixels with another, you don't need its brush tip to be shaped like a rubber duck, for example! However you can use the Brush Preset picker to arm yourself with a variety of creatively-shaped brushes, should your project require them. Working smarter with the Brush Preset picker means maximising its potential. If you're not already familiar with this interface.

Making custom brushes is one of the easiest things in the world. Seriously! I don't know why I've read some tutorials that make it out to be this multi-step, intimidating process. Creating your own brushes helps to customize both your artwork and the Photoshop work environment. The Hard Part: "But ... you said this would be easy!!" Technically, yes, but I've found that some people actually reach a little stumbling block when trying to think of what would make a good brush. Well, the short answer is ANYTHING! I've made brushes out of fuzzy leopard slippers, bananas, old trash cans, fabric swatches, dirt ... hundreds of things. It helps to have a scanner and/or a digital camera ... that really opens up your possibilities. Just a quick walk around your house might yield dozens of fun textures you can make brushes out of. But, even if you don't have either of those, you can often snurch some good textures off the internet. Try a google search for marble tile and see what comes up. Sometimes you'll get a nice big image to work with. I'm not condoning stealing someone's art photos to rip a brush off with, but if it's just a sample photo of tile, or fabric, or screen, or whatever, I think it's perfectly fine ... you'll be drastically changing the image in the next steps anyway.

Whatever you're trying to do in Photoshop, then, the chances are that your starting point will be either the toolbox or the menus. While the toolbox contains everyday tools such as selecting, filling and making shapes, the menus have more complicated functions like blurring, sharpening, and all the other effects Photoshop can achieve (mostly to be found under the Filter menu). When you have selected a tool from the toolbox, you can alter its settings using the toolbar - options from the menu will generally open a dialog box. Finally, when you want to go back and alter something that you already put on the image, you can use the palettes, although they have some other uses too, notably changing colors.

The problem with many of these applications is that they use pre designed templates which the user pieces together to form logos that really are not that original and sometimes appear a little generic. While these applications allow the user to quickly begin creating graphic designs and logos they often simply do not produce designs that are original and in demand by web design clients. If you take the time to learn adobe Photoshop there will be no limit to the logos and graphic designs you can put together. Although the interface can seem a little overwhelming at first, learning Photoshop is not difficult if you have the right tools and take the time to practice.

Do you have old photographs that are faded, worn out, crinkled or even torn? Of course you do, everyone does. Many of these photos are likely very old family photographs that are simply irreplaceable should something happen to them. In the past it was very expensive and time consuming to have old damaged photographed restored. It usually required a photo restoration expert and sometimes the results were not really that great. Digital imaging, and more specifically Adobe Photoshop, has revolutionized the process of renewing and restoring old photographs. It is amazing the results you can achieve with Photoshop. Old and damaged, even torn, photographs can be restored and renewed to their original colors and vitality using the tools available in Photoshop.

The Caledonian Digital website is user friendly and offers extensive information relating to the services provided, as well as providing recent articles on various aspects of digital photography, and links to sources of hardware, software, and reference material for photo restoration enthusiasts.For additional information on the launch of Caledonian Digital's new hassle free photo restoration and enhancement service contact Charlie Templeton or visit www.caledoniandigital.co.uk.

The tools we use in Photoshop are levels, curves and saturation for changing contrasts; and, color balance to bring the image back to the way the natural eye would see the color. Here is what we tell our photographers in the Handbook of Reuters Journalism... Photoshop is a highly sophisticated image manipulation programme. We use only a tiny part of its potential capability to format our pictures, crop and size them and balance the tone and colour. For us it is a presentational tool.The rules are - no additions or deletions, no misleading the viewer by manipulation of the tonal and colour balance to disguise elements of an image or to change the context. Photoshop is a powerful image processing program with many more tools to help photographers produce the best quality image they can for the type of photography they do.

Having difficulty with learning photoshop fast Well, it just got a lot easier, now you can get more information with this free article, act now and read it. Click here for other unique 'Learn Photoshop now' articles.

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Is Black And White Digital Photography Hard?

2009-05-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Many people mistakenly think that black and white digital photography is difficult, but it really doesn’t have to be. There are just some differences between the basic color and black and white digital photography that you will need to understand, and which will be discussed here

Shooting Tips

Here are a few tips that will help when you are shooting black and white digital photography. The first is to shoot in RAW. This is basically the counterpart to JPEG that you are most likely used to, but which will give you the most control in the postproduction phase of converting your color photographs into black and white.

Using a low ISO is also very important, and shooting with the lowest ISO possible is one of the best things you can do. It is also very important to learn when to shoot, because usually novice photographers find themselves shooting a million pictures a minute, hoping that one of them will turn out.

It is much better to take your time, know what you are doing, and produce that single, top quality picture. A dark or overcast day can be a great time to shoot outdoor shots especially if you are going for a black and white photograph, because the sun will not be glaring in the lens and it will turn out a lot more dramatic.

Composition is another very important feature here, especially for black and white digital photography. The main difference with composition when it comes to black and white digital photography is that you are unable to use color to lead the eye into or around your shoot.

Find The Right Camera

If you want to shoot in black and white, it is very important to choose the right camera for your needs. You need to find a camera that is going to offer all the features and components that you are looking for, and one that you are going to feel comfortable using.

Of course price is also an important factor here, as you want to spend enough to get a good quality camera but at the same time should not go too far over your budget where you are spending a fortune and going to be broke.

Cameras range significantly in price from modestly cheap up to thousands of dollars. Make sure that you find one you know is good quality and which will produce good photographs, but which is not too expensive for you to comfortably pay for. A high quality camera can only enhance any black and white digital photography.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article75553.html

Restoring Old Photos Using Photoshop

2009-05-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

David Peters

There are times that people may have old photographs they would like to restore to save the memories. Photos usually get damaged through the times. The pictures may get blurred, the color fades and the picture might acquire marks and scratches. Thank the technology of today. People can now save and restore their old photos with the help of Photoshop.

An easy to learn program is Photoshop Elements. This program contains options that can help restore your old photographs. One of these elements is the Dust and Scratch Filter which can be used to remove the marks, scratches and blots on your old photos. The Dust and Scratch Filter can be found on the Menu Bar and then clicking on the Filter Tab. A drop down menu will list your choices at which point you can choose the Noise tab and click on the Dust and Scratches.

After clicking on the Dust and Scratches menu, a window will pop up with two control sliders. The first slider is for the Radius and the other one is for the Threshold. There will also be another window if the preview box will be checked. These are the main options that will be used in treating the picture.

To remove scratches you will want to use the Radius slider. Too much adjustment can result in the edges blurring so please be careful with how much you adjust. If blurring occurs you can adjust the Threshold slider to allow the details to return and make the photograph clearer with the scratches disappearing. Again, you want to be careful not to set them too far or it will create blotches on the picture.

In removing the marks, selecting the whole photo will not diffuse these marks. The option is to select only the part where the scratches are located. He may use the Lasso to do this.

Once you have fixed some of these problems you can use the feathering tool to blend the edges of the selected area so that the manipulated area will not be obvious on the photograph. The feathering tool is located under the Feather option. You will want to repeat the process of adjusting the Radius and Threshold sliders to get the texture needed and remove all the scratches from the photograph.

To finish the process and make the photograph appear professional I recommend you crop the image enough to remove any cracks or torn edges of the photograph. The canvas may be use to equally crop the image.

You can also add drama to the picture by adding a drop shadow. Drop shadows make the picture appear as if it has been lifted off the page. You can also remove color using the controls Shift+Ctrl+U. You can then add color by putting a little amount of Sepia by using the Hue or Saturation tab. The contrast may be adjusted using the Levels option.

These steps are a relatively simple way to remove any blotches or marks on an old photograph. These steps are also a good way to make a photograph appear new but still look classical. Your family and friends will marvel at your ability and talent as well as enjoy the photograph again.

About the Author:

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The True Essence of Still Life Photography

2009-05-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

It is believed that the origin of still life photography is entrenched within the romanticism of conventional mode of painting. If we shed light over the inherent meaning of still life, we can perceive it as a fundamental illustration of natural world in relation to a higher degree of scenic experience. While working with a canvas, a painter presents his dilemma, frustration, depression, enjoyment, aesthetic sense with the help of the brush and color. The same thing is true for a photographer, who uses his still life photography technique to express the inner feelings in order to make each and every photograph unique.

The Blend

In 17th century, still life painting raised to the level of fine art. These paintings were largely rich in their unique application of texture and vibrant colors along with radiant emphasis over multitude of shadowing. The scenes of the painting primarily focused on rich heritage of that time, illustrating the layers of food served on the table, packed with the costly wine, fine clothes, etc. The subjects of still life photography by that time were not abstract or complicated. The unique essence was derived by the special rendering and treatments given by the photographers. While Salvador Dali and Cezanne did much experimentation beyond the traditional limitation of painting, the periphery of still life photography was developed to a greater extent by Andre Kertesz and Man Ray.

A ’Blank’ Canvas

Similar to the painting, when a photographer starts his still life photography, he actually initiates the process from a ’blank’ canvas. There is no single scratch on it. Typically the still life photography is developed through the process of illustrating the scene in an empty space, where textures, shapes, colors, and tones are applied to give the photography a desired character. In addition, photographers exploit the lighting arrangement to give the photography a higher dimension. The last but not the least, darkroom skills are essential to make the picture seeable to the spectators.

The Application

Quite prevalently, the elements used in still life photography are not dynamic in nature. While learning the technique of still life photography, the learner knows about the in-depth aspect of camera view and camera perspective in addition to the lessons incorporating the segments like composition, use of light, color balance, contrast and concord of all ingredients. In other words, still life photography is an autonomous expression in which all of the ingredients combine to provide a unique contribution to the overall outcome. The application of still life photography is wide and varied including advertising, book covers, catalogue painting, brochure designing and many others. In fact, anything and every thing can be the subject of still life photography.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article69085.html

Use Your Camera for Extra Money

2009-05-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

By: Lobita Grimes
One of the easiest ways of making extra money is with a camera. More people own cameras than radios, and photography is the fastest growing hobby in the world. Yet using a camera as an extra income tool is largely overlooked!

With a little imagination, a flair for showmanship, and just a hint of
salesmanship, the average man or woman, or even teenager, can easily make an extra $300 a week with his camera.

You don't have to have one of the popular, more expensive cameras either, or a loot of high priced attachments and equipment. In many instances, a Polaroid or other "off-the-wall" camera will suit the purposes perfectly. The only special piece of extra equipment you may want to invest in would be a tripod for mounting the camera in certain situations.

One of the easiest ideas is to visit a children's clothing store in one of your busy shopping centers, or the children's department in one of your large department stores. Sell the manager or store owner on the idea of your setting up in a corner of the store or department, and taking pictures of the shoppers' children. He can promote the fact that you'll be in the store taking pictures for special prices during certain hours - perhaps on Friday evenings and all day Saturdays - in his advertising, thus drawing patrons into his store because of you.

You'll need a sheet or a plain piece of material, or some sort of imaginative set for a background. But this you can easily make or build yourself.

You should also have an eye-catching poster that calls attention to what you're doing and the prices you're charging.

Unless you're a commercial artist, spend the money to have this sign made for you by a professional. The next and last thing you'll need will be a 2-part receipt or coupon.

This can be a simple piece of paper about 2" wide by 5" long. On the left side draw lines for your customers to fill in their name, telephone number and address. You might also want to include space for additional information such as the child's name and age and the number of children in the family, for future efforts, but keep it brief and simple.

On the right hand side of this coupon, have your business name, address and telephone number, plus a quick outline of the different kinds of photography work you handle, and perhaps a business slogan such as "Satisfaction Guaranteed or You Don't Pay."

To add a little bit of class to this coupon, take the basic outline of this idea over to an instant print shop. Tell them what you want; show them your outline; and have them typeset everything. Then put a fancy border around the whole coup on and have it printed on colored paper. The best color of paper is a "dollar bill" shade of green. If you want to give it even more class, you could have it printed on green, lightweight card stock. You'll want to divide the "information" side o f this coupon from the "business card" side with a dotted line and perforations.

If you layout this coupon properly. You should be able to get six of them on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper or card stock. This means the printer can print and cut 6,000 of them for about the same cost as printing 1,000 circulars or flyers.

On your printing, shop around for the best deal, but in the end, it shouldn't cost you more than about $60 for all 6,000 coupons which will come from those 1,000 sheets of paper or card stock.

Now, when you take a person's picture, regardless of whether it's an "in-store" set-up, out on the golf course, or along the street, you give your customer one of your coupon-receipts and tell them their prints will be ready in a couple of days. They fill in the information part of the coupon and give it back to you, retaining your "business card" portion of it.

When the prints are ready, you can phone the customer and remind him - volunteer to deliver and collect; send them through mail with a bill; or make arrangements with a store to take care of them until the people call for them and pay at that time.

Most stores, golf courses, bowling centers, and other retail merchants will be glad to handle this part of it for you, because it brings the customers back into the places of business, and provides another sales opportunity for them.

By all means, be sure to include an advertising circular with each set of pictures you deliver. This circular should explain how the customer can get more
prints, how he can get enlargements of his
favorites, and details relating to all the other photography services you offer.

Back to the original "in-store" picture taking set-up during evening shopping hours and on weekends for extra income. You can call attention to your "in-store" set-up and bring in more business with a few merchandising promotional ideas. In the following paragraphs we give the highlights of a few ideas that have worked well, how evþer, you should keep your eyes open to observe additional promotional ideas that could be adapted to fit your new business.

Dress a helper in a clown suit, and take pictures of the kids on his lap or with his arm around the kids. Put a sandwich
advertising board on a helper and let him stroll through the shopping center
advertising the fact that you're in Kiddie Clothing store taking pictures.

Promote a "Baby of the Year" contest where you take pictures of babies, display the pictures on a "show board" and offer $100 cash plus a merchandise prize in a big drawing at the end of the year.

Set up a booth in the mall and promote "Instant Snapshots." Be a Roving Photographer and take candid shots of shoppers and promote a "Shopper of the Year" contest. Work with a clown and
have him "attach himself" to the kids, and ask if they'd like to have their pictures taken with him. Build an inexpensive and portable set, such as an air plane, a race car, bucking bronco, hand-shaking scene with a famous person or "balloon figures" and take pictures of people standing in
or on these sets.

Get out to the golf course and take pictures of the golfers teeing off. Get over to the bowling centers and take candid shots of the bowlers in action. Do the same thing wherever there's a sports event taking place. Be on the spot and ready whenever there's an opportunity to take team pictures.

You might follow, or hire someone else to follow a Little League team through its season, take candid and action shots. You then arrange the best of these pictures in a photo album with the team's name and year on the front. You should be able to sell one of these albums to each member of the
team.

There's also the idea of "just strolling through the park" on a Sunday afternoon. You take candid and interesting pictures of couples, children and people in general spending time with their relatives.

Keep tabs on the announcements of new births. Send advertising literature to the new mothers, and follow up with phone calls efforts to set up photography sessions.

Keep tabs on the engagement notices in the weekend papers. Send your sales literature to the brides-to-be, and follow up with phone call efforts to take the wedding pictures.

Set up household and business photo inventory service. With this idea, you contact the insurance companies and determine if they will approve and endorse photographs you take of their policy
holders' household, personal and business property in loss claims.

Most will, and from there - working either with the help of an insurance agent, the agency itself, or on your own - contact owners of property and sell them on the idea of your taking pictures of the
household goods they have insured. You take pictures - a pictorial inventory of everything they're claiming or would like to claim on an insurance policy - and then identify the pictures, giving one set to the property owner and the other set to his insurance agent or company.

Picture inventories of household and personal property is still a new thing, but everywhere it's been introduced, it's definitely proven to be a super money-maker for the people willing to get out and
hustle.

If this idea arouses your interest, you might want to check into a online photography service,that specializes
in helping you sell some of your best photography photos online, this offers photographers a quick and easy way to start earning some quick cash.

Once you decide that using your camera to generate extra income is what you're going to do, get out and use your camera, start taking pictures, and allow yourself the opportunity to build. Give yourself the chance, and you'll quickly begin to think of hundreds of ideas for taking pictures, merchandising ideas for promoting your services, and sales angles for increasing your profits.

The important thing is to get started, regardless of how small your start, and begin chasing in on an idea that's still in its infancy. This is an idea that can produce new concepts for profit every day of the week. An idea that can be fun, as well as financially rewarding for you!

You've got the idea and the plan - the rest is up to you. You've got the ball; now run with it!

Author Bio
Lobita Grimes is a photography recruiter. She has expanded her much needed photography services to help freelance and amateur photographers gain more national publicity. Due to the overwhelming competition in the photography world, photographers are able to sell their wonderful works of art, to help finance their photography needs. For more information visit www.sellgraphx.com

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10 Tips For Using Adobe Photoshop

2009-05-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

By: Paul Wilson
Like a brush is to a painter an essential skill in the field of graphic design is Photoshop. The software offers increased productivity as well as flexibility. The features include aspects like file browser, vanishing point tool, smart sharpen filter, noise reduction filter, smart objects, as well as camera workflow enhancements. Photoshop offers professional photo editing features, digital imaging, as well as non destructive editing.

There are so many hidden features and insights to software, that it is often impossible to know them all.

1. There is a hidden option using which you can simulate bold and italic formatting styles for fonts that do not have these options. Click the button on the type tool option to bring up the character palette. Then select text and click the arrow in the upper right hand corner of the palette menu where faux bold and italics are present. However you will not be able to warp type when formatting has been applied.

2. One can quickly flip through blend modes while trying out effects by using the keys "shift+ to change to next mode and shift- to go to the previous mode." When a painting tool is active this shortcut will change the blend mode of the painting tool. However, if anything is highlighted then the shortcut will not work. You will have press esc and then use the shortcut keys again.

3. The photomerge feature can be used to seamlessly combine multiple images to create a panorama. This feature can be accessed from the Automate menu. You can even refine the composition using tools like rotate, zoom, pan, and set vanishing point.

4. When re-sampling images one can use either Bicubic Smoother or Bicubic Sharper. You can use Bicubic smoother for up sampling and Bicubic sharper for down sampling. You can actually specify which interpolation method is to be used by going to general preferences and setting a default.

5. There are two features for printing. You can use contact sheet II or picture package. Use contact sheet when you want all images in the same size and you want to print the name below the image. Use printer package when you want different image sizes on the same page, or multiple copies of the same image, or a text overlay.

6. If you want to remove a glare on the eyeglasses of an image you should use a part of the lens that does not have a glare and use it to layer the lens with a glare. Use tools like rotate and skew and soft-tip eraser to soften the edges. Ensure the glare does not show through from below. Or, do some careful work using the clone tool.

7. The online services enable you to connect to online photo printing and sharing sites.

8. The Web Photo gallery can generate hyperlink pages that can be uploaded to a server.

9. The Picture Package option will help you prepare photos in layout with multiple size prints on one page.

10. You will never forget how you achieved a certain result because the History Log will detail every step taken by you as well as time-tracking, and a legal record. There are three choices wherein, you can create a sessions only record where, it will record only when Photoshop is opened or closed; or a concise record which will record each action including the text that appears in the history palette; or the complete editing history including the text that appears in the actions palette.

Adobe Photoshop is a dream tool for every designer and one can over time master every subtlety of the tool and crop, rotate, resize, create shapes, add layers, change text, and play with colors. It is a hands on software where the more you use it the more you will learn.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for Free Online Games site www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com

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A Brief Look at Digital Indoor Photography

2009-05-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Make no bones about it the digital cameras of today are far more easy to operate than the old school traditional film cameras. This does not mean, however, that these cameras are without their complexities. Additionally, there may be some added complexities associated with indoor digital photography, a type of photography that is often considered more simplistic than exterior shooting. Well, while it is true that exterior shooting can be somewhat complicated its complexities do not exist at the exclusion of complexities associated with interior shoots. While there are a number of tips for improving one’s picture taking, here the two most common impediments to solid picture taking will be examined.

Light and Shadows

Is it a trick of light and shadows? This was the question asked on the old commercial for the infamous Face on Mars videotape. While no one will be shooting photographs of the landscape of the Red Planet from their living room, when one takes part in indoor digital photography there will still be concerns about light and shadows. After all, poor light will kill the quality of photographs greater than anything else. Of course, a solid flash will eliminate any problems with light exposure but it is also striking to note that there is also flashless digital cameras as well that are quite reliable. Either way, paying attention to the light conditions for a camera will always be of paramount importance for indoor digital photography.

The Benefits of a Tripod

Believe it or not, when it comes to digital indoor photography many people do not take into consideration the value of a tripod. Often, people will assume that a tripod is necessary for outdoor shoots due to the commonly uneven ground of an exterior, but the relatively even surface of an interior shoot makes the need for a tripod unnecessary. To put it mildly, such logic really doesn’t add up! There are many reasons why this notion is wildly lacking in logic, but the main reason would be that without a tripod there will be a need to hold your camera steady exclusively by hand. Needless to say, this can be problematic at times and can often ruin a shot. So, if you want to make sure you digital indoor photography is solid then it may be best to stick with a tripod.

Again, while there are a number of areas to take into consideration regarding this type of photography paying attention to light and using a tripod will eliminate 90% of the most common problems associated with snapping pictures. It is as simple as that.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article65922.html

Painting with Photoshop

2009-05-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

Dan Feildman

Photoshop offers many options for both painting and erasing. While Painter is a natural media painting tool, the painting tools in Photoshop are still an essential part of just about anything you do with this program. Not only can you paint in color, you can also make selections, create transparency and much, much more. Some of the more widely used tools in Photoshop such as the pencil, line, paintbrush, airbrush, eraser, paint bucket, and gradient tools, functions, and their differences.

You can't paint without a brush. Photoshop 5, finds brushes in a floating palette, while Photoshop 6, the brushes palette are attached to the option bar as a drop-down menu. Many brushes are available from the standard to additional ones from the Photoshop CD. The shape, hardness, and spacing of the round brushes can be tailored, and you can also create your own custom brushes from any option that allow you to adjust sizing.The brushes palette menu allows you to reset, save and load brushes. What are some basic brush palette functions? Photoshop 5: If you want to make a new brush without changing an existing brush, choose New Brush from the palette flyout menu. Double clicking on a brush permits you to modify the diameter, hardness, spacing, angle, and roundness while it changes that brush in your brushes palette. To rotate through the brushes in the palette while painting, use the bracket keys [ and ] to cycle through the brushes in your palette. Holding the shift key down while pressing the bracket keys will take you to the first or last brush in the palette. Photoshop 6: When you make adjustments to a brush you can click the preset button to add it to the brushes palette. You can also choose New Brush from the palette flyout menu to make a new custom brush. Clicking on the brush preview in the options bar allows you to change the diameter, hardness, spacing, angle, and roundness. To adjust the brush size on-the-fly while painting, use the bracket keys [ and ]. Holding the shift key down while pressing the bracket keys will adjust the hardness of the brush. Try out the brush options and experiment with them for feel. You can return to the default brushes at any time by choosing reset brushes from the brush palette menu.

Now let's add that color. The most frequently used tools are the paintbrush and the airbrush. Paintbrush is most likely the tool you will be using for most projects. The shortcut key is B. The Paintbrush tool applies color to your project much in the way a conventional paintbrush would paint on paper or canvas. Other options in paintbrush include wet edges that applies paint more in the manner of watercolor paint or markers, a fade option in the options palette that can fade the opacity only in Photoshop 5.x, but can also fade the size and color of brush strokes in version 6 and a paintbrush options palette (Version 5.x) and brush dynamic menu (Version 6.0) are where you would go to make changes to the way Photoshop reacts to stylus pressure if you do not have a pressure sensitive tablet (if you do, you'll want to use your tablet's pressure sensitivity to achieve fading). The airbrush tool works more like a traditional airbrush or spray paint. Its shortcut key is J. The airbrush puts paint on a bit lighter than the paintbrush tool, but when you hold your mouse button down without moving the cursor, the paint builds up just like it would if you were to hold the nozzle down on a can of spray paint. Instead of adjusting the opacity for the airbrush tool, you set the pressure. The higher the pressure is set, the thicker your paint will go on. The airbrush is particularly useful for painting delicate shading and highlights.

There are tools offered more intended for drawing. The pencil tool allows you to apply paint color that always has a hard edge (like drawing in color). The shortcut key for the pencil tool is N in Photoshop 5.x. In Photoshop 6, the tool is shared with the Paintbrush and the shortcut key is B. Shift B toggles between the Paintbrush and Pencil tool. The line tool is used to create straight lines and arrows. In Photoshop 5, the line tool short cut is N and the toolbox location is shared with the Pencil tool. The line width and arrowhead locations can be adjusted through the options palette in Photoshop 5.x. In Photoshop 6, the line tool is shared with the Shapes tool. In the options bar, you can decide whether to create the line as a shape layer, a path, or a filled region.

You can "cheat" and fill areas with color at a time. The Paint Bucket is the simplest of these painting tools, used to fill areas with solid color or patterns and works by filling with color based on color likeness chosen by the tolerance setting. The paint bucket has a blending mode menu and opacity control, just like the layers palette, allowing you to change the way the paint blends with the pixels you are painting on the same layer. The Gradient tool allows you to apply graduated color fills that blend from one color to another. Gradients are not just limited to two-colors. You can create custom gradients using several colors and changeable levels of transparency for unlimited effects. The Gradient tool shortcut is G. In Photoshop 5.x, Shift G toggles the five types of gradient fill types. In Photoshop 6, the gradient fill type is selected from the option bar and Shift G toggles between the gradient and paint bucket tools. There are five types of gradients: Linear, Radial, Angle, Reflected, and Diamond. The transparency checkbox enables gradients with transparency; otherwise the transparent areas are filled with the neighboring color. Reverse flips the order of colors in the gradient. You can also use patterns as paint and fills in Photoshop. In version 5, you need to define a pattern every time you want to use a different one. Defining a pattern is simple, just make a choice and choose Edit > Define Pattern. Anytime a pattern is defined, the tools and commands that required a pattern fill will show that option. When you want to use a different pattern, just select it and choose the define pattern command again. In Photoshop 6, pattern fills are selected from a menu of patterns in the options bar. To add a new patterns you just open the image and choose Edit > Define Pattern. Patterns can be used as fills with the paint bucket and the Edit > Fill command. You can also paint with patterns using the Pattern Stamp tool. This tool shares the toolbox location with the rubber stamp tool. The pattern stamp works like a paintbrush, but instead of solid color paint, it paints with the presently chosen pattern. The aligned check box causes your pattern to line up even if you stop one brushstroke and start a new one. When aligned is unchecked, the starting point of the pattern is reset each time you make a new stroke.

Of course we make mistakes, so let's know how to fix them. The eraser tool shortcut is E. The standard eraser tool has four painting modes to choose from: paintbrush, airbrush, pencil, and block. The eraser tool paints in transparency, unless your layer is a background, in which case, the eraser tool paints with the current background color. The eraser tool options are basically the same as the painting tools, with the addition of one new option: Erase to history. When you erase to history, it works just like the history brush. The Magic Eraser works just like the magic wand, but instead of making a selection, it immediately converts the pixels to transparent. The areas to be erased are controlled by adjusting the tolerance and contiguous options. Clicking once erases all the pixels that fall within the tolerance range. If the magic eraser is used on a background layer, the background is involuntarily promoted to a layer. This tool is best for when you have a background that is mostly one color. One click with the magic eraser and the background is gone. The background eraser also erases to transparency, but instead of using only the tolerance range, it continuously samples the background colors in your document as you erase. It's useful for backgrounds that have a range of colors in the background, but where the background colors are still different from the foreground object you want to isolate. It works best with a moderately large brush. The most important thing to remember with this tool is to be careful to keep the crosshairs away from the object you want to keep. When using this tool, you may notice some bits of the foreground object becoming slightly transparent along the edges. You needn't be terribly concerned with this, because you can always paint those bits back in using the Erase to History option or the History Brush.

There are a few tricks of the trade in Photoshop. Photoshop is programmed to show the painting cursors at the actual brush size. This setting can be changed through your Preferences (under the Edit menu in Photoshop 6; the File menu in Photoshop 5 and earlier.) In most cases you'll want to leave it set to brush size. You can switch to cursors without going through the preferences dialog by locking the caps lock key. Anytime you have a painting tool active, you can press the Alt/Option key to temporarily switch to the Eyedropper and pick up a new foreground color from anywhere in the document. You can alter the pressure of the airbrush tool or the opacity of the other painting tools by pressing the numeric keys on your keyboard instead of going to options. While a painting tool is active you can cycle through the blend modes using Shift -(minus) and Shift (plus). These shortcut keys also rotate through the layer blend modes when non-painting tools are active All the painting tools have the capacity to be faded using the Fade command. In Photoshop 5.x, this command is under the Filter menu. In Photoshop 6.x, it was moved to the Edit menu. After using any paint stroke, fill, or filter, you can select this command to fade it back so it blends with the original pixels. You can also use it to apply a blend mode if you forgot to set the blend mode before applying paint. Now with a little practice, you'll be an expert in no time.

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Expanding Your Photography Skills with Online Photography Courses

2009-05-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

Whether you are a brand new photographer, an old hand looking to switch to digital photography, or just need to brush up on some photography techniques, online photography courses are extremely helpful.

Online photography courses come in a variety of formats and subjects. There are beginning courses for people who have never so much as held a camera before. These courses are great for teaching you the basics of how a camera works, how to frame a shot, and how to get what you want out of a photograph.

Other online photography courses assume that you already have some knowledge of photography and teach a specific skill. These skills vary greatly, and could include black and white composition, landscape composition, or portrait basics. These online photography courses could be beneficial for photographers of nearly any skill level, since these techniques are used by a wide variety of photographers.

When you are comfortable with the basic techniques, you can move on to online photography courses in specialized subjects that interest you, such as nature photography or underwater photography. These courses will help you to develop a natural eye for spectacular photographs in the specialty of your choice.

How Do Online Photography Courses Work?

Participating in online photography courses may be easier than you think. You can either take courses through an online college, or you can go through a company that specializes in online photography courses. The latter choice is great for hobbyists who don’t want to obtain a degree, or for professionals who don’t need to go through basic classes and just want to skip ahead to the courses they do need.

Your online photography courses may be completed through the website holding the course, or you may be sent some files that will detail the techniques being taught. Some courses involve an instructor with whom you can communicate; you send your assignments to the instructor to be evaluated and you receive feedback for each one. Other courses are strictly one-sided; that is, the information is provided to you and you complete the steps at your own pace.

The type of online photography course that you take is entirely up to you. If you work better in a self-paced environment, you may not thrive in an instructor-led course. But if you have trouble understanding things after just reading through them, having an instructor might be helpful so that you can ask questions whenever you are unclear.

Online photography courses can provide you with valuable skills. Whether you are just starting out or trying to expand on your already-sharp skills, there are online photography courses out there for everyone.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article68688.html

Learning The Basics With Digital Photography Tutorial

2009-05-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

Most of the latest cameras come with a digital photography tutorial that literally takes you by the hand and teaches you all that you need to know about taking photographs with the digital camera you just bought. For best results use those lessons of the digital photography tutorial that matches with your level of knowledge; you would find three types of tutorials ? basic, advanced and expert.

What Are The Major Highlights That A Digital Photography Tutorial Gives You

The first thing that you would learn from the digital photography tutorial is how to handle the camera. You will find that the most complex digital camera would require no more than ten minutes to master its use. This is because in a digital camera everything is computerized and all you need to learn is to how to give it your command.

The next thing that the tutorial would teach you is how to take a picture in different circumstances, i.e. in full sun, on a cloudy day, when the sun is in front of you and when it is behind you, when the lighting is very poor or very bright and so on. Though generally the lighting conditions are taken care of by the camera automatically, the tutorial would explain to you the different aspects so you would understand its function better and be able to use it manually when shooting special subjects.

Next comes the shutter speed, aperture and exposure which normally would be set manually in a regular camera; with a digital camera your work is very much simplified as its inbuilt sensors are meant to understand the conditions and type of subject (whether moving or still) you are shooting and give you the best possible combinations for shooting your target. The digital photography tutorial would once again explain how the camera functions and why you do not need to worry about these aspects as you would have had to do if you used a regular camera.

Lastly, the digital photography tutorial would take you through the use of the photography software with which you could edit and further perfect the pictures you shot. Most of the software in question would allow a vast range of manipulations to the photographs you download would open for you a new world of creativity.

As you finish the tutorial, immediately apply what you learned and practice the maneuvers until you are fully conversant and comfortable with the procedures taught. In case you have started with the basic, remember you would still have two more levels to cover. With each level you cross you would be able to understand and use your digital camera better and get some exceptional results with the photographs you shoot.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article65945.html

The Basics of Photoshop

2009-05-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

David Peters

My nephew made the leap and finally bought Photoshop. He had been saving up for a while now, and believed it would make his life a lot easier. He saw a future where he would make top quality images by merely thinking about it. Just close your eyes hard enough and 'poof', it was done. Then he sat down to use Photoshop, and realised he had no idea what to do!

Just as with any piece of software or tool, you will need to explore what exactly is at your finger tips. We sometimes call this "playing" ... so my advice is to play with your Photoshop extensively. Check out the 'preferences' in Photoshop. Your goal is to increase the performance of your Photoshop. So open up your "Preferences" window. The color picker chooses the algorithm that will be used. Most users will choose between Windows and Adobe. The 'Image Interpolation' is used to decide which algorithm Photoshop will use when resizing an image. The 'Bicubic Interpolation' is generally a good choice for most people.

The color algorithm that the program uses is decided by the color picker. Most user selct Adobe or Windows. The algorithm for resizing an image is choosen by the 'Image Interpolation'. Again, most people will use the 'Bicubic Interpolation'.

Next you will notice the "History Log". This allows you to save all the steps you used in the creation of an image. Here you have some choices ... you can either record the start time and date of every editing session with the "Sessions Only" selection. The "Concise" selection records details on every editing session on the file. The other option is the "Detailed", which records the same information as in the 'Concise' selection ... plus information such as the path of the file and an account of every edit made to the file.

These brief examples can point you in the right direction, but the best way to learn about Photoshop is to experiment and try things out for yourself. Play around with all Photoshop's features and discover great new ways to alter your image. To learn in more detail you can read about Photoshop or take an online video tutorial which will show you the step-by-step process for achieving a specific effect. If you keep at it, you'll be making those top quality pictures in no time!

About the Author:

Did you enjoy this article? Curious about learning photoshop fast? Well now you can by reading this free Guide...what are you waiting for?

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article77825.html

Could You Benefit From A Digital Photography Tutorial?

2009-05-02T01:59:00.000-07:00

Many people enjoy taking photos as a hobby, but we can always learn something new from the photos we take. Luckily if you have access to the Internet you will soon find that there are plenty of websites that include a digital photography tutorial section on them for you to browse through.

What Exactly Is A Digital Photography Tutorial?

A digital photography tutorial is basically a lesson in how to do something better when taking photographs, usually of a certain type. For example, you might see a digital photography tutorial that is all about which viewpoint to take when shooting your photos. Another one might be about taking photos of people as opposed to still life objects.

As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to reading through a digital photography tutorial, not least of which you can select the one which would appeal to you the most, and would be most useful to you at this specific moment in time. As and when you start to learn more about taking photos, and there are different areas and techniques that you want to learn about, so you can look up another digital photography tutorial to help you with the next area you want advice on.

Look Out For Professional Photographers’ Websites

This is definitely worth doing because not only do their sites promote their work, they also very often include advice and techniques for new photographers to make use of. If there is a particular digital photography tutorial that you want to find, you should perform a search on Google or Yahoo for that particular search term, so that you can find exactly what you want as easily as possible. When you find a good site or a particular photographer that you like and whose advice appeals to you, make sure you bookmark the website so that you can return to it whenever you want to read a digital photography tutorial on a brand new subject.

As you can see, this can be a great way of learning new things and expanding what you can do with your camera. The next time you go on vacation you might find everything you have learned will result in far better pictures to bring home and show everyone else. You will also get more enjoyment out of your camera with every new digital photography tutorial you take, since you are learning more about how to use it to your best advantage.
So go on, get snapping!
Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article75744.html

Follow These Tips When Buying A Digital Slr Camera

2009-05-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

Jayda Kaycee

Many of the features that are available on a digital SLR camera are amazing, but it can be overwhelming if you don't understand the technical details that are written about in the reviews. It can be very confusing to determine what the specifications mean and which camera you should choose. But don't worry, if you take some time to learn what you should be looking for you will quickly know what you want.

Many people ask: What does megapixel mean? What exactly is a digital SLR camera? Why should I choose an SLR camera over a basic digital camera? How do the different digital SLR models compare?

Understanding the definition is important as you start on this exciting journey. Megapixel refers to the resolution of a given camera, it specifies how many pixels are in a given space. If you select a camera with higher megapixels, your photographs will be a higher quality and the image will be sharp and clear.

As you select how many megapixels you need, think about what the camera will be used for so that you don't overdo the pixel count. You pictures may look unnatural if you are using a camera with excess pixels, you do not need too many pixels if you will not be enlarging the photos. Find a good balance of pixels within your price range, and the read digital SLR camera reviews and select the model that fits your needs.

"SLR" is the abbreviation for "single lens reflex," a SLR camera has a small mirror located between the camera film and lens. This mirror projects the image to a focusing screen through the lens. This technology is found in all of today's high-end digital cameras which creates more control and image focusing for the photographer.

What is the difference between a digital SLR camera and a basic digital camera? The digital SLR cameras offer features that cannot be found on more basic cameras, including: ISO settings, higher megapixels, the ability to change camera lenses, and many more.

Now that you can see the advantages of purchasing a digital SLR camera, how do you decide on which model you should choose? Decide which features you would like to have on your new camera, then read reviews and compare camera models that include the features you are looking for. If you follow these easy guidelines you will soon have your dream camera in your hands!

About the Author: Jayda Kaycee is an expert in finding the ideal http://discountdigitalslr.com/index.html digital SLR photography equipment. Find the best digital SLR discounts online and get digital camera reviews at http://discountdigitalslr.com/index.html www.discountdigitalslr.com..

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article67000.html

A Few Simple Digital Photography Techniques To Make Digital Photography A Real Breeze

2009-04-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Today, it would be very unusual to find too many people that are still clicking away on the traditional film-based cameras, for now-a-days, both professionals as well as amateurs know of only one way to shoot pictures and that is the digital photographic way. Thus, it would pay for you to know of the best digital photography techniques in order to get the best out of your digital camera, and because it is now free to shoot pictures, you can view whatever you have shot on the LCD screen on your camera and not have to wait for the film to be developed or worry about paying development costs either.
Take Several Shots

Thus, the simplest of all digital photography techniques is to take several pictures that will help ensure that you get at least one shot that is exactly as you wanted. You can also use simple digital photography techniques by varying the settings on your digital camera to allow for various effects and thus create more artistic pictures by simply changing the ISO and shutter speed as well aperture. In fact, there are a number of digital cameras that have pre-configured settings for you to select and then are able to shoot the picture with even more precise settings.

This is a very simple digital photography technique that can be used even for taking shots that the settings were not intended for, which will nevertheless still provide you with very unique outcomes.

The one thing that some users of digital cameras complain about the most is the relatively long time it takes to focus on a subject as compared to the amount of time that traditional film cameras take. The worst thing is that in case your focus gets delayed, you can even miss taking a shot, though now there are the new digital photography techniques that can be used to overcome this problem in which all you need to do is to point at the subject and press the focus knob half way down and then simply wait till the focus locks onto the subject. As soon as you want to shoot the subject, you push the button completely and your camera will do the rest for you.

Another very useful digital photography technique is using an optical viewfinder that may not be a feature that is found in all digital cameras, but is still very useful when the LCD view is not too clear because of conditions such as when the day is especially bright and sunny. However, in case you don’t have an optical viewfinder on your digital camera, you can still use the tried and tested digital photography technique and that is to take several shots till you get one that is just right.

Digital photography has many such innovative digital photography techniques that you can use that makes this new form of photography a real pleasure and which provides endless fun to all manner of photographers ? from a newbie to the most professional photographer.

Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article65941.html

Widescreen wallpapers

2009-04-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

Click to get 1920 x 1000 widescreen