Kubota Image Tools Blog

Early Bird Pricing for the Lighting & Workflow Bootcamp!

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:51:00 -0800

The ever-popular Bootcamp for Digital Photographers is BACK! But this time, Kevin has changed the content to include more lighting scenarios for your learning pleasure, plus you'll still get all of his great workflow training!

Our early bird pricing is available through February 15, but hurry, that's little more than a week away! Hit up our store for registration!

Early Bird Pricing through February 15: $3,000
Standard Registration after February 15: $3,250
Make a deposit and save your space! $850

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Holiday Office Closure

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:00 -0800

Hello friends of Kubota Image Tools! We hope you are well on your way to an enjoyable holiday as this year comes to an end.

Please take note that our office will be closing at 4PM on Friday, December 23, and will remain closed through January 2, 2012 so the staff can enjoy some much deserved time off with their families.

If you face difficulties while our staff is out, please be sure and read our very detailed Frequently Asked Questions and browse through our plethora of Tutorials and Webinars to see if there is a solution. We'll be returning emails and voicemails upon our arrival back in the office on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Warm wishes to you and yours. May your New Year begin brimming with excitement and inspiration!

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Kicking Off WPPI Las Vegas With A Bang!

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:32:00 -0800

Kubota Image Tools and WPPI are teaming up to give you the third annual Photographers Ignite! Photographers Ignite is this year's opening program at WPPI Las Vegas. We're currently accepting submissions for Ignite presentations. Do you have a stellar idea that you think would inspire, educate, motivate or create some contagious laughter? Grab an iPhone, webcam, or snazzy DSLR, put your face in the camera and blow our minds with your ideas!

Submissions are due by January 15, 2012, and those chosen to speak will be notified by the end of January. Want to generate some creative buzz? Check out the blog or some presentations from past events!

What is Photographers Ignite, exactly?
Ignite is a style of presentation where particiapnts express their passion for photography with five minutes to speak on a related subject accompanied by twenty slides. It's like a really cool version of a pep rally, sure to excite your brain cells with innovative ideas and creativity for the coming year.

Even if you don't want to present, join us!

Sunday, February 19, 2012
Doors Open: 7:30PM
Event Begins: 8:00PM
After Party: 9:30PM
Central Ballroom, MGM Grand

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Meet Dixie Dixon

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:55:00 -0800

When I first met Dixie she had just given a presentation entitled, "Get Lit" at the WPPI Road Trip in Austin, TX. I was expecting a professional wedding photographer to stand up and talk about posing, but when I saw Dixie's images I knew she was not a wedding photographer. Her passion is high fashion and her images are undoubtedly attention-grabbing, which is why she has clients like Kodak, Living Magazine, HDNet TV, MAV TV, Florsheim Shoes, ProFoods, Meregrass Jets, Garland Drake Int'l, and Darian Thomas, just to name a few. Dixie graduated from Texas Christian University in 2007 with a major in Business and opened her own studio, Dixie Dixon Photography, in 2008. Dixie currently resides in Dallas, TX, which means a lot of traveling to California and NYC, but she says Dallas keeps her grounded and it's near her family.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dixiedixonphotography
Twitter: @iamdixiedixon

Websites:
http://www.dixiedixon.com/
http://dixiedixon.tumblr.com/
www.camera-crush.com

Awards:
2006 FujiFilm Contest Winner
2007 Hy Sheanin Int'l Emerging Photographer of the Year
2009 Accolade of Excellence in WPPI 8x10 Print Competition

What is a day in the life of a fashion photographer like? How is it different from portrait photographer?
As with any type of photography, a day in the life of a fashion photographer is an insane amount of work! Though if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life! Honestly, most of my days consist of some of the following: dreaming up ideas, planning out shoots, pre-production work such as casting, researching and scouting locations, portfolio/website updates, designing promos, cold-calling, networking events, blogging, paperwork/bill pay, traveling, and last but not least, SHOOTING! My hours are all over the place, but I find that I am most creative in the evening after about 10pm, so I tend to work later hours.

Which Kubota Action could you not live without, and how do they help your workflow?
Kevin's actions have completely ROCKED my workflow! Basically, they allow me to transform my raw images into magazine-ready work in a much shorter time period. That way I can spend more time shooting and less time editing! "Sepia Deep Black 3" is definitely one my faves, but it's really hard to choose just one!

Tell us about your Camera Crush business.
The business nerd in me is always looking for ways to supplement my photography career with passive income. Camera-crush.com is about merging two of my favorite things- Fashion and Photography! This project is in the very beginning stages so I'm working on a bunch more products to come besides just the camera necklace. We'll see where it goes.

You spend a lot of time traveling, what do you do in your down time?
The past few months have been crazy! I've been working in Toronto, Miami, Costa Rica, Ibiza, Barcelona, and LA, but when I do have some downtime, you'll find me hanging out with friends, drinking wine, or catching some sun. Honestly, I feel really lucky to be able to travel, it's definitely one of the perks of being a photographer.

What is one goal you have set for yourself this year?
To find more balance in my life. The past 3.5 years I have literally been married to photography. I love it and it is definitely my passion, but you have to make time for what is most important, or life will pass you by!

Business-wise, I am currently working with a consultant on a marketing plan that will roll out Jan 2012...I'm really excited about this!

What is your favorite charity and why?
I've shot for and been involved in quite a few different charities, but eventually I'd love to be involved in or start a charity that helps encourage kiddos to dream BIG and supports creative endeavors such as music, painting, photography, fashion, etc. In my opinion, art is just as important as math, science, or English because we all are creative in one way or another, most just need the opportunity to use it and exercise it. I love this quote, which comes from Pablo Picasso, "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Edited with Sepia Deep Black 3 - Artistic Tools V1

Edited with Bronzed God 3 - Artistic Tools V3 + Grain 1 Slight - Artistic Tools V1

Edited with KevX Process Combo - Artistic Tools V1 (Opacity 50% to bring out bright colors) + Daily Multi Vitamin - Artistic Tools V2

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Cyber Monday SALE is Back!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:56:00 -0800

Purchase any qualifying Photoshop® product in our store on November 28th and receive $50 off EACH product immediately! The best part? On November 29th, for every order containing these Photoshop products, we'll send you $50 in Kubota Bucks to spend on another purchase in the future!

If you're feeling stocked up once your purchases have been made, why not gift your $50 KubotaBucks to a friend? After all, they could use some sweet, time-saving tools during this busy season, too!

For all the details, click HERE.

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It's Hot off the Press!

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:25:00 -0700

Have you heard the news? Better yet, have you ordered your copy? Kevin's Lighting Notebook is out!

You can read some sweet reviews, check out all the info, and buy your own copy today. If you purchase before October 4 from our store, you'll get some freebies, too! Not only will Kevin autograph your book, but you'll get a FREE set of Lightroom Presets Kevin compiled as a thank you, AND we're giving you $25 Kubota Bucks to use on a future purchase. Yes, feel free to insert cheers of jubilee right here.

Don't forget to post a review, if you would be so kind! And did the Lighting Notebook inspire you to create some stellar new work? Show us on our Facebook page!

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Before and After: Gimme Some Glam

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:30:00 -0700

We all know what's beginning to happen up in the Northern Hemisphere: no, not just fall, fall fashion. HELLO, there are gorgeous boots, sweaters, and accessories showing up in stores everywhere! Can I get an AMEN?! The new fashion trends rolling out always seem to get my toes tingling...or maybe it's my fingers tingling as they reach for my wallet... Either way, I'm itching to see some serious glam.

I saw that this image had some great potential and could be seriously transformed into something extra captivating if I gave it just the right look. I wanted the final image to match the sultry expression on the model's face. In order to do this, I needed to use an effect with a bit more contrast and color, so I combined one of our fabulous cross-processed looks with a texture to give it some depth. This is what I came up with:

Here's the recipe used to enhance this image:

Skin Powder Genie (Artistic Tools V3)
Doll Face (Artistic Tools V3)
TenSixties (Viva la Vintage)
2010 60's layer @ 80%
Kapchorwa (Texture Tools - Industrial)
Remove Texture Color @ 40%
Vignette 2 Interactive (Artistic Tools V4) @ 80%
Shadow Killer Brush (Production Tools V2)

How many of you out there include fashion photography in your repertoire? What's your style of processing?

Cheers from the Image Diva,
Eryn

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Shooting and Editing HDR: Kevin on Post Pro

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:42:00 -0700

Cheers to another week of great learning tips from Kevin Kubota on the [FRAMED] Post Pro segment. This week he's got some tricks to help you in the process of creating beautiful HDR (High Dynamic Range) images.

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reDefine with Kevin Kubota

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:00:00 -0700

After the last SNAPshot here on the Kubota Image Tools Blog, we're pretty sure you're now excitedly following what Tamra Lackey is up to in all of her adventures. Recently she ran into Kevin at Skip's Summer School in Vegas and snagged an interview with him. Catch the latest and greatest in this episode of reDefine:

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Find Your Flair with Kevin Kubota & Doug Gordon

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:29:00 -0700

My friends, you'd be wise to click The Wonderful Link below for very exciting news about your plans for October!

When you click The Wonderful Link, you'll find out plenty of information on how to get into the club of Kevin Kubota and Doug Gordon's stellar workshop this October 24 & 25 in Lindenhurst, NY.

The workshop will kick off on the 24th with a night shoot alongside Kevin and Doug where you'll get to watch, shoot, and learn side-by-side with them. You'll pick up on their professional knowledge of posing, style, and lighting techniques throughout the course of this two-day workshop.

As a thank you, Kevin will also be giving each attendee a FREE copy of his soon-to-be released book, Kevin Kubota’s Lighting Notebook: 101 Lighting Styles and Setups for Digital Photographers™! How nice of him, right?

The Wonderful Link. (Click it.)

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September's Prudent Purchase: Need to Beef Up for Your Families?

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:43:00 -0700

Kids are heading back to school, procrastinators are rushing off to their default vacation destinations, the thermometer is beginning to dip (and stay dipped), and the holidays are within reach. It must be September.

Anyone else just get shivers down their spine?

Ahhh... the holidays. They can be such a loving time of year, right? Love during the holiday season is most often shared and embraced with family. And we all choose to record and document that love year after year with horrendous sweaters. Oh, and photographs... of course.

This can make the next couple months very lucrative for photographers who specialize in Family Portrait Photography. (You down with FPP?) Whether it's for a holiday newsletter, an annual update to the wall above the mantle, or under another threat of abandonment from Grandma Lucy, family portraits are a very sacred tradition to many families and the demand for pro-level photography can be dramatically high.

To cash in on that demand and remain competitive, every photographer ends up frantically searching for something that will give them an extra edge--a performance-enhancing... something. They seek the means for producing the most artistically stunning pictures while turning around their photographs more quickly than their competition. That, and a new lens. (Come on, doesn't that end up on our wish list every holiday?) Right now you're probably thinking, "So, I suppose you have the solution I seek and you're going to now entice me with said solution at a special discounted price."

WHOA! I could NOT have said that better myself! See, we're closer than you realize. We're practically FAMILY!

We don't make lenses, but we hope you're familiar with our Kubota Actions and our critically acclaimed Kubota Action DASHBOARD which, when working in unison, provide THE FASTEST and MOST INTUITIVE way to enhance your images in Photoshop. We currently have six unique Paks of Kubota Actions, which you'll see listed below. Each Pak is assembled to provide a focused, yet well-rounded, collection of approximately 50 Kubota Actions powered by the Action DASHBOARD. We also offer Super Savings Paks made up of various bundles of our Action Paks aimed at saving you money.

Well, we have an ANNOUNCEMENT for you and a SPECIAL OFFER... Kubota Image Tools has a NEW Super Savings Pak called the Kubota Action DASHBOARD Three Pak. You will select ANY COMBINATION of your THREE MOST DESIRED KUBOTA ACTION PAKS and SAVE 25% ($138!) when compared to purchasing three Action Paks a la carte. AND... for the entire month of September, when you purchase this new Kubota Action DASHBOARD Three Pak, we'll throw in a FREE PRO VERSION DASHBOARD UPGRADE which bumps the savings to over 30%! This is your chance to round out your collection of Kubota Actions in a la carte fashion but at bundled savings!

ONE MORE THING:

As usual, new customers installing the Kubota Action DASHBOARD for the first time will have FULL FREE ACCESS to every one of our over 300 Kubota Actions during a 30-day trial. For September only, anyone who has already expired their 30-day trial will regain FULL FREE ACCESS to every Kubota Action through September 30 when they purchase the Kubota Action DASHBOARD Three Pak. Write that down... the sooner you purchase your Three Pak, the longer you will access FREE KUBOTA ACTIONS!

Build up your arsenal in September so there will be no scrambling during the Family Portrait months to outshine your competition. As always, if you have any questions or would like to receive custom recommendations for which Kubota Action Paks are best for you, please call our friendly and knowledgeable Customer Care staff. To start you off, I've provided descriptions below for each of the six Kubota Action Paks, each linking to Before & After galleries and many more details about our Image Enhancing Tools. When you've decided upon your customized Three Pak, visit our Kubota Action DASHBOARD Three Pak store page to place your order and enjoy the savings!

Good luck to you and all those loving families braving the portrait experience!
Craig
Buzz Guy

Kubota Artistic Tools VI
"Classic Film Effects Pak"
B&W Photoshop Actions, organic film grain, cross-processing, sepia and monochrome toning, and more.

Kubota Artistic Tools V2
"Modern Chic Pak"
Enrich skin tones, add romantic glow, color enhancement, contrast and ethereal effects. Includes the famous Lord of the Rings series.

Kubota Artistic Tools V3
“High Fashion-Edgy Pak”
Eye-color enhancer and skin retouching tools. Glowing and deeply romantic B&W and color styles, perfect for portraits and fashion.

Kubota Artistic Tools V4
“Cutting Edge Pak”
Interactive B&W converters for perfect tonal blend and richness. Cinematic 3-D effects with Enter the Dragon and 300-esque.

Kubota Production Tools
“Get it Done Pak”
Spend more time creating images, and less time getting them ready. Includes the famous KPD Magic Sharp!

Kubota Viva La Vintage + Pow Wow! Combo Pak
"Flashback Pak" & "High Fidelity Pak"
25 time-warping enhancements to heighten your mind and bring you to the edge PLUS 26 popping-fresh enhancements including Black & White, Color, and Creative Effects.

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eCONTEST: This is Going to be Awkward...

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:41:00 -0700

We all have awkward family photos--whether it's a photo you captured or one captured of your family--where all of a sudden Jake the Labrador has his tongue planted on the side of Aunt Edna's face, and Aunt Edna's face is priceless. Family photos all start out with the best of intentions: positioning everyone, finding silly phrases to make smiles genuine, and finally click...until you see the photo on your viewfinder and realize SOMETHING went awry...

And that's what we're looking for! Send in your most awkward family photo to win what we are affectionately calling the "Family Pak." This is our NEW Kubota Action DASHBOARD Three Pak!

Simply visit our Facebook page, click the Contest tab, and post your awkward or funny family photo by Midnight PST on Monday September 26th and we will announce the proud winner of the "Family Pak" on Wednesday September 28th! Please make us crack ribs laughing--don't be shy--and best of luck to you!

Please note: Enhancing your submitted photo with Kubota Actions is not required to enter, but we'd sure love it if you did! If you do, please let us in on your secrets by putting your formula in the photo's description. If you haven't yet tried our Kubota Actions, this is a great time to start! Download a FREE 30-day trial of our fully loaded Kubota Action DASHBOARD!

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Pre-Order Your Copy of Kevin's NEW Book Today!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:32:00 -0700

Kevin asked me to tell you... ahhhhhhh-cheeeeeewwww... sorry, I sneezed... tell you all about his soon-to-be-released book, Kevin Kubota's Lighting Notebook: 101 Lighting Styles and Setups for Digital Photographers™. Kevin's also including some FREE Lightroom® Presets with the book when you pre-order (do that below). Not that you'll need any incentives to buy his book. It's going to freakin' blow... ahhhhhhh-cheeeeeewwww... sorry, again... blow you away.

I apologize for my health. I've been obsessively trying out all 101 of Kevin's lighting scenarios from an advance draft so I could become a better photographer. I just tried setup # 78 and come to find I'm highly allergic to angel wings... you'll see what I mean.

So, per Kevin, pre-order your Lighting Notebook... ahhhhhhh-... Lighting Notebook now to receive the free Lightroom Presets he is putting together for you just for this occasion. It's about time we all light up... CHEEEEEEWWWW...! light up our book shelves with more of the inspirational wisdom only Kevin can provide.

Click here to learn more!

Excuse me.

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Meet Photography Dynamo and Classy Superstar, Tamara Lackey!

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:39:00 -0700

Websites:
tamaralackey.com
redefineshow.com
capturinglifebetter.com

Facebook:
facebook.com/TamaraLackeyPhotography

Twitter:
@TamaraLackey

For our August SNAPshot we offer you a real-life Wonder Woman. Tamara Lackey is no stranger to Kubota Image Tools and really ought never be a stranger to you. Simply put, she is a photography dynamo and a classy superstar.

If you're unfamiliar with Tamara and her multitude of photography-related ventures, please brighten your day by visiting any of her web links above. You'll read about her unique approaches photographing children, the inspiring stories she shares via her web series, her broad range of praised educational resources for both consumer and professional photographers, and her widespread speaking engagements and featured publications. It's easy to gather a sense for Tamara's intelligence, talent, and charisma.

One of our earliest encounters with Tamara was her visit to our studio in Bend, Oregon, to create her Artist Series Style Book. She was so very friendly, easy to talk to and radiated so much positive energy. Her approaches to editing her images with our very own products really turned heads among our staff who marveled at her creativity. Kevin was beaming with enthusiasm in anticipation of sharing the way Tamara was using our Kubota Actions with our DASHBOARD. By the end of her visit, we'd grown accustomed to dimming the lights because her energy lit up any room she occupied. ;)

Not long after that, Tamara returned to our studio, virtually, as a special guest webinar host to talk about her Artist Series Style Book and share some examples of how she uses and manipulates Kubota Actions to help reveal the style she envisions for her images. When our entire office building lost its connection to the internet and to the webinar, Tamara continued forward with the broadcast through to its end. Yeah, she's cool under pressure, too.

I remember presenting an in-booth demonstration at WPPI this year and, properly charged with coffee, feeling pretty confident about my delivery. A few spontaneous jokes tickled the spectators and I had them eating out of my hand. I continued working with one of my favorite Actions and quickly the crowd began growing and I'm thinking I'm on fire. Before my demonstration was complete every inch of the floor around our booth was packed with smiling photographers. I received an ample round of applause and I'm thinking I might just need to get my own booth next year. I looked behind me wondering if my teammates were seeing any of this and, standing there, readying herself for her scheduled presentation at our booth, was none other than Tamara Lackey. I turned my head slowly back to the concert-sized crowd and said, in my head, "Ohh."

Yes, Tamara has a very large and loyal following, and it is not difficult to see why. Allow me to turn this SNAPshot over to Tamara while you read through our Q&A interview, and I'll exit with an uproarious "CHEERS!" to our admired friend, Tamara Lackey.

Before you decided you wanted to be a photographer (or, realized you ARE one!), what did you want to be when you grow up?

Before I decided to become a photographer (it was a decision - a great deal of effort, education and practice went into making that a reality!) I thought I'd love to be either a writer, teacher or professional conversationalist. Bizarrely, I'm doing all of these things for "work."

What's the biggest challenge over the years you've encountered as a professional photographer and how have you faced the challenge?

Probably the biggest challenge I've faced over the years is to constantly manage the significant amount of tasks involved with being a photographer, running a business, constantly learning more about photography, and overseeing an associate-based studio. I find that it is an absolute requirement that I keep reviewing our business processes and updating them often to keep things as efficient as possible!

How familiar were you with Photoshop before being introduced to the Kubota Actions DASHBOARD and how would you describe the way the DASHBOARD changed the way you accomplish your post-production work?

I was quite familiar with Photoshop before I started using Dashboard, and I'm not kidding when I say that I don't ever want to work in Photoshop without it again. I create a significant number of my own actions, often a mix of Kubota actions and my own tried and true steps in Photoshop. I can't imagine how I'd keep it all straight without Dashboard.

If there is a photography-related desire on your bucket list, what is it?

I had the great joy of meeting Annie Leibowitz when I was photographing President Obama during his campaign. I would absolutely love to interview her for our new webshow, reDefine. That would definitely be a wonderful treat.

Here are a couple of Tamara's outstanding Portraits and corresponding Kubota recipes:

Tamara's Kubota DASHBOARD Recipe

Black Satin BW 4 [Artistic Tools V3]
81K Warming [Artistic Tools V1]
Creamsickle [Artistic Tools V4]
Midpuller [Artistic Tools V2]
Copper [Texture Tools - Industrial]

Tamara's Kubota DASHBOARD Recipe

Midpuller [Artistic Tools V2]
Digital Fill Flash [Artistic Tools V2]
Sharpen KPD Magic Sharp [Production Tools V2]
Interactive Color Luminizer [Artistic Tools V4]

Tamara's Favorite Kubota Actions

81K Warming [Artistic Tools V1]
Midpuller [Artistic Tools V2]
Black Satin BW 4 [Artistic Tools V3]
Creamsickle [Artistic Tools V4]
Luminizer [Artistic Tools V4]
Shadow Killer Brush 2 [Production Tools V2]

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The Disappearing Act: Kevin Kubota on [FRAMED}

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:57:00 -0700

Don't miss out on the most recent episode of Post Pro on [FRAMED] with Kevin Kubota! He'll teach you some sweet Photoshop® tips on how to make a disappearing act out of unwanted objects in your images.

What are some of the most outrageous things you've found in images that you didn't see when you captured the original image? Anybody have any unwanted streakers?!

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Draw Focus in with Post-Crop Vingettes

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:06:00 -0700

It's time to get back to the basics. One of the oldest rules of thumb in photography is also one of the easiest to follow. Our eyes are naturally drawn to the sharpest and most lit parts of an image. A simple and effective way to achieve this diversion is to apply a vignette. Darkening down the edges of an image will help direct the eyes to your desired target: your subject.

Adobe® Lightroom® offers, in my opinion, the best tools for doing this. With the release of Lightroom 3 last year, you now have the ability to add what's called a Post-crop Vignette. This means that even if you crop your image after you have added a vignette, Lightroom will recalculate and preserve that same vignette on your newly cropped image.

Creating your own vignette is simple. First, you'll want to select one or more images and then switch over to Develop Mode (keyboard shortcut = D). Next, on the right side of your screen, scroll down to the Effects section and expand it, if necessary (by clicking on the triangle so that it points down).

Before you begin experimenting with new vignettes, I'll walk you through your Style options and the effects you can expect to see when you move each of the sliders to the left and right:

Style: Color Priority is subtle, but unable to recover highlights in an image
Highlight Priority is stronger than Color Priority, may shift colors in darker areas, but will allow highlight recovery
Paint Overlay is essentially an overlay of black or white paint

Amount drag left to darken edges / drag right to lighten edges
Midpoint drag left to move the vignette inward / drag right to move outward
Roundness drag left to make the vignette more square / drag right to make it more round
Feather drag left to create a harder transition / drag right for a softer transition
Highlight drag left to allow the vignette to conceal the highlighted areas in the image / drag right to allow highlighted areas to show through the vignette

Below, I've listed settings for two variations of post-crop vignettes, along with samples of the final look.

#1
The Rubenesque Vignette
Style = Highlight Priority
Amount = -32

All the other options have been left at their default settings for this vignette.

#2
The Skinny Vignette
Style = Highlight Priority
Amount = -50
Midpoint = 18
Roundness = -100
Feather = 41

Here are the before and after results for both variations:

Which vignette draws you in more? Personally, I prefer "After 1" (a.k.a. The Rubenesque) for this image. It really draws my eyes into heart of the image... those smiling faces.

If you're interested in applying a post-crop vignette yourself with Lightspeed, you must check out our Kubota Lightroom Presets Workflow Collection. This set contains a handful of vignettes and nearly 100 other artistic presets! Happy Vignetting!

Until next tip,
Eryn

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Photoshop Tips from Kevin Kubota on [FRAMED]

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:34:00 -0700

Catch some Photoshop® tips from Kevin Kubota on Post Pro with [FRAMED]!

Happy shooting this weekend, dear photographer friends, and don't forget to take advantage of the rest of World Photography Day today! What did you do in honor of World Photography Day?

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What the Duck?!

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:42:00 -0700

This photo captured:

a. a "friend" Kevin dropped as he rushed out of the office.
b. Kevin's new second shooter, arrived early.
c. the first in line for an autographed copy of Kevin's The Lighting Notebook.
d. Team Kubota wannabe and aspiring photographer, What the Duck, playing the Laying Down Game!

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From Joyful to Joyfully Warm

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:14:00 -0700

Browsing through images the other day, I found this family photo that made me smile to no end. To some, this may not be considered a typical family portrait. You know, the photos where everyone is staring at the camera saying "Cheese!" which never looks natural (who came up with that anyway?). Although no one in this image is looking directly at the camera, it's filled with buckets of joy. This is the kind of image that will always make a family smile when glancing at it hanging up in their home.

I wanted to enhance this image so that it highlighted these beautiful blondes and their warm smiles.

Here is the recipe used to enhance this image:

Crème Brulée (Viva la Vintage)
Wash (Earth Textures)
Remove Texture Color @ 80%
Digital Fill Flash (Artistic Tools V2)
Smokeless Burn (Artistic Tools V2)
Clarify Lite (Production Tools V2)

So curiosity got the best of me and I Googled to see who started using the phrase "Cheese" while taking portraits. I found a website called The Phrase Finder, which shows you the origin of a bundle of phrases. Among listing the first printed record of someone explaining why you should say "Cheese" when having your photo taken, it also mentions what a couple non-English speaking countries use as their version of the word. Apparently Mexico and Argentina say "Whisky" and in France they say "dit souris" (meaning "say mouse"). Who knew?

What word or phrase do you use to get those pearly whites to show themselves during a portrait session? We'd love for you to share your tricks!

Cheers from the Image Diva,
Eryn

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Senior Show-Offs for the WIN!

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:38:00 -0700

Have you been itching to offer your seniors some killer ways to display their rockin' photos you took of them? Need some design software? Need some templates? Well, now's your chance to get the hookups. This month's Kubota Image Tools eContest gives you the chance to win our AutoAlbum software which comes with over 500 layout designs PLUS a free template set from Red Boot Design!

Simply add your snazziest senior portrait to our Flickr group by 5PM PST on August 18 and we will announce the proud winner of AutoAlbum and a Red Boot Design Template Set on August 19.

Please note: You don't need to own and/or use Kubota Image Tools on your photo to enter, however we would love it if you did! If you did use our products to enhace the photo, let us in on your secrets by putting your formula in the photo description!

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