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Tuts+ Premium Cash Back Offer: 3 Days to Go

Joel Bankhead — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

This offer ends soon! Act now and don’t miss out on cash back when trying a monthly Tuts+ Premium subscription.

At $19 a month, Tuts+ Premium is fantastic value. But it’s even better when we hand your first $19 right back to you!

For a limited time we’re offering $19 cash back to new Tuts+ Premium monthly subscribers when signing up via PayPal. If you’ve been thinking about checking out our extensive library of courses, tutorials, eBooks and guides there’s never been a better time to join up and dive in.

This offer ends at noon on the 20th of May AEST, so act fast.

Become a Tuts+ Premium Member and take your creative & technical skills to a new level.

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With Tuts+ Premium you learn from expert instructors in every field, such as:

Designer Justin Maller (Nike, Verizon, DC Shoe Co.)
Illustrator Russell Tate (McDonald’s, Coca-Cola)
Developer Burak Guzel (Software Engineer at Facebook)

Join now and get instant access to your very own library of courses, tutorials, and eBooks, available whenever you need them. Become part of a community of over 15,000 members and start getting better at the skills you care about. Our dedicated team adds new content weekly so there’s always something fresh to sink your teeth into.

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Photo Critique #189

Cameron Knight — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:03 +0000

Friday Photo Critique is our weekly community project, where we publish a photograph submitted by one of our wonderful readers, then ask you all to offer constructive feedback on the image. It’s a great way to learn more about photography, express your viewpoint, and have your own image critiqued!

Quick Ground Rules

Play nice! We’ve deliberately chosen photographs that aren’t perfect, so please be constructive with any criticism.
Feel free to offer any type of advice – composition, lighting, post-processing etc.
You can also link to photographs that you feel offer a great example of this type of image shot exceptionally well.

Without further ado, here is this week’s candidate for Friday Photo Critique!

The Photograph

Photo Details & Inspiration

Canon 7D
90mm
1/1600
f/2.8
ISO 100

I wanted to capture the speed and intensity of the dogs during the dogsled race called Finnmarkslopet.

Photographer: Tommy Hansen

Please let us know what you think in the comments – how would you have approached the scene or taken the photo differently? A massive thank you to everyone who commented last week.

The most constructive and helpful comments will be featured on the site. Interested in submitting your own photo? You can do so here!

Lightroom 5 Features: Using the Radial Filter

Martin Perhiniak — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:26 +0000

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Beta has a brand new tool called the radial filter. It gives a whole new way of applying local adjustments to photos non-destructively. It can adding emphasis and reveal specific parts of images. In this video, we will show you the how to work with this new tool.

Watch the Video

Thoughts or questions? Leave a comment below!

Lightroom 5 Features: Using Smart Previews

Martin Perhiniak — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:04 +0000

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Beta offers a very exciting new way to work with your catalogs. In the past, you had to rely on your original photo files to be able to make changes in the Develop module, but now you can use smart previews. This feature keeps a highly reduced file size version of your photos next to the catalog, so you can keep working on your photos even if you don’t have the photos with you.

Watch the Video

Thoughts or questions? Leave a comment below!

Lightroom 5 Features: Using the Improved Spot Removal Tool

Martin Perhiniak — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:06 +0000

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Beta has many interesting new features and improvements for the retouching tools. You can now use the spot removal tool as a brush, you can visualize spots caused by sensor or lens dust and many more. Check out the video to learn more about how to use this completely non-destructive tool.

Watch the Video

Thoughts or questions? Leave a comment below!

Lightroom 5 Features: Using the Upright Tool

Martin Perhiniak — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:58 +0000

Adobe recently released the Lightroom 5 Beta for download. There are several new features that have the potential to vastly improve the Lightroom editing experience. Today, we’re taking a look at the “upright” tool, which can be used to correct horizons and other perspective issues.

Watch the Video

Thoughts or questions? Leave a comment below!

Photo Critique #188

Cameron Knight — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:46 +0000

Quick Ground Rules

Play nice! We’ve deliberately chosen photographs that aren’t perfect, so please be constructive with any criticism.
Feel free to offer any type of advice – composition, lighting, post-processing etc.
You can also link to photographs that you feel offer a great example of this type of image shot exceptionally well.

Without further ado, here is this week’s candidate for Friday Photo Critique!

The Photograph

Photo Details & Inspiration

I wanted to capture the old, semi-ruin of the old lifeboat station. Then looking out over the sea, the link between the RNLI and the sea. This photo means a lot to me. I used to go to Moelfre, Wales every year when I was younger.

Photographer: Alex Dorman

Please let us know what you think in the comments – how would you have approached the scene or taken the photo differently? A massive thank you to everyone who commented last week.

The most constructive and helpful comments will be featured on the site. Interested in submitting your own photo? You can do so here!

How to Photograph Jewelry

Jose Antunes — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:00:10 +0000

You might not be invited to shoot jewelry for Christie’s catalogs, but taking pictures of your own jewelry can be a of fun, and a lesson about the way light works. Today, we’ll walk you through the entire process.

The more time you take to set up a shoot the easier it will be, afterwards, to do a series of shots and have consistent light.

1. Equipment

Photographing jewelry is not necessarily an easier task because we have digital cameras. It is true they help, giving you an immediate idea of the results, but they don’t resolve the basic need for an understanding of light. You have to know how you can make it work with you to get the best images possible.

That being said, to photograph jewelry you do not need a lot of equipment. In fact, a sheet of white paper and some window light and reflectors will do, at a basic level. Even a compact camera with a macro or close up function will do the job, as long as it also lets you control the exposure.

This seemingly complex photograph was made using a wall mirror as the base for the bracelet and ring.

You’ll also need some jewelry to photograph. When you’re starting out, you won’t be doing contract work for Cartier, so look to your own family or even your own jewelry box and photograph things that have some meaning to you.

Creating Your Set and Gathering Props

You do not need a complex setup to make good images. Just play with small reflectors and a window light to start with.

There are an endless amount of locations and scenes that would result in good jewelry photography. For this tutorial, I used a tabletop studio with different colored backgrounds. These are relatively inexpensive, but if you’re not will to invest yet, you could use a bed sheet or some butcher paper and still achieve good results.

You’ll often want something other than the piece of jewelry in photo to add depth or tell a story. If you become hooked on this type of photography, make it a habit to collect materials you can use as props and or background. Ceramic tiles, stones and weird piece of wood will give you multiple options for more elaborate work. At the same time, resist the temptation to clutter up your image with a bunch of junk.

Choosing a Camera

The results with natural light can be like this example. Focusing with precision and defining what should be in and out of focus is essential.

Modern compact cameras often have excellent macro capabilities due to the small sensor they house. Therefore they are great tools for jewelry photography if you can manually adjust your exposure settings. This task is easier on a DSLR, but most for most jewelry, you’ll need a macro lens. A macro lens is a great investment, but they don’t come cheap.

Choosing a Macro Lens

With a macro lens you get so close to the subject that, sometimes, creating a “hide” for the lens is a good idea. A white piece of paper with a hole cut in the middle will suffice. And work as a reflector of light.

I use two macro lenses, 60mm and 100mm, with an APS-C body. Having two lenses lets you choose to work closer or further away from the subject. The 60mm can be problematic for some of the sets with very small object because I have to get too close to the object to fill the frame. The 100mm is more versatile in that sense. When choosing a macro lens, think about what you’re going to use it for and how close you actually want to be to your subject.

Use a Tripod and a Remote Shutter Release

A tripod helps to keep the exact same framing and define depth of field changes.

A tripod is nice to have for this work. Sometimes I will work with the camera in my hand, especially if I am using flash. Still, a tripod will help you to keep a subject framed the same way, which will allow you to precisely adjust your focus.

A remote shutter trigger is essential, so you do not have to press the shutter on the camera. As some exposures can be on the longer side, touching the camera would cause vibration that would show on the image.

Flashes, Diffusers and Reflectors

Once you set the light right, it does not matter what you change in the background, the exposure remains the same

A lot of my table top photography is done with natural light and reflectors. See my article, 8 Reflectors You Already Have in Your Home, for some info on making your own reflectors. You can also use flash, that lets you shoot at any hour you want. One flash will be enough, two will be great, three is probably too much.

A flash and a single reflector (from commercial brands to a white piece of paper, foam, or cardboard) will offer you multiple options. Your flash must “off camera” for professional results. You can use cables or radio triggers to place you flash off to the side of the scene.

2. Creating Soft, Even Light

Try with different backgrounds, for different moods and results

The best photography location is closer than you think. Find a window at home that offers good light you can control, set a table there and your studio is almost in working order. A white foam board can be your working base, then add a few homemade reflectors, maybe some small mirrors.

Just remember that light has color, and that light changes. If you’ve a red wall in the background its tone will probably influence everything around. Also, do not mix lighting. If you’re using window light, turn off all the other lights in the room. You can use flash, tungsten lights, fluorescent, but do not use them together.

Contrasting colors help to create strong images that attract attention.

The goal for most jewelry photography is to create soft even light with very little shadow. Working on a black background makes this a little easier. When you’re first starting out, use the reflector to make it seem like light is hitting the subject from all directions.

The Right Conditions

A LED light and a reflector can also be used for jewelry photography

The keys to good jewelry photography are sharpness, lighting, exposure, so it pays to study each situation and define what you intend to do. Sharpness will be drastically affected by your depth of field, so I usually start my exposure solution by concentrating on my aperture. When shooting macro photos, your depth of field will be very shallow due to the small distance between the object and your camera. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to use apertures above f/11.

The best way to control your lighting and exposure is to use your flashes in manual mode. Flashes offer consistent light that can be positioned exactly. By using manual mode, I can control the exact output, even if I change backgrounds or colors in my setup. Experiment with the position of your flash and reflectors, and you’ll find a good combination.

Try, Try, Try!

Using a plain dark background or a mirror create different images of the same ring./figcaption>

Patience and practice are the most important parts of shooting jewelry. You need to be aware of your focus, but most importantly, your light. Soft, even light tends to produce the best look. Remember to keep batteries charging, both for camera and flashes, listen to some good music, and have a nice cup of coffee on hand while you review your images to see how the session is going. Make small changes, and you’ll find yourself making good images.

Light Painting Text and Images with a Tablet or Smartphone

Stefan Surmabojov — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:34 +0000

In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to create a custom text or image light paintings using Adobe After Effects and your smartphone or tablet. You are going to see how to create simple yet very attractive custom light paintings.

Watch the Video

The fun part of creating these light painting images is shooting them. Set up your camera on a tripod, and take a few test exposures. You’ll want to be in a darkened environment, which will lend itself to a long shutter speed. You do not want the environment to be perfectly exposed. I usually try to be about one stop under exposed. Also keep in mind the play length of your video. Your shutter speed needs to be longer than that.

After that, you’ll need to do a dance with your tablet or smartphone with the video playing. This will require many attempts to the the pattern just right. Every image will be different, so just visualize what you’re trying to create.

Here are a few tips to help you troubleshoot problems.

The slower you make the video run, the brighter it will be.
If the image or words look stretched, move the tablet slower.
If the image is squeezed, move the tablet faster.
To keep the tablet moving in a straight line, line it up with something in the environment like a bookshelf or top of wall.

Thoughts or questions? Leave a comment below!

Try Tuts+ Premium, Get Cash Back!

Joel Bankhead — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:30:38 +0000

Try Tuts+ Premium and get cash back on a monthly subscription.

At $19 a month, Tuts+ Premium is fantastic value. But it’s even better when we hand your first $19 right back to you! For a limited time, we’re offering $19 cash back to new Tuts+ Premium monthly subscribers when signing up via PayPal.

If you’ve been thinking about checking out our extensive library of courses, tutorials, eBooks and guides, there’s never been a better time to join up and dive in.

But this offer ends at noon on the 20th of May AEST, so act fast.

Become a Tuts+ Premium Member to take your creative and technical skills to a new level.

With Tuts+ Premium you learn from expert instructors in every field, such as:

Designer Justin Maller (Nike, Verizon, DC Shoe Co.)
Illustrator Russell Tate (McDonald’s, Coca-Cola)
Developer Burak Guzel (Software Engineer at Facebook)

Join now and get instant access to your very own library of courses, tutorials, and eBooks, available whenever you need them. Become part of a community of over 15,000 members and start getting better at the skills you care about. Our dedicated team adds new content weekly, so there’s always something fresh to sink your teeth into.

Join Tuts+ Premium