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Andrys Basten | profile | all galleries >> Not-public stuff >> Photo editing tests (not private). PBlog layout. tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Photo editing tests (not private). PBlog layout.

Various experiments while I'm learning Photoshop, and there are more efforts on Page 2.  Now I'll need to redo old travel pics that are washed out due to bad monitor settings while processing photos.  

UFFIZI Museum pics:   At first, I wanted to show friends how the Uffizi Gallery in Florence presents these famous paintings (choice of framing, glass you have to look through!) -- but the glaring reflections, after I noticed them, were a no-go.
  So below are the two pics I took there - their Before/After versions.  I used pictures from my books to see what was under those reflections and lighter areas and then, by trial and error, found out what color changes are needed to match the unreflected colors.

  They're both distorted because I shot from an angle and from the waist (under duress) but it's my personal museum experience rather than someone's perfect post card pic or poster :-)
  I've put the modified versions, plus insets with ultra-degraded detail from iso400 shots, in the Florence2 gallery.

VATICAN photos:   For the pictures of the famous Pieta at St. Peter's, I needed to do something about the huge distracting glass-window reflection at the top-left. The famous sculpture is protected behind bullet-proof plexiglass now, after a madman attacked it with a hammer in 1972.

  We're allowed to shoot even flash photos of the Pieta in St. Peter's, though I recently read that the Sistine Chapel area is fairly strict re any photographs because the Japanese group who paid for the 7-yr restoration owns rights to the ceiling paintings.  They are much more strict with people going in with large DSLRs and zoom lenses though, tossing them out.


  Will add other experiments and more links to free tutorials online.  Let me know if you've tried and liked other free tutorial pages.

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TUTORIALS online (FREE ones, with some emphasis on Adobe Photoshop, various versions)
*--Update--* first (long needed): Adobe Lightroom - In photography groups, there were mentions of Adobe Lightroom 4 downloads or physical packages for $99 (briefly $79 on the latter), instead of the usual $149 today and they seem to be in effect for Cyber Monday as well.

  Adobe offers them for $99 only if you buy the $500-$600 Photoshop package too, so this is a good price.

  For those interested or who already HAVE Lightroom 4, here's a great series of FREE online Lightroom 4 video tutorials by Adobe and they have similar free video tutorials for other Adobe packages.  These are really well done.

  ALSO of interest for Lightroom users will be two free online video guides by Michael Frye -- the first one explains the changes and how the new processes work and affect an image's appearance.   The second video shows examples of processing both high and low-contrast images and discusses good settings to start with and whether the improved Basic sliders can replace using curves.

  If you prefer a book-type guide to Lightroom 4, the Kindle Version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers is $19.80 currently (May 2013), 64% lower than the Print List Price of $55, Amazon says, but it's 55% off the Digital List Price of $44.  I did buy it as it has a good rep.  And that's an unusually low price for an Adobe 'Complete guide.'
[End of update]

. Adobe Press CS/CSx articles, including How Layers Work
. Stanford IRS Photoshop Level 1 Tutorial, Level 2 Tutorial
. Photoshop graphics - Elated Communications
. Cambridge in Colour - VERY helpful, generally (photography-wise)
      and re Photoshop
. Graphic Reporter Photoshop step-by-step tutorials   For Photoshop Elements also.
.
A basic photoshop course (5.0 to 6.0 w/ notes about differences with CS and CS2) - Graphicssoft
. Photoshop Tutorials and Training - Graphic Design
. Ken Rockwell's How to Use Photoshop - thanks to Matt Yuen for this reminder
. VIDEO tutorial on CS2's Vanishing-Point Cloning tool (perspective keeper)
. VIDEO tutorial on CS2's Smart Sharpen filter
. VIDEO tutorials, more CS2 from PhotoshopSupport - including layers, raw-image processing, one-click
      red-eye correction, shadow-highlight, match color, and a lot more
. PhotoshopSupport tutorials in general, including CS - Tips and Tricks
. DreamVision's image-blending tutorial
. Luminous Landscape tutorials - Also, Curves; Instant Photoshop" - a fast intro for photographers
. Photoshop Tips at All Things Photography.
. Sharpening with Unsharp Mask - Carsten Arnholm
. Quick-and-Easy Collages

. Improvising with Layers - a basic tutorial by Sharon Steuer.
      Also, Photoshop 7's brushes pallette and Using brush shapes and textures
. Making fine prints digitally
. Digital photos primer

. HISTOGRAMS: Here's a beautiful piece on histograms in general, from the luminous-landscape site.
    Steve Hoffman does another good histogram piece also.
. MONITOR CALIBRATION:     See this effective intro to monitor calibration. ===================================================================
Photoshop tutorial DVDs - for purchase online

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BOOKS on Photoshop, for purchase online:

. Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills - by Mark Galer and Philip Andrews.  I just got this as a very clear
      reference book for general understanding of CS3, and it has a DVD with over 8 hours of videos
      illustrating the processes taught.  At the link there is a trailer showing what the videos are like.
      For photographers.
. Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Photoshop CS3 - a step-by-step guide for improving bad images.
      Also, it comes with 45-day free access to the book online (and other books).
. A favorite Photoshop for photographers book for CS2 - by Colin Smith.  Extremely clear.
    Colin Smith's CS3 book - though a 2nd author joins him and may have modified this edition
    of Smith's rightfully popular book.
. Photoshop CS/CS2-Dayton/Gillespie - Consistently high recommendations by many
. Real World Adobe Photoshop CS - Blatner/Fraser - Also highly recommended, for advanced users
. Photoshop Masking & Compositing - Eismann - Intermediate to Advanced
. Adobe Photoshop CS Studio Techniques - Gillmore - intermediate to advanced
. The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers - Kelby - Extremely popular book
      Other popular Kelby books: Photoshop CS2 Killer Tips;   Photoshop CS (not CS2);
          Photoshop Elements 5;   The Photoshop Channels Book - which is both praised and reviled.
. Photoshop CS - Miscellaneous Photoshop books listed, with ratings
. Complete Digital Photography, 3rd Ed. - beautifully written by Ben Long,and regarded by many as
      the book to get for understanding digital photography from the ground up.
      It includes Photoshop CS tutorials on CD.  Very clear writing.
- Andrys, an Amazon affiliate for my main website



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