For the past few months, I’ve been busy creating an inspiring educational eBook about the remarkable world of HDR. The images in the eBook were created using a combination of Photomatix Pro, Adobe Camera Raw, and Photoshop. For the most part, they all have a hyperrealistic appearance. Although it’s certainly possible to achieve a photorealistic appearance using Photomatix’ HDR Tone Mapping feature, I’m often less-than-satisfied with the result — until now.
A friend recently encouraged me to explore Photomatix’ Exposure Fusion module. I’ve been blown away by the results of my first few tests. Exposure Fusion is not only effective at creating a photorealistic blend; it’s also remarkably easy to use. To test drive Photomatix Pro, click here. If you like the results, order via the Discounts link on the right side of my homepage and receive 15% off. In the meantime, let’s take a peek at Exposure Fusion using this series of images submitted by Joe Beck.
Retouching can be tedious work, but if you combine CS5’s amazing new retouching tools with some closely guarded trade secrets, the process can be downright fun. In this electrifying scene submitted by my friend Ron Granstra, we’ll employ Content-Aware Fill, the Clone Stamp, Select>Color Range, the Content-Aware Spot Healing Brush, and perhaps most importantly, the Shift key.
Ed Wisbrun recently submitted a Photoshop Workbench request to examine some of the secrets behind Lisa K. Photographics wonderful photo collages. If you’d like to see her work, take a look at www.lisakphotographics.net. Lisa specializes in portraits of people doing what they love — playing guitar, at a rodeo, on the football field, or surfing. She photographs each subject from a variety of angles and then blends the images into a beautifully arranged collage. In addition to photographing the subject, Lisa captures lifestyle elements, such as a guitar, a cowboy hat, or a surfboard, to integrate with the portraits. In some cases, she ties the design together by applying a texture.
In today’s Workbench, we’ll design a collage that centers around a surfer. As we build the collage, we’ll have an opportunity to explore some compositing gems, such as content-aware scaling, soft-edged mask blending, a semi-transparent drop shadow, and a perfect reason to use the Layers panel Fill slider.
In today’s Workbench, I’ll share answers to some of the most commonly asked Photoshop questions. These tips are in no particular order, but each one is invaluable. Thanks to Jerry Fornarotto for submitting this amazing bear image and to Jack Lavoie for his spectacular mountain reflection. As you can see, I’ve stacked their images into a layered file to help illustrate some of the tips.
(View a text-version of the FAQs)
- How do I add more than one gradient to a mask?
Either use the black-to-transparent gradient or change the Gradient tool’s blend mode from Normal to Darken.
- How do I draw a straight line with the Brush?
Click once at the beginning of the line. Shift-click again at the end.
- What’s the shortcut for making a brush incrementally harder or softer?
Hold Shift and tap the Right Bracket key (harder) or the Left Bracket key (softer).
- How can I see where I’ve painted on a mask?
Press the Backslash key or Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the mask thumbnail.
- How do I create a selection from the contents of a layer or layer mask?
Command-click (PC: Control-click) on the layer or layer mask thumbnail.
- How do I cycle through the blending modes?
Activate the Move tool. Hold down the Shift key and tap + or -. On a PC, once the blending mode pull-down is activated (highlighted), this keyboard shortcut no longer works. Instead, use the down and up keys to cycle from mode to mode.
- How can I center something on a layer?
Select>All. Choose Move tool. In Options Bar, click Align Vertical and Horizontal Centers.
- How can I quickly “audition” different fonts?
Select the Type tool and activate the type layer. Click in the font menu in the Options Bar. Tap the Up or Down Arrow keys to view different choices.
- The selection block prohibits me from seeing text properly. How can I get around this?
Command-H (PC: Control-H)
- How do I reset the Color Picker to the default appearance?
Click the radio button to the left of “H.”
- How do I hide Photoshop’s panels?
Press the Tab key.
- How do I magnify the image to 100%?
Double-click the Zoom tool.
- How can I make the image fit within my display window?
Double-click the Hand tool.
- How do I view the image over a gray or black background?
Tap the “F” key.
If you’ve ever seen an image with streaks of light dancing around the subject, most likely it was captured at night using a long exposure while someone “painted” around the subject with sparklers. I’ve always wondered if there’s a way to reproduce this look in Photoshop. Much to my delight, I recently stumbled across a tutorial from the ever-masterful Corey Barker that illuminated my way. Here’s what I learned…