Photoshop for Photography

[Kielan]

I know this may seem odd, but recently I have gotten into photography in a big way, and I have a pretty good knowledge of PS in terms of graphics and what not, but no idea when it comes to editing photos for the right effects. So if you have guys have any good sites or guides that may be able to help me, it would be very appreciated.

Thanks,

- Kielan

[Drama]

anything specific your trying to do?

[JDM-SiR]

I love using the Levels under the image adjustments. It's a good quick way to edit a photo. Search on Google for PS editing tutorials, that's what I did a few weeks ago when I got my PS.

[Kielan]

I am have been playing with levels, but I don't know I have been seeing a lot of different effects on pics and I just want see what I can learn on there.

[Drama]

I love messing with the curves. With Curves you can achieve an effect like this one
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsylvester/4278726040/)

[Stan Marsh]

The best advice is to just mess around with it and read tutorials. I am 100% self taught and I consider myself very knowledgeable but I have been using photoshop since Photoshop 4 came out. And by no means is this a program that is easy to use. It takes some time figure out how to do things. But once you know how to go about things on the program then it is amazing. And I still learn new things every day.

[87e30]

I love messing with the curves. With Curves you can achieve an effect like this one
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsylvester/4278726040/)

How do you use curves to get that tint?

Everytime I use curves I just make the picture look worse.

I'm a big fan of multi layer images these days.

[Kielan]

I love messing with the curves. With Curves you can achieve an effect like this one
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsylvester/4278726040/)

EDIT: Didn't think to click "one" my bad. Do you guys by any chance have links to some good sites?

[87e30]

So I figured out playing with the different channels in curves to alter color, really powerful tool. You've used it very well if that's the main way you edited that supra set... impressive.

[Drama]

thats not my photo, but thats mainly the effect i get when I do it to my photos. You got to do em individual. When you click the curves thingy, theres a drop down menu and you can select the RGB individually. I usually mess with the Red and Green for that effect.
but yea you kinda get that greenish-redish effect to the photos when you do that

[Kielan]

Yeah I began playing with that, really cool. I want to learn about this whole multilayer editing deal.

[Drama]

never done multilayering but this looks like a good tut (http://www.spraypaintstencils.com/stenciltutorials/multi-layer-stencil-tutorial.htm)

[Kielan]

Here is something I came up with after a little playing around.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4358646636_250cacf8ef_b.jpg

[ProjektDaze]

99% of the time I edit my photos, I only use Curves, Brightness/Contrast and sometimes if I'm feeling dangerous, I'll double the layers and change the effect on one and overlay it.

[Kielan]

Yeah, now that I have begun playing with the levels/curves/etc. I have found a whole bunch of other good stuff to play with. Check my flickr, the latest few pics are the ones that I have been messing around with and I think for a n00b they have come out pretty decently.

[Kielan]

Here are some pics from yesterday including my first HDR attempt, (which didnt go that bad). Check my Flickr (in sig) for more pics from yesterday, and my other HDR attempt (which I over did a bit).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4363698761_76281c13c1_b.jpg

The HDR.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4363649011_6424bd2a59_b.jpg

[Uyles]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/?promoid=DJGSN_P_US_FP2_LR_MN&tt=P_US_FP2_LR_MN).

Do it, you'll thank me later.

[Kielan]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/?promoid=DJGSN_P_US_FP2_LR_MN&tt=P_US_FP2_LR_MN).

Do it, you'll thank me later.

Damn all my posts about LR got lost in the server change. I tried LR and I just can't get used to it. I have used PS for a long time now for graphic design and because I only recently got into photography have been trying to figure out how to use it for that. Sure there is a bit of a learning curve but I am indeed getting used to it. However LR is a completely new interface to me that to be perfectly honest doesn't make all that much sense to me. I mean I am sure I could figure it out if someone gave me the right tutorials and such but when I looked on my own I didn't really find all that much that could help me out in my very n00bish beginnings.

If you have some guides for LR for me that would be great. I have been looking but as of yet not much has been of great use other than the Vignette tut that I found, which even then wasn't all that clear on how to do it or in the way it described it. (If that makes sense).

[Uyles]

Nah I get it.
I just screwed around with it for about a week or so and started getting the hang of it. I'm a quick learner with stuff like this though I guess.

And yeah, I def. didn't see your previous posts on LR because of the server change.

Practice makes perfect I guess.

[Kielan]

I mean I have nothing to do really now in school (second semester senior FTMFW) so I will play around with LR and see what I can come up with. I hopefully should be able to figure it out fairly easily.

[Withers]

IMHO, I would work more on getting out and actually taking pictures and researching photography techniques rather than spending a lot of time learning how to do post work.

But I guess to contribute to the topic, I use Lightroom 2 and love it. It's great for nearly all editing work and can do some fairly complex alterations. It has a great layout with easy to understand functions as well as great workflow options to help keep you organized. If you are looking for a great guide to it, Scott Kelby has an excellent book explaining every function that gives picture examples.

Photoshop is obviously more capable, but also infinitely more complex with a much steeper learning curve. If you already know how to use it for other work you've probably got a huge headstart though.

[87e30]

I feel like lightroom is just the simplified cut down version of photoshop made for just photo editing. Easier to understand and make good looking images, in my opinion. However, I think I'm a bigger fan of photoshop for the sake of layers.

[Dane]

i dont know how to work photoshop. i use light room exclusively now.

[Kielan]

Yeah I have been playing with LR for a few hours now (again) but this time with an open mind and it really is a interesting program, that I think I would be able to really get used to. In terms of photography my parents are real dicks and are making me sell the XSi I just got for a kick ass deal ($400 for the camera, 8 gig SDHC, 2 lenses the normal 18-55mm and a 35-70mm, and a nice Canon bag). So I am now stuck to my Mom's MFPOS PowerShot SD200 with only 3.2 MegaPixels... I **** it so much.

[Withers]

Oh that was an awesome deal.

[Kielan]

Oh that was an awesome deal.

Yeah I know... I am not talking to my parents right now. SO pissed.

[Uyles]

Wow, that was a sweet deal.
I feel you though, second semester senior year ftw (as if it's any different from first semester).

[Kielan]

Wow, that was a sweet deal.
I feel you though, second semester senior year ftw (as if it's any different from first semester).

Yeah I know.... T.T

And the only difference is now I have to try even less. LoL.

EDIT: 200th post w00t!

[Uyles]

Haha, yeah man, I guess that is the difference.
I just have to scrounge up money for the car, and making $8.50/hr. working like...14 hours a week blows.

By the way, do you have the full version of lightroom?

[Kielan]

You lucky you have a job I have been desperately searching for 5 months now and I haven't found anything. It sucks.

But yeah I have the full version of LR2. Why do you ask?

[Drama]

i know i now do :D

[Kielan]

LoL what?

[Uyles]

I guess that's the bright side of looking at things. I'd like to get a new job, I may have a job over summer that pays $15 or $16/hr. 9-5 which would be amazing.

And oh, I was just going to say I could hook you up with it if you didn't so you can learn it for longer than 30 days, haha.

[Kielan]

Oh word that would be so dope if you got that job. I have an internship that pays (I know that itself is odd) but it will pay $10-15/hr for 10 hours a day which will be so legit.

But yeah thanks for wanting to hook me up with LR bro. Not many kind people out there these days.

[Drama]

LoL what?

lol cause he asked if you had the full version of lightroom and i replied saying "I know i do now" haha

[Kielan]

Oh word, I sitting here thinking "What just happened?" now it all makes sense.:stickoutt

[Uyles]

No problem man, gotta look out for some fellow SW members.

[Drama]

lol.

hey Uyles, You know how to get all the adobe products free too?

[Uyles]

Yeah for the most part.

BUT OMG IT'S BAD DON'T DO IT.

...I had to put some effort in to that. Haha.

[Drama]

lmao. Its cause i know a 2-step one where you can get any adobe product for free. Thats why i have everything :alright

[Kielan]

Dude no wai, it was illegal.... LoL.

Is there any other way?! If there is please inform me. :rolleyes

[Drama]

I does!..I can tell you both if you want. I remember posting it in another thread here cause some guy wanted photoshop to edit his pictures and he said it actually worked

[Kielan]

I was making a joke LoL I know the method you speak of. I also know of some very "helpful" websites that make "acquiring" said software/music/movies much easier. :shifty

But back on topic from this frankly hilarious tangent, Anyone know of some good LR tutorials?

[Uyles]

I like how you refer to torrent sites and stuff like they're illegal narcotics or weapons or something, hahaha.

As for tutorials, I don't know but I'm sure I could find something.

[Kielan]

:rofl

LoL yeah that's what me and my friends do as a joke, it makes it all the more entertaining. Haha and yeah I have been looking for some tuts but really what I keep finding is just practice and see what happens, (which is prob what I would end up doing anyway).

[Uyles]

Yeah honestly, go out and take some pictures or use previous unedited ones and just screw with it in LR to see what all the tools do. There really isn't as many options as you think, but when you use them all together it makes it seem like there is.

[Drama]

lmao.

and for now im just using the quick develop thingy on the right side

[Kielan]

Yeah thats what I have been playing around with, I am sure that after a good week I will be playing around with some of the deeper functions of LR. Oh and when it comes to torrents and such its like my meth, I just keep coming back to it cause I always want MOAR!!!

[Uyles]

Yes, it's nice that you "acquired the goods".

[Drama]

i dontz like torrents. Theres a lot of bad people that are posting the torrents with some kind of tracker, then when you download it, they get your house address and what not and start threatening you and stuff.

So be careful what you download!!

[Kielan]

Oh yeah, and once you start using them you just can't stop.

You just have to know what to download, and use PeerGuardian for sure makes life so much easier, and makes you feel a whole lot more safe. The phone calls thing seems like something they would to on 4chan, I have personally never heard of that happening before.

[Uyles]

Yeah, then your computer explodes.

[Kielan]

:rofl :rofl :rofl

Imagine if that actually happened. I just imagined it and I literally lol'ed at my own thought made me feel like a complete loser but whatever. :rolleyes

[Uyles]

It's like "OMG YOU LAWBREAKER!" *Self destruct sequence...initiated.*

What the hell would you do with your life then? No LR, Photoshop, OR Stanceworks!

[Drama]

thats why i got 4 more computers/laptops :D and an ipod touch for when im at school, so i can check stanceworks every hour or something

[Kielan]

Dude I go on SW during class its great, iPhone's ftmfw.

[Uyles]

Dude if I had an Iphone I'd never get anything done in class.
I have an Itouch, but my school doesn't have WiFi.

[Kielan]

Yeah I know ever since I got it my productivity in class has gone from bad to worse. Thank god for senioritis!

[Drama]

i got my schools wifi password :rofl now i can use the translator for spanish class :D

[Kielan]

WIN

^thats supposed to be caps lock but unless I put other text SW wont caps lock it... SO annoying (jk lulz, SW is my favorite forum of all time).

[Uyles]

This thread is now about food. Discuss.

[Kielan]

Lulz this needs to be moved to the OT forum. :rofl. I did have stuffed pasta shells for dinner that was quite tasty, and for dessert homemade chocolate and strawberry ice cream. Yummmm

[Drama]

should i start a random thread in the OT forum?

[Uyles]

That's essentially what this thread has turned into.

[Kielan]

That seems like a good idea.

[Kielan]

Can you adjust single color curves in LR? I have been looking to see how and I can't seem to figure it out or even if it is possible. Can anyone help me out?

[Withers]

HSL/Color/Grayscale should have everything you could possibly want regarding changing just certain colors.

[Kielan]

Well I mean in PS you can change which color you are using in the curve you can use RGB all at once or Red, Blue, or Green individually. I am still getting used to LR so we shall see what I can come up with.

[Withers]

Ohhhh, yeah I totally misread that. I honestly don't know whether you can do that or not.

[Kielan]

Anyone have a tut for removing reflections?