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Thread: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

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    Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    And the photography thread has gone quiet too
    I have started new thread as the DSLR one was getting a bit of jumble

    We have done

    Learning Tango
    Learning WSC
    Learning Salsa
    Learning The Blues
    Learning Ballroom
    even
    Learning the Piano

    Now

    Learning Photoshop

    It does not have to Photoshop. Just let us know how you learnt, or are learning, to do your post production

    One request, let us know which version

    (I use Lightroom 3 and CS5)

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Good call!

    I have photoshop CS4 and I think I'm fairly competent at it now so if anyone has any queries, post your question here and I'll do my best to help!

    My usual basic post production will involve..

    1. Making sure I've got a good crop
    2. Checking the levels (image - adjustment - levels) and tweaking the histogramme to make sure theres no blown highlights etc
    3. then I might use 'Curves' (found in the same pace as above) to bump up the contrast
    4. then depending on the content - hue and saturation and maybe a touch of 'unsharp mask'
    5. Depending if its intended for the web or print, I will save accordingly.. either 72dpi or 300dpi

    What's yours?
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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    I use LR3 for all culling, filing, rating, sorting, and adding keywords
    File renaming, Meta Data ,Lens corrections are all done automatically on import.
    Next comes levels,
    I don’t often use curves but I do use the “fill light” slider a lot
    Then comes “Detail” which is used to get rid of noise, if I am shooting at ISO 64000
    I might then add a tiny bit of post crop vignette
    I use LR3 for “spot removal,” iris enhance” and some skin softening
    On landscapes I often use the” graduated filter” to fix the sky
    I used Matt Kloskowski on line tutorials from Kelby Training

    I am still learning to select and use layers, in CS5 again using Kelby Training
    I only use CS5 for things I can’t do in LR3
    It’s very good for Panos
    "Content aware" is brilliant for removing things like telegraph poles, ( even motorways from landscapes ) which is impossible in LR3
    I have also been playing with "puppet warp"

    The full versions of both CS5 and Lightroom 3 can be trialed free for 30 days

    If any one is looking to take up photography professionally, I cannot recommend LR3 enough, it really make finding past shots a doodle ( Provided you do rate and keyword immediately on import)

    PS I have not tries Aperture, which I gather is more intuitive than LR3 but does not have the same range of controls
    Last edited by philsmove; 24th-February-2011 at 12:20 PM.

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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by philsmove View Post
    I use LR3 for all culling, filing, rating, sorting, and adding keywords
    I use Bridge for all the above.
    Just recently, after realising just how many photo's I had on my HD I decided a new approach was needed!
    So now, instead of 'importing' whats on the card, I only bring in (to photoshop) the ones I really want and its only when I've 'finished' editing that its gets anywhere near my HD
    The same with video clips, as these can be huge files. I view them all in Quicktime but I only bring in what I'm going to use, then once I've made a movie, I delete the clips (this I struggle with to be honest )


    File renaming, Meta Data ,Lens corrections are all done automatically on import.
    Lens correction... I'm not sure I'd like that done for me automatically, as I sometimes like some distortion, as it can make something a little 'different'


    I might then add a tiny bit of post crop vignette
    I like that to do that too sometimes, in CS4, it comes under the 'lens correction' tab


    On landscapes I often use the” graduated filter” to fix the sky
    That's a nice idea, I'll give that a go



    The full versions of both CS5 and Lightroom 3 can be trialed free for 30 days
    I've tried the 30day trial of PS5 and although its undeniably VERY good, when it comes down to it, its a lot of money for some extra's which I will probably only need to use on rare occasions. I did love the 'Content aware fill' though!

    I did some fun things with the puppet warp but I can't see me making much use of it on a regular basis.

    If any one is looking to take up photography professionally, I cannot recommend LR3 enough, it really make finding past shots a doodle ( Provided you do rate and keyword immediately on import)
    Yes I agree, when speed is of the essence, then PS does not the most efficient workflow by a long way!
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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by philsmove View Post
    I am still learning to select and use layers,
    You're not quite up to THIS then

    Although, if you ask me... What a complete waste of time!

    It's taken 4 years and he's used 500,000 layers... yes that's 500,000 it wasn't a typo!
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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    I'll be honest, there are a thousand more beautiful vistas I'd choose to spend 4 years creating than Times Square...

    I'm sure he has every right to feel proud of it, but it really isn't a very interesting painting!

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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    Yes I agree, when speed is of the essence, then PS does not the most efficient workflow by a long way!
    I only have a very old version of PS, can't afford at the mo to buy anything else - but I will at some point! Got the trial version of LR3 but didn't really know where to start and wasn't using it properly.

    So for speed, I make some minor adjustments (exposure, WB) in View NX, convert to jpeg and then tweak a bit in Picasa! Not very sophisticated - but quick - eg on Mon/Tues I had to edit about 90 images for web display (from a freestyle on Sat night).

    That's fine for web display - but I need to get myself better software for working on individual images for printing or if I ever decide to enter anything in a camera club round.

    I've still soooo much to learn!
    Last edited by Lynn; 24th-February-2011 at 03:52 PM.

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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    I only have a very old version of PS, can't afford at the mo to buy anything else - but I will at some point! Got the trial version of LR3 but didn't really know where to start and wasn't using it properly.
    LR 3 is not cheap, nether is a year subscription to Kelby Training BUT IMHO worth every penny. I would never have learnt how to use LR3 without Matt Kloskowski's help

    I often shoot over 1000 pics a day, LR3 really is fast at sorting them out

    CS5 is very expensive, if you are a buget I would consider LR3 plus Elements
    Last edited by philsmove; 24th-February-2011 at 05:11 PM.

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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    I'm on day 27 of my 30 day trial of Photoshop elephants .. (yeah I feel trampled underfoot by the stampede of new features to learn..)

    I should really consider either purchasing it or letting the demo lapse. I CERTAINLY cannot justify the expense of Lightroom / photoshop.

    However I have notice HUGE discounts for students. While I wouldn't suggest you do this JUST to get the discount, I have been thinking about an OU digital photography course/module... which qualifies for a student card.. which qualifies for the discount. The OU course was £190 ish

    if you happened to be doing the course anyway then it Might prove financially beneficial.

    (either way they supply you a "free" copy of eleph..erm.. elements as part of the course materials !)

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    Re: Leaning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf View Post
    I'm on day 27 of my 30 day trial of Photoshop elephants .. (yeah I feel trampled underfoot by the stampede of new features to learn..)

    I should really consider either purchasing it or letting the demo lapse. I CERTAINLY cannot justify the expense of Lightroom / photoshop.
    I THINK* if you do go for elements you can import some / all of you data in LR should you change at a later date

    The big advantage of LR over elements seems to speeding up the work-flow
    Quite a few part time Professional Photographers use elements

    *as ever I could be wrong

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Like Lynn, I'm using an old version of Photoshop. I've got 5 on one computer and, I think, 7 on another. I have these, along with Quark and Indesign as a hangover from the print company I sold about 8 years ago.

    I use photoshop a few times a week and have done for many years. However, it's only for a single photo to insert into a file for printing or on to a website.

    Of course I use all the tools to crop, adjust brightness, contrast, etc. I find that one of the most useful tools is the rubber stamp tool. Once you get to grips with rubber stamp you can remove belmishes, wrinkles, people, etc - sometimes I use this tool in my minds eye to remove people who are bugging me

    I also find Photoshop useful for changing the file type. I'm sure there's loads of functions I don't use. But you could say that for every piece of software on your computer.
    Last edited by Andy McGregor; 25th-February-2011 at 11:08 AM.

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    I use this tool in my minds eye to remove people who are bugging me
    Tut tut tut
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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    Tut tut tut
    Sue might think you've removed the wrong annoyance

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by philsmove View Post

    I have started new thread as the DSLR one was getting a bit of jumble

    We have done

    Learning Tango
    Learning WSC
    Learning Salsa
    Learning The Blues
    Learning Ballroom
    even
    Learning the Piano

    Now

    Learning Photoshop

    It does not have to Photoshop. Just let us know how you learnt, or are learning, to do your post production

    One request, let us know which version

    (I use Lightroom 3 and CS5)
    Surely it is better to use free software than old versions of photoshop.

    Until you get to context recognition are they really sophisticated enough to justify getting on the treadmill.

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by frodo View Post
    Surely it is better to use free software than old versions of photoshop.
    It all depends on what you want to do!

    If you just want to crop, improve contrast and add some simple effects etc, then Picassa or iPhoto are very user friendly and perfectly adequate BUT you'd never be able to do sophisticated stuff, like merging two photos together, like you 'can' in any of the versions of PS, even the really old ones.

    Gimp, is the nearest 'free' thing to PS and its good but like PS, it does take a degree of understanding

    Until you get to context recognition are they really sophisticated enough to justify getting on the treadmill.
    I don't really understand what you mean

    Photoshop isn't something I'd recommend for anyone who wants a simple intuitive programme. It does require some learning and practice to get the best out of it but its worth it (and the price) if you're planing to do anything on a professional level.
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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by frodo View Post
    Surely it is better to use free software than old versions of photoshop.

    Until you get to context recognition are they really sophisticated enough to justify getting on the treadmill.
    As Lory says, it depends on what you want to do, and to some extent who you are. Are you doing photography as a hobby or to earn a living (I am going to avoid the controversial term "professional" )

    LR2 or "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2" to give it is full name, is an incredible problem for photographers with a dead line to meet . I sometime work for a wedding photographer. He uses Photoshop Elements. His comments, when watching me do the post production in LR2 was "WOW. You just did in 20 minutes, what would have taken me 3 hours" Our end results would have been similar, but Lightroom was a lot quicker than Elements. No matter how long we took, I don't think ether of us could have done the job, using free software

    LR3 is quicker than LR2 but its big advantage is, there is less need to go to Photoshop's CS4 or CS5 for retouching, again saving time

    I am not sure if you can do anything in CS5, that you cannot, given time, do in CS4 but "refine edge" certainly makes selecting a lot lot faster and "content aware" is quicker at some tasks than the clone stamp

    With regard to "the treadmill" I think I know what you mean, but if you using photo editing software commercially, than you really have little option but to try and stay ahead, or at least keep up with, your competitors, who are using the latest, fastest software
    Last edited by philsmove; 26th-February-2011 at 10:03 AM.

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by philsmove View Post
    With regard to "the treadmill" I think I know what you mean, but if you using photo editing software commercially, than you really have little option but to try and stay ahead, or at least keep up with, your competitors, who are using the latest, fastest software
    This was a real pain when I had a print business. You always needed to be up to date because you'd get given files in the latest version of the software.

    And you needed the latest kit too. I can remember a proofing printer that cost £14k that sold a few years later for £100 - at the time you could get an inkjet for £300 that did a better job. And I had a two colour Heidelberg that cost me £43,000 and sold for £7,000 just 4 years later Thank goodness I'm out of that game

    I think there's a big difference between photo manipulation software for people to adjust and file their albums of holiday photos and Photoshop type software. Don't get Photoshop unless you really do want to play with your pictures.

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    Don't get Photoshop unless you really do want to play with your pictures.
    I agree and also don't bother unless you're prepared to put in the hours learning it.
    It's anything but straightforward when you start out! But if you stick with it and manage to muddle your way through the heaps of techie jargon, (be prepared to scream a few times) then it can be extremely rewarding!

    There's a great deal of snobbery in photography, you have a whole section of people who feel 'photoshopping' is cheating and not staying true to the 'art'
    What a load of B******s!
    Personally I see photoshop as another form of art, of which one can get very creative with.
    And actually, you can create pictures in photoshop, without even starting with a photo!

    Quote Originally Posted by philsmove View Post
    On landscapes I often use the” graduated filter” to fix the sky
    I had a little play around with a photo with probably the most boring sky ever! I used the 'gradient tool first' to add a blue sky, then I changed the time of day by adding a completely false sky, using layers and changing the Hue and Saturation!
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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    this is done with Lightroom 3, no layers, The sky is original
    I feel the "manipulated" photo is closer to what the sky really looked like
    Last edited by philsmove; 26th-February-2011 at 03:32 PM.

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    Re: Learning Photoshop ( or any photo editing software )

    Quote Originally Posted by philsmove View Post
    this is done with Lightroom 3, no layers, The sky is original
    I feel the "manipulated" photo is closer to what the sky really looked like
    Very good!

    How many filters have you used and what were they?
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