12 Months of Photoshop – Prep and Masks

I wanted to put some time into my Photoshop project this weekend, too.
So here’s what I’ve done so far:



Read all the David tutorials for this month as well as the prep ones: Digital Workflow:
all four parts, Creative
Workflow, Portraits: part
1, Masking: part
1, and Lanscapes:
creating dramatic skies



I will need to reread them again of course, but it was some good reading
for now. Here are a few lessons I learned in general (they’re all over
the place, mostly for me to remember):


  • Always shoot RAW if you can. This gives you a lot more flexibility
    in post-processing. This is something I knew but didn’t do often enough,
    I’ll be playing with RAW this month, all month.
  • Don’t overexpose, you can’t get that information back. Don’t create
    a right gap, you can’t get that detail back either.
  • When processing a RAW image, process conservatively so it gives you
    the most flexibility when adjusting in Photoshop.
  • If you process RAW and then open as smart-object (shift-click the
    Open Image button), you can go back and redo RAW processing if need.
    (like to reduce noise)
  • Remember that the edges of an image can be a distraction. This of
    where you’d like the viewers eye to focus and how you’d like it to
    travel (this applies to layouts too.)
  • If you want to combine layers, selecting the entire image (Select ->
    All), using the Copy Merged command (Edit -> Copy Merged), then the
    Paste command. This is functionally equivalent to flattening the image.
  • If you want change the highlights but not saturation – try changing
    the layer to “luminosity” for the curve adjustment.

So I wanted to put a little example of what magic masks can be. Be
forewarned that this is a quickie so it’s far far from ideal and the
original wasn’t RAW so that hurts the process, too. Not to mention I
over-saturated for effect. So with all that….

Here’s a photo I took last year in Pismo Beach:



As you can see it’s really flat so if I were to do some basic curves to
try to mess with the white point and some highlights and lowlights,
here’s what I get:



It makes the image a bit more full of contrast but now my sky is
completely blown out and you can see no detail at all. If I were to use
masks and do my saturation/curves using masks, here’s what I can accomplish:



Yes, it’s over-saturated, but look at the detail in the sky and the
detail in the sea. You can have your cake and eat it, too. More on masks
next week.

January 11, 2009 | 12 Months of Photoshop | Leave a comment

2009 Projects – Project 4 – 12 Months with Photoshop

Ok. Here’s my final planned project for 2009. As you will notice the
numbers go down: 365 photos, 52 tags, 52 catalysts, and now 12 areas of
focus. I want to make sure these projects are realistic and no more than
I can handle in one year, especially on a year when I’m expecting a baby.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I’d like to learn to use Photoshop
better. I’ve been using Photoshop since 1992 and while I’ve learned a
lot over the last sixteen years, I really haven’t learned as much as I
could have and I’ve never spent focused effort to improve my knowledge.

Obviously, the main area of focus on Photoshop for me is the digital
photography since that’s my business. But I’m also interested being able
to make brushes and overlays, and basic things to help me do more hybrid
scrapbooking. This list might change over the year and I learn and
explore more but here’s main areas of focus I’ve chosen so far:


  1. layer masks
  2. image modes: lab color
  3. channel mixer
  4. hue/saturation
  5. curves
  6. layers: fill or adjustment layers and layer styles
  7. channels
  8. textures: grunge, vintage etc.
  9. paths
  10. creating brushes
  11. clipping masks
  12. lighting effects

This project will include finding and doing workshops related to each
area. Ideally, at least one a week. As I do them, I will post links to
workshops and any examples I produce.

And, this will also mean that I will finally work my way through David’s amazing tutorials
especially since I’m already a member and receive them all. Just because
I need to be ultra-organized for things to actually happen, here’s the
order in which I plan to do his tutorials: (this may also change if my
focuses change)

As you’ll notice, these end in April because that’s when the little one
comes. I figure after that things might get blurry for a while and by
the time I have my sanity back, David will have put up a whole bunch
more so I can add them to my list then.


Well there you go. If you know Photoshop very well and have some advice
on how to revise the list above, what to add or remove, all advice is
welcome. I plan to start this weekend so let’s see how much progress I
make.

January 8, 2009 | 12 Months of Photoshop | 2 comments