Archives For photoshop layers

Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

Photography Workflow: The Portal

Jay Patel —  April 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

I love to shoot Glen Canyon Recreational area around Paige Arizona, but this is a challenging place to get a good composition. To create an interesting composition for this shot, I used a small puddle of water to catch the reflection in the sky. As you can imagine, this was not an easy shot to process.

Field Work: As soon as I looked at the histogram on the back of the camera for the test image, I knew that I needed to bracket the shot. The question was, how much bracketing was necessary? For this photograph, I took a series of three bracketed test shots – then adjusted the bracketing amount based on the histogram for each of the three exposures. My objective was to capture enough details in the highlights and shadows to be able to successful blend the exposures in Photoshop.

  • Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

    Exposure: +1.3 eV

  • Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

    Exposure: 0 eV

  • Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

    Exposure: -1.3 eV

Processing: I started by processing the the RAW files, and blending them using our iHDR manual blending workflow. Then, I processed the +1.3 EV RAW file a second time to bring out the details in the reflections on the puddle of water.  I created an additional blending layer for the “portal” using the mask shown below.

Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

+1.3 eV Processed for Reflection

Paige, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Arizona (AZ), USA

Mask for Reflection

The mask allowed me to make adjustments only to the reflected surface, leaving the rest of the image unaffected. I adjusted the edges of the mask to create a smooth blend between the textures of the rock and the puddle.

My final task was to make minor targeted adjustment for the image. I used my Wacom Intuos 5 tablet and stylus to adjust the overall contrast, and to make small corrections to the sky and the portal as seen in the image below.

Final Photoshop Layers & Mask

Final Photoshop Layers & Mask

How do you blend images? Do you use a special tone mapping program like Photomatix or HDR EFex Pro? Do you do it manually like we do? Or do you rely on a combination of both these techniques?

To learn more about photography check out our webinars and eBooks below:

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Transient Light, Glacier National Park, MT

How much time do you spend in Photoshop?

Jay Patel —  November 12, 2012 — 2 Comments

For us, the answer is different for every photograph. Some photos require just a moment or two in Photoshop, while others requires more than 30 minutes. On average, I spend between 5 and 15 minutes per image in Photoshop. Here is a typical Photoshop workflow for me.

This is an image from Glacier National Park in Montana. It’s one of my early photographs produced using a GND filter and my old Canon D30 (Canon’s first 3mp DSLR). I always do what I can to get it right in-camera, but the dynamic range of the scene was too great for my camera to handle.

This image showcases two types of light. On the right side of the image, you can see predawn magenta light. This is the subtle reflected light that touches the mountains before the sun comes over the horizon. The light falling on the clouds in the upper left is direct light from the sun, which is very low on the horizon. This light is far more intense than the soft, predawn light on the right side. So even with my GND filter, the top left of the image was over exposed.

To process this image, I started with the Basic tab in Adobe Camera RAW (as shown above – click for a larger view). I chose white balance and exposure settings that produced the most accurate colors for the predawn light. (2 minutes)  As expected, the area that was lit by direct sunlight (the area marked in red) was too bright. I felt that most of the image was correctly processed with just a few simple adjustments to white balance, exposure, and contrast. In almost all my images, I use a colors saturation of 10% or less.

The next step was to open the image in Photoshop and to restore the highlights, bring out the shadow details, and make few minor targeted adjustments. To restores the highlight, I processed this RAW image again, and manually blended the two versions using our iHDR workflow. (6 minutes)  Then, I used layers and masks in Photoshop to make targeted adjustments. I used a Wacom Intuos tablet for drawing selections for masks – the stylus lets me be incredibly precise so I can create perfect masks really quickly. (5 minutes) My total time spend in Photoshop (including Adobe Camera RAW) for this particular image was about 13 minutes.

How much time do you spend in Photoshop? Feel free to share your workflow.

To learn more about photography check our webinars and eBooks below:

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Tinkers Creek State Park, Ohio (OH), USA

How to Process a Moody Photograph

Jay Patel —  October 1, 2012 — Leave a comment

Conveying mood in a photograph sometimes requires a little extra care in your processing technique. I took this shot in Tinkers Creek State Park in Ohio on a foggy morning. To preserve the moody atmosphere, I processed a single RAW image twice – then combined these two versions of the same image using our iHDR Manual Blending Workflow.

Low Contrast Processing

Fog and humidity in the air reduce the contrast of objects that are farther away, so my first step was to process the RAW file with low contrast. The image you see above shows the result. The foggy atmosphere in the trees and highlights is preserved, but the grass in the foreground and the wooden boardwalk look dull and unappealing.

High Contrast Processing

Next, I used the same RAW file and processed the image with higher contrast settings. The image above shows that these adjustments produced good details in the foreground – but the appearance of the fog in the tree was all but lost. As a final step, I selectively combined the low-contrast and high-contrast images using layers and masks in Photoshop. I retain good details in the foreground, while also preserving the foggy, low-contrast mood in the trees and the highlights.

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Eagle Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

Manual Blending Workflow

Jay Patel —  July 16, 2012 — Leave a comment

Take a look at the workflow I used to process this photograph from Eagle Creek in Oregon.

Raw Image

Raw Image + iHDR Highlight Blend

Take a look at the RAW image above on the left – the trees look just right, but there are some blown highlights in the water. This is a typical problem when shooting water. The solution is simple. I process the same image again – this time for the highlights in the water. I blend the two images using layers and masks in Photoshop. The result looks like the image on the right. Both the trees and the water are properly exposed, and we can see details in highlights as well as shadows.

The next step is to make some minor adjustments to restore contrast in the image. I use a stylus to draw selections with my Wacom graphics tablet and create masks to make adjustments that are targeted to specific areas. A little bit more contrast at the river’s edge, some softer contrast in the water… and so on. The image below shows the layers and masks I used to make those adjustments.

Raw Image + iHDR Highlight Blend + Targeted Adjustment

Most of our post-processing revolves around these simple steps. To learn more check out our iHDR webinars and eBooks below:

 

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Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Selective Sharpening Workflow

Jay Patel —  July 9, 2012 — Leave a comment


One of the things that people ask us about a lot is sharpening. So, here’s a quick tutorial on how we do it. There are lots of different ways to sharpen an image – and lots of tool available. Right now, we’re using a great tool called Nik Output Sharpener for sharpening images for print and preparing images for web display. Jay used Nik Sharpener to sharpen the image above.

Nik’s sharpening software lets us control the edge sharpness and local contrast independently, and it’s “structure” control lets us get picky about fine details. We fine-tune our sharpening with their “U-Point” technology – which makes the whole process easy, and gives us even more control. Most importantly – in our opinion anyway – the final results are displayed in Photoshop as a separate layer. That means we can create and adjust masks to further restrict the sharpening to specific areas of the image. (Did I mention that we’re control freaks?)

Here’s what our workflow looks like.

We start by selecting a preset option that is close to what we want for our finished image. We want the image to look sharp – but it’s important to avoid haloing along high-contrast edges. The preset option we choose differs depending upon the image we’re working with… but once we’ve chosen one that’s close to what we want, we start refining. We use control points to define local contrast and structure selectively. Maybe we want more contrast in one area and less in another – control points let us make very specific adjustments as we work.

When we’re happy with the results in every part of the image, we click “done” and the image opens automatically in Photoshop. There’s the layer we’ve just created… ready and waiting.  In an image like this one, we might want to remove sharpening in some areas – like the water and the sky – to eliminate noise. We prefer a softer look for skies and water, so we don’t want to sharpen those areas. A quick adjustment to the mask does the trick, and we’re done.

To learn more about Layers and Masks please check our our eBooks and Webinars below:

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San Gregorio State Park, California (CA), USA

Photoshop How To: How to Process Lower Contrast Images

Jay Patel —  May 21, 2012 — Leave a comment

Sometimes we find ourselves photographing a scene where the light conditions are just perfect. We can capture the entire dynamic range with a single exposure, so no special filters or bracketing is necessary. But when you open up your raw file, it often appears to lack the contrast and details that you remember seeing while  you were out in the field. This happens because the contrast and sensitivity of our eyes adjusts based upon the light conditions. The dynamic range of the sensor remains fixed. So, low contrast scenes end up using only a fraction of the dynamic range of the sensor, and this creates a flat and unappealing image. Here is a video that show how we deal with lower-contrast scenes like this one:

Layers and Mask are valuable tools that have the potential to dramatically improve your photography. To learn more about Layers and Masks, check out our webinars.

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San Gregorio State Park, California (CA), USA

Quick Tips: Targeted Adjustments in Photoshop

Jay Patel —  April 30, 2012 — 4 Comments

In many cases, a photograph will require small adjustments to specific areas to bring out the details and colors throughout the image. We refer to these area-specific changes as “targeted adjustments.”


Here’s a shot from San Gregorio Beach in California. In this finished image, each area of the image looks correctly exposed…but the camera didn’t capture it this way. Because the light over the entire scene was somewhat uneven, the camera underexposed some areas and overexposed others. This is a typical problem for nature photographers who can’t control the light over a large area. The image below shows what I mean.

To restore details, colors, and contrast in each part of the image, I used layers and masks in Photoshop. You can see all the layers and masks I used to make targeted adjustments below. I also used the clone tool to remove the distracting elements in the scene. Varina and I both use Wacom Intuos tablets to draw masks, for cloning, and to make adjustments. (Actually – neither of us uses a mouse anymore. A graphics tablet can do anything a mouse can do – and much more.) A stylus gives us far more control over minute details… which means we can work faster and more precisely.

Once I’m finished making changes, I flatten the layers and save the file. Targeted adjustments allow me to bring out rich details and colors in my photographs, and to produce a more appealing finished product.

To learn more about Layer’s and Mask check out our webinars below:

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St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

Photoshop How To: Layers and Mask

Jay Patel —  April 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

Here is a photo of St. Mary falls in Glacier National Park. You can see exquisite details and vibrant colors in every part of the image. But did the image come out looking like this, or did we have to make adjustments to the original? Most landscape photographs require some amount of post-processing for a natural look, and this photo was no exception. I made selected adjustment to the image using layers and masks in the photograph. The video below explains the adjustments I made and why I felt they were necessary.

Layers and Mask are valuable tools that have the potential to dramatically improve your photography. To learn more about Layers and Mask check out our webinar below:

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St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

Why do you need Layers and Masks?

Jay Patel —  March 26, 2012 — 6 Comments

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

We are often asked why we need to understand Layers & Masks in Photoshop? After all, we can always blend or adjust images using HDR software, right? Here’s a quick explanation.

Overexposed Highlights

After iHDR Blend

Take a look at the two images above. Notice that the highlights in the image on the left are overexposed. You can’t see any detail in the white areas in the water. In the second image, I corrected the overexposure with our iHDR workflow. I can create a similar blend using an automated HDR tool. But this is not a finished image. I want to take it further. I think the image needs some corrections to improve the contrast in the rocks, and to help focus the viewers attention on the water itself. To accomplish this, I used different layers and masks to limit each adjustments to a specific region. The image below show all the layers and masks I used, and the areas I targeted with each adjustment.

Adjustment Layers and Masks

It is true that I can accomplish the same adjustment without layers and masks in Photoshop, but adjustment layers combined with masks allow me a lot more freedom. I can fine-tune the adjustments I made on each layer without destroying the other layers. I can make adjustments to a single layer without having to retrace my steps. I can turn layers on and off to see what effect they have on one another. And I can add to or subtract from each mask to refine it at any time during the workflow.

I often save the image as a PSD file – with all those layers and masks intact – and return to it a few days later. In this way, I can keep track of all the adjustments I’ve made.

So, layers and masks let me take my blended image to the next level, and they allow me to preserve the processing steps I used to create the image. As my workflow gets more complex, layers and masks allow me to keep track of each adjustment, and gives me much greater control.

To learn more about Layers and Masks, check out Session 2 of our Nature Photography and iHDR Workflow Recording: Histograms and RAW Processing

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New Price: iHDR Webinar Series

Varina Patel —  September 29, 2011 — Leave a comment

Today, we want to announce a brand new, lower price for our iHDR Webinar Recordings! It’s still the same series – we haven’t changed the content at all. You’ll still get the sample images, videos, and notes that come with each session. You’ll still get the original detailed explanations, carefully though-out presentations, and clear examples. You’ll still get about 2 hours of recorded class time for each session – more than eight hours in all! The only difference is the price. In the past, the recordings were available for $39 per sessions. Now, we’re offering them for just $25 per session – so, if you buy all four sessions, you save $56!

Intelligent High Dynamic Range (iHDR) is a technique Jay and I have been working on for years. It’s a series of basic steps for blending images in Photoshop. We use layers, and carefully refined masks to produce results that closely represent the reality of the original scene.

Why “Intelligent” HDR? Because this technique is about doing it yourself. There’s no special HDR software making decisions for you. The problem with most HDR software is that it doesn’t give you as much control as you need to produce finished images that feel natural. HDR software generally applies blending indiscriminately across the entire image – even in areas that really don’t need to be blended. The resulting image lacks contrast and feels very flat and unnatural. Our iHDR process gives the control back to the photographer… and lets you make decisions about your image every step of the way.

For more information on individual sessions – or to purchase recorded webinar sessions click below:

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