Written by Sabina


A raw image file contains unprocessed or unmodified data straight from the camera’s sensor. A raw file obtained from a digital camera is the equivalent of the negative image of film photography, it has all the necessary information to create an image. In the past, only expensive professional cameras were able to save images in a raw format. Nowadays, more and more digital cameras offer you this option. By saving your pictures in raw format, you will analyze the image taken and make the necessary adjustments. By comparison, by saving a picture in a compressed format (JPEG), you let the camera’s internal algorithms deal with the image’s characteristics. By choosing to shoot raw, you can use editing software (such as Adobe Photoshop) to set the image’s settings: white balance, tonal range, contrast or the amount of sharpening.

In conformity with the camera used to take the picture, the resulting raw file will have different extensions: .nef (for Nikon cameras), or .crw (for Canon cameras). You can use import the raw formats from many camera manufacturers into Adobe Photoshop for further editing. Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) is the Photoshop’s component which allows you to process the raw files.

When you start editing a raw camera file, Photoshop does not alter the initial file content. After you have performed the desired modifications, you export the edited image and in this way the original remains unchanged.

You can open raw files with both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge, as they have the identical Camera Raw dialog box.

You can check out this website:
Processing images with Camera Raw

by *betenoir*

by Gogoye

By: Mr.Malique

Have you ever wondered how Mr Malique creates his clones? Well, I’m here to teach you how to clone yourself just like Mr Malique does it!

Yeap, for my maiden post on this blog, I’m gonna do an in-depth tutorial on how to create your own clones, using Adobe Photoshop.

Here’s a list of tools you will need to be able to do this tutorial along with me.

1. A digital camera. You got a spankin’ brand new DSLR like Yanni’s Nikon D80? Great! You got a point-and-shoot consumer camera? No problem too! What? You want to use a film camera? Erm… Possible… But will be more than doubly troublesome. Let’s keep things simple and I shall assume you own/can borrow a digital camera.
2. A tripod. A must. Okay, not exactly a must, but it will make things so much easier. Easy is the keyword in this tutorial, okay?
3. Adobe Photoshop. Any version will do, as long as it supports layer masking. I’m not familiar with other programs, but if the graphics program you’re using allows you to mess around with layer masking, you’d probably be able to adapt the steps here to fit that program.I shall be using Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended.
4. Of course, you will need a computer. I shall assume you have access to one since you’re reading this entry. Mac or PC, whatever your choice may be, it will suffice. Personally I use a PC.

But before we begin the tutorial proper, I am going to have to assume several things about you:

• You have taken photographs before, and know the basics of your camera, for example, how to take a correct exposure and how to set the timer.
• You have used Adobe Photoshop before, and you know what layers are.
• You know how to use your computer, whatever the flavour may be.

Now that all that is over, let’s get started!

Check out this website:

Tutorial : How to create your own clones!

By Debbie Grossman

	.

It's a good thing photographers are inclined toward the technical. What other artists would accept that the best way to perfect their masterpiece is by manipulating points on a graph? But when you get good at using Adobe Photoshop's Curves tool, you'll be able to make very fine adjustments to color and contrast very quickly.

Luckily, it's not as hard as it looks. Here are some ways to get started, and some hints for using CS3's improved Curves interface. By the way, this is the one big gun that Adobe has continued to withhold from Elements in its full form, but you will find Curves in Lightroom.

Click here for tutorial steps

More of Debbie Grossman's Photoshop tutorials can be found in the Digital Toolbox archive.

By Nancy Hill

Everybody has a camera, so why should you bother taking pictures? Let someone else worry about shooting the family reunion, the kids, the sports. You can always ask them for prints. Right?

Maybe not. You could be missing out on a lot if you settle for someone else’s photos instead of learning to take good pictures yourself. Here are 10 reasons why it’s well worth the effort to learn to take good photographs yourself.

1. Photographs are personal. Only you know how you see the world.
Everyone views the world differently. Your perspective is unique. Your sister will not capture your family reunion like you would. She will focus on the kids, while you like how many generations are in your family. Your best friend with her fancy camera does sweeping landscapes. You were with her on the shoot. While she was fussing with her tripod, you were fascinated by the kids fishing with their mother. She never even thought to look. Only you can capture the world you live in. Leaving it up to anyone else will mean your vision is lost.

2. Photographs provide an historical record.
Maybe all those Little League games you go to seem tedious after a while, but 20 years from now, your kids will love looking at those pictures, recalling their glory moments (and they will remember some), the kids on their teams, and the coach who kept believing in them. Same goes for other things in your life. Taking photos of your house will remind you of what you once valued, and what your tastes were. Cars change, woods give way to roads, property is sub-divided, old homes are torn down. Having photos of how things are now will give you a record when things “ain’t what they used to be.”

3. Taking photographs will kick your brain into a creative mode.
Simply by looking through the camera and deciding what part of the scene in front of you belongs in the picture will kick your creative side into action. The more you shoot, the more your creativity will come out. It’s a wonderful part of you. Let it play.

4. Photography is great therapy.
This is close to number 3, but it goes beyond creativity. Photography can help you see the world differently. If you’re upset, grab your camera and go out looking for beauty. You’ll find it. If you’re down, spend an hour shooting photographs – of anything – your house, your yard, your city, flowers, animals. Life through a camera lens is full of wonder. Focusing on how the world around you looks can also help break through your negative thoughts.

5. Photography is a great way to make new friends.
Photographers - amateurs, hobbyists, and pros alike - love to talk about photography. You’ll never lack for company if you join a photography club. You’ll also learn a lot more about photography by someone who takes good photographs than you’ll ever learn in a book.

6. Photography is a way to share your life with others.
Sometimes it’s hard to talk to family members. Just because you share relatives doesn’t mean you have much in common. Sharing your photographs with them is a good way to break through barriers, to show someone what’s important in your life. You can also share travel photographs with groups interested in the area you visited. The photos you took of soil eroded around a river might be just what a environmental group needs to get a grant to save the area. The possibilities are endless.

7. Photography is a gift you can give others.
Cards with your photographs on them make great gifts, and a calendar of family photos is a perfect present for your parents who have everything they could possibly want or need. Getting cards and calendars made has never been easier; you can even have it done online. You can also use your photographs on mouse pads, shirts, mugs, and even postage stamps. What could be more personal?

8. Photography will improve your web site and/or blog.
Your words alone aren’t likely to keep people on your web site for very long, so you need to include graphics. You can always use someone else’s work, but your own will be easier, more personal, and say a lot about you. Don’t overlook the power of a good photograph. It can take your web site to a new level.

9. Photography brings accolades.
Your images might not make you famous, but being known as someone who takes good pictures is a real self-esteem builder. It’s great to hear, “Wow! That’s beautiful! Can I get a copy?” Even a simple, “You take such good photographs. How do you do it?” makes the effort worth while. Praise is good. None of us can get enough of it.

10. Photography can bring in money.
Yep, it’s true. Take good photographs, and chances are you can pick up some extra cash. Whether it’s taking your neighbor’s kid’s high school senior pictures, winning a little cash in a photo contest, or selling your cards on a web site, photography can bring in some extra cash. Maybe someone backs into your neighbor’s fence and they need a photo for court. Who knows, maybe you’ll get so good your work will be published in newspapers or magazines some day. You could start small. Lots of magazines, especially women’s magazines, pay $25-50 for cute kid shots. There are lots of possibilities.

The more you learn about photography, the better your photographs will be. The better they are, the more confidence you’ll have – not just in your photographs, but in yourself. Don’t waste another minute — Grab your camera and start shooting!

Each people has own reasons what camera type he / she chooses. Half people like Canon. Half people like Nikon. Not surprisingly, both of them are very popular, you know.

Here is a traveler women’s blog at My Several Worlds.

“I’m the proud owner of a Canon XTi Digital Rebel 400D. I bought the kit and then added: a battery grip, 4G CF card, 2 batteries, UV filters and heavy-duty camera bag to the pile. I also picked up a Canon EF55 f1.8/ II lens as my first ultra light-weight lens for travel photography. I managed to get the store to throw in a few freebies. They gave me an LCD screen protector, a cleaning kit and an extra battery for no extra charge.”

Here are her’s photos that looks really awesome.

After post-processing

Original

So, for you who aren’t photographer professional yet, you don’t need to buy a very expensive DSLR. Don’t go crazy buying it first, says photographer professional.

Want to have better photos? Go to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom for post-processing (both of them are very popular, too).

For more detail about canon EOS 400D, you can check it out at: Canon EOS 400D

Be careful to buy DSLR, so you won’t have regrets later.

But you don’t know how to make it?

Let’s follow these steps that made by Brian Auer, who is a photography enthusiast. Well, first of all, Read what Vignette is as Brian Auer explained here.

Vignette (pronounced vin-’yet) is a sort of framing element that you’ll sometimes see in photos (particularly older photos or Lomo shots), in which the image fades out toward the corners. It’s most commonly seen as a fade out to black, but white is also used sometimes. The vignette can be a powerful element of the photo because it has a natural tendency to draw the eye toward the center of the photo.

Vignette can be produced naturally if you’re using a lens intended for a smaller medium (like using a dSLR lens on a film SLR), because parts of the lens actually block out some of the light from hitting the sensor or film. There are a few other methods of getting the vignette effect, but the simplest of them is with Photoshop. Also, using Photoshop will allow you a wider range of control since it can be adjusted many times without destroying pixels.

1. DO THIS AS YOUR LAST STEP IN PHOTOSHOP!!!
2. Create a new empty layer on top of the stack. Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N
3. Fill the layer with pure white. Shift + Backspace
4. Set the blend mode to “Multiply”. Alt + Shift + M
5. Apply the vignette filter to the new layer.
   Filter >> Distort >> Lens Correction…
6. Mess with the “Amount” and “Midpoint” sliders in the “Vignette” section.
7. Press “OK”, and now you have art!

You’ve officially added vignette to the photo in a non-destructive manner using Photoshop. If you decide to come back to the photo at a later time and you want to change the vignette, just refill the top layer with white and repeat lens correction. This isn’t the only way to do this (and I apologize to those who don’t use Photoshop), but it’s the easiest and safest way that I know of.

Enjoy trying!!

Curious about what RAW and JPEG format are? Do they have pros and cons? Just read this article by Jim Goldstein.

RAW format is often a proprietary format of a particular camera make. RAW files hold all the RAW data captured by the camera. Unlike conventional photography where light is exposed against film with a specific chemical formulation to provide deep saturation or soft skin tones that would otherwise be automatically applied based on the type of film used, RAW digital files contain raw data that is uninterrupted and unaltered. RAW files in their simplest description can be thought of as digital negatives. They are a pre-production starting point.

JPEG format compresses image data into a smaller file size. In theory, a JPEG file contains less data (how much depends on the specified size and compression/quality settings) than an equivalent RAW file, but is able to closely reproduce an image once fully loaded. When saving an image with photo editing software it is possible to save an image with different levels of JPEG compression. This enables you to create files that take less storage space sacrificing how well the file displays or take up more storage space to more accurately reproduce the original image.

Format Pros & Cons:

The Pros of RAW format:

• RAW is a digital negative holding all of the data captured by your camera providing you a foundational element to which to apply all of your edits to with no sacrifice of image quality.

• RAW file software editors allow you to quickly and easily change the output of your image such as adjusting exposure, white balance, noise reduction, image size (interpolation), saturation, contrast, levels, curves, sharpness, output resolution, bits/channel, etc.

• RAW file software editors allow you to load saved adjustment settings and some even enables users to batch process a group of files versus making changes to one file at a time.

The Cons of RAW format:

• RAW files take up more space on your camera's compact flash card or micro drive than other formats.

• RAW files require you conduct some degree of post processing via photo editing software to convert your image to an editable file type for editing, printing and/or online display.

• RAW file software editors have a learning curve, even if mild, and for the uninitiated can be intimidating at first.

• Batch processing and/or loading multiple files may tax slower machines and require more computer RAM to keep your software running smoothly.

The Pros of JPEG format:

• JPEG is a file format that has been adopted as a standard and can be loaded in a variety of programs making display easy and simple.

• JPEG files take up less space on your camera's compact flash card or micro drive than other formats.

• JPEGs can be loaded easily by most all image editing software applications, requiring no intermediate steps.

• Most dSLRs enable you to choose what size JPEG files (S, M, or L) to save to your compact flash card or micro drive when shooting. This enables you to use smaller images that are easier to handle for email attachments, web display or as an alternate preview mechanism if your camera supports saving files in JPEG and RAW formats simultaneously.

The Cons of JPEG format:

• JPEGs are not a lossless file format. Each time the file is saved data is compressed, with some data being lost in the process. The net impact can be loss of color saturation, color range and sharpness.

• JPEG files reflect a one-time interpretation of your subject based on the settings of your camera (white balance, exposure settings and output resolution, etc.). Altering these settings and re-outputting a new file, as you can with a RAW file, is not possible. What you capture is what you get.

• Interpolating or upsizing an image initially saved as a JPEG can result in less than ideal results. Some 3rd party software applications can do this better than others, but you’re still dependent on using another software application to get the job done.

• With specific types of photographed scenes JPEG compression artifacts can appear in prints.

Hopefully, this article is very helpful for you and it's up to you which format you want to use.

Original ( Miss Aniela's photos)

Manipulated ( Miss Aniela's photos)

Yes, Miss Aniela is a self-portrait artist. She's one of the most popular artists as well as a great digital-manipulator.

Want to be a great digital-manipulator?
So, how could you be such a great manipulator?
Why not try learning Photo Shop through video tutorial? That's probably the best way to do it because you get to follow the steps of a quick Photo Shop video tutorial.

Nowadays, many people really want to know how to learn Adobe Photo Shop tutorial, but most people prefer Photo Shop video tutorial because you don't have to need a long-winded explanation; just needs how to do each step.

Let's visit at 101 Photo Tips

Learning Photo Shop is now very easy thanks to video tutorial. Exactly!! So grab a video tutorial instead.