From: Walter Gilbert
Thanks, John.
I was a little disappointed with the sharpness and resolution on some of
the shots, myself. Whenever I've managed to get the lens right -- and
it's been more difficult than I expected -- it is amazingly sharp. But,
it's a challenging lens for me. I haven't put in nearly enough practice
with it.
As for using channels -- I'm ashamed to admit I don't have the foggiest
notion. Typically, I just use auto-leveling and a little cropping and
sometimes a filter called BW Styler, which can be a bit heavy-handed. I
need to learn more about using channels, curves and all manner of things
when it comes to Photoshop.
Thanks for the input!
Are you using Elements or the full blown Photoshop?
I don't really know Elements, but there are tons of free Photoshop
tutorials on the web, many of them on YouTube.
There two essential things to learn about Photoshop that are the basis
for everything else.
First, use Adjustment Layers for adjustments, corrections and filters.
Placing them on their own layers allows you greater flexibility, and
more importantly allows you to go back at any later time and completely
undo something if you've come to regret it.
You just delete the adjustment layer. You don't even have to delete it;
turn the eye off and the layer becomes invisible.
If an adjustment is only a little "heavy-handed", decrease the layer
transparency == decrease the effect.
Second, always save your work as a .PSD file with all of the the layers
to preserve your work in progress before flattening the image and
creating a JPEG for output.
You can save as TIFF, but Photoshop "converts" files to PSD while it's
using them. Saving as TIFF just adds unnecessary complexity. You'll have
the PSD file (with your layers) to come back to even after you've
created a JPEG for output.
Never save changes to a .PEF file in Photoshop. That way you always have
your original "straight out of the camera" image as a starting point if
you ever need to completely start over.
Once you learn those two things, you've given yourself almost unlimited
possibilities to "do over" anything you're not satisfied with.
Do the best you can now and at some later date when you know more about
using Photoshop, you can more easily come back to the image and do it
better ... without having to reinvent the wheel.
Note: Adobe Camera Raw does not save changes to the .PEF file, it saves
your changes in a "linked" sidecar .XMP file. Getting back to your
unaltered "straight out of the camera" original file is easy; just
delete the .XMP file.
ACR will create a new .XMP saving your new "changes" next time you open
the .PEF file and either continue on to open it in Photoshop or click on
"Done". Clicking "Cancel" does not create a new .XMP file.
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3448 - Release Date: 02/16/11
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
[email protected]
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
