HDR – High Dynamic Range Photography

Website cambridgeincolour has a good tutorial on the technique of creating HDR photos from a series of bracketed exposures.  The result is an image with with incredible tonal range.

This is acheived using Photoshop’s built-in ‘merge to HDR’ feature, and then tweaking the results.  The tutorial is a little on the technical side, but very good.  Read the full article here.

Happy New Year

It’s that time of year again, when we all make resolutions – we’ll lose weight, quit smoking, learn something new, or just generally be better people. The New Year is a blank slate, full of possibilities, and I think it’s that promise of a new start that tempts us, year after year, to set such ambitious goals for ourselves.

In keeping with the theme of new starts, I thought it would be appropriate if my first post of 2009 covered the ways that you can give your computer a fresh start as well. More often than not, when I’m on a tech call with a customer they’ll complain that lately their computer has been running slow lately. “It’s probably time to get a new one” they always say. Maybe, but before you shell out hundreds of dollars for a brand new computer, let’s see if we can breathe some life back into your old one. You might be surprised by the results.

Remember how fast your computer seemed when you first got it? Now it takes forever to boot up, you can make a cup of coffee while you wait for a file to open, and lately it’s just been acting quirky – weird messages popping up, programs suddenly quitting, and you have the general feeling that something just isn’t quite right. Your computer still has the same speed and capabilities that it had when it was new. But just like a car, or your house, it needs a little regular maintenance. Before you go running out to buy a new computer, try following these steps.

1. Make sure that you are virus and spyware free

There are so many malicious programs out there, just waiting for an unsuspecting person to click on the wrong link so that they can infect your computer. The first step is to make sure that you have a firewall, an antivirus program, and an anti-spyware program running, and that they are all up to date. There are many free programs out there that are just as effective as the expensive ones you see in stores. Some good ones are Zone Alarm for a firewall, Avast for anti-virus, and Spyware Doctor for your anti-spyware needs. Download and install each program, and run a full system scan to ensure that your computer is clean.

2. Defrag that harddrive

When you use your computer for the very first time, it runs smoothly because the hard disk is still new and fresh. Once you install applications and download files, data is written in a single contiguous block. When you uninstall or delete them, that one huge block gets filled with empty areas. The subsequent data you save in your PC gets broken up and fills the gaps on the hard disk. As a result, the computer takes a longer time to read those files because it has to go from one location to another to access the data. When you defrag your drive, that data is reassembled into a continuous string, making it easier for your computer to find and serve up data. You should probably do this once every few months. Click on the “My Computer” icon, right click on your hard drive and select “Properties”. Click on the “Tools” tab and then click on the “Defragment Now” button. I’d recommend doing this at night, as it could take several hours to complete. Also, your computers performance will be noticeably slower while it’s defragging, so don’t try to run any other programs while it’s doing it’s thing.

3. Control your startup programs

A lot of software that you install will configure itself to run every time your computer starts up. Sometimes that’s convenient, but most of the time it just increases the time it takes for your computer to boot up. There’s a free utility called CodeStuff Starter that will let you take control of which programs start automatically when your computer boots. When you install and run the program, it will show a list of programs that are set to start when the machine starts. Simply uncheck the ones that aren’t necessary.

4. Delete old or unused files

You can usually free up a lot of space on your computer by deleting old or temporary files. Click on the “My Computer” icon, right click on your hard drive and select “Properties”. Click on the “Disk Cleanup” button. Check off each item you ant to remove, then click “OK”. Again, you should probably run this at a time when you won’t be using your computer, since it tends to take some time to complete.

5. Add RAM

RAM is the memory that your computer uses while you are running programs and accessing files. Adding more RAM will increase the speed and performance of your computer, and new RAM is quite affordable. It’s easy to install it yourself, but there are several different types, so consult your manufacturers website for the type that is compatible with your computer. If you aren’t comfortable installing it yourself, most major electronics and office supply stores offer some type of installation service. Check with the ones in your area to see if they can install it for you.

Well, there you have it… five easy steps to get your tired old computer running like new. Check back for more tips to help you have a successful and productive 2009.

The importance of using the right color space

Don’t listen to them!!  I saw a speaker at the recent PPAMass convention who told the audience of photographers that if their lab uses SRGB color space, “fire your lab!”  This comes from a man who outputs his own work on his sponsor’s inkjet printers.

What he doesn’t realize is that wedding and portrait photographers who use color lab services (virtually the whole industry) need to use the SRGB color space since the printers the lab uses operate in SRGB color space.  While the Adobe 1998 color space offers a broader range of space, the end result is that much larger corrections need to be made to “rein in” the image to print correctly.  Any extreme corrections, be it in Photoshop or in the nondestructive database corrections used at LusteColor via the Kodak DP2 printing system, cannot give an optimum result.

Bottom line is set your camera to SRBG color space to get the best prints possible for you and your customer.

For a more in-depth look at the differences between color profiles check out this article from Will Crockett.

Competition prints, the basics

Print competition is coming soon, well at least is is usually coming up somewhere most of the year. Unlike years ago where the labs had to engage in a very labor intensive effort to produce prints for competition, nowadays photographers can do the heavy work, i.e., the creative work on their own as a direct result of the digital revolution. You can shape and place your image in the file with creative use of backgrounds and accents. When preparing files, be sure to size them correctly. Either size at 16×20 at 200dpi or 8×10 at 250 dpi, any more than 250 dpi is overkill. Keep backgrounds and accents simple and subtle. Remember the overall presentation is judged, not just the image. Placement of the image is part of the composition. Doing your own work inevitably increases your skill level in Photoshop, imagine that! Be very careful in making adjustments especially saturation and levels. What may look dramatic on the monitor usually doesn’t translate to paper. A good rule of thumb is to back off by about 50% of that “dramatic” look. Over saturation leads to “neon” colors and overdone levels leads to loss of detail in the whites and blacks. Since prints are made darker for competition, loss of detail in the blacks is very sensitive. Helpful guidelines for PPA level competition can be seen by clicking on this link: http://www.ppane.com/merit_image.htm At LustreColor the competition prints can be ordered easily through LabLink Plus. The price includes a glossy print on the regulation thickness mount. If you want the lab to put file together for you, the backgrounds and accents are priced a la carte. Just tell us what you want. I like to use a pinstripe accent very narrow and offset about a 1/4 inch from the image. Some photographers like it directly adjacent to the image. What do you think? When using a background other than black, I prefer to avoid the “blank color” look by adding a texture such as a grain look to the color to combine visually better with the image area. What do you think? Above all stretch yourself, be creative and have fun.