The Magazine for Photographers. Converting to CMYK Merging Lightroom Catalogs Noise Reduction Strategies

Transcription

1 Pixology The Magazine for Photographers April 2013 Converting to CMYK Merging Lightroom Catalogs Noise Reduction Strategies

2 Pixology The Magazine for Photographers CONTENTS Fast Color Fix Converting to CMYK Merging Catalogs Noise Reduction Strategies Finding Celestial Bodies Sketch Effects in Elements Fun with the Sun

3 From the Editor Spring has arrived, but here in Austria where I m writing this issue of Pixology magazine, the weather is still very much winter weather. Somehow that only serves to further remind me that spring has arrived, even if it doesn t feel like it. So, while I can t yet focus on wildflowers, lush landscapes, and other springtime photographic opportunities, I can give some thought to spring cleaning. Perhaps that is what inspired some of the articles in this issue, including a look at how to cleanup multiple Lightroom catalogs into one, and a reminder to make sure your lens is clean before capturing images with the sun in the frame. I hope you find this issue of Pixology to be informative and entertaining, and hopefully we can all enjoy some spring weather soon. As always, I welcome your thoughts via at tim@timgrey.com. Thank you, Tim Grey Editor 3

4 Fast Color Fix Removing a Strong Color Cast By Tim Grey Every now and then I m surprised when I receive an unexpectedly strong favorable response to a particular technique. I guess sometimes I just figure a particular technique won t have wide appeal or won t seem all that impressive. Such is the case for a technique for removing a very strong color cast in an image that I teach periodically. I first started using this technique when I had an old family photo that experienced a very strong color shift after having been stored for years in a family album that was far from archival. Well, actually, the photo had been stored for decades. But the point is, the color had shifted quite significantly. I realized that a combination of a couple of features in Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) would likely provide a solution. Sure enough, I was able to quickly and easily compensate for the strong color cast using the technique presented here. It s worth noting that if you will be working to correct a large number of photos that have experienced a strong color shift you can create an action in Photoshop to automate the steps of this process. 4

5 1 - Duplicate the Background Layer This process involves some rather dramatic changes to pixel values, and so in order to preserve the original image while improving the color, you ll need to create a copy of the Background image layer. You can do so by clicking on the thumbnail for the Background image layer on the Layers panel and then pressing Ctrl+J on Windows or Command+J on Macintosh, or by dragging the thumbnail for the Backround image layer to the Create New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel. 2 - Apply the Average Blur Filter With a duplicate layer created, the next step is to determine the average color of the image, which will effectively provide you with an indication of the color of the strong color cast. To achieve this effect, choose Filter > Blur > Average from the menu. This filter will produce a result that represents a blur so strong that every pixel becomes the color of the average color in the image. In other words, the Background Copy layer will now consist of a single solid color that represents the average color from the Background image layer. 3 - Invert the Color Since the average color on the Background Copy layer represents, in essence, the color problem in the image, the solution to the strong color cast lies in the opposite color. To change the color of the Background Copy layer to the opposite color, choose Image > Adjustments > Invert from the menu. The color of the Background Copy layer now represents the color that needs to be used to compensate for the strong color cast in the photo. 5

6 4 - Set the Blend Mode to Color To actually apply the change in color for the original image, you ll need to employ the Color blend mode. Simply choose Color from the blend mode popup (the default value is Normal) on the Layers panel. This will shift the image from an original that had a very strong color cast, to an image with an even stronger opposite color cast. 6

7 5 - Reduce Layer Opacity At this point the effect is, of course, far too strong. The image is effectively a black and white image with a tint applied, meaning the image is comprised entirely of various shades of a single color. To tone down this color, and achieve a result that neutralizes the original color cast, simply reduce the Opacity value on the Layers panel. In most cases an Opacity value of around 50% will provide a good balance, since we re literally offsetting the original color cast with its opposite value. However, you may need to shift the value up or down a little depending on the specific results you re after. 7

8 6 - Apply Additional Adjustments After applying such a strong (though relatively simple) adjustment to compensate for a very strong color cast, the image will be looking a bit drab. Therefore, you ll want to apply some adjustments to improve the appearance of the photo. At a minimum, you ll likely want to increase contrast, such as with a Levels or Curves adjustment. You may also need to apply an adjustment to improve overall saturation, such as via Vibrance or Hue/Saturation. Other adjustments may also be called for, but having quickly and easily improved the overall color for the photo, you ll be off to a great start for further optimization. 8

9 Converting to CMYK By Tim Grey Most photographers are, I suspect, familiar with at least the basics of the RGB color model. However, in my experience, it is somewhat rare for a photographer to have any significant knowledge of the CMYK color model. Even more rare, it seems, is a photographer who understands the issues related to converting an image from an RGB color space to CMYK. Color Model Basics Color models derive from a need to be able to precisely and consistently describe colors. In effect, a color model defines a common language for describing color. Ultimately, specific color values in a given color space can be mapped to a specific response in the human visual system. There are obviously a huge number of variables at play, but the bottom line is that a color model exists to enable us to describe color. For photographers, the most familiar color model is RGB. With this color model each individual color value is defined based on how much red, green, and blue light get added up to create a specific color value. All three colors at the minimum value will produce black, and all three colors at the maximum value will produce white. Every other possible color is created with values in between those extremes. This is a logical approach to describing color for photographic images, since the RGB color model uses light values to describe color. Most digital camera image sensors capture red, green, and blue values at the time of exposure, and most computer monitor displays also emit light that is comprised of individual red, green, and blue values. 9

10 The CMYK color model, on the other hand, really revolves around ink on paper. While the RGB color space describes color values based on how much light of each color (red, green, and blue) are added together, the CMYK color space relates to how much of each ink color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) must be mixed together to create the color for each pixel in the image being printed. The primary colors for the CMYK color model are cyan, magenta, and yellow. These primary colors are often referred to as the subtractive primary colors, because ink on paper absorbs light, and thus is subtracting light from rather than adding light to the values we are able to observe with our eyes. In theory the CMYK color model could be simply the CMY color model, comprised of just cyan, magenta, and yellow. Black is added only because the inks we use are not pure enough to create a true black by blending only cyan, magenta, and yellow ink. Thus, black is added to the mix. As to why black is represented as K rather than B, that depends upon whom you ask. Some will tell you black is referred to as K to avoid confusion with blue. Others will tell you that black is designated with a K because black is the key color for alignment when printing in an offset press environment. The RGB and CMYK color models are obviously based on different in fact opposite primary colors. But both are aimed at enabling us to describe color very specifically, whether we re describing colors based on how much light is being added to the equation or how much ink is being put down on paper. The Need for CMYK Conversion It makes sense that our digital cameras typically capture RGB values, since the RGB color space relates to light and the camera is quite literally capturing light. It also makes sense that we work in an RGB color space in most cases when optimizing our images, because we are using an RGB device as a monitor to view the image while we work. When it comes to printing, it also makes sense that we would need to translate our RGB pixel values to CMYK color values, since we are printing with CMYK inks. However, that is not always the case. For example, a typical photo inkjet printer utilizes a variation on a CMYK ink set, generally with multiple shades of certain (or all) of the primary colors in order to improve the color gamut for the printer. However, these printers are designed to process RGB values, and thus should be treated as RGB devices. As such, you should not convert your digital images to CMYK before printing to a photo inkjet printer, and in fact the ICC profiles for these printers are RGB profiles. In the world of traditional printing, however, CMYK color values are the norm, and thus pixel values need to be translated to CMYK for printing in most commercial print environments. Who Should Convert? I have long advocated that in most cases photographers should not convert images to CMYK when a commercial printer will print their images. Instead, I recommend sending RGB files, along with a sample print, so the 10

11 printer can perform the conversion and other preparation, and utilize the sample print as a reference to help ensure the results match the photographer s intent. However, some clarification is in order here. First, I generally refer to the printer as though it were a single person taking the photographer s images and operating an offset press to print those images. Things are obviously not that simple in most cases. To begin with, there are typically more than a few people involved in the overall process of preparing images and other documents, creating print-ready files, and producing the final output. Furthermore, these various people are often not working at the same company, or even in the same country. It is therefore important to keep in mind that there are only certain portions of the workflow where a conversion to CMYK can be performed, and thus only certain people involved who are able to perform this conversion. My reasoning for having the printer perform the CMYK conversion is not to simply avoid taking responsibility for the conversion, or to be lazy or cheap when it comes to that additional work. Rather, my feeling is that the people involved in the actual pre-press or printing process are generally the most knowledgeable and best equipped when it comes to actually converting RGB images to CMYK. In my opinion, photographers should not simply pass the buck, leaving the print shop to do all the work of preparing images for print. The photographer also should not assume that having their images converted from RGB to CMYK is something that should be done for free. This CMYK conversion is part of a larger process of ensuring accurate printing of the best quality possible. If a photographer cares about how their images look in print, they should be willing to either learn to perform these tasks on their own or be willing to pay for the services of the printing staff. Start by Talking Regardless of whether you or the printing staff will be preparing the final images for print, it is critical that you start the process with a conversation. A good relationship with the printer will help ensure you re able to get assistance when you need it, and will also help ensure there are no misunderstandings along the way. When it comes to commercial printing, one of my greatest frustrations is when you contact the printer and then tell you that you must convert the images to CMYK, and that to do so you can simply choose Image > Mode > CMYK Color from the menu in Photoshop. This is simply bad advice if there isn t additional information provided. So bad, in fact, that I recommend if at all possible that you find another printer (or at least talk to someone else at the same printer) if you hear this recommendation. The challenge here is that CMYK profiles are device-dependent profiles, meaning they describe a color gamut of only a specific print configuration. The color gamut of a specific printer, ink, and paper combination will be smaller than your monitor s display profile as well as the RGB working space profile you were using while optimizing the photo. Therefore, a conversion to CMYK that doesn t take into account the specific capabilities of 11

12 the output process to be used will compromise the final color gamut and overall quality of the printed result. Under ideal circumstances you ll be able to obtain a custom CMYK ICC profile from the printer, so you can use that profile in the process of softproofing your images as well as converting those images to that CMYK profile. In reality, this isn t very likely to occur, for a wide variety of reasons. Put simply, the world of commercial printing is far more complex than photo inkjet printing. As a photographer you probably own one or two photo inkjet printers, and you probably use a single ink set for each. You may even have two printers that use the exact same ink set. You probably utilize a relatively small number of papers for most of your printing, using a single paper for most printing, and then a handful of other papers for specialty printing. The Customize Proof Condition dialog allows you to establish settings for the Proof Colors display, which enables you to view a soft proof of your image that will simulate the final print. With commercial printing you may work with a small shop with only one press, but even then the range of potential ink and paper combinations is virtually unlimited. Worse, ink and paper may be switched from job to job, and from print run to print run, and often in a somewhat unpredictable way. In other words, the printer likely can t provide you with an ICC profile for the specific print conditions your images will be printed under, in large part because it may be difficult to predict exactly what those output conditions will be. And of course, to be fair, the staff at a print shop has many more pressing tasks to perform than to generate ICC profiles for every print job for all of their customers. That said, if you re able to obtain a custom profile for the output conditions your images will be printed under, so much the better. But regardless of whether you receive a profile for the conversion process, you should most certainly be able to obtain specific instructions for how the images should be converted. Soft Proofing When it comes to printing directly to a photo inkjet printer, I rarely feel the need to perform soft proofing. That s because I generally am working with accurate ICC profiles, and with a printer, ink, and paper combination I m familiar with. As a result, I typically am able to achieve predictable and consistent output without any difficulty. However, when sending an image to a third party to be printed, soft proofing can be very helpful. The results will vary depending on whether you re using a custom printer profile for the specific output conditions or you re using a generic profile based on 12

13 recommended settings. But the idea is that soft proofing can help you get a better sense of what to predict in terms of the final print. Soft proofing involves adjusting the onscreen display to simulate the results you can expect from the printed image. Because your computer display is using emitted light to present the image, and a print depends upon reflected light, the experience of viewing each is quite different. Therefore, you should think of soft proofing as a tool to help you anticipate what the printed image will look like, not a perfect preview of the final output. Before enabling the soft proofing display, you ll need to configure the settings for Proof Setup. Start by choosing View > Proof Setup > Custom from the menu to bring up the Customize Proof Condition dialog. From the Device to Simulate popup, choose the appropriate profile based on the settings specified by the printer, and as outlined later in this article. Be sure the Preserve CMYK Numbers checkbox is turned off, as having this checkbox turned on counteracts the effect of soft proofing. Set the Rendering Intent popup and Black Point Compensation checkbox similarly based on your CMYK conversion settings. While it can be a bit alarming to see the dramatic change in the image, it is generally best to turn on both the Simulate Paper The Proof Colors view option enables you to view a soft proof that simulates what the final print should look like. In some cases the result can be rather dramatic, as shown here. The left image is the standard RGB display, while the preview on the right is for a CMYK profile for an uncoated newsprint media. 13

14 Color and Simulate Black Ink checkboxes if available. This will provide the most realistic preview of what you can expect the print to look like, compensating to the extent possible for the experiential differences between a monitor display and printed image. With the settings established in the Customize Proof Condition dialog you can click the OK button to close the dialog. The Proof Colors option will be turned on by default, meaning the image will continue to reflect the soft proofing display. You can toggle the soft proof display on or off by choosing View > Proof Colors from the menu, or by pressing Ctrl+Y on Windows or Command+Y on Macintosh. In addition to the soft proofing display, you can also turn on an overlay that will indicate the areas of the image that are outside the color gamut for the current proof condition. To turn on this option, choose View > Gamut Warning from the menu, or press Ctrl+Shift+Y on Windows or Command+Shift+Y on Macintosh. The default color for the out-of-gamut overlay is gray, but you can also change this setting in the Transparency & Gamut section of the Preferences dialog in Photoshop. Of course, besides enabling you to get a sense of what the print will actually look like, you can also use the soft proofing display as a guide for applying adjustments in an effort to compensate to the extent possible for the limitations of the printer, paper, and ink combination to be used for printing. Keep in mind that these adjustments will never enable the print to look exactly like your original optimized image on your monitor display, but you can certainly apply some basic adjustments to make the most of the printed result. With the Gamut Warning option turned on as part of the Proof Colors view option, a gray overlay will appear over areas of the image that fall outside the color gamut of the printer, ink, and paper combination represented by the profile established for the Proof Colors display. Individual Conversion to CMYK There are two basic processes you can use to convert an image to CMYK in Photoshop. Both will achieve the same result, so it is mostly a matter of personal preference or workflow approach. The first approach to converting to CMYK is to choose Edit > Convert to Profile from the menu. This will bring up the Convert to Profile dialog, where you can choose the specific profile to be used as well as the settings for the conversion. You must specify a particular CMYK profile to convert to as part of this process. 14

15 If you received a custom ICC profile from the printer, you ll need to install that profile on your computer, and then select the profile as the Destination Space Profile in the Convert to Profile dialog. In the absence of a custom ICC profile, you ll need to select the profile recommended by the printer. In many cases you ll likely find that profile recommendation is either U.S. Sheetfed Coated or U.S. Sheetfed Uncoated, depending on the type of paper being printed to. It is worth noting that in my experience the default CMYK working space profile in Photoshop, which is U.S. Web Coated, is not the best choice for most commercial print jobs. In most cases the default settings in the Conversion Options section of the Convert to Profile dialog will work perfectly well. However, if recommended by the printer, you may need to adjust these settings. The Engine option determines which color management processing engine will be used to calculate the change in pixel values from one color space to the next. The default is Adobe (ACE), which is generally the best choice because it is a cross-platform solution. However, in some cases the printer may recommend using the platform specific conversion engine for either Windows or Macintosh. The Intent popup allows you to choose a specific rendering intent for the color The simplest way to convert an image to CMYK is to use the Convert to Profile command, establishing settings for the conversion in the Convert to Profile dialog. conversion. This relates specifically to how colors that fall outside the color gamut of the destination profile will be dealt with. In most cases I prefer the Relative Colorimetric option, because it preserves the appearance of all colors that fall within the color gamut of the destination space. Only colors that fall outside the destination color gamut will be shifted to the closest matching color that is within the color gamut. However, in some cases you may get better results with the Perceptual rendering intent, especially when the source color space has a significantly wider color gamut than the destination color space. This is because the Perceptual rendering intent maintains the relative relationships between colors. The drawback, however, is that the Perceptual rendering intent effectively reduces saturation for all colors rather than focusing only on the colors that are outside the color gamut for the destination space. But again, the best option depends on the specific output conditions, and the relationship between the source and destination color spaces. 15

16 The Use Black Point Compensation checkbox determines whether black in the source color space for your image should be mapped to black in the output space. In most cases you will want this option turned on, unless instructed otherwise by your printer. The Use Dither checkbox will help ensure smoother gradations of color in images where there are significant issues related to color gamut. This is only an issue for 8-bit per channel images, and therefore this checkbox is disabled when you are working with a 16-bit per channel image. For 8-bit per channel images it is best to leave the Use Dither checkbox turned on to help ensure the smoothest gradations in situations where that is an issue. Finally, you have the option to flatten the image in order to preserve the appearance of color and tonal values within the photo. In most cases I would consider this a superfluous option, because I recommend creating a flattened copy of your master image before you start preparing that copy for output. If you are working with a layered image for any reason at this point, I recommend turning on the Flatten Image to Preserve Appearance checkbox, as it will help prevent unwanted shifts in color that can occur when there are adjustment layers applied to an image. It is worth noting that you can toggle the Preview checkbox off and on in the Convert to Profile dialog to evaluate the before and after view relative to the actual color conversion. With the Preview checkbox turned off you ll be viewing the image as it would normally appear within Photoshop, such as when you are working to optimize the image. With the checkbox turned on you ll see a preview of the final effect in the image after the conversion. This can be helpful in getting a better sense of the degree of compromise involved in the color potential of the intended output. Once you ve established the appropriate settings in the Convert to Profile dialog, click OK to apply the change. The image can then be saved for delivery to the printer. Conversion via Color Settings The other option for converting an image to CMYK is to change the Color Settings so the desired output profile is established as the Working Space for CMYK. With the appropriate settings established in the Color Settings dialog you can then simply choose Image > Mode > CMYK Color from the menu to convert the image. It is important to keep in mind that adjusting the options in Color Settings is critical to this process, as otherwise you are blindly converting the image to whatever profile happens to be established as the working space for CMYK. To adjust the settings, first bring up the Color Settings dialog by choosing Edit > Color Settings from the menu. Choose the appropriate profile from the CMYK popup in the Working Spaces section of the Color Settings dialog. This will be either the custom ICC profile provided by your printer and installed on your computer, or the generic profile recommended by the printer. In the Color Management Policies section of Color Settings, I recommend setting the CMYK popup to Preserve Embedded Profiles. This will ensure that if you open an image that is already in the CMYK color 16

17 space, the profile will not be changed to the profile you re establishing as your working space automatically. You may also want to turn on the three checkboxes at the bottom of the Color Management Policies section of Color Settings so you ll be warned if there are issues with a profile mismatch or a missing profile for an image. The Conversion Options section contains the same basic settings as the Convert to Profile dialog, and the same decisions apply. Therefore, you can refer to the explanation outlined earlier in this article for information on establishing the best settings for the Conversion Options section of the Color Settings dialog. The only additional item in the Conversion Options section of the Color Settings dialog that isn t included in the Convert to Profile dialog is the Compensate for Scene-referred Profiles checkbox. This option, however, is only applicable to video, not still images, and thus photographers don t need to be concerned about this checkbox. The Advanced Controls section of the Color Settings dialog will be displayed if you have clicked the More Options button, but that section contains options that are The Color Settings dialog enables you to establish a default color space for CMYK images, which can then be used as the basis of a CMYK conversion via the Image > Mode menu. not applicable to a conversion to CMYK. Therefore, those settings don t need to be adjusted for purposes of a CMYK conversion. After establishing options for CMYK in the Color Settings dialog, you can convert an image to the destination CMYK profile you ve defined by choosing Image > Mode > CMYK Color from the menu. Custom CMYK Settings In rare cases you may be instructed to use custom settings for the CMYK profile, which enables a considerable amount of control over the specific processing of color values in the image when the color is converted from RGB to CMYK. The Custom CMYK settings should only be adjusted based on specific instructions from the printer. 17

18 To adjust the Custom CMYK settings, start by choosing Edit > Color Settings from the menu. In the Color Settings dialog, choose Custom CMYK from the CMYK popup in the Working Spaces section. This will bring up the Custom CMYK dialog, where you can adjust settings for the ink and color separation based on the specific instructions provided to you by the printer. After establishing the recommended settings, type a meaningful name in the Name field, and click OK to both establish the settings and save the Custom CMYK option with a name that can later be selected from the CMYK popup in the Working Spaces section of the Color Settings dialog. Saving the Converted Image Once you have converted the current image to the desired CMYK profile, you ll naturally need to save the image so it can be delivered to the printer for final output. In most cases you ll want to save the image as a TIFF image, though the specific file format and settings will depend upon the preferred workflow of the printer who will produce the final result. To save the image, start by choosing File > Save As from the menu to bring up the Save As dialog. Navigate to the location where you want to save the images. My general The Custom CMYK dialog enables you to establish detailed settings for a CMYK conversion, but should only be used with specific guidance from the commercial printing staff you are working with. preference is to save to a dedicated folder on the Desktop, so that the files are easier to get to and thus easier to transfer to another device or upload to a server in order to deliver those files to the printer. You can also specify a new filename for the image you re saving, although it is generally best to use the original filename in order to avoid confusion about where the source image is for a particular derivative image you ve created for printing. If the printer prefers a different structure for the filename, such as to include your name at the beginning of the filename, I recommend incorporating your original filename at the end of that new filename to enable you to cross-reference the files. You can then specify the type of file you ll be saving from the Format popup, though again you will most likely be utilizing the TIFF file format. 18

19 Most importantly, be sure the Embed Color Profile checkbox is turned on. To the right of the label for this checkbox you ll see an indication of the name of the profile that will be embedded. You can then click Save, and then adjust any settings that appear in an additional dialog. For example, if you save the image as a TIFF image, you ll be presented with the TIFF Options dialog. This allows you to set options for compression, for example, in addition to other settings. It is best to check with the printer to determine the best settings, although in most cases it will be perfectly fine to use the LZW option for compression for TIFF images for purposes of reducing the size of the file you re saving. Knowledge and Communication If you re going to be preparing images to be printed by a commercial printer, I think there is tremendous advantage to gaining as much knowledge about the process as possible. One of the best things you can to gain that knowledge is to develop a good working relationship with the printer. Get information When saving the final prepared image, it is important to ensure the profile is embedded as part of the image, and that the file is saved based on the preferences of your commercial printer. and recommendations about their preferred workflow for preparing the images for print, including color management, optimization, sharpening, and any other insights you can gain. Printing images should be, in my view, a collaborative process between the content creator and the people who will work with your images in various ways to produce the printed result. You ll get the best results with a cooperative approach, an open dialog, and a willingness to listen and learn. Just don t be afraid to speak up for yourself too, in order to ensure the printed result meets or exceeds your expectations. 19

20 Merging Catalogs Combining Multiple Lightroom Catalogs into a Single Master Catalog By Tim Grey I ve long advocated that photographers using Lightroom to manage their photographic images should utilize a single catalog for all of their images. In my mind, it simply makes more sense to have all images accessible in a single catalog, rather than having a situation where you need to first figure out which catalog contains the specific photos you re looking for at any given time. Over time I ve talked with more than a few photographers who had created multiple catalogs for one reason or another, but then came to agree that my recommendation to utilize a single catalog made sense. However, they were then faced with the task of merging their several catalogs into a single catalog without losing any photos or information in the process. Presented here are the steps I recommend for merging multiple Lightroom catalogs into a single catalog containing all of your photos and video clips. 20

21 1 - Make a List The key to avoiding problems when you merge catalogs in Lightroom is to stay organized during the process. Before getting started, make a list of all catalogs that need to be merged. If you have recently accessed all of the catalogs you use, you can simply choose File > Open Recent from the menu in Lightroom and look at the list of recently opened catalogs on the submenu. You may also want to browse the Pictures folder where the catalogs are created by default, and check external hard drives and other storage locations where you may have saved catalogs. As you locate the various catalogs that contain images you d like to merge into a single catalog, write down the name of each catalog. If the catalogs are located in different folders or on different drives, it can also be helpful to specify the location for each catalog on your list. 2 - Identify the Master Catalog From the list of catalogs that you will be merging, identify which catalog will become the single catalog containing all of your images. The choice may be obvious if you already had a primary catalog that contained most of your images, and then several secondary catalogs containing other images. In other cases the decision may be Creating a list of all catalogs you want to merge, and identifying the master catalog, can help you stay organized in the process of merging your catalogs. a bit more arbitrary, based on which catalog is already in the best storage location, which catalog has the most appropriate filename for a master catalog, or other criteria. The key is to pick a catalog as the destination of the merge process, so you ll know where to start. I recommend marking this catalog as the master on your list of catalogs to help avoid any confusion later. 3 - Backup All Catalogs While the process of merging catalogs is relatively safe, it is still a good idea to make sure you have a current backup of all catalogs before you begin the process. This will provide the ability to go back to the backedup version of the catalog if something should go wrong that causes file corruption, for example. But it also protects against the risk of making a mistake during the process of merging your catalogs. To backup your catalogs, you can open each catalog in turn in Lightroom, then choose Edit > Catalog Settings on Windows or Lightroom > Catalog Settings on Macintosh. On the General page of the Catalog Settings dialog, choose When Lightroom next exits from the popup in the Backup section. Close the Catalog Settings dialog, and then close Lightroom to initiate the backup process. When the backup is finished, launch Lightroom again and repeat this process for each of your other catalogs. 4 - Open the Master Catalog Once you ve identified which catalog will become your master catalog, and thus the destination for your merge operation, you can open that catalog to get started with the merge process. If you ve recently worked with this catalog, you can choose File > Open 21

22 It is a good idea to backup all of your catalogs via the Catalog Settings dialog in Lightroom before you start the process of merging your catalogs. Recent from the menu in Lightroom, and then select the catalog from the submenu. You can also simply choose File > Open Catalog from the menu and then navigate to the location where the catalog is located, select it, and click the Open button. 5 - Import from Secondary Catalog The process of merging multiple catalogs is really a process of importing data into your master catalog. With the master catalog open, go to the menu and choose File > Import from Another Catalog. Refer to your list, and navigate to the location of the first catalog that needs to be merged. Select the catalog file, which will have a filename extension of lrcat. Then click the Choose button to bring up the Import from Catalog dialog. By default, all images in the existing catalog will be selected for import. In the New Photos section, the default option will be to add photos from the catalog being imported to the master catalog you currently have open, leaving the actual photos in their current location. If some of the images in the catalog being imported are already included in the master catalog, you ll also be able to adjust the settings for how those images are dealt with. Hopefully this is not the case, as you can create a variety of problems in terms of organization if the same image is contained in more than one catalog. If there are duplicates, however, you will need to decide which information should be kept. You can choose the Nothing option from the Replace popup 22

23 if you want to keep all information in the master catalog, without updating based on the information in the catalog you re importing from. On the other hand, if the information in the catalog being imported from is more current, you can replace the information in the master catalog with the information from the catalog you re importing. In this case you can choose whether you want to replace metadata and develop settings, or if you want to replace metadata, develop settings, and virtual copies. You can also choose whether you want to preserve the older settings as an additional virtual copy. However, unless you re not certain of which information is most current, I recommend not creating this additional virtual copy for all images that are duplicative, as doing so can create confusion due to multiple copies of images in your catalog. In addition, you can choose to only replace non-raw images, (TIFF, PSD, and JPEG files) so that, for example, only derivative images will be replaced, while the RAW captures in your master catalog will be preserved. Again, in most cases you should only have new images being imported, as each image should have only been imported into a single catalog. Once you have established the settings for the import, click the Import button. The images will be added to the master catalog, reflecting the folder structure for the source images, and with The Import from Catalog dialog allows you to confirm the settings for the images being imported into your master catalog. all metadata and other details now included in the master catalog. 6 - Update the List Once you ve imported images from one of your secondary catalogs into the master catalog, you should update your list to reflect that. This will help ensure you don t attempt to import from the same catalog more than once, and perhaps more importantly that you don t inadvertently skip any of your catalogs in the merge process. You can cross catalogs off your list as you make progress in order to avoid any confusion as you merge your catalogs. 23

24 It is a good idea to backup your newly merged master catalog as soon as the process of merging is complete. 7 - Repeat Import for Other Catalogs If you have more than two catalogs, meaning more than one catalog needs to be imported into your new master catalog, you will need to repeat steps five and six above for each of those additional catalogs. 8 - Backup the Merged Catalog Once you have created your new master catalog by importing information from your secondary catalogs, it s a good idea to make a backup copy of the newly updated master catalog. So, go back to the Catalog Settings dialog by choosing Edit > Catalog Settings on Windows or Lightroom > Catalog Settings on Macintosh, go to the General page of the dialog, and choose When Lightroom exits next from the popup in the Backup section at the bottom of the dialog. Then close Lightroom and follow the prompt to backup the catalog. 9 - Delete or Archive Extra Catalogs With a single catalog that now features all of your photos (and video clips), you have one place to go to begin your search for a particular image. To avoid confusion later, I recommend making all but your single master catalog inaccessible. You could delete all of the catalogs other than your master catalog so they definitely can t be accessed, but I prefer to take a more cautious approach. Therefore, I recommend moving the catalogs to an archival location. This can be a backup external hard drive, a specific folder setup for this purpose, or some other location. The key is to ensure that the catalogs you won t be using anymore aren t easy to find, and thus can t be opened accidentally. At this point I think you re likely to find that your images will be easier to find because they are all contained in a single catalog. You also may get the added benefit of discovering images you would have otherwise missed, now that there are more folders and images represented in your catalog. I realize that having everything in one catalog may seem a bit overwhelming, but if you utilize the various filtering options that are available, I think you ll find that the advantages of working with a single catalog far outweigh the disadvantages. 24

25 Noise Reduction Strategies By Tim Grey Noise in digital photographs is often compared to grain in film photographs, which certainly makes sense in a very general way. After all, each is related to exposure sensitivity in some form. However, from an aesthetic perspective, the two are quite different. Film grain has a more organic quality to it, providing texture to a photograph that can be interesting. While it has always been quite common for photographers to try to minimize film grain with lower-speed films, it was also not uncommon for photographers to intentionally use high-speed film in order to achieve the textured look that results. To this day I remain grateful to my high school photography teacher for encouraging me to test out some very fast black and white film (if memory serves, it was 3200 ISO film). While I ve periodically chosen to add some luminance noise to an image in order to mimic a film grain effect, and I ve heard a handful of photographers express that they like adding noise even color noise to their images, it is quite clear that most photographers prefer to avoid noise completely whenever possible. What is Noise? Noise is represented by random and relatively significant variations in individual pixel values. In other words, when you zoom in closely on an image, instead of seeing relatively even tones or smooth gradations of tonal values, you ll see what appears to be completely random pixel values mixed among the real pixel values in the photo. Noise can be classified as either luminance noise or color noise (also referred to as chrominance noise). Luminance noise involves variations in tonal values at the pixel level, while color noise involves variations in color values. Generally speaking color noise is considered more problematic, but both are typically regarded as having a negative effect on overall image quality. Noise is often described as being caused by the use of a high ISO setting during capture. That is certainly a significant cause of noise, due to the amplification of the signals measured by the image sensor that is performed when the ISO is increased from the baseline value (100 ISO or 200 ISO for most cameras). 25

26 Noise is exhibited as random variations in tonal and pixel values in an image. Noise is generally most prevalent in dark areas of an image, and almost universally regarded as a negative factor in terms of image quality. 26

27 However, there are many other potential causes of noise besides the amplification triggered by a high ISO setting. These include other forms of amplification applied to the signal regardless of which ISO setting has been selected, heat accumulation during long exposures, and other factors. Minimizing Noise at Capture When I talk to photographers about the issue of noise in digital photographs, one of the first things I tend to bring up is the critical need to understand your equipment. Specifically, it is important to understand how your camera responds to the various factors that affect noise. When you know what circumstances will lead to images with an unacceptable level of noise, for example, you ll be much better equipped to make decisions about minimizing noise in the first place. Noise is an unavoidable factor in digital photography. Every image you capture will have some degree of noise, regardless of camera and capture settings. The question is whether that noise will be evident in the image, and if so, whether it will produce a significantly negative impression of image quality. That said, there are certainly ways you can help minimize noise at the time of capture. The ISO setting is one of the most significant factors under our control when it comes to minimizing noise in your initial capture. Therefore, one of the best things you can do to prevent noise is minimize the ISO setting on your camera. Of course, the ISO setting is one of the three controls at your disposal along with lens aperture and shutter speed for controlling overall exposure. That means you ll need to balance the ISO setting with the aperture and shutter speed to achieve the best overall result. The ISO setting you use for a given exposure is one of the key factors affecting noise. Reducing the ISO setting to the minimum possible value will help reduce noise. It is worth noting that the larger your lens aperture the more light you are making available for the exposure, and therefore you have the potential to reduce the ISO setting more than would otherwise be possible. This can be especially important when you are already pushing your luck with a relatively high ISO setting, and you re willing to accept less depth of field in order to avoid an even higher ISO setting. In extreme cases you may even want to opt for a lens with a larger aperture size, even if that means utilizing a lens with a shorter focal length and giving up some depth of field, so you can reduce the ISO setting and thus reduce the amount of noise present in the capture. It is an oversimplification, but you can think of lens aperture as affecting depth of field, shutter speed as affecting how motion in the scene is rendered, and the ISO setting as affecting the amount of noise that will be introduced to the image. Whenever possible, use the minimum ISO value, but not if doing so prevents you from achieving adequate depth of field or a fast enough shutter speed. Again, understanding the behavior of your camera will greatly inform the decisions you make about the specific settings you should use. 27

28 Long exposures will also suffer from an increase in noise, in large part due to the heat buildup that occurs when the sensor is active for a relatively long period of time. Avoiding long exposures, especially those over thirty seconds, enables you to reduce the risk of long-exposure noise. Of course, this also limits your creative options, so you obviously won t always be able to avoid long exposures altogether. However, whenever possible even for long exposures you should try to employ a shutter speed that is at least a little faster if you want to minimize noise caused by long exposures. This is why, for example, photographers will often employ film for photographing star trails, or will capture a series of shorter digital exposures of star trail segments and then blend the series of images together later using Photoshop or other software. If you will be capturing long exposures, such as those over thirty seconds, you may want to take advantage of the long exposure noise reduction feature if your camera is so equipped. When this option is enabled, every time you capture an image with a long exposure (generally a shutter speed of thirty seconds or more), the camera will actually capture two images. First, the actual photograph will be captured. Then the camera will automatically capture another image with the same exposure settings, but with the shutter closed during the full duration of the exposure. This black frame exposure will record the noise signature of the camera under the specific conditions of the situation, and the camera will then subtract that noise from the original capture. This will obviously double the amount of time required to capture each image, but it can also significantly reduce the noise levels in the resulting photograph. If your camera is equipped with an option to apply long exposure noise reduction, it is generally best to turn this option on to help reduce noise with long exposures. One of the primary reasons long exposures suffer from increased noise is the buildup of heat for the image sensor when it is active for such an extended period. As you can probably imagine, it can take time for that heat to dissipate, and therefore if you capture a series of images especially a series of long exposures the noise levels will get progressively worse from one capture to the next. It can therefore be helpful to allow your camera to cool down a bit in between exposures. This will allow the heat to dissipate, leading to less noise in subsequent captures. Reducing Noise When capture settings for the specific digital camera lead to a level of noise that you find unacceptable in terms of overall image quality, you ll naturally want to apply some noise reduction after the capture in order to improve the overall appearance and quality of the photo. Just as with capture settings to begin with, noise reduction involves a degree of compromise. 28

29 At a very basic level, noise reduction involves a process of averaging out pixel values. This is, to be sure, a gross oversimplification, as there is considerable sophistication involved in the noisereduction process. But if you think of noise reduction as a process of simply averaging out pixel values, you ll be better able to appreciate the problems that can be created in the process of trying to improve an image by reducing noise. The simplest method of averaging out pixel values involves what is essentially just a blurring of the image. In fact, for an extreme look at blurring as a method of averaging out pixel values, you can look at the Average blur filter in Photoshop (Filter > Blur > Average). This filter transforms an image into one where every pixel is the exact same color, with that color reflecting the average color of all pixels. The result is obviously a complete loss of detail in the image. Noise reduction can be thought of as a very mild version of the Average blur filter. Through sophisticated methods, advanced noise reduction algorithms analyze the image and attempt to reduce the appearance of noise while retaining image detail. But ultimately there will still be some degree of compromise involved with noise reduction. Specifically, luminance noise reduction will result in a loss of overall texture and detail in the photo, and color noise reduction will result in a loss of color detail and saturation in the image. This is obviously a rather subjective issue, and in situations where noise is significant it can be a challenging compromise. The key is to be aware of the effects of noise reduction so you can look for those effects as you work with the image, and make a more informed decision about how much noise reduction to apply. While different noise reduction software will involve a different set of controls and thus may call for a slightly different approach to noise reduction, the general process tends to be the same. You ll typically find separate controls for luminance noise reduction versus color noise reduction. For each of those you will find a control for adjusting the strength of noise reduction, and additional controls that provide methods to mitigate the degree of detail lost in the image. These mitigation controls typically include adjustments for contrast, sharpening, and detail retention, for example. I recommend taking an approach that involves first neutralizing all of the noise reduction controls, including both the actual noise reduction intensity control as well as the controls for mitigating detail loss. Then increase the strength of the noise reduction control to achieve a reduction in perceived noise within the image. At that point you can utilize the various options for improving the level of detail evident in the image as a compensation for the negative effect of noise reduction. Because of the potential pitfalls inherent in noise reduction, it is important that you not apply more noise reduction than you need. In general I recommend using the minimum amount of noise reduction necessary to bring the noise down to an acceptable level, without causing new problems that are perhaps worse than a little noise. 29

30 A Typical Approach To help illustrate the approach I recommend for noise reduction, let s take a look at the controls available in Adobe Camera Raw and the Develop module in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Both of these applications use the same code base for RAW processing, so the exact same controls are available. The Noise Reduction controls are found in the Detail section within both Adobe Camera Raw and the Develop module in Lightroom. The Luminance slider adjusts the strength of luminance noise reduction and the Color slider adjusts the strength of color noise reduction. There are also Detail sliders for both Luminance and Color, which control the degree to which you want to recover detail affected by noise reduction, as well as a Contrast slider that enables you to increase perceived sharpness and detail by enhancing overall contrast. I start by increasing the zoom setting to around 4:1 (400%) or higher. While you want to use a 1:1 (100%) zoom setting when evaluating sharpening settings, for noise reduction you want to be able to clearly see the individual variations in pixel values when applying noise reduction. I ll then reduce all of the slider values to their minimum value of zero, all the way to the left. This will effectively disable the full effect of noise reduction for the image. Next, the values for the Luminance and Color sliders can be increased while carefully evaluating the image to determine the best setting. In most cases the color noise is the The first thing I recommend when approaching noise reduction is to set all of the available controls to their minimum value, essentially disabling any noise reduction so you can evaluate the image and your settings from that baseline. 30

31 most problematic in an image, and so I start with the Color slider and then move on to the Luminance slider. Once I m happy with the degree of noise reduction being applied for both luminance noise and color noise, I ll generally toggle the preview to see the before and after view of the image. This can be very helpful in both evaluating the effect of the noise reduction already applied, as well as to evaluate the degree of adjustment needed to mitigate detail loss. In Adobe Camera Raw you can turn off the Preview checkbox to see the image without any adjustments applied, and then turn it back on to see the image with all adjustments applied. In Lightroom you can simply click the switch button to the left of the Detail header to turn off the effect of only the sharpening and noise reduction adjustments, and then click the button again to see the image with these adjustments applied. It is also a good idea to pan around the image, examining various areas to see the effect of noise reduction. For example, shadow areas will tend to contain more noise than midtone areas, but you may find more problematic detail lost in highlights compared to other areas of the photo. With the strength of noise reduction set for both luminance noise and color noise, I ll move on to mitigating the negative effects of noise reduction. In most cases I find the loss of detail caused by luminance noise reduction is more problematic than the color changes caused by color noise reduction, and so I ll first work with the Detail slider directly below the Luminance slider, dragging it to the right Color noise reduction should be applied at a minimum strength necessary to compensate for the noise without introducing new problems in the image. Detail can then be recovered to some extent, compensating for the negative aspects of noise reduction. 31

32 to the degree necessary to improve detail without re-introducing noise. It can be very helpful to increase the slider value significantly at first to get a better sense of how the image will respond, and then bring it back down to a value that works best for the photo. After adjusting the Detail slider for luminance noise reduction, I ll similarly increase the value for the Detail slider for color noise reduction. Once again, increasing the slider value significantly at first can be helpful in evaluating the effect. After I am happy with the setting established for the two Detail sliders, I ll adjust the Contrast slider as needed to enhance overall contrast in the image, helping to improve perceived detail. After establishing values for all of these controls, it can be helpful to further review various areas of the image and fine-tune all of the settings as needed to achieve the best balance between a reduction of perceived noise and a retention of overall detail in the image. It is also worth noting that various other adjustments can help improve the quality of the image after applying noise reduction. For example, the Clarity adjustment in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom will improve overall midtone contrast, which can help enhance overall perceived detail. In addition, the Vibrance and Saturation sliders can be used to increase the intensity of color in the image, helping to compensate for the effect of color noise reduction. And of course, sharpening can improve the overall perceived detail in the image as well. By understanding the various issues related to noise reduction, you ll be able to better avoid noise in the first place, identify the effects of noise within your images, and compensate for that noise with careful attention to detail in the noise reduction software of your choice. After applying color noise reduction, luminance noise reduction can be applied. It is critical at this stage to pay careful attention to detail and sharpness in the image, and to find the right compromise for noise reduction settings. 32

33 Finding Celestial Bodies A Free App for ios Devices Provides a Clear Picture of the Sun, Moon, and Other Celestial Bodies By Tim Grey Every photographer, I m sure, has heard the mantra to know thy subject as it relates to capturing great photographic images. When it comes to sunrise and sunset, part of the information you want to have is what time the sun will make its entrance or exit. That s relatively easy information to find from a wide variety of sources. In fact, in most cases you don t even need a source of that information. The sunrise tomorrow will typically be within just a few minutes of today s sunset, depending on how far from the equator you are. 33

34 But what if you want to include the moon in the frame? That s a little more difficult to predict if you don t have detailed information about the patterns of the moon, both in terms of the time of moonrise and moonset, and in terms of the specific location of the moonrise and moonset on a given date in a particular location. Things can be even trickier if you want to photograph other celestial bodies, such as centering a long exposure on the North Star or including Venus in the frame. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of sources of this type of information, and one of the most useful and easy to use sources of such information I ve found is an app for ios devices (the iphone and ipad) called Planets from Q Continuum. magnetic north, so then can the Planets app point you toward the sun, the moon, or other celestial objects. Planets also provides a Visibility feature, which provides a clever visual indication of the range of times that the sun, moon, and planets will be in a position where they will be visible if the conditions allow. The various display options are available along the bottom The Sky 2D view in the Planets app provides a fast reference for the position of the sun and moon. Planets Overview Information is one thing, but information presented in a way that enables it to be used quickly and effectively is something altogether different. And to me, this is where the Planets app really shines. Rather than presenting, for example, a simple table showing the time of sunrise and sunset, perhaps with a magnetic heading telling you which direction to look at the appointed hour, Planets provides a visual indication of the information you really need to locate a variety of celestial bodies. For example, there are two-dimensional and three-dimensional views that enable you to quickly determine the current position of the sun relative to you. The Planets app also takes advantage of the information available from the iphone, based on the GPS receiver and sensors that determine the direction the phone is pointed, for example. Just as the needle of a compass can point you toward 34

35 of the Planets display, and a simple tap allows you to switch between the various views. Sky 2D View The Sky 2D view provides a simple compass display with the current position of the sun and moon indicated. The direction around the compass provides an indication of which direction you would need to face in order to find the sun or the moon, and the distance from the edge of the circle indicates the relative distance from the horizon. than not it doesn t tell you much that you don t already know. After all, the sun and the moon aren t all that difficult to locate when they are above the horizon and free of clouds or other obstructions. The Sky 3D view, on the other hand, is incredibly helpful in a wide variety of situations, because it provides considerably The Sky 3D view provides an impressive tool for locating a wide variety of celestial objects relative to your current position and the direction you re facing. You can also choose whether you want to lock the compass so north is always at the top of the display, or if you would like the application to orient the compass to automatically point in the correct direction. You can toggle this option with the button at the top-left of the Sky 2D display. With the automatic orientation feature turned on, you can simply hold the phone in your hand and turn until the sun or moon appears at the top of the display. At that point you are facing the position of the sun or moon. The distance from the edge of the compass circle then indicates how far upward from the horizon you need to look to actually see the sun or moon, assuming of course that weather conditions don t obstruct visibility. The Sky 2D view will also automatically flip if you turn the phone upside-down. What that means is that you can hold the phone overhead, with the display pointed downward toward you. This can make it a little easier to determine the position of the sun or moon, since the display more closely matches what you will observe in the real world. Sky 3D View While the Sky 2D view is certainly interesting, I think you ll find that more often 35

36 more information. It allows you, for example, to determine exactly where the sun will rise or set, or where to find specific celestial bodies in the night sky. To begin with, the Sky 3D view shows you positions not just for the sun and the moon, but also for the Milky Way as well as for a variety of stars, including an indication of the various constellations. Even better, all of those celestial bodies are shown as what is basically a map of the sky, so you can see the position of celestial objects relative to each other. The real power of the Sky 3D view comes not just from the fact that it provides a map of celestial objects, and not just because it can automatically adjust based on your position on Earth as well as the direction you are currently facing, but also because it provides in effect a simulation of what you can expect to see if you look to the sky. For example, if you are out well before sunrise and want to be prepared to capture the sun coming over the horizon, you can enable Sky 3D view, hold your phone upright, and turn until you locate the sun on the display. The earth will be indicated by a translucent green arc, so you can clearly see that the sun is below the horizon, for example, and can determine exactly where the sun will appear when it rises. Even better, a dashed line indicates the path the sun will follow, so you can better anticipate exactly where the sun will appear on the horizon. As with the compass view, you can lock the display so it remains fixed, or have the display automatically adjust based on movement of the iphone. With the automatic movement option enabled, the iphone creates an experience somewhat like wearing nightvision goggles or perhaps x-ray glasses. Even when it is bright and sunny at the middle of the day, for example, you can use the Sky 3D view to see exactly where all the constellations are. I have found the Planets app to be incredibly helpful for determining where the sun or the moon will rise and set, what path the sun will take across the sky so I can anticipate potential compositions for including the sun in the frame (as discussed in an article in this issue), where I can locate the Milky Way, and where the North Star is located so I can center on it for star trail photography. Visibility Information The Sky 2D and Sky 3D displays provide details about the location of various celestial bodies, but not about when you can expect those celestial objects to cross the horizon. The Visibility display, however, provides exactly that information in a format that is easy to instantly interpret. The sun and moon, as well as all of the planets of our solar system, are listed. That does mean that Pluto is not on the list, since it was downgraded from official planet status, but that s not an issue for normal photography in any event since it is not visible due to its great distance. All of these celestial objects include a display that shows the duration of their visibility, including the time they become visible above the horizon and then become invisible behind the horizon. In other words, you can see at a glance when the sun will rise and set, when the moon will rise and set, and when the various planets will be within visible range (above the horizon). Naturally you also need to take into account the current weather and daylight conditions, but the Visibility display makes it easy to know which objects are currently above the horizon. 36

37 You can then use the information on the Visibility display in conjunction with the Sky 3D (or Sky 2D) display to get a precise indication of when various objects will be visible, and where they can be found. A Great Value Having a great deal of information available is one thing, but having a wealth of information that you can quickly and easily interpret is another thing altogether. I ve found the Planets app to be invaluable in this regard, making the task of determining where and when I can find specific objects in the sky a remarkably simple task. What s even more remarkable is that this app is absolutely free. If you re an iphone or ipad user, I highly recommend installing the Planets app as a useful tool for a variety of photographic situations that involve celestial objects in the frame. You can find the Planets app online here: Visibility view offers a quick reference of when the sun, moon, and planets will be above the horizon, as well as the times they will rise and set. 37

38 Sketch Effect in Elements A Guided Edit Option in Photoshop Elements that Enables a Fun Sketch Effect By Tim Grey Perhaps it is simply because I can t draw a picture to save my life, but I ve always found a sketch effect to be attractive for certain photographic images. If you utilize Photoshop Elements to optimize your images, you can use a Guided Edit option to apply a sketch effect with ease. 38

39 1 Open an Image The best images for a sketch effect tend to be relatively simple images with a clearly defined subject. Highly detailed images with significant texture tend not to work as well, because they tend to end up looking cluttered. Find an image you think may be interesting for this effect, and open it in the Elements Editor. 2 Switch to Guided Edit Mode Chances are you spend most of your time in the Elements Editor working in Expert mode, adding adjustment layers, cleaning up blemishes, and performing other tasks to optimize your images. The Guided Edit mode enables you to perform a variety of tasks most of them creative effects with a step-by-step process. So, choose Guided from the set of options at the top of the Elements Editor to begin. 39

40 3 Choose the Line Drawing Effect When you switch to Guided Edit mode, you ll see a list of the Guided Edit options along the right side of the Elements Editor. Those options are divided into sections, and you ll find the Line Drawing option in the Photo Effects section. Simply click the Line Drawing option to bring up the instructions for applying the effect to the current image. 40

41 4 Apply the Pencil Sketch Effect The first step of the Guided Edit for Line Drawing is to apply the Pencil Sketch effect. Simply click the button for step one to apply the effect. The text associated with this button indicates that clicking a second time will intensify the effect. However, I find that with the vast majority of images clicking a second time actually tones down the effect, making the lines less intense. Therefore I recommend only clicking the button once. 41

42 5 Reduce Opacity Next, click the Adjust Layer Opacity button. I think of this as merely providing a preview of the general effect, since you ll be able to fine-tune the opacity for the effect later. But for now, click this button once so you ll have a better sense of how the effect is working with the current image. 42

43 6 Return to Expert Mode The next step in the Guided Edit is to apply a Levels adjustment in order to add density to the lines of the sketch effect. However, I recommend applying this portion of the effect manually, so that you have greater flexibility. So simply click the Done button to complete the Guided Edit process, and then choose the Expert editing mode. 43

44 7 Apply a Levels Adjustment Instead of having the Guided Edit apply a Levels adjustment directly to the sketch effect, I recommend using an adjustment layer so you can always fine-tune the result later. Click on the Add Adjustment Layer button (the half-black/half-white circle icon) on the Layers panel and choose Levels from the popup menu. On the Adjustments panel (labeled Levels since you re working with a Levels adjustment at this point), click the Clip to Layer button (the button at the bottomleft of the Adjustments panel). The Levels adjustment layer will now only apply to the sketch effect layer directly below it. Drag the black point slider below the histogram display toward the right to intensify the dark lines. You may also want to drag the white point slider toward the left to ensure the bright areas remain white, and fine-tune the gray (middle tone) slider as needed to complete the effect. 44

45 8 Adjust Layer Opacity Click on the layer that was created by the Guided Edit to produce the sketch effect (it will be called Layer 1 by default), and then adjust the Opacity for this layer using the control at the top-right of the Layers panel. This will allow you to adjust the degree to which the underlying image is able to show through the sketch effect. With a higher Opacity value, very little color will show through, and with a low Opacity value the sketch effect will fade back and the underlying image will appear more prominently. 45

46 9 Finalize and Save With the basic sketch effect applied, you can now fine-tune the image by refining the Levels adjustment, altering the Opacity setting for the sketch effect layer, and even adding additional adjustments if you d like. When you re finished, you can save the image as a TIFF or PSD file so you can preserve the layers, enabling you to make minor adjustments later as needed. 46

47 Fun with the Sun Avoiding Common Mistakes when Including the Sun in the Frame By Tim Grey Almost without fail, if I switch to a wide-angle lens I ll contemplate including the sun in the frame, provided the sky is relatively clear and thus the sun is actually available. The result can be dramatic and interesting, but the technique also involves some unique challenges. Presented here are tips for getting the best images when you ll be including the sun in the frame. 47

48 Clean the Lens This is easily the tip I consider most important when it comes to capturing images with the sun in the frame. It is obviously best to keep all your photographic equipment clean and in good condition, but in most cases a few spots on your lens aren t really an issue. Under normal circumstances any spots on the lens will be rendered so far out of focus relative to the scene that any evidence of such spots in the photos you capture would be highly unlikely. However, when the lens is pointed toward the sun, if you have blemishes caused by dust, water droplets, or other contaminants, the result will be incredibly obvious spots, flare, or other artifacts in your photos. Use an air blower to remove any significant particles, and then use a lens cloth to clean away any remaining contaminants such as water stains. For more stubborn blemishes you can utilize a product such as the LensPen ( amzn.to/102nnl1) to buff the spots away. Remove Filters If a filter is not necessary for the specific aim of your photograph, it is best to remove that filter from the lens. Otherwise, you are likely to see at least some additional aberrations in the image caused by reflections of light between the individual filters and the lens. Obviously if you need a particular filter to achieve the result you re after, such as a neutral density filter in order to enable a long enough exposure to provide motion blur in the scene, you ll need to make that compromise. If the circumstances allow, you may try slightly shifting the angle of the Even minor water spots or dust on the front lens element can lead to significant problems in the image when the camera is pointed at the sun, such as the bright spots seen in this image. camera so that any reflected elements are positioned in an area that they will be easier to remove in post-processing. This may also mean you ll need to crop the image to achieve the framing you intended, and in some cases reframing simply won t work for your composition. Most importantly, be aware that adding filters to your lens will likely result in some degree of optical reflections when you re including the sun in the frame. Remove filters you don t need, and otherwise evaluate your captures to determine if there are problematic aberrations you may be able to deal with at the time of capture, saving yourself some effort later in your workflow. 48

49 Mind the Weather At times you may be inspired to include the sun in the frame because of a brilliant blue sky, or perhaps because of beautiful cumulus cloud formations scattered across the sky. At other times you may set out looking for different opportunities. Whatever the case, the sky conditions can have a significant impact on the effect in your photos. Even a very thin overcast, for example, can prevent a sunburst effect. And of course a heavier overcast can cause the sun to appear merely as a slightly bright area in an otherwise dark sky. Familiarity with the typical weather trends in the area you ll be photographing can With hazy or cloudy conditions, the sun will become a large diffuse light in the frame, which can detract from the overall image in some cases. obviously be a tremendous help. But putting a little effort into obtaining a detailed weather forecast can pay significant dividends, especially if you plan to incorporate the weather into the photograph as well. Time your Shots If you have a particular shot in mind, timing can be critical when the sun is involved. Simply knowing what time you need to be photographing in order to have the sun in a particular location in the scene can be a huge benefit. A variety of sources of information can prove helpful in this regard. For example, I often use apps for my iphone such as Sunrise & Set or Planets (covered in this issue) to determine the current position and path of the sun. You may need to be sure to show up at a particular location before the sun comes up, before the sun disappears behind a building, or before the sun set, for example, in order to get the shot you re after. You may even need to choose a particular time of year to photograph a given location, so you can align the sun in a specific position. I m still waiting, for example, for my schedule to coincide with an opportunity to photograph the sun setting down the center of 42nd Street in New York City, which only occurs twice a year as the Earth makes its way around the sun on a tilted axis. Use Live View I m sure we ve all been admonished since we were kids not to look directly at the sun, and this still holds true even when you re looking through the camera s viewfinder. While it is possible to look through the viewfinder without looking directly at the sun in the frame, and you could also temporarily place 49

50 a moderately strong neutral density filter on the lens to make a direct look possible, if your camera offers a live view feature the process is even easier. By activating live view, you can compose the scene and adjust exposure settings all while reviewing the LCD on the back of your camera, rather than putting your eyes at risk looking through the viewfinder toward the sun. Just keep in mind that by using the live view feature of your camera, the mirror is no longer protecting the image sensor from direct exposure to the sun. It is possible for the sun to cause some degree of damage to the image sensor when projected directly onto the sensor by your lens, so it is best to keep such direct exposure to a minimum. Go Wide In some cases you ll have no choice but to opt for a relatively wide-angle lens in order to include both your key subject and the sun in the frame. However, even in situations where you re able to employ a relatively long lens while still including the sun in the frame, you may want to at least consider capturing some images with a wider view. Including the sun in the frame creates a relatively dramatic scene to begin with, and capturing a wider view of the scene can add to that drama. The wide view provides greater context for the scene, and will cause a perspective shift where the sun exists within an environment rather than being a key subject. That s not to say that a wide-angle lens should always be employed when you intend to include the sun in the frame, but it is worth exploring as a possibility. Knowing the time of sunrise and sunset, or even better the specific path across the sky for the sun, can be helpful. That information can be obtained from a variety of smartphone applications, among other sources. 50

51 When including the sun in the frame it is worth thinking about stopping down the lens to create a sunburst effect, though in some cases it may seem a bit cliché. Stop Down Maybe I ll admit the effect is a bit of a cliché in photography, but I ll also admit that I tend to enjoy having a sunburst effect in many cases when I m including the sun in the frame. I suspect most photographers realize that the sunburst effect, with rays of light extending outward from the sun, can be created simply by stopping down the lens. What you might not be aware of is that you don t have to stop down all the way, or to a specific lens aperture. Many photographers, for example, will automatically stop the lens down to f/16 when they want to achieve a sunburst effect. In fact, even just stopping down the lens a little will often result in a sunburst effect. Even better, you can achieve a different look for the sunburst at various aperture settings for a given lens. The difference in sunburst effect with a small change in aperture may be so subtle as to be difficult to discern without a side-by-side comparison. However, a relatively significant change in aperture, such as by two or three stops, can have a somewhat dramatic impact on the appearance of the sunburst effect. I find that in different situations, for example, I prefer different aperture settings for a given lens in order to achieve a different look for the sunburst effect. Accept Lens Flare While unnecessary filters will likely lead to optical reflections in your images, and thus are generally best avoided, you can t really avoid lens flare when including the sun in the frame. Flare is caused by the same basic issue 51

52 With the sun in (or near) the frame, lens flare will often be unavoidable, so you may need to simply accept it as part of the overall effect unless you want to spend considerable time cleaning up the flare. that leads to problems with additional filters. The only difference is that lens flare comes from internal elements in the lens rather than additional accessory filters. On a hazy day there may be enough scattering of light that lens flare won t be a problem. In other cases you may be able to adjust your position or the angle of the lens to minimize lens flare or at least position it within the frame in an area that will be easier to resolve later. However, there will also be times where you simply can t do anything to reduce or eliminate lens flare based on the specific capture conditions. When lens flare simply can t be avoided, my recommendation is to simply accept that flare as a consequence of the type of image you re capturing. There are things you can do to tone down lens flare after the fact, or at least change the color of the lens flare so it blends in better with the surrounding image. But at times you may just need to accept that lens flare is a common and naturel side effect of including the sun in the frame. Consider HDR By definition, including the sun in the frame creates an environment where the dynamic range of the scene is going to be relatively extreme. That means detail will be lost in the sun, and quite likely within the greater scene as well. I typically prefer to have a relatively dramatic degree of contrast in scenes where I m intentionally including the sun in the frame. However, in some cases you may find that you want to preserve more detail. In those 52

53 When the sun is in the frame, or reflected into the frame, you may want to consider the use of high dynamic range imaging in order to retain more detail in the final image. cases, high dynamic range (HDR) imaging provides a potential solution. You could take a quasi-hdr approach and simply capture two exposures, one optimized for the sky and one optimized for the foreground scene. You could also capture a series of exposures to be blended into a complete HDR result. The point is that you have options, and it is better to consider those options at the time of capture, and perhaps give HDR a try just in case, rather than risk disappointment when it is too late. Apply Exposure Compensation It is natural to assume that with the sun in the frame the scene will be perceived by the camera s meter as very bright, and thus the exposure will be set relatively dark. That would certainly be true if you used spot metering while pointed toward the sun, of course, but if you are using evaluative metering, for example, you re quite likely to end up with an exposure where the sun is completely blown out. The point is that when the sun is included in the frame the overall dynamic range of the scene will obviously be quite extreme. Without an extreme approach to high dynamic range, you re not going to end up with detail through the entire scene, including the sun. But frankly, there s no need to retain detail within the sun to begin with in most cases. You need to make an initial decision about what detail in the scene is most important, since compromise is going to be involved on account of the extreme depth of field. If you want to include a sunburst effect, you ll want 53

54 to at least ensure exposure settings that are dark enough to retain enough detail for the individual rays of the sunburst to be somewhat prominent. There isn t a firm rule about overall exposure in this type of situation. In most cases I m looking to retain some level of detail in the sun and sky, and so set an exposure that according to the meter will be quite dark. In other cases the foreground detail is more important, and I don t mind a somewhat significant loss of detail in the sun and sky. The key is to be aware of how the camera s meter, based on your metering settings, is going to interpret the scene, and to override the recommended exposure settings as appropriate to your specific goals. Clean the Lens - Again Artifacts and blemishes in the image really are a big enough deal that you ll want to check the front of the lens for any dust, water droplets, or other contaminants periodically. This is, perhaps, an obvious issue when you re photographing near a waterfall, close to crashing surf, or when there is some degree of rain. Because the lens will typically be pointed at least slightly upward when you re including the sun in the frame, there is an elevated risk of blemishes on the front lens element. So, just as you checked the lens before getting started, you should periodically check it again and clean it as needed. It is important to take into account the extreme contrast generally present when the sun is in the frame, and adjust your exposure settings accordingly. 54

55 Pixology The Magazine for Photographers Pixology magazine is published electronically on a monthly basis. For more information, visit Copyright 2013 by Tim Grey. All Rights Reserved. To contact the publisher: Tim Grey 328 8th Avenue #132 New York, NY tim@timgrey.com About Tim Grey Tim Grey is regarded as one of the top educators in digital photography and imaging, offering clear guidance on complex subjects through his writing and speaking. Tim has authored more than a dozen books and hundreds of magazine articles on digital imaging for photographers, and has produced over a dozen video training titles on a wide variety of subjects. He publishes the Ask Tim Grey newsletter in addition to Pixology magazine. Tim teaches through workshops, seminars, and appearances at major events around the world. For more information: Every attempt has been made throughout this magazine to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer and marking those marks as either a trademark or registered trademark. All trademarks and registered trademarks included in this book are the property of their respective owners. The publisher has made best efforts to prepare this magazine, but makes no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly from this magazine..

56 Parting Shot