Have better pictures -- The missing tutorial

[Benny Pedersen]

Originally Posted by GrafxEditor

BTW, amazing Before and After pictures. Did you use Camera Raw to salvage the blown-out sky? Bald skies are the bane of my digital editing.

No, not the RAW editor.
RAW, or small JPGs from a $1 camera. (8 bit can become 16 bit anyway)

It would now be tempting to write my tutorial. but that would be to fast and thereby less good. All the sky information and data in the shadows that seems not existing (look as deep black, and complety white) but it
seems those data is somehow hidden in the pixels anyway (maybe low (few) data) tones or whatever but since its not manipulated, and since your mouse, software and screen can't guess it, then its sure real information that is used. In other words, the picture become as it was seen on location (if thats the case).

An example for shadows:
The left image show the best I could do after six hours:


Left image (before) Notice the muddy green shadows (hmm, maybe also a blue tint) thats in the right side. There would be no way to clear that shadow! Levels won't work. Belendmode Screen either, nor "Lighten Shadows" with a bit more contrast. Lighten Shadows and it would become fake and ugly.

An example for highlight:
No sun shine on water, left and right in front of the left image.
http://home1.stofanet.dk/photo/post_...283_before.jpg http://home1.stofanet.dk/photo/post_...8283_after.jpg

AHA, so there was sunshine on the water. Hmm, yes now I remember...

My last example, Sky, was even more shocking:
(Ignore the black circle drawing). The black in center of the sun show what is pure white (wand selection, tolerance 0)...


I used the same technique on my latest picture. Its named "Pearl Natja in moonlight" (the moon looks like a pearl, and she is one), toke advantage of that experiment but it was combined with -- hmmm, lets say, selective temperature. Even the moon was shot later time, I still consider that picture my best (pearl), sure better than what I was able to get out than just 2 weeks ago.
Anyhow, I won't link directly to it, that's because I'm scared to dead after problems, to much traffic on my previous gallery, Access denied, and so on (thats why I found a webhotel with a better view). But one could find it pt as the second picture just after the pict named "Boat in red".

Sorry, but I don't think I can do the tutorial before february 2008.

Benny

Ok

The answer is simply this free plugin:
http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/pluginwin.html

and
Lot of layers in Elements, and 16 bit :

To have layers (lots layers) in Photoshop Elements that was and is done in 16 bit, do this:

1. RAW Editor: Select 16 bit
2. Do the Tonemapping, and noise reduction, etc...
3. Hold Alt, press F, D (You can now release your Alt key)
4. Hold Alt, press L, N, (release Alt, otherwise no prompt for a name), B, Enter, Answer the prompt: done > Enter
5. Ctrl+Shift+Tab
6. Alt + w, i, t (release the Alt key at any time, e.g. after the key press W, I, or T)
7. Repeat Ctrl+Z until you see something different that you want to drag over to your other file.
8. Press V. Drag over. When your mouse is over the other image, Press Shift, Release mouse, Release Shift > YES

Comments about numbers above:
1. The 16 bit option is at the bottom of the PSE5 RAW Editor.
2. Do whatever you want with your 16 bit image. (The tonemapping plugin only work in 16 bit)
3. The Alt+F,D (release Alt), is the same as File > Duplicate
4. The Alt+L,N, (release Alt), B, Enter, done > Enter
would convert the 16 bit layer into 8 bit. The layer name would be "done".
Alternative one could just double click the layer without using Alt key, and then name it "done".
5. That would toggle back to the previous doc that was duplicated.
Alternative one could just left click in the Photo Bin -- (Alt+W, Twice Arrow key up).
6. Same as left click the little tile button.
7. Go back in undo history. (F10 key would toogle open, or close)
8. The shift key is pressed so the layer fit the other (without need for using the nudge tool (V)).
-----

In that Doc where you see only one layer, now select the close button (do NOT save).

Adjust the top layer opasity.

If you save the other doc (that one has two or more layers), your be able to reopen the source file using other RAW settings. Drag it over +Shift...

To see what Doc is current after Tile, press Page Up, or Down (faster than reading the doc title).

If the top layer that was draged over has better colors, press "Alt+Shift+C"
Two other important blendmodes to try on whatever top layer is "Alt+Shift+G", and "Alt+Shift+K"

To remember that a layer has 51% opasity in blendmode Color, just (re)name that layer "51 C done", so we could experiment with other opasitys and blend modes, but because the layer was named, its easy going back with keys "51", and "Alt+Shift+C"

To open a file in PSE (when PSE is minimized), Drag it onto the PSE minimized button, wait a second, but release your mouse while its over the open PSE window.

Other tips.
Whatever blendmode e.g. Alt+Shift+A can also be done on a layer that was closed.

To have better overview (more space for the other palettes), Open the F7 palette > More > small thumbnail view.
(The layers palette (F11) also have More Palette options)

Next time when your crop, or making a selection, first press the F8 key, then see what happen while using the crop tool.

Benny,
www.fineraw.com