Pictorial Tutorials

Making Black and White Images in Photoshop

2008-10-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

This tutorial is to help you turn your colour photos into professional black and white using Photoshop:
1) Go to Image menu
2) Choose Mode > Lab Color (it probably asks you if you want it to be flattened, accept it)
3) Click on the Channel tab, (on the right hand side of the Layers)
4) Drag channel ‘b’ into the garbage can shown on the bottom (or delete it)
5) Drag channel ‘Alpha 2’ into the garbage can
6) Go back to Image menu
7) Choose Mode > Greyscale
Your image is probably very light with low contrast now, to fix that:
8) Make a duplicate layer of the layer that you have
9) Right click on the duplicate layer
10) Choose Blending Options
11) In the default Blending Options, usually the blend mode is Normal, change that to Multiply
12) Play with Multiply Blending mode opacity until you get a good BW.

THE QUALITY OF LIGHT

2008-10-04T18:28:00.001-07:00

HARD LIGHT: It's a reseult of a point light source such as sun high in a cloudless sky or electronic flash. The shadows in a scene with hard light have sharp defined edges. Hard light is harsh and such can yield a dramatic effect.
SOFT LIGHT: It's a light that is diffuse and is the result of a reflected or broad light source. The edges of shadows in a scene are softer, gradating from a dense center to a blurrier edge.

-Blue Fier

To Shoot Close up Flowers

2008-10-04T18:27:00.001-07:00

Aperture: f/22 or the smallest aperture like f/32
Shutter Speed: 1/60 or 1/125 sec

This may produce a background that has a high contrast with the subject.

-Bryan Peterson (Understanding Exposure)

APERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEED

2008-10-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

Equivalent Exposures

f-stop: f/22 shutter speed: 1/60
f-stop: f/16 shutter speed: 1/125
f-stop: f/11 shutter speed: 1/250
f-stop: f/8 shutter speed: 1/500
f-stop: f/5.6 shutter speed: 1/1000

SHUTTER SPEED

2008-10-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

It's how long the camera shutter remains open when you take a photo.
It's measured in seconds or fraction of a second.
It makes it possible for the camera to capture time passing

Example: 1/8 second is a slow shutter speed. It makes the camera sensor be exposed to light for a longer period of time than a fast shutter speed like 1/1000 second. Most of the night shots are taken with longer exposure (example above) to capture more light.

-Blue Fier

HARMONY VS DISHARMONY

2008-10-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Harmonious composition:

The component parts relate to each other in colors, scale, design and etc, like orange and apples

Disharmonious composition:

It lacks a cohesive strucutre.

Focal Point

2008-10-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Focal Point = Center of Interest

This is the point of emphasis in the composition.
Symmetrical photographs can employ a center of interest, they can also feature a pattern-based design.

FRAME SHAPES

2008-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Rectangle
Square
Panoramic (for long and thin scene)

A popular size is 2.25 in by 6.75 in for a 3:1 aspect ratio

If the format is rectanular 3:2 ratio.

LINES

2008-10-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Vertical Lines:
The vertical line is like a tree, tall and balanced, solid and firm. It presses against the sky, even gravity pulls it downward. As such, the vertical line symbolizes strength, power, and stability.

Horizontal Lines: Peaceful and static, the horizontal line suggests stability, permanence, and tranquility. This may explain why gazing at the horizon, at horizontal line that occurs where the earth meets the sky, is inherently soothing.

Generally, objects closer to the horizon line appear to the viewer to be more distant, and objects that are further away from the horizon appear to the viewer to be closer.
When horizon line is low in the frame, the emphasis is on the upper portion of the image, yielding a more expansive look. When the horizon line is high in the frame, what is below it takes on more meaning.

Diagonal Lines: Diagonal lines are active and dynamic. They create tension and bring to mind action and motion. Diagonal lines can create a sense of perspective in a scene.

Zigzag Lines: These lines start, stop and change direction in a jerky fashion. Erratic, active, and imbued with tension and energy, zigzag lines evoke a sense of anxiety.

Curved Lines: They show motion, but slower motion than diagonal lines.

S-Curve: The S-curve line shows repetitive motion that is gentle with a sense of distance. These curves usually are shown on roads.

-Blue Fier (Composition)