Photo Software
Article: 10 Top Imaging Applications
The last year has been a big one for photo software, with several of the top applications getting significant updates and the introduction of new software alternatives for photographers. The big news most recently is the latest update to Photoshop,...
Article: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Every release of Adobe Photoshop Elements raises the bar a bit more and brings the feature set closer to its big brother, Photoshop CS2. Elements 5.0 is no exception, with a number of enhancements that will appeal to both casual and serious...
Article: Buyer's Guide 2024: Image-Processing Software
The big news this year is the new version of Photoshop, CS2, of course, but Adobe isn't the only one at work to make our digital darkroom work better, more efficient and easier. Corel has put its own touches to the venerable Paint Shop Pro, offering a...
Article: Buyer's Guide 2024: Digital Imaging Software
Whether you want to spend time enhancing your images or you simply want to organize, print and share them, it's almost certain that you'll be spending time at a computer running one of the many digital-imaging programs available today. Whether you...
Article: Double-Process RAW
One of the big challenges of photography has always been how to best capture the tonalities and brightness of the real world. Every film, every sensor (and its processor) will interpret it slightly differently. This Article Features Photo ZoomOne...
Article: Fast Efex
The trouble with creativity in Photoshop—going beyond the basics to more imaginative, artistic changes—is knowing where to start. The possibilities are almost endless and therein lies the rub. That's where Photoshop plug-ins like Nik Color Efex Pro 3...
Article: Favorite Photoshop Plug-Ins
For all its power and capability, Photoshop is a program that can leave a photographer's eyes glazed over. The seemingly endless assortment of features and different ways to achieve similar results can lead many of us to spend more time emptily gazing...
Article: First Look: Aperture 2
If you're a Mac user, there's a lot to like about Aperture, and its version 2 includes new features that greatly improve the efficiency and capabilities of this powerful imaging application—all at a new, lower price of $199. There are more than 100 n...
Article: First Look: Photoshop CS3 Beta
The long-awaited upgrade to Photoshop CS2 is finally on the way, which is especially great news for Mac users, as Photoshop CS3 will run natively on the latest Intel-based Mac systems. For Windows users, it's ready for Vista, too. The long-awaited...
Article: New Breed Photo Software
Apple and Adobe have developed new approaches to image processing that strip away deep menus and focus on the typical digital workflow, from importing to output, and placing the tools needed for common digital darkroom work in easy reach. This...
Article: Perfect Combination
Adobe Photoshop CS3 offers many new features, including those found in the new Adobe Camera Raw, that help us enhance and save (to a point) our exposures. From an exposure standpoint, two of the most amazing features in the latest version of Photoshop...
Article: Photo Finish
Fine-art effects can add a lot of visual excitement to your photography, but mastering the illustration tools to achieve those effects can take a lot of time and practice. That's where creative software filters and effects can be a terrific help. ...
Article: Photoshop CS3
That's right, Photoshop fans—and Elements users who are considering moving up to Photoshop—the latest version of the world's most powerful image-editing program has just gotten better, big time! Read on, and you'll see why it's indeed faster (great for...
Article: Photoshop Faster
I think most photographers have a somewhat love-hate relationship with Photoshop. It's a great program, to be sure, and it offers the most comprehensive and expandable set of tools for photographers. But on the other hand, it takes time to learn and...
Article: Quick Fix: Hot Ice And Snow
This column is about how to use the digital darkroom to transform a straight-out-of-the-camera shot into the image you envisioned when you pressed the shutter-release button. First, I'll share some techniques for working in a high-contrast...
Article: Quick Fix: Letting Your Image Take Off
The opening image for this column was inspired by something that I try to do all the time in real life, with my photography and in the digital darkroom: have fun! The image looks as though my son and I are soaring at top speed high above beautiful...
Article: Quick Fix: The Details
One of the differences between a good photograph and a great one is how we handle the details. Check out this image of a beautiful Kuna woman who I photographed at the San Blas Hotel in the San Blas Islands, an archipelago of 365 islands that lies off...
Article: Reviews: 55mm Plug-In
Plug-ins are useful accessories for your image-processing program. These small software programs work within the main program, using the host to do marvelous things with your images. Since plug-ins come with many different functions, you have to...
Article: Seven Steps For A Better Image
Constructed in a remote area of Peru in the 15th century, the lost city of Machu Picchu, the grandest of all Inca sites, is truly one of the photographic wonders of the world. Adobe Photoshop and its little sister, Adobe Photoshop Elements, can be...
Article: Short Report: ACDSee Pro 2
ACDSee Pro 2 is the latest upgrade to ACD Systems' popular workflow-management software. Besides making it easy to download, organize, archive and locate images, ACDSee Pro 2 provides powerful editing and RAW-processing capabilities. One-click Visual...
Article: Short Report: Adobe Premiere Elements
Having just used Adobe's new video-editing program to create a soccer video for my daughter, I can tell you that Premiere Elements is designed to make professional-level editing more accessible to everyone. My editing went faster and easier than any...
Article: Short Report: B+W Filters To Go
It seems only natural that legendary optical manufacturer B+W would use its expertise to develop a set of software filters. Some of the filters stand in for glass filters you'd use over your camera lens, but many of the plug-ins go beyond that to...
Article: Short Report: Corel Painter IX
Corel Painter IX's wide selection of customizable brushes, tight integration with Wacom pressure-sensitive graphics tablets and easy-to-get-started interface make it the best painting software we've used to date. While Painter IX is primarily a...
Article: Short Report: Noise Ninja 2.0
Since the beginning of digital imaging, noise has been a serious problem for photographers. We've longed for a way to reduce noise while not affecting image quality and camera performance. Since the beginning of digital imaging, noise has been a...
Article: Short Report: The Perfect Cut
The technique of masking usually involves neck-straining precision and a tedious amount of time refining your edges to get the perfect outline. This requires a variety of brushes or selection tools and loads of time to get right. That's where software...
Article: Tame The Contrast Monster
Although digital camera sensor technology has made big strides in recent years, there still are limits to the range of tones sensors can capture. So we often end up with highlights that are too bright or dark, muddy shadows. This Article Features...
Article: Trade Tricks: In The Dark
Digital noise is perhaps the Achilles heel of digital photography, but it doesn't have to be. Noise happens when not enough light reaches the image sensor. The less light that falls on the sensor, the more noise will be found in your photos; higher...
Article: Using Photoshop Adjustment Layers
Of all the tips and techniques that I cover when presenting or teaching, I'm most adamant about the value of Adjustment Layers. Next to the invention of the layer itself, Adjustment Layers arguably represent Photoshop's best feature for retouching. ...
