January/February 2024 HelpLine |
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3. Levels And Other Tonal Adjustments. Depending on the tools I’m
using, this may involve several steps, but I try to get the whites, the
blacks and the midtones in good shape.4. Back To Color. Here’s where I may revisit white balance and correct for any colorcasts that might be more apparent after the previous tonal adjustments. It’s important to remember that a good workflow isn’t a one-way street. Many adjustments can be interrelated, so if your image-editing toolset allows it, use adjustments that are editable, rather than permanent. 5. “Removals.” Over the years, I’ve found that if you try to remove objects at the beginning of the process (particularly before tonal adjustments), your removal edits often become more obvious. 6. Sharpening. You might have to selectively remove (or lessen) some sharpening around corrections that you make. This may not always be the case, but some edges might pop out a little too much. Do this by sharpening to a layer, then removing parts of that layer that don’t need the sharpening (by either using a layer mask or an eraser). Tip For Image Sharpness As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, I’ve received several letters from people having difficulty getting sharp images. This month: Focal length matters. When handholding your camera, you need to have a shutter speed fast enough to stop any blur caused by camera movement during exposure. Choose a shutter speed that’s equal to or faster than the reciprocal of your focal length. This might sound a little complicated, but I’m just talking about numbers rather than exposure or depth-of-field calculation. If you’re shooting with a 100mm lens, for example, choose a shutter speed that’s faster than 1⁄100 sec. (reciprocal of 100). The closest shutter speed would be 1⁄125 sec.—round up to the faster shutter speed. I guess, mathematically, that would be rounding down, but you get the idea. If you have any questions, please send them to HelpLine, PCPhoto Magazine, 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90025 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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