ptg ptg DAN MOUGHAMIAN ADOBE ® DIGITAL IMAGING HOW - TOs 100 ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES FOR PHOTOSHOP CS5, LIGHTROOM 3, AND CAMERA RAW 6 ptg Adobe Digital Imaging How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques for Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3, and Camera Raw 6 Dan Moughamian This Adobe Press book is published by Peachpit. Peachpit 1249 Eighth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 510/524-2178 510/524-2221 (fax) For the latest on Adobe Press books, go to: www.adobepress.com To report errors, please send a note to: errata@peachpit.com Peachpit is a division of Pearson Education. Copyright © 2011 by Dan Moughamian Editor: Rebecca Gulick Production Editor: Hilal Sala Project Editor: Robyn G. Thomas Proofreader: Patricia Pane Cover and Interior Designer: Mimi Heft Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry Technical Reviewer: Shangara Singh Compositor: codeMantra Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@peachpit.com. Notice of Liability The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it. Trademarks Adobe, Photoshop, Lightroom, and Camera Raw are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identied throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benet of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other aliation with this book. ISBN-13: 978-0-321-71987-4 ISBN-10: 0-321-71987-5 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound in the United States of America ptg For my wife, Kathy. You are everything to me. ptg Acknowledgements Many long hours have gone into this book. I’d like to sincerely thank the following editors for their many contributions, without which this work would not be possible: Rebecca Gulick, Patricia Pane, Hilal Sala, Shangara Singh, and Robyn Thomas. Regard- less of the challenges that arose, be it gure formatting, technical considerations, or perfecting the copy, each brought expertise that was invaluable. It was a pleasure working with each of you. To Victor Gavenda, thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this exciting series from Peachpit and Adobe Press. It’s an honor to join this team of talented and dedicated authors! Special Thanks A big thank you to my family and close friends, who have continued to be supportive of my chosen career, and who always have good advice and many ideas for helping me to evolve as a professional. A special thank you to my parents for all they’ve done to help advance my career. Without each of you, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. ptg Contents Chapter One: Getting Organized with Lightroom 3 . 1 #1: The Lightroom User Interface . 2 #2: Maximizing Screen Space . 6 #3: IPTC Metadata Presets . 8 #4: Importing Photos with Metadata . 12 #5: Renaming Folders . 14 #6: Relinking a Moved Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 #7: Synchronizing Folders (New Images). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 #8: Folder Import . 19 #9: Folder Export . 20 #10: Tethered Capture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 #11: Increasing Speed: Catalog Optimization . 25 #12: Customizing the Grid View . 26 #13: Comparing Similar Photos . 28 #14: One Attribute, Many Shots . 33 #15: Using Keyword Sets . 34 #16: Using the Library Filter . 36 #17: Using Smart Collections . 40 Chapter Two: Developing Raw Photos . 43 #18: Understanding Process Versions . 44 #19: Using Clipping Previews . 46 #20: Making Histogram Edits . 47 #21: Cropping and Straightening . 48 #22: Removing Spots and Other Distractions . 51 #23: Synchronizing Spot Removals . 53 #24: Synchronizing Edits via Presets . 54 ptg #25: Setting a Strong Foundation with Basic Edits . 56 #26: Using Custom Point Curves . 59 #27: Using Panel Previews . 61 #28: Perfecting Color with HSL . 62 #29: Creating Localized Edits: Adjustment Brush . 64 #30: Stylizing Black-and-White Photos with Split Toning. . . . . . . . . . . . 68 #31: Creating Variations with Snapshots . 71 #32: Applying Capture Sharpening . 72 #33: Improving Noise Reduction . 76 #34: Correcting Lens Flaws: Lens Corrections . 79 #35: Going Retro: Film Grain . 86 #36: Prepping Files for HDR Pro . 89 #37: Exporting Files . 91 #38: ACR: Synchronizing Edits . 93 #39: ACR: Saving Images . 95 #40: ACR: Workow Options . 96 Chapter Three: Lightroom 3 Output Hints . 97 #41: Watermark Editor . 98 #42: Polishing Slideshow Layouts . 103 #43: Slide Duration and Transitions . 111 #44: Exporting Slideshows as Video . 112 #45: Quick Contact Sheets . 113 #46: Custom Photo Packages . 117 #47: Airtight Web Galleries . 122 #48: Lightroom Flash Gallery . 127 #49: Share Photos on Flickr . 133 ptg Chapter Four: Perfecting Images in Photoshop CS5 . 139 #50: Setting Preferences . 140 #51: Dening Color Settings . 149 #52: Simplifying the Menus . 151 #53: Custom Keyboard Shortcuts . 155 #54: Using Mini Bridge . 158 #55: Using Live Preview Rotation . 163 #56: Pan & Zoom Techniques . 165 #57: Using the HUD Color Pickers . 166 #58: “Docking” Multiple Photos . 169 #59: Displaying File Information . 170 #60: Modifying IPTC Metadata . 171 #61: Straightening Horizons with the Ruler Tool . 173 #62: Using Color Range Masks . 174 #63: Converting Paths to Selections . 177 #64: Hybrid Lasso Selections . 178 #65: Rening Selection and Mask Edges with Smart Radius . 180 #66: Removing Color Casts from Selection and Mask Edges . 183 #67: Creating Smooth Textures: Clone and Patch . 184 #68: Enhancing Compositions with Content-Aware Scale . 186 #69: Automated Lens Corrections . 188 #70: Smart Object Transforms . 190 #71: Perspective Cropping . 192 #72: HDR Pro: Exposure Tips . 194 #73: HDR Pro: Creating the File . 195 #74: HDR Pro: Tone Mapping . 196 ptg #75: HDR Pro: Color and Curves . 203 #76: Photomerge Panoramas . 205 #77: Spot-Healing Portrait Details . 208 #78: Under-Eye Corrections . 211 #79: Enhancing Realism with the Fade Command . 212 #80: Sharpen Enhancements . 213 #81: Generating Layers from Selections . 214 #82: Using Content-Aware Fill . 216 #83: Getting Creative with Puppet Warp . 218 #84: Softening Focus with the Lens Blur Filter . 222 #85: Introducing Bristle Tips . 227 #86: Using the Mixer Brush . 229 #87: HDR Toning . 233 #88: Shadows/Highlights . 235 #89: Using Adjustment Layers . 240 #90: Targeted Curves Adjustment . 243 #91: Localized Color Vibrance . 245 #92: Black-and-White Styling . 248 #93: Photo Filters . 250 #94: Organizing and Previewing Multiple Adjustments . 253 #95: Gradients: Neutral Density . 254 #96: Creating Text on a Path . 256 #97: Layer Styles: Drop Shadows . 257 #98: Printing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259 #99: Saving for the Web . 261 #100: Image Processor . 263 Index . 266 ptg Foreword The year 2010 has been an exciting time for digital photographers and imaging professio nals. The introduction of Photoshop CS5 and ACR 6, as well as Lightroom 3, brought many new capabilities and improvements. When I was oered the chance to put together 100 tips for these applications, I was excited. The trick, of course, is to narrow everything to just 100 tips when there are so many features and capabilities! As I reected on my own experiences (and those of other professionals in the Photoshop community), it seemed reasonable to break down the challenge by task. There are—essentially—four tasks that aect any digital photographer: get- ting pictures into the computer and organized; developing the raw data; perfecting les with Photoshop; and considering the output details. An author could focus all a t t e n t i o n o n a n y o n e o f t h o s e t a s k s a n d e a s i l y c r e a t e 5 0 – 1 0 0 t i p s . I chose to focus most of the tips on developing raw les in Lightroom 3 (and by extension ACR), and on perfecting those les in dierent ways using Photoshop CS5. I hope that you will nd the breakdown and relative “weighting” of the tips to be helpful, as you seek to get things done as eciently and precisely as you can. As with most digital workows, there are often several techniques for accomplishing any given task (such as color correction). Consider each of these tips, as well as those you may nd elsewhere, to be your guideposts as you work with your images. There are few absolutes with digital imaging; it’s all about nding the techniques that work best for your photography and your setup. I hope that you get a lot of mileage from these tips and that the book can serve as a frequent reference in your work. Best of luck, and remember: There’s a part of this amazing world out there waiting for you to discover and photograph, and it can’t be done sitting in front of a computer. Like a camera or lens, software is just a tool for making the nal product better. So get out there and go after it! —Dan Moughamian [...]... the powerful and intuitive features in Lightroom 3 to organize all your images, so you can find and include them in your daily workflow more efficiently Why Lightroom? I use Lightroom 3 to organize photos rather than Adobe Bridge, because it enables me to organize and then immediately begin editing my raw files in one elegant, unified interface It is true that Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) can—in... series, press and hold Shift, and then click the last thumbnail in the series, then deselect any of the thumbnails to dim them all You can reselect the entire series using the same technique DNG DNG stands for Digital Negative Group and was designed by Adobe as a common raw format option for photographers It maintains all the quality and nondestructive editing benefits of proprietary raw file formats; however,... galleries of favorite photos, using simple templates and format options You can find helpful tips for each of the Lightroom output modules—Slideshow, Print, and Web—in Chapter 3, Lightroom 3 Output Hints.” #1: The Lightroom User Interface 6 2 # Maximizing Screen Space Adobe has done well to fit all five workflow modules into a single, elegant user interface, but Lightroom can still use as much space as your... with Adobe applications, including more than 16 years with Photoshop He is a veteran of the Adobe alpha- and beta-testing programs, as well as an experienced photographer and professional instructor Dan has authored a series of Adobe training tutorials, including Image Retouching & Adjustment with Photoshop CS5 and Core Lightroom 3 His articles have been featured in photo technique magazine, Photoshop. .. Capture Tethered Capture is new in Lightroom 3, addressing a long-standing request from photographers This functionality allows you to connect a camera to the computer that is running Lightroom, view the basic exposure settings from within Lightroom, and activate the shutter release from Lightroom Photos are then imported as they are taken Anywhere your Lightroom laptop and camera can travel, you can capture... the cameras that support tethered shooting are: Canon • • • • • • • • • ** **** EOS 5D and EOS 5D Mark II • • • EOS 40D • EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi/ EOS Kiss Digital X) EOS-1D Mark II* and* * EOS-1Ds Mark II* and* * EOS-1DS Mark III EOS-1D Mark III EOS-1D Mark IV EOS 7D EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi/ EOS Kiss X2) • EOS 1000 D (Digital Rebel XS/ EOS Kiss F) • EOS 500D (Digital Rebel T1i/EOS Kiss X3 Digital) ... remain active only as long as your Lightroom system is connected to that drive Fortunately, there is a simple remedy for this problem Right-click the folder and choose Find Missing Folder (Figure 6b) This will open your system’s file browser dialog box, so you can search for the folder’s new location and select it to relink Lightroom and the folder contents Figure 6b You can relink a catalog to a moved... unlike proprietary formats that often change over time, DNG is designed to avoid compatibility issues with Photoshop and Lightroom For that reason, many consider DNG a “safe” format for photo archives 14 5 # Managing Catalog Folders If you’re like me, after you spend a decent amount of time building up your new Lightroom 3 catalog, you’ll need to periodically update the folders in Lightroom that you’ve... caused by lens distortions Slideshow Module Lightroom 3 provides options for creating slideshow presentations for clients and other interested parties, including robust formatting options Print Module Lightroom 3 allows you to create customized photo packages (such as those used for school photos or athletic team photos) and contact sheets, again with robust formatting options Web Module The Web module... Previews while editing your files, choose Standard or 1:1 Figure 4c Lightroom 3’s Import File Handling options 5 Open the Apply During Import panel, and using the Metadata pop-up menu, choose the preset you may have created You can also apply Develop Settings and Keywords in this area, though I typically handle all raw edits later in the process (Figure 4d) Figure 4d Lightroom 3’s new Import features include . MOUGHAMIAN ADOBE ® DIGITAL IMAGING HOW - TOs 100 ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES FOR PHOTOSHOP CS5, LIGHTROOM 3, AND CAMERA RAW 6 ptg Adobe Digital Imaging How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques for Photoshop CS5,. Saving for the Web . 261 #100: Image Processor . 263 Index . 266 ptg Foreword The year 2010 has been an exciting time for digital photographers and imaging professio nals. The introduction of Photoshop. software and hardware products described in it. Trademarks Adobe, Photoshop, Lightroom, and Camera Raw are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/ or other