Don’t get me wrong I love the latest version of Photoshop and CS5 is by far one of the best updates we have probably had since layers came along in the early 90′s. But at the same time I also feel its got a little bloated especially if you have bought the extended edition. So someone needs to ask the question and challenge why we get so many features per edition…

Here is my thinking on things. The “suits” at Adobe are first and foremost making a piece of software that is going to make them money and please the stock holders. Right? Then you get the guys that write the code and create all this stuff for us to play with… I am pretty sure they do it for the love of it more than anything else. You can see that passion in some of the Adobe blogs.

But at the end of the day its a pretty expensive piece of kit that is trying to be so many things to so many people at the same time. Its getting way too bloated with new features and do we really need puppet warp? Clever yes, essential? maybe not.

Different Editions

I think it may be time to split things up a little more… and maybe have a Photography Edition, Web Edition, Video Edition etc… You would decide which one or all would be installed for type of work you do and you could jump between them for different tasks.

What would be the advantage? Well, I am pretty sure a lighter version would run faster, and it would be much easier to find what you are looking for from within the user interface… and of course it would be much easier to learn. There is no way any one person uses all the features of Photoshop, so why not give us a light weight version that is still fully featured. It is called “Photo”shop after all.

The Big Question

So here is my question to you in two parts:

What part(s) of Adobe Photoshop do you NOT use at all? and what features would you want the guys at Adobe to improve?

It is not as daft a question as it sounds, because it may give them a little more insight to what to focus on more for the next version… Anyway, It’s audience participation time, drop your thoughts into the comments section below.

Now, What is Contrast?

Well, contrast is simply the difference between tones in an image. Do you want to see it in action? Well launch Photoshop, get yourself an image, navigate to the channels panel, then click on the red, green, or blue channel. I am going to go for the red channel.

Now, for speeds sake. Use the keyboard shortcut (Cmd+L or Ctrl+L) this will give you a Levels dialog box. Yes, I know we are working directly on the pixels and you could do this with an adjustment layer, but this is just a quick demo.

Now grab either the black (Shadows) slider or the white (Highlights) slider and move either of them in towards the grey (Mid-tones) slider. You will then see that the either slider have been pushed towards the grey pixels and they have either gone lighter or darker depending on which slider you used. Well done, you have just adjusted the contrast. As if you had not done it before…

Lets move onto why contrast needs to be adjusted on pretty much an individual basis so that you can get the best out of your shots. But first we need to understand the factors that effect contrast adjustment.

These are:
- Subject
- Environment
- Lighting
- Colour

and finally the mood you wish to convey to the viewer. Do you want it all light and wishy washy, or are you going to join me in the dark side of the force…

I did mention that contrast needs to be adjusted on and individual basis. BUT, if the factors above are pretty much equal then you know that the contrast is also going to be equal. So unless you are altering similar images for effect. Then they can be batched together for a similar contrast adjustment and this goes for white balance also as the two are pretty closely linked when using ACR in Lightroom or Bridge.

Ok, so that’s the beginners bit. I am now going to show you the five techniques I use for enhancing contrast in my images.

1. Clarity/Contrast

I think I was actually watching a video tutorial by Scott Kelby when I noted that he did this as well. Whether I am in ACR (Bridge) or Lightroom. I always adjust the clarity slider first when I want to increase the contrast of my images. This then allows me to use less of the actual contrast slider and thus giving me more detail where it counts in the highlights and shadows.

Using clarity also has the added advantage of giving your images the appearance of being sharper and this cuts down on the amount of actual sharpening that has to be applied.

Unless its an iPhone image I always shoot RAW, so this particular technique is my first port of call to a more contrasty image. Anyway its first up in the screencast above…

2. Curves Contrast

Curves is a pretty obvious choice when it comes to contrast enhancement. But, its the way you apply those curves that make all the difference and this is where Photoshop trumps both Bridge and Lightroom. Why? Well in Photoshop you can use the layer mask that built into the curves adjustment layer.

This allows you to be very selective as to where and what gets a contrast boost in your image and you can also use the same technique with the levels adjustment layer as well. So two for the price of one…

3. Dodge ‘n’ Burn Contrast

I liked this technique so much that I included it in my Retouchers Toolbox Actions Collection. But let me tell you more about why its so good.

If you have a graphics tablet and like me are into creating masks and the like. Then using a non-destructive dodge n burn layer really makes sense because it allows you to burn in or dodge out very small areas of an image and its a technique that provides great satisfaction.

Now, I in the screencast I demonstrate this technique using Photoshop CS5. But, it really comes into its own when you use it in conjunction with ACR in Bridge or in Lightroom 3. Non-destructive editing all the way baby! (Which by the way just got an update to v3.2 in Adobe Labs)

4. Black and White Contrast, Really?

Yep! you read it right. If you use a black & white adjustment layer and add the High Contrast Red preset plus a little overlay. Its a very quick fix for mucho contrast I only recently started using it to great effect on a couple of weddings I was working on and I have to say its crying out to be turned into an action and added to the LPS Workflow Essentials Power Panel.

5. Selective Colour Contrast

This technique is a little less known and its one that I use at the tail end of things particularly on black & white composite images. In the final part of the screencast, watch as I create an adjustment layer of selective colour. Then individually work the whites, neutrals and blacks using only the black slider to control the contrast.

Its easy to blow the highlights or clip the blacks with this technique but it works well as long as you have not got a touch like an elephant…

So there you have it. My five techniques for enhancing contrast. Yes there are plenty of other ways but if you have not tried these in a while then give then roll them out on your own images.

Video Duration: 16min 40secs
Skill Level: All Levels

Picture Packaging with a Twist

There are different picture package combinations that I like to use for both clients and family. One of these is a 2 x (7×5) package that fits nicely into a 10×7 or 10×8 inch print. The thing is, you tend to find a lot of labs charge the same for both print sizes. So rather than cropping to 10×7 inches. Why not use the extra 1×5 inch space on a 10×8 inch print for a little self promotion. This gives the recipient the option of keeping the extra element or cutting it off for fitting into a frame or family album. In the screencast I have gone for a “with compliments” option. but you could go with a new address, website, even happy birthday! whatever suits you…

© Stuart Little 2010

In this screencast I will show a really quick way to laying out guides for the picture package and also swap out the images using smart objects. Once you have created the package you can drag n drop it directly from the new mini bridge into Photoshop ready to replace the contents within a couple of clicks.

© Stuart Little 2010

Quick Tip for CS5 Users

If you are using the new drag n drop feature available in Photoshop CS5 then you will want to make sure you have the “Place or Drag Raster Images as Smart Objects” ticked. You can open the Photoshop CS5 preferences dialog by using the following keyboard shortcut; Cmd+K (MAC) or Ctrl+K (PC).

(Click Screenshot below for large view)

You will note that I use the LPS Power Panel during this screencast. Well you can download the Free LPS Actions and if you want the ease of use that the power panel offers. Its available for Photoshop CS4 & CS5 users for just £4.99 – Click Here

Premium Members

We have got a bit of treat for you this week, because creating a picture package with smart objects is a prime candidate for an action. In the exclusive video for premium members, I show you how to create a 2 x (7×5) picture into an automated action. This will save you that time on the computer, which means you have extra time to get out shooting with your camera.

• Creating a Picture Package Action in HD 720p
• Picture Package with Smart Objects in HD 720p
• 2 x (7×5) Action
• Example 2 x (7×5) PSD

>

After

© Stuart Little 2010

I know we are just into summer, but this is when the leaves on trees are at their best. So take advantage of great looking landscapes whilst altering the leaf colour ready for autumn arriving in 4 months time.

Before

© Stuart Little 2010

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I just pre-ordered my copy of Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended. It’s £192.83 for the boxed upgrade including tax and shipping, which they say will be delivered around Friday 30th April. Be aware that currently the link to upgrade to the Extended version is identical to the normal upgrade. I have contacted Adobe about this…

Well I think we can safely say this is a Photographers update and this is the first time that Adobe have hyped up a product launch and I guess its because its the 20th year of Photoshop, either that or they got a new advertising and marketing company that knows what its doing…

So taking a leaf out of Apple’s book, we are going to be getting a month’s worth of videos and hype around all things Adobe. I am already hearing that Premiere Pro and After Effects are getting amazing write ups online. If you skipped CS4 then you are really going to want to get CS5. Not getting will effect the quality of your images… How’s that for a statement.

© Adobe Systems Incorporated 2010

Automatic Lens Correction

You can now quickly and easily remove both barrel, pincushion distortion and also vignetting which will please users of Nikon’s 70-200 F2.8 VR Mk1. This automates something that had to be done previously by hand and Adobe have also added in the ability to share settings online so that its users can eventually populate all lenses with correction settings.

© Adobe Systems Incorporated 2010

HDR Pro

Adobe took a pounding for not producing a better HDR suite in CS4 and they got beaten to the line by the guys at Photomatix. However, they seem to have got their act together and come back with an even more powerful HDR module which I believe is called HDR Pro. If this gets close to Photomatix Pro, then they could see a dramatic downturn in business and I would not be surprised if this feature is shoe-horned into Elements 9 as well just to make sure that any and all competition is blown out of the water.

Content Aware Fill

Now if you haven’t seen the demo’s floating about the web click here. This is going to be a powerful new feature but also a controversial one because of what it might potentially do in terms of removing copyright stamps and digital watermarks etc… I don’t think its a gimmick by any means though and in my view a welcome edition.

Update - Ok, I have had a few days to check this feature out and I don’t think its as good as Adobe are letting on. Don’t get me wrong compared to the alternatives of cloning, healing, selecting, copying, and pasting, its a huge improvement. But I have watched  Katrin Eismann, Terry White, Dave Cross and Julieann Kost demonstrate this new ground breaking feature and the only person to struggle was Dave Cross. Why? Well he used a shot of a building and the content aware fill did not like the repeating patterns that much, which does not surprise me because Photoshop has always struggled with this issue. I am not saying Dave did not know what he was doing, far from it. But what you got was a more real world demo which was refreshing in the fact that it was not as perfect as first made out by the other Adobe Evangelists.

Content Aware Healing

Update - The spot healing brush now contains the same content aware fill feature and this is where I think its going to have more long term appeal. I think being able to fine tune small areas at a time with a brush will suit this technology much better than just doing larger selections and asking Photoshop to replace large chunks of image data.

In conclusion content aware fill will be good for non-linear items found in nature where there is very little repeating patterns. So grass, stone, sand, water, cloud, dense foliage, skies, will all work much better than things like bricks, tiles, stained glass, man-made patterns etc…

Other Features

There will be 64-bit support for the MAC version and I would think we can see up dates for Refine Edge (See Below), Brushes, Camera RAW and whole host of minor tweaks that have not even mentioned. Thats all for now… I will update more later on tonight once the launch has started and link in to both NAPP and Adobe Tv as it happens.

Terry’s Top 5

Update - Adobe’s Terry White demo’s his Top 5 Favourite Features from Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended >

So whats cooking? Well its nearly a year since we introduced the first WordPress powered website and it has only gone from strength to strength. Since relaunching the website last year we are now averaging 500-600 unique visitors per day. If thats you? Thanks for popping by…

We have been listening to what you guys want and now its time to make some really nice refinements to the website. Firstly we are making quite a few changes for the better starting with the size of the screencasts.

© Stuart Little 2010

Currently the screencasts start out at 635px wide with an option to go full screen. You can see this in the image above and this size was chosen as a good starting point because it fitted in nicely with the page width and it looks good. However times are changing and most of you are now using much larger screen resolutions and we want to take advantage of this and present the screencast videos at a much larger size.

© Stuart Little 2010

So from Monday 12th April (If not sooner) the screencasts will be increasing to a higher quality 960px wide and I have to say they look amazing. In fact, so good that you don’t even need to go full screen! I have been working hard to optimise all the videos for the new size and they now download much faster and play pretty much straight away even on slower connections. But I am not done yet!

© Stuart Little 2010

If you would like to download and keep the screencasts forever, then you are in luck! We will be making the full “High Definition” version of screencasts available for download. These are actually slightly larger than HD 720p and include “stereo” sound where as the streaming versions are only “mono”. As she can see from the screenshot above there is quite a significant difference in the size and there is nothing nicer than to build a library of learning that is available to you on your computer any time, any place, and without the worry of getting connected. Now obviously there are quite a few costs involved, so we can’t make this service available for free, but we have made the monthly subscription very cost effective at £14.99 and there no long term commitments.

New Publishing Schedule

Speaking of the screencasts, here is where some more changes we are being put into place. Currently there is a Photoshop/Lightroom Screencast usually published at the beginning of the week and an article towards the end. Sometimes there is a the odd post over the weekend depending on what I am up to… But to be honest with you I have struggled with “what to do” from week to week and even though the site is more focused it needs a more consistent approach to the content. That is why I feel now is the time to get back into photography on a full-time basis with the LPS site coming along for the journey.

I have never stopped being a professional photographer but I have only been doing a limited amount of work over the past 5 years. Excluding the odd wedding and portrait, I have mainly focused on commercial photography. But now I am in my mid thirties and with a new baby on the way, I have decided to focus my photography solely on the portraiture side of things as it encompasses everything that I want to teach and more… One thing I can guarantee! There will be plenty of baby pictures

Starting from Monday 12th April, the weekly Photoshop CS4/CS5 Screencast will move to a Thursday and the weekly photography/lighting post will move to the Monday. Tuesday’s will be all about Lightroom and will alternate between articles and screencasts in the form of an “Essential Lightroom Training Series”. Eventually I may link the Lightroom screencast to the Photoshop screencast so that you get to see an image being taken through a complete workflow. But lets get all the basics out of the way before Lightroom 3 gets released.

Saturdays will now be for beginners and I will be using Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 to teach all the basics that I tend to skip over with Photoshop CS4. I feel that Elements 8 has grown up enough that it can be used for all the basics and a more and therefore should be supported by myself. This is where I will also be teaching Adobe Bridge 2 and Adobe Camera RAW, which will be of great interest to those of you who do not use Lightroom.

So just to recap on things…

Monday – Photography/Lighting
Tuesday – Lightroom 2 or 3
Thursday - Photoshop CS4 or CS5
Saturday – Photoshop Elements 8

Finally…

The colour scheme of the website is not going to be changing, but you will find a few things disappearing or being moved about. The Live 1-1 Training is ticking along nicely and I am not planning to take on any more photographers at this time. So that part of the website will be coming offline so that I can concentrate more on my photography career. We are also making improvements to the search, navigation and archive so that the videos and articles will be found more easily. My latest tweets and the Flickr gallery will be moving to the footer and more information about me is moving on up including a page all about what gear I am using and where to find it.

The store is also getting a bit of a spring clean as well with the currency going back to UK Pounds Sterling now that PayPal does automatic currency conversions. We have also re-implemented Google Checkout for the same reason. The store is going to be more searchable and the product video screencasts will be hosted on the store in a separate area rather than on the blog, making them much easier to view and download.

So thats it for now… It all starts on Monday next week and I look forward to any comments or feedback you have for me. >

You can register an interest at http://cs5launch.adobe.com/ and here is a sneak peek of the new “Content Aware Fill” feature.

Adobe is in a strange position because there are 2 versions of Photoshop. The standard version and the extended version. Yet, since CS4 was released a year or so ago, there has been a dramatic shift between Stills and Video. So will Adobe add video functionality to the standard version of CS5?

What features would you like to see in Photoshop CS5 and do you think it will be what I call a “Photographers Update”? Let me know… >

View The Complete Photoshop CS4 Preferences Series >

View The Complete Photoshop CS4 Preferences Series >