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Photo projects 10 new ways to make your photos more creative – from fast cars to black cats Project 1
Capture autumn from above Adopt an aerial view to capture landscapes with a difference utumn is a fantastic time of year to get outdoors with your camera! There are many ways to shoot the changing seasons, but have you ever considered taking an aerial shot? That’s what Kacper Kowalski has done as part of his ‘Side Effects’ project. All of the images in this project have been taken in his homeland of Poland. They focus on the complex relationships between humans and nature, viewing it from a bird’s eye perspective. His work has been exhibited worldwide, and he has won numerous awards. There are many ways you can take to the skies with your camera; one option is to use a drone, for example. Kacper prefers not to rely on this method: he took each image for this project from a paraglider or a gyroplane, some 150m above the ground. (In this breathtaking shot, you can make out his reflection in the lake.) Using a glider enables Kacper to connect with his subject. He says his camera is never linked to a remote: it’s always in his hand. www.kacperkowalski.pl 26
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Cover story
EMBRACE THE POWER O F R AW James Abbott shows you how to get the best from your images using Adobe Camera Raw
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ou’ve probably heard of it, even read about it too. But what is this mysterious thing called ‘raw’? Raw files are simply a type of image file produced by cameras. They contain a great deal more colour and tonal information than a JPEG, which means they’re able to record more detail. If you shoot a JPEG with your camera, on the other hand, the file is processed in-camera. A JPEG straight from the camera always looks more ‘finished’ than a raw file, which looks dull until it’s processed – but you have less control over the look of JPEGs when you edit them later. When you shoot in raw, everything about the camera and how you use it remains the same as when you’re shooting JPEGs – you simply have to set the camera to shoot raw in the menu. But the files
produced will be different, and require special software to process them. Adobe Camera Raw is built into both Photoshop and Elements, and is what we’ll be focusing on here. Lightroom is another popular option for editing raw files, and its tools are broadly similar to those in Camera Raw. All the adjustments you make to a raw file while image-editing are recorded in a secondary file – changes that then applied to any JPEG or TIFF you export from the original raw file. The original raw file remains untouched on your computer, always available to produce high-quality copies. The potential for overall image quality is considerably higher when you use raw. Over the next 10 pages, we’re going to show you everything you need to know to confidently get started…
CONTENTS The Raw Interface............................................................. page 42 Exposure Recovery................................................................... 44 Lens Correction.......................................................................... 46 Advanced B&W............................................................................... 48 40
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Cover Story
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A dramatic difference With controls for exposure and black-and-white conversions alongside lens and perspective corrections, Adobe Camera Raw was able to transform this long‑exposure image.
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THE RAW INTERFACE
Find your way around Camera Raw and start making basic adjustments to your shots in minutes
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To open a raw file you simply navigate to the folder on your computer where you saved it and double-click, just like with any other type of file. This will launch either Photoshop or Elements, depending on what you have, and the Camera Raw window will open.
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Main image area
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Your image appears in the main window. You can zoom in and out using the Zoom Tool or by pressing Ctrl/Cmd and the plus key to zoom in, and Ctrl/Cmd with the minus key to zoom out. If you’ve zoomed in, holding down the space bar activates the Hand Tool and allows you to click and scroll around the image. If you have more than one image opened in Camera Raw, the Filmstrip will be visible to the left of the main image area, enabling you to switch images.
2 Save Image
When you’ve finished editing your images, you can open them directly into the main Photoshop or Elements editing area by clicking Open Image at the bottom right of the interface. Alternatively you can click on Save; now you can choose the file type to save to and the location. You can also name the file, resize it and set the colour space – use sRGB for images to go on the web, and Adobe RGB (1998) for print.
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Cover Story
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The toolbar The toolbar is exactly what its name suggests – the place where you can activate a number of useful tools. From left to right, there’s the Zoom Tool, Hand Tool, White Balance Tool, Color Sampler Tool, Targeted Adjustment Tool, Crop Tool, Straighten Tool, Transform Tool, Spot Removal Red Eye Removal, Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter, Radial Filter, Open Preferences and two controls for quickly rotating images.
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4 Histogram and tabs
In the top right of the interface you’ll see the Histogram. This shows the distribution of tones, from shadows on the left to highlights on the right. Below this are some tabs that provide a range of controls. Basic is selected by default, and allows you to make several basic adjustments to how the image looks. Click on each one to see what’s on offer.
5 White Balance
White Balance is the setting that makes different light sources appear neutral, as if they produced white light. There’s a drop-down menu with presets or manual controls to add or remove blue/yellow and green/magenta. To use them, simply drag the Temperature or Tint sliders in the opposite direction of the colour you want to neutralise. These options can also be used to make creative colour effects.
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6 Adjustment
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The Adjustment sliders in the Basic tab will be the ones you use most often, especially Exposure and Contrast. Most are self-explanatory – Shadows and Highlights can be used to recover details in these areas, while Whites and Blacks focus on the brightness of the lightest and darkest parts of the image. Clarity boosts mid-tone contrast, and Saturation and Vibrance boost colours. Vibrance is especially helpful for portraits.
RAW tip
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When you export a raw file, use JPEG for images where the editing is complete, and TIFF for files where layers will be added during further editing in Photoshop or Elements.
Raw file types SLRs, CSCs and even some high-end compacts all have the ability to shoot raw files. While they provide the same benefits, each manufacturer has its own type.
Manufacturer Raw format
7 What are XMP files?
When you make adjustments to any raw file* in Camera Raw, the image file itself will remain untouched: instead a separate XMP file will be created, and this is where your adjustments will be saved. When you reopen a previously adjusted image, the relevant XMP file will automatically load the settings. *Adobe’s DNG format is the exception, saving the changes inside the file.
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Canon Fujifilm Leica Nikon Olympus Panasonic Pentax Sony
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CR2 RAF DNG (Adobe) NEF ORF RAW PEF ARW
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Shootout
coastal landscapes
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! t u Shooto r photographic ou on ke ta s er d a re o Tw istrict challenges in the Peak D landscape photography
For this month’s Shootout, Ben Brain tasked two photographers to capture the stunning views of Britain’s first National Park READER 1
Roger Foun tain
READER 2
Jason Ril e y
Camera: Fujifilm X-T1
Camera: Nikon D7200
Location: Derby
Location: Chesterfield
RETIRED college lecturer Roger describes himself as “a delighted newcomer to the world of Fuji” after selling all his Nikon gear. He packed XF 10-20mm f/4 and XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lenses for this trip with
his new X-T1. Roger is an keen, experienced photographer and a committee member of Derby City Photographic Club. Living in Derby means that the Peak District’s is a short drive away. derbycityphotographic club.com
JASON is an IT professional and has to fit his photography around the demands of the day job. Landscapes are his passion, but he offers a family lifestyle portrait service too. He was also a finalist in the Comedy Wildlife
Photography Awards. Jason is certainly a versatile photographer, but he travels light, using just a D7200 and an 18-105mm lens on this Shootout. Like Roger, Jason is local to the area, and came armed with good location suggestions.
You could take Join us and learn new skills! Email digitalcamera part in our next @futurenet.com (subject line: Shootout). reader shootout Please include your address and phone number
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SHOOTOUT
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KIT Zone
CANON EOS 5D Mk IV
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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV £3,600/$3,500
Canon’s pro all-rounder gets a big boost in features Specifications Sensor 36 x 24mm 30.4MP CMOS Focal length conversion 1x (full-frame) Memory One CompactFlash; one SD/ SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) Viewfinder Optical pentaprism with approx 100% coverage Max video resolution 4K (4,096 x 2,160) at 30fps ISO range 100-32,000 (50-102,400 expansion) Autofocus points 61 points. Max of 41 cross-type AF points inc 5 dual cross-type at f/2.8 and 21 cross-type AF points at f/8. The number of cross-type AF points will differ depending on the lens Max burst rate 7fps Screen 3.2in Clear View II touchscreen LCD; approx 1,620,000 dots Shutter speeds 30-1/8,000 sec plus Bulb Weight 890g Dimensions 151 x 116 x 76mm Power supply LP-E6N rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Canon’s 5D series has a rich heritage – the original EOS 5D camera bought full-frame photography to the masses – so the arrival of a new generation of the 5D is a big deal. The 22.3MP sensor in the 5D Mark III was starting to look a little dated compared to some of the competition, so it’s nice to see a notable jump to 30.4MP here. That’s not quite rivalling the 36.3MP Nikon D810 or the 42MP Sony Alpha 7R II; but files still come out at 6,720 x 4,480 pixels. This means that if you want to print at 300dpi, the native size is just under A2 at 56.9 x 37.9cm (22.4 x 14.9 inches). Those
Right The 5D Mark IV’s image sensor provides good noise performance and a significant increase in resolution. 102
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With HDMI, USB and audio ports on the side of the camera, Canon has moved the remote trigger socket to the front. 2
Not only does the 3.2-inch LCD screen get a useful resolution boost to 1,620,000 dots, it also boasts full touch control. 3
This new button can directly change AF area, or it’ll adjust other settings when used in conjunction with the front command dial.
looking for even more pixels already have the option of the 50.6MP 5DS.
Features The 5D Mark IV uses the same latest-generation sensor technology that we’ve seen in both the 1D X Mark II and 80D. Canon says this sensor’s on-chip digital-to-analogue conversion delivers improved noise performance and dynamic range. The use of Dual Pixel Raw technology gives you the capacity to fine-tune the area of maximum sharpness during post-production (only using Canon’s own DPP software at present). The Mk IV’s native sensitivity runs from ISO 100-32,000, and is expandable to 50-102,400. The camera uses both a Digic 6 and a Digic 6+ processor, with the former used solely for metering, freeing up the Digic 6+ to handle everything www.digitalcameraworld.com
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This skateboarder doesn’t hang around, really putting Canon’s 61-point autofocus and Dual Pixel AF tech through its paces.
else, including the 61-point AF system with 41 cross-type sensors (five of which are dual cross-type for even greater accuracy). The AF system is sensitive down to -3EV (-4EV in Live View) – that’s darker than moonlight, so focusing shouldn’t be an issue in poor light, while the fact that you can use lens/ teleconverter combinations with a maximum aperture of f/8 and still have the luxury of all 61 AF points (21 cross-type) will be a real draw for sports and wildlife photographers. The Mark IV also inherits Canon’s Dual Pixel AF technology, so there are phase-detection points on the imaging sensor itself, promising quicker AF acquisition than we saw in the Mark III, and performance as speedy as many mirrorless cameras. The large 3.2-inch display boasts an impressive 1,620,000 dots and touchscreen functionality, as on the 1D X Mark II. The touchscreen interface is active all the time, enabling menu navigation and image review as well. Canon has also kept the same battery as in the 5D Mark www.digitalcameraworld.com
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ISO 4,000 was required to maintain a fast enough shutter speed to freeze this subject, but image noise at this setting is impressively low.
III, so existing owners looking to use both cameras in tandem don’t need two sets of batteries and chargers. The 5D Mark IV features DCI 4K video capture at 4,096 x 2,160 pixels, at 30/25/24fps (approx 500Mbps). This also means you can extract 8.8MP JPEG images from 4K video if needed, thanks to the Motion JPEG file format available for 4K capture.
Dynamic range
You can ramp up the sensor sensitivity and there’s still enough dynamic range to capture extreme highlight and shadow detail.
This is the only file format available when shooting 4K, however, and there’s no option to shoot in a flat gamma profile. Things get better at 1080p, with a host of Full HD options, as well as the ability to shoot 120fps HD video for some impressive slow-mo movies. The 5D Mark IV has external microphone and headphone ports,
Meet the rivals… The cameras taking on the Canon EOS 5D Mk IV… For test images and resolution charts, visit www.techradar. com/cameras
Canon EOS 5DS £2,800/$3,500 The 5DS is now the benchmark for full-frame image quality, but it is not quite as wellrounded an SLR as the 5D Mark IV. Reviewed Issue 167
Nikon D810 £2,400/$2,800 The Nikon D810 is a great SLR. The 36.3MP sensor delivers stunning images, and sets a high standard for image quality. Reviewed Issue 155
NOVEMBER JULY 2016
Sony Alpha 7R II £3,000/$3,200 The A7R II has proved popular thanks to its 42.2MP resolution, generating huge images with bags of detail, with noise well controlled. Reviewed Issue 169
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Sean McCormack
Photographer and writer
Lightroom
TAP TO watch video
Combine a few simple techniques in Lightroom and you’ll soon bring out the stellar detail that will make your Milky Way photos look great
SOFTWARE Lightroom CC/6 GET IT FROM www.adobe.com get Start files from www.bit.ly/dc183files
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Sean McCormack is a photographer and writer based in Galway in the west of Ireland. He’s the author of The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC. seanmcfoto.com
Enhance your milky way photos the easy way
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Adjust the colour We’ll begin in the Basic panel, and start with the colour. As there’s yellow light pollution in this shot, moving the Temperature slider makes the sky more blue, while reducing the impact of the sodium lighting. This also brings more balance to the complementary colours here.
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hooting the Milky Way needs a lot of luck in our cloudy British Isles. What shows up on-screen can be a sad reflection on what we actually saw with our eyes. It’s good to know that you can rely on Lightroom to help bring
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impact to the faint glow of our galaxy’s core. For this we’ll use a mix of tools: the Basic panel, the Lens Corrections panel and the Adjustment brush. The base image is of the Milky Way with the International Space Station passing by.
NOVEMBER 2016
Highlights and exposure Push the Whites slider to ensure that the stars are fully white. For a stronger silhouette on the ground, reduce the Blacks. Finally, use Exposure to set the overall brightness.
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Lightroom Skills
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Correct distortion Next, click Enable Profile Corrections. This will correct lens distortion and fix the darkening of the corners in the photo, using a profile dedicated to the lens used. For astro-photography, I find it overdoes this fix, so you may need to reduce the effect by moving the Vignetting and Distortion sliders down to taste. This balances out the colour and stops the stretching of stars at the corners a little.
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remove the colour As astro-photography is generally shot at wider apertures, you see more of the vignetting effects and chromatic aberration. Go to Lens Corrections and turn on Remove Chromatic Aberration. Next, go to Manual, grab the eyedropper and click on the edge of a star with obvious edges. This removes the colour on the edges of the stars.
Add some punch A great way to increase punch in an astro-photo is to increase the Detail slider, which is located in the Effects panel. A small amount does wonders to add contrast and saturation in the image.
Add depth The final global tool we’ll use is the Clarity slider, which you can find in the Basic panel. Increasing this really helps to bring out depth in the Milky Way. Too much of it can mush up the rest of the image, though, so be careful not to overdo it.
Discover an alternative way to boost your image with Clarity
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Paint in more depth Clarity looks good on the sky, but it’s too much for most of the image. Instead, click the Adjustment brush under the Histogram (or press K). Double-click the word Effect to reset all the sliders and the swatch. Now set Clarity to 25 – that’s low, but it’s better to build the effect up. Set Feather to 100 for a soft edge. Set Flow and Density to 100 to
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get the full effect. Set the size to cover one half of the Milky Way. Brush along each half. Press New and repeat. Repeat again. Alternatively, right-click the active pin after the first round of brushing and choose Duplicate to double the effect. Hold down the Alt key to erase areas where you don’t want the effect after you’ve painted.
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