Working with Gradients

Here is a quick tutorial on using the Gradient Fill tools...

We are going to start with the simple Linear Gradient Tool and learn a couple of things. First of all, there are many different gradients that can be made, as shown in the graphic below of the drop down gradient options. We can make a two color gradient, a single color to transparent gradient, multicolor gradients, etc. Lets concentrate on the single color gradient to transparent.

Open a new file with a white background and we will see what we can do with the gradient tool. Select the gradient tool with single color to transparent.Now click on the left side of the image and drag across to the right side, we want a long drag mark so we have lots of transition from color to transparent.Notice how too the left of where you clicked the color is 100% Opaque and to the right of where you stopped dragging it is 100% Transparent. The transition between the two colors (Blue and Transparent) happens linearly between the two endpoints of the drag mouse operation. The gradient change will always happen parallel with the drag line, so dragging at an angle will rotate the gradient to occur parallel to the drag line.
If the gradient doesn't come out the way you would like, just hit CTRL+Z (or undo) and try it again. The gradient tool is basically a special paint bucket that doesn't cover the entire canvas uniformly.

Now lets step it up a notch and get creative using the gradient editor. Clicking on the edit button on the Gradient toolbar will pop-up the gradient editor dialogue box. Notice down towards the bottom of the box is a sample of the gradient with some squares above and below the gradient. These boxes can be moved right and left to adjust how the gradient fill happens between the endpoints of the drag operation. So if one wants a biased transition, dragging the center small diamond with bias the gradient. The end squares change where the colors are 100%, and I find it easier to not adjust those squares since it is just as easier to control that using the mouse drag operation.We can add a stop, or color definition point by clicking above or below the gradient sample. This will allow us to define a hard point in the gradient. This can be a color change, a certain amount of transparency or just give a little more control over how the gradient is built. The color is defined below the gradient sample, while the opacity is defined above the gradient sample.

Those are the very basic operations of the gradient tool, hopefully this helps and is not just more confusing. Still confused? Here is another site that contains a tutorial of Gradients

Using Layers

Do you have a picture that you really like, but the color is slightly off and the picture is a little dark? I started with a picture taken at night of a fire crew training, because of the distance the camera flash was worthless and the truck flood lights made the color more yellow than normal.

Focal Length: 25mm F-number: F/4.2 Shutter: 1/3 Sec Iso: 100 Metering: Pattern Exp Program: Creative Biased Exp Comp: O Step

Using layers we can brighten the picture and adjust the 'white balance' of the picture slightly, and obtain a usable picture...

Layer 0: Original Image Layer 1: Copy of Complete image with 100% Opacity Screen Layer 2: Selective copy of Distance building up Sky with 100% Opacity Screen Layer 3: New layer, blue filled with 20% Opacity Layer 4: Signature Layer

We can apply the same steps I outline for sunsets to lighten and color correct any image. Just some of the tricks and tips I have learned, look forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with using layers to edit pictures.

Note:
It would be helpful to include a brief description of your layers along with a before picture....

Flowers DOF

Just if this qualifies as a DOF?
Not a perfect one, but wonder
if I'm on the right track? Thanks!

Sunsets &Silhouettes

One of my favorite aspects of digital photography is being able to process at decent picture and embellish on the the picture. For a lot of people, digital embellishment in considered cheating, but even the best of photographers miss the shot sometimes.

In my tutorial I wanted to demonstrate the power of using layers and what can be done to a photo to bring out colors and to subdue other features.

I am going to start with a sunset photograph, that has decent coloration but not perfect.Notice how the foreground has significant detail, but nothing of interest really.The foreground distracts from the colors of the sunset and would be less distracting if a silhouette.The sky coloration is good, but it is not super amazing and can use a little help to make the colors more vivid.There are many ways we can silhouette the foreground, and I will show you my preferred method that still retains some foreground detail and doesn’t look like we just painted a blob over the foreground. First we start by duplicating the background layer. ( Layers-New-From Background-Multiply with 100% Opacity)Now on the new layer we will delete the sky from the layer so we are only darkening the foreground.This is quickly done using the wand selection tool and selecting the lighter background, once everything is selected than ctrl-x to cut the selection from the layer. Quick side note:It can be tricky to leave the highlights on the objects, but that is crucial to maintain an appearance of realism to the foreground objects; look at the transformers on the power pull and notice the highlights that still remain.Now that we have successfully darkened the foreground, we can still see some detail but maybe we want to darken it a little more…This is easily accomplished by copying the foreground darkening layer one more time.Now we are starting to get somewhere.Now it is time to work on the coloration; during the first background layer copy I liked what the multiplying of the background layer did for the sky coloring so I am going to copy the background layer again and multiply the entire layer with opacity of 60%.This will amplify the sky colors and darken the foreground a little more.

We have turned the foreground into a silhouette and have pretty much left the sky untouched; now let’s accentuate the coloration of the sky.This will be done by using a gradient fill on a layer that is mostly transparent, using a color that we want to accent.Adding a semi-transparent layer is similar to using a lens filter on a camera, the difference being we use the color that we want to accent instead of the inverse of the color we want to accent.Lets start with the blue.Create a new layer that is a soft light and about 50% transparent.Using a blue foreground color lets do a single color gradient to transparent in the upper portion of the layer. We want the blue gradient to stop before the sky colors start becoming orangish-yellow.Once you have the blue layer done, lets add another one that is red, same process but we want the red layer to cover the bottom half of the photo. Ultimately you will want some natural sky coloring between the two layers so don’t worry about matching up the gradients perfectly.This process has subdued the yellow, so now let’s bring some of the yellow back.One the yellow layer we will use a circular gradient that centers on the edge of the photography in the transition zone from red to blue.This will add a yellow flare to the photograph.Now that we have our color filter layers we can play with their individual opacity properties to adjust the coloring.REMEMBER, we are embellishing the natural colors of the photograph NOT completely changing them; so cautious that the colors are not over accentuated and made to look fake or surrealistic.Now that we have arrived at our desired outcome, let’s see how much each layer has changed the photograph.Clicking on the eye symbol under the layer properties will hide a given layer, this should demonstrate what effect each layer is having. Colors might be a little vivid and bold in the final picture, but it shows how drastically we can change the coloration of a picture.

DOF with Point & Shoot Camera

Picture Information: F-Stop : F/7.2 Focal Length: 9mm Shutter: 1/64 Sec Flash: 1 Iso: 200 Exp Comp: 0 Step

Well, since I have not ventured out and purchased a high end digital camera, I have been trying all sorts of things with my point and shoot camera. I have yet to try portrait mode to see how that works for DOF (Thanks Cy), but here is what I was able to get using the macro mode on the camera.

I am hoping to play around a little more this weekend and will update my post later...

Thanks Cy for a great challenge, makes me go back and think about the basics of photography again and how to take control of my camera...

Additional Pictures...

I borrowed a DSLR camera for the weekend and had loads of fun getting more pictures and playing around with DOF. Here are a couple of them that I thought were amazing...

	F-Stop : F/3.9 Focal Length: 74mm Shutter: 1/20 Sec Exp Program: Aperture Priority Iso: 100 Exp Comp: 0 Step
	F-Stop : F/4.3 Focal Length: 123mm Shutter: 1/20 Sec Exp Program: Aperture Priority Iso: 100 Exp Comp: 0 Step
	F-Stop : F/4.5 Focal Length: 150mm Shutter: 1/800 Sec Exp Program: Aperture Priority Iso: 100 Exp Comp: 0 Step

Still Life DOF

For each of these pictures I used the apperture priority setting on my camera. f/2
1/4000
ISO 100
50 mm


f/1.8
1/100
55mm
ISO 100

DOF Example

Here is an example of DOF. I needed some pictures of Jelly Beans for other reasons, so I just played around with the DOF to get this effect...

f/5.6
1/4000
55mm
ISO-400





Anyone else got an example???

Cy