Tutorials – Photographic Society of Chattanooga

Photography Basics

By Mickey Rountree

Slightly Beyond Photography Basics – Intro to Textures

by Mickey Rountree

As I usually do, I’m calling this article beyond basic because it involves Photoshop rather than Lightroom or other basic editing programs.

In this article, I’m going to touch on the basics of using textures, but more importantly I want to encourage you to try adding textures in your own images. By now I’m sure there are whole books on using textures and hundreds of videos on the web, so if this sparks your interest, there are lots of resources out there.

There is no real mystery to using textures; it’s just adding one or more images in layers over your main image, adjusting blending modes, opacity and masking until you get a look you like. On the other hand, I went to two different full day workshops on textures, and still took years to actually start using them in my own work. And when I first started, I used a Topaz Texture Effects, which is no longer available, for essentially a one click way to add textures. Now I’m much more adventurous and have hundreds if not thousands of images in my textures file.

When these articles are converted to PDF and sized for the newsletter, the resolution and quality of the images is seriously degraded. If you would like to read the article and see the images as I did, you can see this article on my website at this link.

https://mickeyrountree.smugmug.com/Articles/Basic-Photography-Series/

Below is just part of one folder of my textures.

Part of what really makes the use of textures work is the blending modes used for each texture, as well as the ability to mask and vary the opacity of each texture layer. It’s worth trying several blending modes to see what you like best, but there are some general guidelines and modes you will use more frequently. For adding a texture to a white or light background Darken and Multiply work well. For adding texture to a mid-gray background Softlight and Overlay work well. And for adding a texture to a black background Lighten or Screen work best. If you use multiple textures, you can use different blend modes for each texture.

Here are a few reasons to use Textures.

PORTRAITS For years I shot portraits on a white background. It works, just look in any magazine. It draws you right to the face, but after a while all of those white backgrounds get boring. Same shot with two textures shot in Chattanooga. I think it’s more interesting.

Obviously from the example above textures can work on white, but I feel I have more options on a medium gray, so I started shooting subjects on a gray background. If white is boring, gray is even worse. But textures work wonders.

LANDSCAPES Textures can add a mood to landscapes. They can help disguise flaws, or, as below, add some interest to a bare sky.

STILL LIFE and PRODUCTS In magazines and ads you usually see products shot on a solid white or color background. That is to draw your eye to the subject and allow space to add type. But when is the last time you saw an old master’s still life painting with a white background? Below is an example of using a more recognizable image rather than a pattern as a texture. It may be blurring the distinction between composites and what most people think of as textures.

COMPOSITING It’s often difficult to composite a subject into a different background. There are usually problems with color, lighting and overall feel or mood. Using a texture can help pull the elements together. In a composite I mask the subject, but usually only about 80% and I often decrease the mask opacity all around the subject’s outline to blend the two together more smoothly. Here I used a grungy texture that fit the mood of the scene, and left some texture on my subject.

In this example I added a texture, and then also added the blue color grading using a color lookup table adjustment layer for the spooky night effect.

Here are a couple of more detailed examples. This is my starting image. It has already been edited, but no texture has been applied.

This is my favorite texture for portraits. It has 4 or 5 (a slight variation) layers with different blending modes. I have it saved as a Photoshop file with layers, so I can open it, select all of the layers and copy and paste them to my new image.

Here is my 5 layer version added. The next thing I do is select the textures layers and create a new group from layers. That lets me mask or change the opacity of the whole group rather than each individual layer.

Here I masked the texture from the subject at about 80%, and then added an adjustment layer to brighten the image as the textures darkened it too much.

And here is the final image with textures and levels adjustment.

Here is an example of using textures on a black background. This is the original image, and again all of the basic editing has already been done.

Here I’ve added two textures, and since these are going over black, I used the Lighten blending mode. I created a mask by going to the base layer, selecting the selection brush and using “select subject”. With the subject selection active I clicked on the first texture layer and held down “Alt” while clicking the mask icon, creating a perfect mask around the subject. I copied that mask to the next texture layer. I also used Infinite Color to create a color grading, and copied the mask to the infinite color group and decreased the opacity of the mask to let some color to show on the model. And in the final image I applied a Gaussian blur to the two textures layers so they were less intense and didn’t compete with the model.

Where do I find textures?

Shoot your own. Look for patterns, light or even subjects you like. Search for “Free photography Textures download”. I like concrete, cement, stucco, adobe (mud walls) and wood textures and I shoot whenever I see good examples.

Which texture should I use?

Try several, alone or in combination. There is no right or wrong here as long as it suits your vision.

Which blend mode should I use?

Try lighten, screen, darken, multiply, overlay and soft light.

How do I know when to stop?

Don’t ask me. I’m not known for my restraint. Maybe when it looks “Overdone” back off a layer or two, and/or try decreasing the opacity.

I added textures and now my picture is too dark.

Try decreasing the opacity, mask key areas, and/or add a levels adjustment layer.

I have hundreds of textures. With just one image, this could be endless.

Absolutely. But now you never run out of things to try. I have about 1000 textures, so that’s 1000 possible variations, not counting blending modes and opacity. If I use two textures, that becomes a million possibilities. Add three textures and it becomes a billion possibilities. Even at just a million possibilities, you could spend the rest of your life working on just one image.

I’ve added a texture I like, now what?

Try another texture layer. Try color grading in LR, or using look up tables in PS.

Photography Basics – Color Grading Part 3

by Mickey Rountree

Color Grading refers to adjusting colors and tones in your image to alter the mood and feel of your image. Color grading is used heavily in the movie and TV industry to alter mood, but also to create a consistent visual style. It is not the same as color balance and you should correct your color balance before doing your color grading. Color grading can be so subtle that it is hardly noticeable or so extreme that is obvious that colors are manipulated and not totally realistic.

https://mickeyrountree.smugmug.com/Articles/Basic-Photography-Series/

I’ve written about color grading in Lightroom or Camera Raw, and using lookup tables in Photoshop and now I’ll cover a third option. Infinite Color is a plugin for Photoshop that installs a panel that creates random color grading looks. You can get more information at their website:

https://infinitecolorpanel.com/

Clicking on Infinite Color opens a control panel. Clicking on “create” generates a new look in a group that has adjustments for color, curves, lookup tables and gradient. Because this is all in a group, you can change the opacity and apply masks to the group and not have to adjust or mask each layer individually. There is also a slider for intensity. I tend to leave this around the midpoint. Every click on the “Create” button generates a new random look. If you prefer a previous look you can go back a step with Ctrl-Z or use the history panel. When you find a look you like you can save it as a preset within the Infinite Color control panel.

Here is one original image and several looks I created by clicking on create button. Most of these seem pretty extreme, but keep in mind you can dial down the opacity of the group to make the effect much subtler.

Here is the original image without Infinite Color.

Here is the first look at 100% which is much too strong and definitely overpowers the skin tones. Dialed down to 25% it’s so subtle you might not notice, but it’s there and does create a different look.

Here’s a different look at 100% and then dialed down to 30%.

Here’s a different look at 100% and then dialed down to 35%. Unless you’re a big Wizard of Oz fan, skip green color grading on skin!

One of the advantages of the random results is a constant supply of fresh looks, With other color grading techniques it is all too easy to find a look you like and then use it on every image. That may create your signature look, or it may just become boring. That can be a tough call, but it’s your decision.

Photography Basics – Color Grading Part 2

by Mickey Rountree

In my last article I wrote about color grading in Lightroom. In this article I’ll be discussing color grading using a Lookup table (LUT) adjustment level. Photoshop installs with a few LUTs but with some searching, you can find lots of free LUTs. LUTs have either the suffix “.3DL”, “.look” or “.cube”.

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To install new luts select the lookup table adjustment layer select 3DLUT File click on “Load 3D LUT” and when the dialog box opens click again on “Load 3D LUT” and a browser will open. Browse to where your LUTs are stored and select them.

To apply a color grading effect, select the lookup table in the adjustment layers palette.

If the adjustment layers are not visible go to window and make sure adjustments are checked.

After creating the lookup table an adjustment layer will be created along with a mask. Remember with masks, white reveals, black conceals. Select load 3DLUT

Click on “Load 3DLUT” and that will open a list of LUTs you have loaded. Select one and it will be applied. Here I applied a LUT that is reminiscent of Annie Leibowitz’s style. And you can see I’ve applied a slight (29%) mask over the face.

Here is the before on the left and after color grading on the right.

There are also some color grading option under the abstract and device link sections. Here I’ve chosen cobalt-carmine from the abstract section and applied a slight (20%) mask over just the face. Remember that if you feel the effect is too strong over the image as a whole, you can decrease the opacity of the adjustment layer.

And here is the before (top) and after (bottom) images.

Here is another image with an Olive color grading applied and I made a split image so you see the difference. Again I did a slight mask over the face.

Photography Basics – Color Grading Part 1

by Mickey Rountree

I’ll start with how to do color grading in Lightroom, and of course it is also in the Camera Raw filter which is the same as Lightroom with a slightly different interface. You can do all of your color grading in Lightroom, but most of my images are finished in Photoshop and I typically do the color grading in Camera Raw applied to a copy layer. This allows me to vary the opacity and the intensity of the color grading as well as the ability to use masks to remove or decrease the effect in parts of the image.

The LR develop module has a color grading section with controls for the shadows, highlights and midtones. When you select one of the three zones, you will see a solid circle on the outside of the color wheel, and rotating it around will select the hue. The unfilled circle is used to adjust saturation with dead center being 0% saturation, and the outer edge being 100%. You will have much more control if you hold shift while adjusting the hue and saturation. The unmarked slider below each zone controls brightness, and even without changing color you can use these as another way to adjust contrast in your image. Blending controls how smoothly the colors in the three zones blend together, and the balance slider controls what is considered shadow, highlight or midtone.

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In general, it is best to start with cooler colors in the shadows and warmer colors in the highlights. Complementary colors work best, so choose a color for the shadows, and then something directly across the color wheel for the highlights. Until you have a bit more experience with color grading it is best to leave the midtones alone.

I’ll start with this image as an example. Here it is with no color grading.

Here I’ve added a rich blue in the shadows, and a yellow (opposite on the color wheel) for the highlights. With the saturation at 100% the effect is very obvious and probably too strong, but if you like it that’s your choice.

The effect is more subtle at 50% saturation.

And the effect is still more subtle at 30% It’s there but it’s hard to see without a side by side comparison.

Here it is with on the left with subtle color toning and for comparison on the right with no color toning.

Using cool tones in the shadows and warm tones in the highlights may not be an absolute rule on all images, but it pretty much is on people. Look how unflattering cool skin tones and warm shadows is.

Color grading also works on black and white images. It’s the same as a duotone if the shadows and highlights are toned or tritone if highlights, shadows and midtones are all adjusted. Below is the original B&W, the settings and the final color graded image.

Below are really unusual settings for a landscape. I used green (cool) in the shadows, and magenta in the highlights (sky). Don’t try this on people pictures!

One use for color grading that I find useful is for making composites blend together more realistically. The color grading helps create a more uniform feel that ties the images together and helps disguise mismatched color balances. Below is the composite with no color grading, the settings and the final image.

Photography Basics – Special Effects Filters – Part 2 Star Filters

by Mickey Rountree

One special effects filter that is difficult or at least very tedious to duplicate in Photoshop is the star filter. Star filters can add a ray or star burst effect to small specular highlights. They are clear glass etched with a cross hatched pattern, a hexagonal pattern or an octagonal pattern. This etching gives the filter its other name or cross screen filter. In practice the star filer can be overwhelming if there are a lot of lights in the image. Also the star filter’s etched lines degrade the image and can cause a diffused or soft focus effect.

In the film days all we could do was put the filter on, shoot and hope for the best. Today I would have my camera securely on a tripod, shoot one shot with the filter and one without. That way you’re covered whether you like the star effects or the plain shot. If you like the stars, but the rest of the image is too degraded, open the two shots as layers in Photoshop and mask everything but the stars in the filtered shot and you have the best of both; an overall sharp image, but starry highlights.

If there are only a few lights in an image, you can use a star brush in Photoshop to paint in the stars. Search for “Photoshop free star brushes” and you will find lots to choose from. Also at one time Topaz Labs had a plugin to add stars. It’s no longer available or supported, but some of you may still have a copy.

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Four Point Star or cross screen Filter. This is a clear filter with a 90 degree crosshatch patter engraved into it. This produces a four point star. In this close up it also produces some diffraction or prism effect, but generally it isn’t noticeable in smaller points of light.

Six Point Star Filter. This filter has a hexagonal etching that produces a six point star. Again, in this close up it also produces some diffraction or prism effect, but generally it isn’t noticeable in smaller points of light.

Variable cross screen filter. This has two filters on a rotating mount that allows you to vary the angle of the stars. Same setup and filter, but notice how the angle of the star changes from narrow to about 90 degrees in the three images below.

Rainbow 6 Filter (Before Clancy’s book or movie) produces both a 6 point star and a heavy radial diffusion or prism effect.

Colortrix Radial Filter produces a halo of prism effects. Probably cool if used sparingly. Easily overused, but you gotta admit it’s cool the first time you see it.

Photography Basics – Special Effects Filters

by Mickey Rountree

Back in the film days, we had no Photoshop or other programs to create special effects. Actually until the 90’s we didn’t have home computers capable of working with images. So if we wanted special effects we had to do them in camera. One way of creating special effects was to use a prism or multi-image filter. These were all the rage in the 70’s and 80’s but sort of died out after that. I came across my stash of prism filters going through an old drawer the other day and that got me thinking about how what’s old is new again, and things run in cycles. Is it time for the return of the multi-image filter? With a little research I found that there are several new companies making prism filters, and they certainly have modern price tags. You can also find older used filters on EBay much cheaper. Search for prism filter or multi-image filters and you will find several versions, both new and old.

When you first get a prism filter it’s easy to go wild with it and the effect gets old quickly. A few shots a year may be unique and interesting. Dozens of effects filters quickly become boring and they lose impact.

Here are the ones I found in my drawer. These are just quick shots to show the basic effect. There are probably better subjects for some of these filters, but you’ll get the basic idea. With any of the prism filters you can vary the effect by how close you are to your subject, the focal length of your lens (zoom lenses are very useful), and by rotating the filter. Also all of the multi images image filters produce effects that are hard if not impossible to duplicate in Photoshop (I’ve tried without much success).

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Kaleidoscopic or multi-multi image. This filter has many facets that produce a dozen or more images rotating around a single central image.

Three image or tri-prism. May also be called a 3C (for three image centered). This filter has 3 facets and produces three centered and fairly equal images.

Five image or 5R (for five images rotated) This filter has 5 facets, one central and four surrounding. It produces a central image with four outer images.

6 Image Parallel or 6P. This filter is half clear and has 5 parallel facets producing a repeating pattern that can also evoke a sense of motion.

Photography Basics – The Tricolor Effect

by Mickey Rountree

Back in the 70’s and 80’s we used to produce a tricolor effect by either making a triple exposure on one frame of film with pure red, pure blue and pure green filters, or by using a “Harris Shutter” (see below) which acted as both a holder for the three filters and as a shutter during a long exposure. I did the effect both in 35mm and on 4×5 film, but figuring out the proper exposure for the three exposures and the filter factors for each color was pretty tedious.https://www.lightstalking.com/harris-shutter-effect/In the tricolor effect different parts of an image with subject movement show up as different colors. Parts of the image with no movement have normal color, due to the fact that in the RGB color model equal parts of red, green and blue produce white, or normal white balance.

https://mickeyrountree.smugmug.com/Articles/Basic-Photography-Series/Basic-Photography-80-Tricolor-Effect

Since most digital cameras don’t allow for triple exposures, I was able to find a way to create the effect in Photoshop. The first step is to shoot three images that have some movement, but also some overlap, or something that is stationary (or relatively stationary).

In Lightroom select three similar images with some movement. Right click, choose edit in and select open as layers in Photoshop.

With the three images opened as layers in Photoshop, select the top layer and double click on the light side of the layer icon and layer styles will open.

Select the top layer, open the layers style and you will see check boxes for the red, blue and green channels. For consistency, I usually uncheck the blue and green channels, so the top layer becomes the red layer. For the second layer I uncheck the red and blue channels, and on the bottom image I uncheck the red and green channels. You can change this order and get slightly different effects, just make sure that each layer has only one channel selected and that there is a red layer, blue layer and green layer.

When you have made the three layer adjustments, go to layer/flatten image. From here you can continue editing just like you would any image.

Here are a few examples, ranging from subtle to extreme depending on the amount of movement, and how much of the image is stationary, or at least has a lot of overlap.

And now for a little color theory. It’s easy to understand that there should be red, green and blue colors in our image, but where did the yellow, cyan and magenta come from, since we didn’t use those filters? And here’s the answer. The stationary parts of our image get equal parts of red, green, and blue and that equals white or normal white balance. Areas that receive blue and green exposure, but no red produce cyan. Areas that receive red and blue exposure, but no green produce magenta. Areas that receive green and red exposure, but no blue produce yellow. If you look on a color wheel, you will find that red is opposite cyan, blue is opposite yellow, and green is opposite magenta.

This can be an interesting effect if used sparingly. Just remember to shoot three exposures that contain movement while keeping the camera as steady as possible between exposures. To me the most important part of the effect may be how it helps reinforce our understanding of the RGB and CMYK color models.

Photography (Slightly Beyond) Basics – Creating the look of old soft focus lenses in Photoshop

by Mickey Rountree

In my last article I discussed some older soft focus lenses. In this article, I’ll you how to get a similar look in Photoshop. There are advantages of creating the look in Photoshop rather than with a soft focus lens. First there is no need to buy a new (old) lens, so it’s free. Second if you shoot the image in soft focus and decide you would prefer it sharp, there’s no way to sharpen it. Third you have much more control of how much flare there is, and you can vary the softness on different areas of the image.

https://mickeyrountree.smugmug.com/Articles/Basic-Photography-Series/

Here is the sharp image we’ll start with.

Begin by opening the sharp Image in Photoshop. Create a copy of the base image with Ctrl-J(CMD-J for Mac. Select filter/blur Gaussian Blur and select a low radius like 8-10 pixels. This just creates a slight overall softness.

Soft focus lenses flare highlights much more than darker tones, so we’re going to select the highlights. Go to select/color range/highlights. Choose a low fuzziness like around 10 and use the range slider to select the range of highlights you want to select. The lower the range value, the more highlights will be selected. The higher the range the less. Use Ctrl-J to put the highlights on their own layer and make sure that this is the top layer and if it isn’t drag it to the top. I find I sometimes have to delete this layer and repeat with a different range value till I get just the look I want.

Change the blend mode to screen. Go to blur, Gaussian blur and choose a high radius to really flare the highlights, something in the 300 -500 pixel range. We can always dial down the opacity if it’s too much.

Add a levels adjustment layer, and click the down arrow to turn it into a clipping layer which only affects the layer immediately below rather than all of the layers. Adjust the highlight and midtone sliders to vary how much flare there is. You can also decrease the opacity of the highlight layer to decrease the effect.

For an even more vintage soft focus effect I added a light leak effect from NIK Analog Efex

Here is the final soft focus image with the sharp version below

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