Tutorials

by CCC-digital | Jul 5, 2017 | Tutorials

Contents

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Tutorials

Resizing and Adding a Stroke in Photoshop Elements

for Submission to the Caveman Camera Club

Video tutorial on resizing:

Video tutorial on Adding a Stroke:

After you’re finished with any post processing (photoshopping) of your image, INCLUDING adding a stroke if desired, you’re ready to resize.

Text Tutorial

1. Go to Image and down to Convert Color Profile.  Choose Convert to sRGB.
2. Go back to Image, down to Resize, then over to Image Size.  Click on it.
3. Go to Pixel Dimensions.  The image should never be more than 1050 pixels high and  no more than 1400 pixels wide.  For a horizontal image, change the Width to 1400 but don’t change the Height.  For a vertical image, change the Height to 1050 but not the Width.  A square image should be 1050 for both Width and Height, if it is truly square.
4. Be sure all three boxes near the bottom are checked:  Scale Styles, Constrain Proportions, and Resample Image.
5. Skip the Document Size This is for printing only.
6. At the bottom, click Bicubic and scroll down to Bicubic Sharper (best for reduction).    Click
7. Now go back up to File and down to Save As.
8. At the top, be sure you are in the Folder that you want to save it in.
9. Then go to File Name and enter as directed in the www.cavemancameraclub.com website.  For example:  YourName_CAVE_PictureName.jpg or JaneDoe_CAVE_PrettyFlower.jpg.
10. In the middle, go to Format and click on JPEG (or jpg).
11. Hit Save.
12. The screen will then go to another box of JPEG Options.  If the size estimate shows more than 2 MB, use the slider to decrease the quality until the size is 2 MB or less.
13. Click OK.

When finished, send the image to the Electronic Image Coordinator as directed on the website, including instructions about which category the image is to be in (Assigned or Open).  The official guidelines are at www.cavemancameraclub.com under Learn>Prepare your Photo for Competition>Caveman Camera Club Competition Rules.

Adding a Stroke to your image

A stroke is desirable if your image has dark edges.  The stroke will outline the image to more clearly define the edges against a black projection screen.  Add the stroke BEFORE you resize.

1. Make sure you are in Expert
2. Hit Select – All.
3. You should now see “marching ants” (little dashed lines) around your image.
4. Hit Edit – Stroke (outline) selection.
5. A box pops up – Choose the width you want (start with 3 -5 pixels).
6. Then choose the color. Clicking on the color block brings up a color selector.  Or you can place your mouse anywhere on your image and an eye-dropper appears which allows you to choose an exact color from your image.
7. Then in the next box, click
8. You can experiment with the blending modes, but start with Normal 100% (default).
9. Click OK.
10. Now go back to Select, but this time choose Deselect. The “marching ants” are gone and your image now has a stroke around it.
11. Now you can proceed with the resizing of your image.          Text Update August 28, 2018 by Susan Sheets

Resizing with Lightroom

by CCC-digital | Jul 5, 2017 | Tutorials

Resize, Create a Preset & Add a Stroke with Lightroom

for Submission to the Caveman Camera Club

Video Tutorial to Resize & Create a Preset: 

Video Tutorial to add a Stroke with Lightroom:

After you’ve finished post-processing your image, including adding a stroke if desired, you’re ready to resize your image.  If you are adding a stroke (using Photoshop), see the second section below.

Text Tutorial

In Lightroom you can create a preset to quickly resize your photo in the future.

How to Create A Preset:

1.  Go to File then down to Export

2.  Choose your export locations in the Export to: box on top and in the Export Location

3.  In the File Naming box, Click Rename To: and Choose Custom Name. Enter your name, FirstLast, without spaces.  Then an underscore, CAVE, and another underscore.  For example:  YourName_CAVE_ or JaneDoe_CAVE_  (When creating the preset for the first time, don’t enter the picture name.)

4.  In the File Settings box, Image Format is: jpg; Color Space is:  sRGB.  Then check Limit File Size to:  and enter 2 Mb.

5. In the Image Sizing box, click Resize to Fit: and choose Width & Height.  Click the Don’t Enlarge box.   For W:  enter 1400 and for H: enter 1050.

6. In the Output Sharpening box, Click Sharpen For: and choose Screen.  Choose Amount:  Standard is OK.

7. In the Metadata, Watermarking, and Post-Processing boxes, make your choices.

8. Now go to the bottom left side and click ADD.  A box will pop up titled New Preset.  In Preset Name: Enter a name you will recognize as your Caveman Camera Club resize settings.  In Folder:  choose User Presets.  Click Create.  This will create a preset you can use to resize your photos in the future without having to enter all the choices.  You should see your new preset on the upper left under User Presets.

9. Click Export at the bottom right.

10. When finished,send the image to the Electronic Image Coordinator as directed on the website, including instructions about which category the image is to be in (Assigned or Open).  The official guidelines are at cavemancameraclub.com – under Learn>Prepare your Photo for Competition>Caveman Camera Club Competition Rules.

In the future, when you are ready to resize, just go to File: then down to Export: and click your UserPreset name.

Add the picture name (without spaces) to your preset custom name (example: YourName_CAVE_RaceCar or JaneDoe_CAVE_PrettyFlower.

Click Export and you’re all done.

To see your image on a black background, hit “L” twice.  L is for “lights out”.  Hitting “L” twice again brings you back to the edit page.

Add a Stroke using Photoshop Editor:

A stroke is desirable if your image has dark edges.  The stroke will outline the image to more clearly define the edges against a black projection screen.

1.  Start from Library in Lightroom.
2.  Go to Photo then drop down and click Edit In: Choose Photoshop.
3.  Choose the first one – Edit a copy with Lightroom Adjustments. Then click Edit.
4.  You are now in Photoshop.
5.  Hit Select – All.
6.  You should now see “marching ants” (little dashed lines) around your image.
7.  Hit Edit – Stroke (outline) selection.
8.  A box pops up – Choose the width you want (start with 3 -5 pixels).
9.  Then choose the color. Clicking on the color block brings up a color selector.  Or you can place your cursor anywhere on your image and an eye-dropper appears which allows you to choose an exact color from your image.
10.  Then in the next box, click
11. You can experiment with the blending modes, but start with Normal 100% (default).
12. Click OK.
13. Now go back to Select, but this time choose Deselect. The “marching ants” are gone and your image now has a stroke around it.
14. Now click File and Save (not Save As). Do not change or add anything to the name of the image.
15. Go back to Lightroom. Your image should appear with the stroke on it.
16.  Proceed with resizing in Lightroom using the instructions above.

Camera Lenses and Filters

by Jim | Jul 27, 2016 | Tutorials

Camera Lenses and Filters

Caveman Camera Club

April 20, 2016

A lens is a “transmissive optical device which affects the focusing of a light beam through refraction.”  A camera lens is a group of lenses used to focus light onto the sensor.

What do those numbers and abbreviations on lenses mean?

Numbers followed by “mm” means the focal length of the lens.  Examples:   85mm, 24-105mm, 70-200mm.  They may be on the inside of the filter ring or outside at the front usually.

Numbers that look like a ratio – for example 1:1.8 or 1:4 or 1:3.5-5.6 – show the maximum (wide open) aperture (like f/1.8 or f/4).  When there is a range, it indicates that when the lens is zoomed  wide, it will be at the lower number (like f/3.5) or zoomed telephoto, it will be only at the higher number (like f/5.6).

Numbers with a diameter symbol ∅, a number, followed by mm (e.g. ∅ 72mm) or just the number and mm (67mm) is the diameter of the opening for filter threads.  Not to be confused with the focal length of the lens.

(BTW, the ∞ symbol means infinity, which for our photographic purposes essentially means about anything from about 100 ft on to the stars and beyond.)

Some Important Lens Abbreviations

Nikon:

DX = lenses for APS-C size format

FX = lenses for full-frame format

CX = for use with mirrorless system

VR = Vibration Reduction

AF-S or SWM = silent wave motor for focusing

and for many more, google “Nikon abbreviations”

Canon:

EF = fully electronic, designed to cover the 35mm full-frame circle

EF-S = for use with APS-C size sensors

EF-M = for use with mirrorless cameras with the like mount, APS-C size

IS = Image Stabilization

USM = UltraSonic Motor or silent wave motor for focusing

L  =  “Luxury” or the professional grade lenses (has red ring)

and for many more, google “Canon abbreviations”

Each has many more of their own abbreviations, and other brands of cameras and lenses can have a many other specific abbreviations.  You must see what that brand means by their terms.  If nothing else, google the brand for information about its terms.

Speaking of Focal Length

Focal length, simply put, it means the distance in millimeters between the front lens and the sensor, though this is not always literal due to the use of the various individual glass lenses within a camera lens.  The normal, non-exact, nomenclature – usually translated in terms of full-frame (similar to 35mm film) sensors – is as follows

Fisheye = an extremely wide angle of view, normally between 8mm to 15mm.  They may be circular within the frame of the image or show an entire frame with distortion, also.  They take in about 180̊ field of view or less.

Wide angle = 12 mm to about 35mm.  They have a wider field of view and tend to magnify distances between objects and allow for a greater depth of field (what is in apparent focus).

Normal = approximate the field of view the human eyes sees naturally, or about equal to the diagonal of the digital sensor.  It’s considered about 45mm (or 28 on an APS-C camera).

Telephoto = medium at about 70mm to about 300-600mm or more.  The angle of view is smaller (narrower field of view) and it appears as though the objects are compressed.

For different sizes of sensors, like the small micro four/thirds and APS-C or the large medium formats, the lengths are shorter or longer respectively.

“Macro” (or micro in some cases) lens is technically, a lens with the ability to focus an image on the sensor that is at least as large as the subject, i.e., a magnification of 1:1.  The term is often used generically to mean “close up.”

Switches on lenses

Your lens may have several switches on it or it may have none.  One is probably the VR or IS on and off switch.  When you are hand holding your camera, the switch should always be on.  When you have it on a tripod, the switch should always be off.

Another switch on the lens may be the A – M or A/M-M (or AF-MF) switch for the autofocus function.  This is not to be confused with your exposure dial settings nor other focus settings on your camera.  “M,” of course, means manual focus – where you rotate the focus ring in order to achieve focus where you want it.  “A” means the camera/lens will automatically focus using the selected autofocus points (a lesson in itself, almost).  If you try to manually focus when on the A setting, it will revert back to what it wants to focus on automatically when you hit the shutter release, thus negating your manual focusing.  If the lens has an A/M or AF-MF setting, then your manual setting will override the automatic when you hit the shutter release.

Some telephoto lenses may have a focus limiter that will focus on subjects within a certain range so the camera doesn’t waste time hunting throughout the entire focus range of the lens.  For example, it may allow you to switch between 1.2m-∞ or 3m-∞.  (It’s not a big deal.)

Also, some telephotos may have a Mode 1 or 2.  One is where it is trying to stabilize your camera motion in up/down and sideways directions.  Two is set for up/down only and is for a panning movement.

Filters for Digital Camera

First, look at the diameter of your lens (like ∅ 55mm – not the focal length – and buy filters that size or larger.  If you have several size lenses, you can get a step-up ring that is to adapt a larger filter down to a smaller diameter lens.  But I don’t think it’s too bad of an idea to have a set for each diameter lens.

What Filters Should You Really Have in Your Tool Kit?

Circular Polarizer

UV or “protector” filter.

Neutral Density if you want to slow time and water down.

Split NDs are used to darken light areas, like the sky and allowing normal light coming through the clear glass.

What Filters Are Options, Maybes?

Star filter

Round Split ND’s aren’t all that effective.

Additional Accessories

Teleconverters or tele-extenders come in usual flavors of 1.4X, 1.7X, or 2X.  They will magnify the focal length of the lenses they are added to by those amounts.  But there is a cost – one to two stops of light.  There is also the financial cost, which may be cheaper than buying a new and longer lens, but it is a place where you get what you pay for.  For maximum compatibility, go with the brand of your camera or lens.

Lens hoods can help to keep some direct sunlight off your lens.  Sun hitting directly on your lens or filter is what causes the flare spots or lines in an image.  The tulip-shaped hoods, however, have limited usage because they are not wide enough on normal or wide angle lenses to block very much.  It is best to use a hat or something, as long as you prevent the sun from hitting the lens itself.  A deeper hood for a telephoto can be more helpful.  A hood can also take some of the impact if you drop a camera, but you normally shouldn’t really be doing that.

Use micro-cloths for lens cleaning, but first use a brush, like that on a LensPen to brush off any flecks of material.  Use your breath for the moisture and rub gently, in a circular motion.  Lastly use the carbon end of a LensPen to clean off oil and other substances.  I use it for my glasses all of the time.

Camera bags come in all flavors and are beyond the reach of this class.  As the size of your collection of you equipment grows, so will the needs of your camera bag.  You can consider have a master bag at home for virtually everything.  But when you’re going out for a specific shoot (like to hang with Gene at the bars photographing beautiful singers and dancers in low light), then bring just the equipment you need in a small bag. [Be very careful with your gear – it can get stolen.]

Physically Switching Lenses on Your Camera

Have you seen those little blurry dark spots in the skies of your pictures (where they are most visible)?  They are dust spots on the sensor, usually created when you switch lenses in an unclean environment.  RULE #1:   Switch lenses only where the camera is protected from dust or moisture (like in your car after the air has settled).   #1a: If you can’t be in a clean environment, protect the lenses and camera as much as possible, like getting out of any wind, enveloping them in a jacket, etc.  RULE #2:   Be prepared with the new lens and make the switch just as quickly as possible so the inner part of your camera is exposed for as few seconds as possible.   #2a: also keep the camera end of the lenses protected quickly so dust doesn’t settle in them.  RULE #3:   If your camera doesn’t have an automatic dust shaker-offer, then use a baby snot syringe bulb (unused) to blow off the sensor (after locking up the mirror) without touching it.  NEVER use canned air – it can leave a permanent residue.  Don’t blow in your camera interior with your mouth.  There are sensor cleaning kits, but be very, very, very careful with them.  Better to have a sensor cleaned by a professional (and no, Photo Den doesn’t do anything but the baby snot blower).

Lens Buying Advice

Consider seriously what do you need a new lens for. Can it do something you need or want to do that your current lens can’t?  Are you now shooting low light when you didn’t before?  Do you need a long telephoto to shoot the lions in Africa?  Or maybe the sharpest macro that you can get.  If you have a well-thought-out reason for something, then go for it, but NOT just because it’s the latest and hottest.  Do YOU need it for the kind of work you do?  For a one-time experience – like a long telephoto for a trip to Alaska – consider renting a lens.  One of the best agencies that I’ve seen is www.lensrentals.com .

1. You get what you pay for. The $200 bargain will not measure up to the similar $2,000 lens.  I definitely won’t get into the details of the physics of optics, but you are paying for sturdier quality material – metal, not plastic – and much higher quality glass, glass coatings, and more elements that have been computer designed.
2. You can get very decent prices, though on some very good, sharp glass with many prime lenses – those that don’t zoom. A good prime lens might be an 85mm f/1.8 or a 35mm f/1.4 cheaper that you could with fast zoom lenses.  It costs more to do all of the adjustments of all of the elements when you have a zoom lens, especially on the telephoto end.  Primes are generally very sharp, but after being accustomed to a zoom, you have some adjustment to do – you essential zoom in and out on your feet!
3. Those very wide range zoom lens (like a 18mm to 270mm, or others) are complicated and costly. If you find what looks like a lens with a very wide zoom range, that may look way cool but the quality is not as good as if you’d purchased two shorter- range zooms.  Especially be fearful of any that is cheap, within the $1-300 range.  (Refer to #2 above).  One common thing that manufacturers do to hold down the cost is to have the widest aperture (like f/3.5 or f/4) available when you’re at the wide angle end of the lens (such as 18mm or 24mm) but as you zoom up into the higher number like 200mm or 300mm, the lense will only allow say f/5.8 or f/8 to be the widest.  This creates problems for you as the shooter, but it makes the camera cheaper to build.  So a better quality zoom lens will have the same wide f/stop throughout the entire zoom range.
4. READ REVIEWS – see what other people think of them. DPReview is good, and I personally like Ken Rockwell a lot.  You don’t need to understand all the technical testing, but be sure to look at the summary.  Look at user reviews, but don’t trust everything you see there.
5. Lastly, be very cautious of LBA – Lens Buying Addiction. Trust me, it can cause spousal conflict.  (Also, try hiding a purchase and see what happens!)

Gene Rimmer   Caveman Camera Club

Library

by Jim | Apr 1, 2016 | Tutorials

We now have a library consisting mainly of books and video’s but also including a monitor calibrator and a lens/camera calibration tool. Members can check out any of the items at the competition meetings or the education meetings. Members may also contact the librarian, Jim Ingraham, during non meeting times to check out or return items. Email @ jimingrahamphoto@yahoo.com or phone @ 541-471-1509 cell. If you have items you would like to donate to the library, let Jim I. know.

Misc. Items

Spyder LensCal lens calibration unit.

Colormunki Smile Monitor Calibrator

Light table with stand and softbox.

Video Items

National Geographic – Fundamentals of Photography Part 1 (4 DVD’s) Watch on TV. For Beginner to Advanced. Follow National Geographic photographer Joel Satore as he goes on location shoots and debriefs and critiques images. Very entertaining and informative.

National Geographic – Fundamentals of Photography Part 2 (4 DVD’s) Watch on TV. For Beginner to Advanced. Follow National Geographic photographer Joel Satore as he goes on location shoots and debriefs and critiques images.

National Geographic – Masters of Photography (3 DVD’s) Follow some of the worlds best as they explain how they capture captivating images around the world. For beginner to advanced.

Photovision DVD’s – Watch on TV. Content time of each DVD is 2 to 4 hours. Follow professional portrait photographers as they go on assignment or in studio with their subjects. Weddings, family portraits, babies, maternity, high school seniors, marketing, color management, studio lighting, outdoor lighting. Great stuff if you are or want to be a portrait photographer. Best for advanced photographers but easy to follow by beginners as well.

Complete Guide to Luminosity Masks – Sean Bagshaw – For computer, not TV.  Not for beginners.  Advanced Photoshop techniques that provide a more realistic approach to HDR photography using layers and masking techniques in Photoshop.  Put them in your computer and follow along, practicing techniques as you go. Several hours of instruction. 4 DVD’s and 33 Chapters. If you like Seans instruction, please visit his website and purchase the DVD’s. He is local and occasionally is a guest lecturer at our camera club meetings. http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/ Link for free Luminosity masks: Free Luminosity masks

Ultimate Photo Guide – 7 DVD’s – Watch on TV. Titles are: Advanced Photo Techniques, Applied Advanced PhotoTechniques, Travel Photography, Photography Essentials, Seasonal Photography, Portrait Photography and Creative Photography. Pretty much everything under the sun is covered in this series. Good for beginners through advanced.

Wedding Techniques – 6 DVD set (Check out as one item) – Watch on TV.   Follow along on several actual wedding shoots with world class photographers.

‘Spot on Exposure’ 5 discs (check out as one item) For computer. For Beginners mainly.  Learn the ins and outs of exposure (shutter speed, f-stop and ISO).

Lightroom Master Raw Processing – 4 DVD’s (8 chapters). For computer. Beginner to advanced. Learn about processing your images in Lightroom. Very extensive coverage.

Lightroom Output – 3 DVD’s (Day 1,2,3). For computer. Color management, printing, jpeg quality, resizing…Everything related to what you do after you have created your masterpiece image.

Star Photography Master Class 2 DVD’s (check out as one item) For computer.  Learn how to shoot the Milky Way and stars and how to process them.

Painting with Light – 2 DVD’s (check out as one item) For computer. Intermediate to advanced. Using layers and masks learn how to enhance the light in your images in a realistic way.

The Best of Photoshop User: The 12th Year For computer. Over two hours of Photoshop tips and tricks.

The Beginners Guide to Digital Blending by Colby Brown. For computer. Intermediate to advanced. Learn several different techniques for creating HDR images that provide a more realistic final image than many of the HDR software programs out there.

PDF files and eBooks

The Grand Landscape – Beginner to Intermediate – Learn the basics about Landscape shooting including gear, lighting and shooting techniques. This is a PDF file, sorry no video, but is very in depth and very well done.

Desert Paradise (Forever Light eBooks) – There are two subjects here: Death Valley and Iceland. The two eBooks are very specific guides to each location. Basically, if you are planning a trip to either place you would want to study this and perhaps even get it on your smart phone or laptop.

Grant Collier’s Night Photography e-book : Not recommended for  beginners  until comfortable  with LR and/or Photoshop but  lots of  clear and concise info ( illustrative pix too ) once that hurdle is cleared including specific equipment recommendations as of 2015. Even covers ‘bioluminescence’!, + website, online videos)

Books

Digital Photography Outdoors 2007 – For Beginners. The book is a bit dated but the material covered is still very relevant.

The Digital Photography Companion 2008 – For Beginners. The book is a bit dated but the material covered is still very relevant.

Exposure Photo Workshop 2008 – For Beginners and Intermediate. Very in depth coverage on exposing your digital images, the hows and whys and how to’s.

Canon EOS 50D guide to digital slr photography. Your owners manual on steroids with colorful images.

Canon EOS 50D – A short course – Similar to above, only with black and white images.

Skin (A complete guide to digitally lighting, photographing and retouching faces and bodies). Large book, in color, advanced.

Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers using Photoshop. Large, color. Advanced.