Digital Photo Edit Workflow Digital Photo SIG Mar

Organize Photoshop Elements Organizer Picasa Windows

Back up CD / DVD External Drive Internal Drive

JPG vs. TIFF vs. RAW JPG –Choose Max Quality, Largest File size Memory is economical Data yields editing dividends TIFF –Minimal advantage vs. highest quality JPG RAW –Requires post-camera conversion Maximum editing control and options

JPG/TIFF Color Editing White Balance Levels - Adjustment layer Shadows, Highlights & Contrast –(Duplicate layer, variable opacity) Saturation - Adjustment layer Noise Reduction

Elements Color Adjustment Layers

Elements non-layer color adjustments

Elements White Balance

Levels Adjust

Shadows,Highlights & Contrast

Hue - Saturation

Noise Reduction

Elements3 Noise Reduction Filter Alternate (free) Noise filter –Noiseware Community Edition –

Composite File (summarized color-metric) Save As a copy (.PSD) file –Uncompressed file with all the layers intact –Now flatten the working file OR—(preferred) Create a composite layer –Create New Layer then

Lens-centric Adjustments Rotate –Find “correct” amount –Image > Rotate > Custom… Perspective –Image > Transform > Perspective Distortion –Filter > Distort > Spherize

Finding the correct rotate angle

Rotate the custom file

Perspective

Perspective adjust

Lens Barrel or Distortion Filter

Barrel Pincushion (Spherize) filter

Spherize filter results (30%)

Selective Enhancements Enhancements that don’t involve the entire image – some a simple as spot removal or cloning a distraction – but it’s best to create a layer for each enhancement so if a later change is required, only a single layer needs to be modified or replaced Select (if needed), copy and paste a selection for each enhancement from the composite layer (or background) to a new layer. –Selection boundaries should be blurred a few (2-5) pixels so each enhanced layer blends naturally with the underlying layer(s) Perform the enhancement(s) on the copied layer

Selective Enhancement (Local sharpen)

Selective Enhancement Summary Save the Multi-layer PSD file –This becomes the new master for subsequent actions that are output dependent –Make a flattened copy of the PSD file for final output action(s) Each Final output format generally requires a unique crop,re-size and final sharpen

Final Output (Crop) Select a desired aspect ratio –4 wide X 3 high is common for the web –3 wide X 2 high works for 4in. x 6in. small prints –9.5 wide X 7.5 high for for 8 x 10 matted prints Make the selection –Fine adjust the selection location with the arrow keys Edit > crop

Re-size High quality prints require 240 to 300 pixels/inch (ppi) –Good quality can be obtained with 150 ppi Web photos should be limited to 768 pixels high –Most monitors can display that size photo full size after allowing for view application “real estate”

IMAGE SIZE

SHARPEN OUTPUT USM (Unsharp Mask Tool) preferred Basic USM guidelines –Duplicate the Background layer Using s separate layer allows fine control of the effect by varying the layer opacity and / or the layer blend mode –Set mode to luminosity Minimize chance of “snowflakes” or ‘freckles”

SHARPEN OUTPUT GUIDELINES Set image magnification to 100% (for web) or to 50% or 25% for prints so that displayed image size is nearest the desired printed image size –Photoshop renders reduced image sizes with “fuzzy” edges except ½, ¼ size Fuzzy edges make it impossible to gauge the effect of sharpening

Sharpen Output Continued Starting values –Radius: ~0.005 X output pixels per inch (ppi) Web:.005 X 96 = 0.5 Print:.005 X 300 = 1.5 –Amount: ~ The effect can be reduced later by changing the layer opacity Check the 100% preview window for evidence of freckles or snowflakes and reduce the amount if needed to eliminate them –Threshold: ~ 10 – 20 levels Check skin tones sky etc, increase if sharpening artifacts are visible in the 100% preview window

Access USM Tool

Normal Sharpen Result

“ PRO” SHARPEN TECHNIQUE By default, USM increase edge acuity by lightening and darkening in equal amounts –This often causes “crunchy” textures in some parts of the image when the amount is “just right” for another part. By duplicating the sharpened layer, then setting the blend mode to “Darken” in the copied layer and changing the original sharpened layer blend mode to “lighten”, the lighten/darken ratio can be changed to more suitable values –Change the “Lighten” layer opacity to ~ 20 % +/- 10% –Change the “Darken” layer opacity to ~ 80 % +/- 10%

Pro vs. Normal Sharpen