Category: Image Manipulation

  • Sneak Peek – L*A*B Color Mode Image Improvement Techniques

    I’m busy working on a series of articles and videos I’ll release here soon on using the LAB mode for improving images (or L*A*B mode as some prefer to write it, myself included!) A friend, Fred Vaughan, has agreed to allow me to use his beautiful photographs taken in Colorado and elsewhere in the western U.S. as my subjects. Below is a sample done using just some fairly simple curves – all work being performed in the L*A*B color space! By increasing color contrast (not merely by increasing saturation), we can bring out the natural coloration that the light presented to our eyes, and restore that which is lost by the static interpretation of the camera lens. Before (Click image for full-screen versions – you can load both into separate tabs to A/B compare them): Fred Vaughan Image - original And after having the curves shown beneath the image applied (Click image for full-screen version): Note how the vibrancy of the full daylight is restored from the above version where the camera had “flattened out” the color’s dynamic range. Watch this space for some nice full tutorials soon! But in the meantime, please try some L*A*B mode moves on your own! Fred Vaughan image - with LAB Curves

  • HutchColor offers great desktop background for Photoshop

    I’ve used this desktop background for years! Over at http://www.hutchcolor.com/Images_and_targets.html, they’ve given public access to download many of their print-specific and monitor calibration-specific targets, images and tools. One that is a standout is their desktop background, called “CMS 30 128.JPG” (36 K – RGB) (I cannot simply provide a link to the image download due […]

  • Rutt at Dgrin offers another gem – Dan Margulis Portrait Action

    I mentioned a very prolific poster at DigitalGrin.com naming himself “rutt” (I believe John is his real name). He is a follower, as I am, of Dan Margulis. rutt has offered up his own “DanMargulisPortrait.atn” (link is often dead – see below) — a Photoshop action — in the thread  of the Chapter 16 of […]

  • Black and White discussion at Dgrin turns up nice PS action!

    So… I’m reading this great tutorial by rutt over at Dgrin (Digital Grin, folks!) called “B&W Conversion Workflow“, and I’m reading through it and see he has included a little Photoshop Action set. As rutt puts it: “I have an action which aides to to getting to this point. Pick it up here.” Brief and […]

  • “I don’t want to learn Photoshop!” optikVerve’s free offerings

    OK, I live to show people how to get the most out of Photoshop. I taught at the college level three semesters deep on Photoshop alone! However, I realize not everyone is into the same journey as I am, and would simply like to get some results from their own photographs they’ve taken with their digital camera! There are plenty of Photoshop actions out there… (do a Google search for “Free Photoshop Actions Download”), as well as Photoshop Filters… (do another Google Search for “Free Photoshop Filters Download”), but maybe you don’t even own a copy of Photoshop. After all, it is rather expensive! I still use Photoshop CS for everything at home and to make my free actions and tutorials, though admittedly, at work we have CS4 installed. There is a solution, and it is from the remarkable optikVerve Labs, home of the FREE

    VirtualPhotographer Filter plugin

    for Photoshop CS4 and EARLIER. (or Photoshop Elements, or Corel PhotoPaint, or IrfanView, or PaintShop Pro, or any other program that can use Photoshop .8bf plugins). But more importantly for those not owning Photoshop, they are also the creators of the ALSO FREE software called

    VirtualStudio

    which includes not only the VirtualPhotographer plugin, but additionally works with any and all plugins that you can find using a Google search for free plugins. It can be installed on Windows 7, Vista 32-bit, Windows XP, 2000, ME or ’98 operating systems!!! WOW!!!

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