Category Archives: How-to

How to

Face in the clouds How-To (Stephen Hilton)

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Geoff Shaw

This How-To covers Stephen Hilton’s approach to create his image Face in the clouds. Start with a sky as your background layer (below). If the clouds are little dull, brighten them up with a curves or levels adjustment. Tip: I … Continue reading →

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Select Subject tool

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Geoff Shaw

Adobe’s select subject tool (and some other applications have similar functionality) is becoming remarkably good, using AI approaches to make sometimes fiddly selections automatically. Here is an example. This is a particularly challenging image – the background is mottled, not … Continue reading →

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Up-Scaling images

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Geoff Shaw

Introduction From time to time you may find you just don’t have enough pixels in your image. For example you may want to make a huge print from your image (or a smaller print from a cropped part of your … Continue reading →

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Creating realistic shadows

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

When compositing it is not enough to simply paste an object onto a background. If you do, it will look artificial and pasted. Shadows are what link the pasted object to the background. Creating realistic shadows requires some technical skills, … Continue reading →

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Twirl Effect

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

Twirl, found under Filters>>Distort in the Photoshop menu can be used to make some interesting effects. Consider the simple crossed lines image below. Activate the Twirl dialog, and adjust the Angle slider to achieve your desired degree of twirl. I’ll … Continue reading →

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The making of “At Home with the Mouse Family” by Bob Thomas

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

Bob has kindly shared a short video to show how he made his award winning entry “At Home with the Mouse Family” Continue reading →

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Doug Porter – Hons SIG 10 June and Creative SIG – 11 Aug 2020

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

Here is a chance to see some of Doug Porter’s expertise as he transforms mediocre images in Photoshop to amazing works of fine art. Continue reading →

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How to do basic screen calibration

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

It is important to calibrate your screen so that what you see on your monitor is close to what others will see if they display your image on their (calibrated) monitor. A basic calibration is easy and needs no additional hardware or software. Continue reading →

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How To Create a Triptych

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

A triptych, a 3-panel composite image- is a powerful way to tell a story or highlight variations on a theme. Continue reading →

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HOW TO …

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Geoff Shaw

This section includes some links to different approaches to common needs such as replacing skies or applying textures. Continue reading →

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