MICHAEL FREEMAN’S PHOTO SCHOOL DIgITAL EDITINg EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MICHAEL FREEMAN wITH STEvE LuCk I L E X Ilex Instant Ilex Instant C o n t e n t s First published in the UK in 2012 by I L E X 210 High Street Lewes East Sussex BN7 2NS www.ilex-press.com 6 Foreword Copyright © 2012 The Ilex Press Ltd 8 Student Profiles 12 Introduction Publisher: Alastair Campbell Associate Publisher: Adam Juniper 14 Image Editors 62 Advanced Image 112 Challenge: Optimize with Creative Director: James Hollywell Managing Editor: Natalia Price-Cabrera Optimization Adjustment Layers Specialist Editor: Frank Gallaugher 16 The Digital Workflow 1 16 Layer Masks Editor: Tara Gallagher 18 Raw-Processing Software 64 Tone Curves 1 20 Blending Senior Designer: Kate Haynes 20 Post-Production Software 66 Challenge: Adjust Your 124 Making Selections Designer: Lisa McCormick 22 Raw-Processing Workspace Tone Curve 130 Removing Unwanted Colour Origination: Ivy Press Reprographics 2 4 Raw-Processing Tools 70 Color Correction Objects 26 Post-Production Workspace 1 32 Retouching a Portrait 72 Black-&-White Any copy of this book issued by the publisher 2 8 Post-Production Tools Conversion 136 Challenge: Retouch a Portrait 140 Hand Coloring is sold subject to the condition that it shall not 74 Challenge: Convert to 142 Panoramas by way of trade or otherwise be lent, resold, 30 Basic Image Black & White 144 Challenge: Stitch a Panorama hired out or otherwise circulated without the 7 8 Lens Corrections Optimization 148 HDR Imagery publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding 8 0 Dodging & Burning 150 Challenge: Create a High or cover other than that in which it is published 8 2 Optimize a Landscape and without a similar condition including these 32 Rotating & Cropping 8 6 Freestyle: Optimize Dynamic Range Image words being imposed on a subsequent purchaser. 34 Correcting White Balance a Landscape 3 6 Adjusting Exposure British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data 38 Challenge: Basic A catalogue record for this book is available Image Optimization 90 Image Retouching 154 Glossary from the British Library 42 Removing Spots 158 Index & Blemishes 1 60 Bibliography 92 Levels ISBN: 978-1-908150-31-8 44 Challenge: Remove Dust Spots 94 Challenge: Levels Adjustment & Useful Addresses or Blemishes 98 Curves All rights reserved. No part of this publication 48 Sharpening 100 Color Adjustment may be reproduced or used in any form, or by 52 Challenge: Sharpen Up a Shot 104 Challenge: Adjust Your Color any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, 56 Noise Reduction 108 Layers including photocopying, recording or 58 Challenge: Clean Up 110 Adjustment Layers information storage-and-retrieval systems – a Noisy Shot without the prior permission of the publisher. Photo on page 2 © Samir Khadem Photo on page 4 © Jaroslaw Grudzinski All other photography © Michael Freeman unless otherwise noted. Ilex Instant Ilex Instant MICHAEL FREEMAN’S PHOTO SCHOOL FOREWORD About This Series Photography is what I do and have by a challenge to get out and shoot done for most of my life, and like under a specific scenario, demonstrating any professional, I work at it, trying and practicing the skills that were to improve my skills and my ideas. covered in the preceding sections. I actually enjoy sharing all of this, Further, we feature the work of several because I love photography and want real-life photography students as they as many people as possible to do respond to these challenges themselves. it—but do it well. This includes learning As they discuss and I review their work, why good photographs work and where we hope to make the material all the they fit in the history of the craft. more approachable and achievable. This series of books is inspired by For you, the reader, this series the structure of a college course, and provides, I hope, a thorough education of the benefits of a collective learning in photography, not just allowing you to environment. Here, we're setting out to shoot better pictures, but also to gain the teach the fundamentals of photography same in-depth knowledge that degree in a foundational course, before moving students and professionals do, and all on to teach specialist areas—much as achieved through exercises that are at a student would study a set first-year the same time fun and educational. course before moving on to studying That is why we've also built a website elective subjects of their own choosing. for this series, to which I encourage you to post your responses to the shooting The goal of these books is not only challenges for feedback from your to instruct and educate, but also to peers. You'll find the website at motivate and inspire. Toward that end, www.mfphotoschool.com many of the topics will be punctuated Ilex Instant Ilex Instant 8 DIGITAL EDITING PROFILES 9 Student Profiles Guido Jeurissen Faith Kashefska-Lefever Born on the 19th of August, 1992, in On top of being a mother and a wife, show a different point of view, as well not snapping pictures or working on Rotterdam, Holland, Guido Jeurissen Faith is a freelance photographer and as to show the beauty in everything a restoration, she usually has her face is a young and learning photographer, photo restorer, and very passionate and everyone. I am always asking, in a book learning something new. All filmmaker and musician. Even though about both. Her restoration work 'If a photo is worth a thousand words, of her post-processing and digital Guido Jeurissen’s work is a combination includes repairing and coloring old what would you like yours to say?'" manipulation is self taught.  of a very wide range of styles, his photographs. "It is my way of helping personal style is often defined as old memories stay alive, and preserving Faith's education comes from two To see more of Faith's work, check out "raw" and "documentary." pieces of family history," she says. "I places: NYIP (New York Institute of www.fklgz.com love to use my photography as a way to Photography) and herself. If she is When Guido was admitted in 2010 to the Dutch art school Willem de Kooning Academie in Rotterdam, he started a study on filmmaking called Audio Visual Design. Even though his study is primarily based on filmmaking, he also learned a lot about photography. Recently, Guido has been focusing much more on photography. He went back to the basics, and started working in dark rooms with black-and-white film. It’s here where he noticed that the essence of photography is in the subject and not the picture itself. Black and white was the ultimate tool to do this. He loves the way analog black-and -white photography concentrates on the subject so much more, and how the background of an image is so Guido’s creative mind is best shown For more about Guido’s work, please much less distracting. in his videos, which can sometimes be visit www.guidojeurissen.com absurd and surrealistic. His work has Black and white, however, is not the been exhibited at the International Film You can contact Guido at only thing for him. Guido has never Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Stukfest [email protected] forgotten about how color can make an Festival Rotterdam, ASVOFF fashion image very powerful. The saturation of Film Festival in Barcelona, and has some colors can strengthen the image been published on various websites. a lot—which he has been exploring with software like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. Ilex Instant Ilex Instant 10 DIGITAL EDITING PROFILES 11 Dan Goetsch Johnny Chang Dan Goetsch was born and raised in Johnny's love of photography was born many different perspectives, from high he won’t stop until he finds the right Fort Collins, Colorado. He eventually out of his penchant for observation: to low, without fear of being stepped on path—through a multitude of ended up hitting the ground running from watching busy executives in the process. One constant is his exposures, lighting manipulations, in the IT world just after college and scurrying about the office or ants fascination with light: from its role in or processing directions. life has been an adventure ever since. raiding a fallen popsicle, to light perceptions to its duality in physics. Through his work, Dan has had the shining through a dusty room. A Johnny takes advantage of light and When Johnny is not looking through opportunity to do a good amount of camera in his hand, circa 2009, was a how it can reveal, yet at the same time a viewfinder, he is practicing electrical travel, which led him to relocate to natural extension. It's brought him the deceive and mystify. To him, it is a engineering near his hometown of the west coast. He found his new joy of discovering new places and the valuable tool in crafting a visual Scaggsville, Maryland. home in Portland, Oregon where he hidden beauty of everything. journey. His inquisitive nature enables spent 5 years, and picked up his first an intricate relationship with the inner You can view more of his work at: digital SLR camera along with a Never limited to a genre, Johnny's style workings of the camera, the lens, and http://eruditass-photography.blogspot. passion for photography. He is a is constantly evolving. He strives to see the light. When his interest is piqued, com self-taught photographer who has gone from Auto mode to Manual and enjoyed every minute of the journey as he continues to learn and explore the craft. His superhero mantra would be "IT nerd by day, photographer by nights and weekends." After living in the Pacific Northwest for a while, he eventually grew homesick and took an opportunity to relocate back to Colorado where he currently resides. He always looks for an opportunity to learn something new about the trade, and is always looking for a challenge. Dan’s passion for photography continues to grow stronger every day, and he looks forward to sharing his love of it with the world. You can see his work at www.danielgphotography.com Ilex Instant Ilex Instant 12 DIGITAL EDITING INTRODUCTION 13 Introduction Editing and post-production work is image—particularly as you begin the latent potential within each image. options available, so that you can make often a polarizing part of digital introducing special effects and adding The final chapter, on the other hand, the right decisions for each image that photography. Everyone has an opinion: elements that weren't in the original covers the more open-ended topics crosses your desktop. That is also the Some say that any departure from a scene at all, such as with composites— of digital editing, in which you'll be idea behind the Challenges scattered completely faithful and untouched the closer you get to crossing a line combining separate images into one throughout the book: They are not reproduction of the original subject is between a photograph and a work composite, removing unwanted objects meant to necessarily convince you that, fraudulent; others say the sky is the of digital art. from the image, stitching together say, Curves is the best tool for adjusting limit, and you can do whatever you like panoramas, and other techniques that your shadows and highlights, or that to any image. As usual, the truth lies This book will cover the space in delve deeper into the creative tools HDR is the only technique for dealing somewhere in the middle. between these extreme interpretations available in pixel-level editors. with high-contrast situations. Rather, Starting with an overview of the they are meant to get you familiar with For one, there is no such thing as a image-editing programs available to Some of these techniques will resonate possible courses of action, and prepare completely faithful reproduction—the today's photographer, we will spend with your personal photographic style you for the wide range of photographic process of capturing photons, converting two chapters thoroughly covering and workflow, other will likely not. possibilities that you will encounter. them into digital information, and your various options for image However, for all the techniques displaying that information in a two- optimization—and that word is discussed herein, whether or not you dimensional format requires various used quite intentionally. Even in more use them in your own photography levels of creative interpretation at creative and subjective techniques is not nearly as important as the fact several steps along the way. And on like black-and-white conversion, the that you will be able to if needed or the other hand, the more digital methods covered concern themselves desired—that you recognize and are enhancement that goes into an primarily with making the most out of familiar with the various tools and OHide your work This relatively straightforward landscape has, in fact, had the sky desaturated, the greens and yellows saturated individually, and the contrast reduced by a curves adjustment. And yet, the resulting image is more faithful to the original scene. OClean representation Even completely "faithful" photographs like those used in art catalogs often require some degree of optimization in post-production. Ilex Instant Ilex Instant Image Editors Image editors have evolved greatly in recent times. In fact, you could argue that their development has in many respects overshadowed the advances made in digital camera technology over the same period. Certainly camera processing, design, and sensor technology have improved, but their evolution doesn’t match the revolution that we’ve witnessed with imaging software in the last four or five years. In the past, Raw processors were simply a way of extracting and optimizing the unprocessed “raw” data from the camera, and preparing it for post-production work and output using software such as Photoshop or PaintShop Pro. Applications like Lightroom and Aperture, however—although they are as much about digital asset management and efficient workflow as they are Raw processing—have evolved their editing capabilities over time into the powerful editing tools we have today. By the same token, the “traditional” post-production tools, such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and PaintShop Pro have also evolved new skill sets. Raw processing is now much more integrated within such software, and most are also able to maintain libraries of images and prepare them for print or web output. As with so many aspects of digital photography, there are no right or wrong tools for image editing, just many to choose from. This opening chapter will help you to select the right ones for you. Ilex Instant Ilex Instant 16 IMAGE EDITORS THE DIGITAL WORKFLOW 17 The Digital Workflow A Digital Photography Workflow Before we begin to look in detail at processing to describe all aspects of The dramatic improvement in Raw- the tools and practices of digital photo optimizing the Raw image file once it processing software in recent years editing, it’s worth spending just a brief has been downloaded to the computer; has allowed more optimization to take moment or two discussing the concept post-production, on the other hand, place at this initial stage than at the of the digital photography workflow, we’ll use to describe any aspect of post-production end of the workflow. as this will help you see where image optimization once the Raw file has The benefits of optimizing at the Raw editing fits within the broad scheme been saved as a TIFF or JPEG. As you’ll stage are: You have the greatest Capture of creating a digital image. see later, this does have a bearing on amount of leeway when correcting the type of software you’ll use for aspects such as exposure or color; and In the context of digital photography, certain tasks. Raw processing is nondestructive—i.e., “workflow” essentially describes the although on the surface you’re altering entire process of producing a digital how the image looks, the alterations The Raw Format image—from capture and importing, are being relayed by a series of Import organizing and reviewing, through instructions (or "parameters") that Raw processing and post-production, To understand Raw processing, you simply overlay the original image data, to distribution and backup. If you’re first need to be familiar with the Raw which itself is left untouched and can unfamiliar with any of these terms: format. "Raw” is the generic term for be accessed again whenever you want. Capture essentially means the action the unprocessed file format available Post-production software, on the other of taking the photograph; importing on all digital SLRs and many advanced hand, such as Photoshop or PaintShop Organize and Review is simply transferring the image files compacts—whether Nikon’s NEF, Pro, alters the tonal and color values of to the computer; organizing and Sony’s SR2, or Canon’s CR2 format, the image’s pixels themselves (hence reviewing involve creating appropriate to name just three. The benefits of the term “pixel editing,” which you folders, ranking, and making a shooting Raw are well documented, may have come across), and while up selection of your images; Raw but are essentially concerned with to a point you can track back and undo processing and post-production (often capturing the most amount of image changes, saving the files is permanent. Raw processing grouped together) are concerned with data possible. This data, rather than optimizing the image so that it looks being processed automatically and Increasingly, therefore, it’s good as good as it possibly can; distribution indiscriminately by the camera as a practice to perform as much is primarily about preparing the image JPEG, can instead be downloaded onto optimization as possible in Raw for either print or viewing on-screen; the computer, where you can manually processors. However, as we shall go and finally, backup refers to the process it using more powerful on to discover, there are certain things Post-production process of safely archiving and storing processors and software than are that Raw-processing software can’t your images. Although there’s no available in-camera. The end result, achieve, and that’s when you have Back up or restore your files single specific workflow for all particularly with images shot under to turn to post-production software. Backup in progress... View Details photographs, there are definite challenging lighting conditions, is Backup considerations that must be taken improved tonal quality, sharper detail, Bearing in mind the distinction Location: D: Back up now MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-875 before an image is ready for display. and more accurate colors. Of course, between these two optimization you can process JPEGs instead, and processes, the first sections of the book Next backup: In progress... Distribution Last backup: Never Out of the workflow just described, the much of the time JPEGs will provide deal with Raw processing, the tools and Contents: Files in libraries and personal folders for all users Schedule: Every Sunday at 7:00 PM two areas that are of specific relevance perfectly good results. But when techniques, while later sections cover Change settings Restore to photo editing are Raw processing and things get tough, you want as much post-production, paying particular You can restore your files that were backed up on the current location. Restore my files Restore all user's files post-production. For the purposes of data as possible in order to get the attention to what can be achieved Select another backup to restore files from this book we’ll use the term Raw optimum result. only with post-production software. BBaacckkuupp Ilex Instant Ilex Instant 18 IMAGE EDITORS RAW-PROCESSING SOFTWARE 19 Raw-Processing with the advent of localized adjustment in the form of spot removal, editable Software adjustment brushes, and control points have almost rendered post-production software obsolete for certain types of photography. Many professionals today who shoot and edit large numbers of Along with the development of more other features, such as sharpening, that were designed specifically to images, such as wedding or sports efficient image sensors and the ability noise reduction, and fixing chromatic work with their proprietary Raw photographers, will often use only to shoot video on DSLRs, another of aberration were in their infancy, formats. This was often bundled on Raw-processing software to optimize the more significant advances in digital while yet more features such as lens CD-Rom with the purchase of the their images. However, as we shall photography—certainly for those correction, adjustment brushes, and manufacturers’ cameras. discover later, for other types of photographers who enjoy the editing spot removal didn’t even exist. photography or for certain specific process—is the development of Today’s Raw-processing software has image-editing tasks, using post- Raw-processing software. As the true value of Raw processing come a long way since these early production software such as Photoshop became increasingly apparent in terms examples. As the software has evolved or PaintShop Pro is the only option. Early examples of Raw processors, of the image quality it provided, it’s become possible to undertake more such as the first releases of Adobe software developers, such as Adobe, and more image-editing tasks at the Along with increasing the functionality Camera Raw (ACR)—a plug-in that Apple, and Phase One to name just Raw-processing stage of the editing of Raw processors, software developers W L ightroom's U Apple's Aperture became available in 2002 with three, worked hard at developing process. Processes such as sharpening, have also taken the opportunity to Library module Like Lightroom and Phase One’s Capture Photoshop 7.0.1—did not offer a great Raw-processing software that was noise reduction, and fixing lens develop programs that mirror the This module behaves like One, Aperture is an extremely powerful Raw deal of freedom when it came to the capable of an ever-broader range of distortion and chromatic aberration are digital workflow. Taking the example a dedicated image database. processor. It has a built-in image database, adjustments that could be made to Raw adjustment. Camera manufacturers, now performed by powerful algorithms of wedding or sports photographers Here you can view, compare, sophisticated editing capability, including files. Exposure, white balance, and color such as Nikon and Canon, also that are capable of producing excellent again: Everything they need for their rank, organize, and add captions localized adjustment tools, and a useful and keywords to your images. slideshow feature. It’s even possible to send adjustments were well catered for; but developed their own Raw processors results. These developments, together images, from importing and selecting, It’s also possible to view the EXIF images to sites such as Facebook and Flickr to optimizing and distributing, can all data embedded in the image. at the touch of a button. be achieved within the same program. Adobe’s Lightroom illustrates this perfectly. The program features five discrete modules or sections—Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web. Images are imported into the Library, where it’s possible to select or create a new folder for the images, and add O Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) keywords and ratings. Optimization This processor ships as a takes place in the Develop module. plug-in with Photoshop and The Slideshow mode allows you to Photoshop Elements, and is create presentations, incorporating an extremely powerful Raw watermarking and music to share as processing package in its own right. It features an almost JPEG, PDF, or video slideshows. In the identical image-editing toolset Print and Web sections you can prepare to Lightroom (in fact, it shares your images for both delivery methods. the same processing engine), This structure is not unique to only arranged and presented Lightroom; other Raw processors have in a different way. As a plug-in, it works seamlessly with the similar modes, and are often referred rest of Photoshop or Elements. to as “workflow software.” Ilex Instant Ilex Instant