New Look for My Blog

For those of you who have visited my blog in the past, you will see that it looks a lot different. But don’t worry, everything is still here. I just felt it needed a change, and I like the black background. The current site photo was taken from my DJI Phantom drone.

One change I hope you find useful is the Archives column on the right. I have been writing this blog for some time now. This list will mak it easier for you to explore the articles you may have missed.

Also, notice the Like and Share links are more prominently displayed. I hope you will make use of them if you find the content interesting and useful.

And finally, the Comments section is easily seen. Please make use of it, starting with letting me know what you think about the new look.

Until next time…

Understanding the Histogram

As you begin to do more editing of your photos using the Expert mode of Photoshop Elements 15, or other programs, you will want an understanding of the histogram. In fact, you manipulate the histogram for an image when you use the Levels command.

Even with all of the great editing tools that now are a part of PSE 15, I often find myself still using the Levels command as my go to editing tool.

Additionally, as you may have discovered already, many cameras today include a display of the photo’s histogram. Using the information it presents, it will help you decide whether or not to retake the photo. So there are a lot of reasons to get to know the histogram.

Click on the link below to watch a short video about the histograms. As a bonus, there is a figure at the end of the video that briefly summarizes the concept of photo layers. Understanding layers is key to doing non-destructive photo editing as we will  soon see.

Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you found this post helpful. If so, please Like and Rate it accordingly.

Until next time…

 

Revisiting Processing Video using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) in Photoshop

Just about two years ago I posted this article on processing a video file using the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) editor in Photoshop CC and how the results compared to the same video processed in Premiere Elements.

My remarks in that post are still valid today. This post is just another example of the comparison. However the videos clips are shown back to back and in slow motion to better focus on the results.

I am not suggesting that the ACR inherently is better at editing video. But for me, it is much easier to get to the final result I am after (video with punch) than is PRE 15 in this latest example. I did not try to duplicate the two results. I was happy with the PRE 15 version until I further processed it in the ACR.

I am sure that not everyone will like the ACR result, but I do. And, since I am far more familiar working with the ACR than PRE 15 in this regards, I find I can get to what I am after much quicker.

Here is the link comparing the two video clips.

If you have a video and use Photoshop, try it out. My previous article outlines the steps. It is extremely easy to do if you work already with the ACR.

Let me know what you think. If you liked this post, please Like it, rate it accordingly, and share with your friends. Thanks for dropping by.

Until next time, Happy Holidays!

Using Photoshop Elements 15 Albums

As you know, there are only a limited number of sort orders that you can view your images in the Grid view, Newest, Oldest, Import Batch, and Name. What if you want to view your images by some custom order to for a slide show you are preparing? Or, maybe you want to load the media into another program, such as Premiere Elements 15 in a certain order? That is where using Albums comes in.

In this tutorial, we introduce using Albums to do the above, and other uses as well, such as making a smart search. Albums can be used for organizing your entire photo collection if you want. However, I prefer to use them for managing specific photo projects.

Click on the link below to view the PDF tutorial.

If you found the tutorial helpful, please Like and rate it accordingly – Thanks

Until next time…

 

I forgot to Add This About PSE 15 Smart Tags

In my video tutorial I posted a couple of weeks ago on Photoshop Elements 15 Smart Tags, I forgot to mention a couple of points.

To begin with, these tags are only used internally within the Organizer. They are not written to the image files, even with the File > Save Metadata to File command in the Organizer. This is a good thing, since they often do not make since. I usually do not bother to remove erroneous Smart Tags from and image, but you can as shown in the figure below.

Until next time…

Photoshop Elements 15 Folder View

In this tutorial we will cover the Folder View in PSE 15’s Organizer. This view can be extremely helpful if you want to do some disk storage housekeeping. Viewing the folder layout in this view and then reordering the files and folders can be done without risking the common mistake of disconnecting your images within your catalog. This is because you are working from within the Organizer and not an external program, such as Windows Explorer.

Also, those of you who have organized your file structure relying on folder names, will find this view to be very familar.

Click on the link below to display and access the PDF file.

If you find this tutorial helpful, please Rate, Like, or Share it with others using the applicable links on the page. I welcome any comments you may as well.

Thanks for stopping by, and see you next time.