RF-Photography

In a recent article we looked at using luminance and density masks as a tool for sharpening images.  Today we’re going to look at using luminance masks as a tool for blending images to extend dynamic range.  It’s a very slick trick and much easier than manual blending using layer masks and painting in the image. Blending with luminance masks, con't >>

There are countless ways to sharpen an image.  Unsharp Mask, Smart Sharpen, High Pass.  A while back I wrote an article on sharpening using Smart Objects to make your sharpening more versatile.  Today we’re going to look at a different way of doing creative sharpening using luminance and density masks. Sharpening with masks, con't >>

As many know by now, Adobe has released the first public beta version of Lightroom 4.  For those not familiar, Lightroom is Adobe’s terrific Digital Asset Management/Image Editing application.  Each version has been stronger than the previous and LR4 is no different.  I’m going to cover a couple of the major changes in this article but won’t go into all of the new features. Lightroom 4 Overview, con't >>

….. if that is the question then the answer is: Bracket.  At least if you want the best of what HDR can give you.

There’s still a belief in some circles that taking a single image, making multiple copies of it with adjusted exposure settings and tossing those ‘fake brackets’ into the HDR cooker will produce different and better results than just tonemapping a single image. Some also think it’s as good as shooting an in camera bracket. Let’s dispell an HDR myth, shall we? To Bracket or Not to Bracket, con't >>

There are many ways to go about sharpening digital images. Some very simple, others very complex. Some better than others. One of my personal favourites is the High Pass method which I wrote about in an earlier tutorial.

Something that seems nearly universal is the desire for ‘editable’ sharpening. That is, being able to go back and change it in the future if desired. The simple, straightforward methods like Unsharp Mask or Smart Sharpen don’t allow this. There are several ways to have adjustable sharpening; however, and we’ll talk briefly about a few of them and in more detail on one in particular. Intelligent Sharpening, con't >>

The folks at HDRSoft released a new version of their HDR software recently. As a beta tester for the software I got to see some of the new features during development and there’s some really good stuff in this update.

The first thing that’s evident is the speed. The speed increase was introduced with v4.0 a few months ago. PM has never been sluggish but the uptick in the new version is certainly welcomed. Photomatix 4.1 Overview, con't >