Adobe has released another new tool in the Generative ai family. This time, Generative Expand, makes it easier and quick to expand a photo or change its size or shape. See how to get the …
Although the human eye is a good tool for perceiving the world around us, it’s not perfectly attuned to some situations. For example, if light levels are very low, or if you’re searching for a …
We’ve already stepped deep into September, with the first day of fall just around the corner. And we know what that means – warm and vivid foliage made for stunning photos. Like every year, folks …
The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC My latest book for Rocky Nook, looking at Lightroom CC/6 including all the new features. Available in both print and ebook forms. Penny H: A well written and very …
Hoodies never go out of style. Previously a streetwear staple, hoodies have evolved from urban clothes to absolute musts in the closets of everyone from kids to seniors. Yep, they’re that practical! And now that …
Adobe Photoshop CC is a well-known digital imaging software that is a must-have for all photographers. The latest version was released in October 2017 and has better results in terms of photo editing and image manipulation.
As part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, it gives photographers instant access to all updates once they are made available. While some photographers may opt to stick to earlier versions, improvements to the latest version include the following advantages:
It supports more cameras than the older versions.
Its ability to enhance, edit and manipulate photos has improved.
It has better graphics and a larger user interface.
Adobe Photoshop CC has amazing image editing tools that turn ordinary pictures into works of art. With the wide range of brushes and smoothing value of 0-100, photos have clearer lines. This version of Photoshop has the ability to enhance and create 3D artworks and paintings. Portrait photographers can use it to resize and reshape faces and it also has a perspective wrap that comes in handy when fixing distortions. It is easy to use on high resolution monitors, has added noise reduction in videos, and allows users to share photos and creations with ease. It also offers access to Lightroom CC, a photo organizer and selector that makes it possible to keep images well-organized.
When the time comes to edit your images, open the image you’d like to edit in Photoshop and use the tools in the toolbars accordingly. If a photo is crooked, make use of the Crop tool to straighten it.
If you need to clear out any blemishes, use the Spot Healing Brushes. Distracting objects can be removed with the Patch Tool, and by using the Blur Effects from the gallery, emphasis can be placed on the parts of the photo that need to stand out. (Watch the video to see how to Blur Effects can be used in image editing.) There is a wide range of filters that can be used to ensure that the intended tone is portrayed in the photo. In photography, most clients prefer high quality pictures with no blemishes.
If you’re a photographer who strives to capture somewhat dull moments and convert them into works of art, Adobe Photoshop CC is the perfect tool for you. It will enable you to fill your portfolio with photos that will attract new clients and keep the old ones coming back for more. With the new specifications that have been added, your images will be even better than before.
Adobe has released another new tool in the Generative ai family. This time, Generative Expand, makes it easier and quick to expand a photo or change its size or shape. See how to get the most out of it here.
Here is one of my photos. I shot it horizontal, but I want to make it vertical or square, but I don’t want to ruin the shot by cropping anything out. Generative Expand will help.
Choose the Crop tool
You will notice you can choose a ratio from the floating toolbar, or the top toolbar).
We want square so Ill choose 1:1
Drag the crop tool to the crop you want, it will be locked to a square.
You can also reposition the photo within the square.
Press generate
Photoshop will generate the area in the sky and water to expand the photo.
You have 3 variations to choose from the in properties panel.
A couple of notes on this.
First of all, it is the same as generative fill and uses the same algorithm. In fact it is generative fill, but it’s saving you a few steps in making the selections. See how this works in Generative Fill
Because it’s Generative Fill, it still has the resolution limitation of 1024×1024. For posting on social media, this may be fine for some images. Here is how to get higher resolution in Photoshop Generative Fill
Let’s look at other things we can do With Generative Expand.
Crop an image to a specific size
We can crop a photo to an exact size if we want.
Choose the crop tool, make sure Generative Expand is selected. If you don’t see it, make sure you have launched Photoshop beta.
Choose WxHxResolution
Let’s make this new image 4 inches by 5 inches at Print resolution (300 ppi (dpi once printed))
Enter 4in, 5in and 300 for resolution.
Now you will see the crop shape. When you apply this, the selected area will be resized to 4″ x5″ and any transparent areas will be filled by ai generated pixels.
Tip: Tap the x key to toggle between wide and tall.
When you are happy with your crop, apply it by clicking the checkmark at the top, or the Enter/Return key.
And here we have a beautiful crop.
Telling Photoshop what to fill with using prompts
So far, we have filled the edges based on the existing photo, and this will be enough for many people. This is how I will be mainly using it.
However, Generative Expand is capable of more, and I’ll demonstrate here.
Let’s expand this photo, with very specific things, maybe we are making a CD cover, or a Tunecore cover for Spotify/Apple Music. (Tunecore/Apple Music uses 3000 x3000px btw)
Choose the crop tool and expand the image
Let make it fill the top with a mountain scene
Type in Mountains and press Generate
Here we go. Notice it respects the depth of field.This also lets us get away with the lower resolution generation.
Let’s take it further
Choose the crop tool and expand the bottom.
This time, type in lake in the prompt
This is what we get, I love that it even creates the reflection.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial – I have a full course On Generative Fill if you want to learn ai generation in Photoshop
Drop a comment and let me know if this was helpful.
Browse the other free photoshop tutorials here at the cafe
Download 100s of dollars worth of Photoshop adds on for free here at the Vault.
Also follow me on Instagram, Tik Tik, Threads and Twitter. for shorts and reels.
Although the human eye is a good tool for perceiving the world around us, it’s not perfectly attuned to some situations. For example, if light levels are very low, or if you’re searching for a well-camouflaged animal, you may not be able to see what you are looking for. However, thermal imaging cameras, such as the Zeiss DTI 4/35, pick up where human vision leaves off.
Specifications
Field of view at 100 meters (328 feet): 26 meters (85 feet)
Objective viewing angle: 13° x 10°
Range: 1845 meters (1.15 miles)
Sensor resolution: 640 x 512
Sensor pixel pitch: 12 μm
NETD value: ≤ 25 mK
Display resolution: 1024 x 768
Display frame rate: 50 Hz
Display type: AMOLED
Optical magnification: 2.0
Maximum digital zoom: 4x
Battery run time: 7 h
Internal memory: 32 GB
Operating temperature: − 10°C to + 50°C (+ 14 °F to + 122°F)
Length x Width x Height: 193 x 60 x 65 mm (7.6 x 2.4 x 2.6″)
Weight: 430 g (0.94 lbs)
Price: $3,700
How Does a Thermal Imaging Camera Work?
Human vision is confined to light with wavelengths from about 380 to 780 nanometers. Meanwhile, infrared light has a longer wavelength, anywhere from about 780 nanometers to about 1,000,000 nanometers (AKA 1 millimeter). Infrared light is often known as thermal radiation because it’s given off by objects that are warm.
With thermal imaging cameras like the Zeiss DTI 4/35, this thermal radiation reaches the camera sensor through an opaque, silver-colored, germanium lens. Unlike glass, this germanium lens specifically allows long-wave infrared light (wavelength 8 to 13 µm) to pass through.
After that, it’s pretty similar to a normal camera, except that the thermal imaging sensor is highly sensitive to these wavelengths of light. The thermal radiation is transformed into electrical signals, and each pixel is assigned a value which is processed by the device’s processor and converted into a color scale. This is what results in the classic infrared “look” where heated objects are shown in varying shades of yellow and red.
What Are Thermal Imaging Cameras Good For?
Thermal imaging cameras are primarily designed for hunters, allowing them to identify game in the dark or track their kill. But they can also be a useful tool for wildlife observers and photographers.
That’s because one of the key success factors when photographing animals is finding them in the field. This is where these devices can be a great help.
Thermal imaging cameras are often referred to as night vision devices. Although this is probably the most common use, it is somewhat misleading. These devices can also be used successfully during the day as a way to work around an animal’s natural camouflage.
Camouflage patterns on fur or feathers – which ordinarily mimic the disorderly chaos of the environment – suddenly stop working in the IR spectrum. Even such masters of camouflage as nightjars, potoos, and owls suddenly shine like a lantern in the night sky.
Tropical birds in particular are true masters of camouflage, and my only regret while testing the Zeiss DTI 4/35 was not being able to test it on them. The memory is as vivid as if it happened yesterday. Ampay National Park in Peru, altitude about 3500m. I’m standing under a tree, doing a point count of birds for my research. A noisy flock of about 50 Barred Parakeets flew into the canopy directly above my head. Through my binoculars, I was lucky to see only one. The bodies of the parrots matched the shape, color, and size of the leaves – a perfect camouflage. With a thermal imaging camera, I could have seen them as easily as red lights on a Christmas tree.
Thermal imaging cameras are therefore useful whenever visible light isn’t enough to discern your subject. Either because there is not enough of it, or because your subject blends in with its surroundings. Birds, mammals, and other warm creatures stand out immediately in thermal vision.
However, what about ectothermic or “cold-blooded” animals? This includes amphibians and reptiles. Their metabolism and thermal insulation do not allow them to maintain a consistently high temperature like birds and mammals. However, this does not mean that they are going to be invisible under thermal imaging. I tested the Zeiss DTI 4/35 on toads and made an interesting discovery. The toad I found outside my front door a few hours after sunset was significantly cooler than the surrounding area!
I carefully picked it up and rescued it from the pavement, putting it back into its natural environment. The Zeiss DTI viewfinder suddenly revealed what the brief stress of contact with a “predator” had done to the toad’s body. It had warmed up and maintained its high temperature for about 15 minutes. This goes to show the stress that we can impart on our subjects as wildlife photographers if we are not careful.
Zeiss DTI 4/35 Build Quality and Handling
The Zeiss DTI 4/35 is a ruggedly built instrument that inspires confidence in-hand. It’s built to withstand relatively rough handling – it can handle rain, as well as very high and very low temperatures. The controls are also solid, and they’re designed so that the user doesn’t have to look at them. The rubber buttons are logically arranged and tactilely distinguishable. Even with gloves on, operating the camera is not a problem.
Focusing is manual, and it’s done with the focus ring on the front of the camera, just like a normal camera. However, the depth of field is quite large, and maximum sharpness isn’t usually the goal with these cameras – so, you won’t need to focus too often.
The eyepiece has a flexible rubber eyecup that is not only comfortable for the naked eye, but also allows use with glasses. Next to the eyepiece is a large knob for diopter adjustment.
On the underside, there is a thread for tripod mounting. Behind this is a USB-C port for charging or downloading photos and videos to a computer, and finally a pair of loops for attaching the strap (which is included).
Menu and Zeiss Hunting App
The Zeiss DTI’s settings are accessed by pressing and holding the menu button. Besides the usual settings for display brightness, contrast, and date/time, there are a number of interesting functions to choose from.
Hot tracking: When activated, the hottest object in the viewfinder is highlighted with a red square.
Scene mode: The default is Universal. Fog mode is used when there is high ambient humidity, fog, or rain. Infrared transmission is poorer in these conditions, and the camera compensates by essentially increasing the sensitivity of the sensor. Personally, I used Detection mode most of the time. In this mode, the device increases the contrast between cooler and warmer areas. This makes it easier to find animals in the landscape because you are not overwhelmed by so many false signals caused by, for example, warmer tree trunks, rocks, etc. Zeiss has rightly concluded that you will be switching between scene modes quite often, so there is a shortcut key for them.
Movement Alert: This pays attention to the warmest spot being imaged and alerts you by lighting up the LED (or display) if it moves.
Picture in Picture: The central part of the image is magnified twice and displayed in a small frame at the top. This eliminates the need to zoom if you want to see the animal in more detail.
Compass: After calibration, the display shows information about the direction you are looking.
Finally, if you activate WLAN in the menu, the Zeiss DTI will create a mobile hotspot in its environment, which you can use to connect to your smartphone. The Zeiss Hunting app, which can be downloaded for both Android and iPhone, is a useful extension to the thermal camera function. It allows you to adjust common camera setting and also update the camera’s firmware, for example.
The app also includes a number of hunting functions. As a photographer, however, I was particularly interested in the ability to view and download photos and videos to the phone’s memory. Unfortunately, you can’t view the pictures you’ve taken directly on the DTI 4/35, which I see as an oversight.
The smartphone can also be used as a remote control for the thermal camera. You can see what’s happening in front of the camera on the screen and take photos and videos at the same time.
Observation and Photography
I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Zeiss DTI opens up a whole new world. Being able to see in total darkness is an exciting experience. Walking in a dark forest, lit only by the faintest starlight, and having a perfect view of every warm-blooded creature around you is extremely exciting. You have the chance to observe the natural behaviour of animals that would otherwise flee from you. At the same time, you can see many of them when they are most active.
For the best viewing experience, the Zeiss DTI has a total of 8 different colour modes. You can switch between them using the large menu button in the centre of the unit. Personally, I liked the Red Hot and Rainbow modes best. These are visually appealing, but more importantly, they provide the best contrast between cold and warm. Warm-blooded animals glow bright red and stand out like a ketchup stain on a white shirt.
The downside of these modes is that they can be a little blinding at night. If you move the device away from your eye after looking at it for a while, you are essentially half-blind. I would therefore recommend using darker modes such as Red Hue or Green Hue if you want to preserve your night vision. Or at least carry a flashlight along.
The Zeiss DTI sensor doesn’t have an overwhelmingly high resolution for photography. 640×512 pixels doesn’t break any records in the digital world. But it’s a very solid value for a thermal camera. When observing wildlife with the zoom set to 1x, you cannot complain about a lack of detail. Looking into a dark forest, you can literally see every mouse and bat.
The camera can also zoom up to a 4x digital zoom. Most of the time, however, I found this unnecessary, as zooming does not meaningfully increase detail. If you really need to observe very distant or small animals, it’s probably best to go with the bigger version, the DTI 4/50 instead.
One curiosity is that it can be difficult to find small songbirds at night with thermal cameras like this. Is this a problem with the Zeiss DTI 4/35? No, in fact, small, sleeping birds are aware of the dangers of night-time predators, so they don’t usually sleep on an exposed branch, but look for safer hiding places. Thick vegetation or foliage then shields their warm bodies. They also reduce their metabolism at night and fluff up their feathers.
During the day, however, even small birds are easy to spot. As their body temperature is several degrees higher than that of mammals, birds are the perfect target for a thermal camera. It doesn’t matter how well the bird is camouflaged by its feathers. Unless it is hiding in dense vegetation, the camera will spot it with the confidence of Sherlock Holmes.
White-throated Spadebill sleeping in a tropical forest at the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes.
It is wonderful that the Zeiss DTI also allows you to take photos and videos, even low-resolution ones. I wish my binoculars could do the same. A quick press of the record button takes a photo, and a long press starts a video. You can still take photos while recording video by briefly pressing the Rec button. Obviously, this is not a device that a BBC crew would use to film their documentaries, but I was pleasantly surprised by the usability of the photos and videos I took.
What came as a rather unpleasant surprise was the stability of the system. There were several occasions during my test when the display froze. Most of the time, this happened during video recording. To fix this, I had to switch the device off and on again. However, it takes a long time to power up (around 13 seconds), which can be frustrating. I also noticed a couple of times that the recording icon was active on the screen, but the unit was not actually recording. As a result, I missed some beautiful footage of a Tawny Owl leaving its burrow. Hopefully these issues will be resolved in the next firmware release.
Summary
Thermal imaging cameras, such as the Zeiss DTI 4/35 reviewed here, are generally thought of as night vision devices. As such, they are likely to be used most often by hunters. Although I am not a fan of shooting animals, except with a camera, I hope that every hunter will have a device like this on hand. It will make it quicker and safer to track down a shot animal, and I’d be less worried about a hunter mistaking me for a wild boar when I’m out at night.
Anything can lurk in the dark. With a thermal imaging camera, you can at least see its face.
But this is a photography site, so the question is: Can a thermal imaging camera be useful to a wildlife photographer? My answer is – absolutely yes. At night, it can help you find out what wildlife is in your area and where they may like to hide. This will also make it much easier to place camera traps if you do that type of photography. Then, during the day, it will reliably break through the cryptic colouration of birds and mammals, honed over millions of years, to help you spot well-camouflaged animals.
It’s a specialty device and not cheap, but for wildlife photographers who are spending hours and hours to get the perfect photo, it’s another useful tool to add to your bag.
Where to Buy
If reading my review has encouraged you to buy a thermal imaging camera, you can thank us at Photography Life by using one of the following links to make your purchase.
Zeiss DTI 4/35: I had this camera on loan for testing, and of the Zeiss range of thermal imaging cameras, I would describe it as the most versatile.
Zeiss DTI 4/50: This is identical to the one I tested, except that its range is increased about 40% due to the longer focal length lens.This feature will come in handy in clear steppe or rural areas, or wherever you are looking for smaller animals.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!
We’ve already stepped deep into September, with the first day of fall just around the corner. And we know what that means – warm and vivid foliage made for stunning photos. Like every year, folks at the Smoky Mountains National Park have launched the fall foliage prediction map. It shows you how the leaves will change across the US this fall so you can plan your shoot and get the most out of each location you visit.
How does the fall foliage map work?
To predict the foliage transformations, Smoky Mountains NP uses a refined data model and takes a combination of factors into account:
NOAA historical temperatures
NOAA historical precipitation
NOAA forecast temperatures
NOAA forecast precipitation
Historical leaf peak trends
Peak observation trends
User Reports
Of course, the predictions aren’t 100% accurate, but then again – which forecast is? I think it’s still super helpful for planning a shoot. After all, you can get involved and report the fall foliage situation in your area to make the map even better.
How to use the map?
The fall foliage map is user-friendly, intuitive, and pretty straightforward. Just drag the slider underneath the map and you’ll see as the leaves change throughout the fall. Green represents regions where trees have yet to go from green to fall colors, while brown signifies areas where leaves have moved past their prime. Naturally, other hues in between illustrate the unfolding transformations. You can find the map on this link, or play with it underneath this paragraph:
Unfortunately for us in other parts of the world, the map still only covers the area of the United States. Still, the founders may expand it to other continents in the future. And while I’m still enjoying high temperatures, ice cream, and cold beer, I can’t deny it – fall is definitely creeping in.
My latest book for Rocky Nook, looking at Lightroom CC/6 including all the new features. Available in both print and ebook forms.
Penny H: A well written and very comprehensive guide that I thoroughly recommend. Stefan47: Even an experienced user will learn a few tips from this book.
Piet Van den Eynde: Beginners get more than enough information from this book, but even an experienced user (like I consider myself to be) can learn more than a couple of tricks.
1:1 Training and Problem Solving
Need to brush up on your Lightroom or Photoshop? Having Catalog or Missing File or Folder issues and need help? Using a variety of services, I can help you online with either.
Hoodies never go out of style. Previously a streetwear staple, hoodies have evolved from urban clothes to absolute musts in the closets of everyone from kids to seniors. Yep, they’re that practical!
And now that you’re here, we’re betting you already have a design or two in mind for your next collection that includes hoodies. Perfect for trendy and modern brands, simple hoodies can help you showcase your design and amaze your audience. But you don’t have to reach for the needle and the thread before seeing what your design will look like first!
With these Photoshop mockup templates, you can easily assess how well your hoodie design fits, as well as make modifications before you have committed to producing hundreds (if not thousands) of hoodies.
If you use mockups to promote your new collections well before they’re ready, you’re getting extra time to reach new audiences and stun them with your designs. And don’t get us started on pre-orders! They can significantly reduce your initial costs and make it super easy to get started without paying a lot upfront.
Finally, if you’re creating hoodies with a print-on-demand service, it’s much easier to show your customers what they’ll be getting with these handy hoodie mockup templates.
Zipped up and ready to roll, this hoodie mockup template is perfect for both simple and complex designs. You’ll get six hoodie templates, all 3D-mapped with smart objects to give photo-realistic results on all devices.
If your hoodie’s party is both in the front and back, you’ll love these hoodie mockup templates! With four different presentations and numerous customization options, these mockups are perfect for product promotion!
This kid hoodie mockup template gives the kids a chance to be stylish! Featuring a boy sitting in the grass, this boy hoodie mockup template is perfect for promoting your products to stylish parents. Easily add your designs, adjust the hoodie color, and turn your vision into a reality!
Keep it casual with this dark gray hoodie mockup template for Photoshop! They depict a man showcasing both the designs in the front and back. You’ll get 3 PSD hoodie mockups and plenty of cool ways to customize the hoodie template to fit your brand.
The more, the merrier! This hoodie mockup set showcases both regular hoodies as well as zip and heather zip hoodies. You’ll even get a tee added into the mix! And to get photo-realistic results, customize with the help of the displacement map that will make your designs shine.
There’s nothing women like more than hoodies! At least – there’s nothing they’ll love more than your hoodies when you present them through this gorgeous, modeled pullover hoodie mockup template. Easily add your design, customize the hoodie color, and promote your gorgeous apparel everywhere!
Modern yet serene, these hoodie mockup templates for Photoshop are perfect for promoting your apparel. These three hoodie mockups were modeled and professionally photographed in atmospheric settings. You can easily customize the reflections and shadows to make sure these colorful female hoodie mockups fit your brand and amaze your audience.
Incredibly photo-realistic, this male hoodie mockup template for Photoshop is perfect for bringing light to your designs! With three different views, eight backgrounds, five effect controllers, and plenty of other customization options (including removable shadows and color editing), this hoodie mockup template will take your audience’s breath away.
Modern and realistic, this hoodie mockup set will help customers envision themselves in your collection. You can pick from ten PSD scenes with both male and female models and change the color of the hoodie, laces, and zip. And for that extra touch, you will also get five gorgeous filters.
If you want to showcase your designs only, this hoodie mockup template set for Photoshop is a perfect choice. With four different hoodie mockups, all fully and easily editable with Photoshop smart objects, you’ll have your pick of the litter. We recommend using these mockups for internal presentations!
Show your customers how well your hoodies will fit their style with this hoodie template! Depicting a man sitting in a restaurant wearing a simple hoodie, this mockup is perfect for casual and trendy vibes. You can easily add your own designs, as well as change the hoodie color.
This hoodie mockup template set is perfect for branding and establishing the visual identity of your next apparel collection! With six diverse mockups of hoodies without models, customizable effects, and adjustable backgrounds, you’ll be able to make this set your own, and wow your partners and customers!
If you want to showcase the full brilliance of your designs, choose these atmospheric hoodie mockups. Perfect for distinguished branding and (social media) promotion, this set comes with 13 hoodie mockups worn by a model and professionally photographed. They work with all colors, and you can adjust reflections and shadows!
Simple yet effective, this black hoodie mockup template is perfect for promoting trendy and urban collections, and for internal presentations. The mockups are 100% editable, including the background color. You’ll get high-quality and extremely photo-realistic results that accurately show how well your design fits the hoodie.
Show your customers or partners what they can expect with this flat-lay mockup of a hoodie with two labels. Easily customizable, this mockup showcases both the hoodie design as well as two label designs. It’s perfect for internal presentations and ensuring your branding is on point!
Neutral and easily editable, this hoodie mockup template set for Photoshop is a perfect choice for both marketing and internal apparel presentations. Effectively showcase your designs through 6 hoodie mockups, and adjust the background, varnish, and more. You’ll even get four filters to make your presentation incredibly photo-realistic!
Simple and clean, these five hoodie mockup templates for Photoshop are exactly what you need to make sure your designs look beautiful in real life. You can customize everything: design, color, fabric, backgrounds, textures, shadows, and more! It’s the full hoodie mockup package for your next apparel presentation!
These hoodie mockup templates put your designs in the spotlight! Even though the hoodies are worn by models to make them more photo-realistic, your design will shine through. You can pick from four dynamic mockup templates (three front-facing poses, one showcasing the design on the back) and amaze your audience!
Simple and clean, this folded full-zip hoodie mockup template is perfect for showcasing the product in your store or discussing how well your design fits the fabric and the item. In just a few clicks, you can upload your design and logo and change both the background and the hoodie color.
Who said kiddos couldn’t look cool? This hoodie mockup template is perfect for clothing lines for kids. The boy hoodie mockup set includes four different mockups, as well as easily editable reflections and shadows. The mockups are professionally photographed and modeled, so you’ll love using them!
Elevate your brand and reduce your costs! These versatile hoodie mockups allow you to perfectly present your designs while keeping your branding in mind.
From dynamic mockups featuring models wearing hoodies with your designs to more classical hoodie mockups that put your design in the spotlight, you have plenty to pick from.
We hope you’ll have fun customizing these hoodie mockups in Photoshop. All it takes is a few clicks, and you’ll be set!
While Black History Month is a great time to celebrate the talent and work Black Americans have contributed to our country. It is also a month (like many honorary months) that shines light on the progress that must still be made.
Creativity has no race, no gender, no religion. But it does have the capacity to tell powerful stories to create connection, understanding and progress. Creativity can challenge the mainstream and create discourse across divides. It can also create common ground or empathy for experiences we have not lived.
It is through the creative output of Black Americans that we continue to grow as a country, transcending boundaries and building understanding. Each year, February is a retrospective of the steps we have made towards progress and a celebration of the Black creatives who have transformed our country and our culture.
Here are 6 Black creatives we’re loving right now. If you don’t already, go follow their work.
Reyna Noriega
Reyna Noriegaimage via @reynanoriega_
A visual artist and author hailing from Miami, Florida, Reyna Noriega’s creative output spans across mediums. From her own life experiences Noriega has found introspective, reflection and healing through art. Through her art, she hopes to do the same for others. Her work focuses on representing women of color and sharing the stories of WOC finding a path to their most authentic selves.
Alexis Hunley
Alexis Hunleyphoto via @byalexishunley
As a self-taught artist and photographer, who began shooting in 2017, Alexis Hunley’s work captivates well beyond her experience. Full of emotion, color and depth, her photographic style takes viewers on a profound journey through her own experience. According to Hunley, her love for science and art has propelled her to create interplay in her work and explore vulnerability and authenticity.
Karston “Skinny” Tannis
Karston “Skinny” TannisPhoto via @skinnywashere
Karston Tannis, better known as “Skinny” is a self taught portrait photographer from Brooklyn, New York. He is an environmental lifestyle and fashion photographer, who draws inspiration from his surroundings to tell authentic stories. As an original member of Pursuit of Portraits, a community of creators focused on progressing culture through the power of storytelling, he is not only an artist but a community builder.
Kara Walker
Kara WalkerImage via Phillips
Born in Stockton, California, raised in Atlanta and now based in New York, Kara Walker is a contemporary painter, sculptor, illustrator, print-maker and professor. Both through her creative work and her teaching, Walker explores the connection between race, gender, sexuality, identity and violence. Known for her artist skill across mediums, Walker’s most recognizable work is large-scale tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes.
Adam Pendleton
Conceptual artist, Adam Pendleton is known for his multi-disciplinary work, spanning across painting, silkscreen, collage, video, performance and word art. Pendleton’s use of historical text and imagery to re-contextualize and shed light on underrepresented narratives is what captivates viewers of his work. Pulling inspiration from modern art movements including Dada, Minimalism and Conceptualism, his work gives new perspective to voices that have historically been unheard.
Happy New Year! Probably some of you wonder why I have dropped off the map, but I was simply taking a computer break to spend more time with the family over the holidays. We had a great Christmas and New Year and now I ready to get back to work.
I love textures and one of my passions is finding vintage daguerreotype images and editing them to turn them into beautiful textures and overlays. Yesterday I made a new set of five to share with you and I hope you love them as much as me!
This week I will post a short tutorial how I use them, but briefly I
normally use Soft Light, Overlay, and/or Screen blending mode for the
texture, and then add a Levels adjustment layer set to Screen blending
mode over the image if the overall edit is too dark.
Paul gave me
a new Epson Ecotank inkjet printer for Christmas as my old printer
hasn’t worked well for a few years. This one isn’t supposed to clog like
the old ones did, and I won’t use cheap generic ink in it as I think that
ended up clogging up and ruining my old one. The ink supplied in this printer can
potentially last up to 1.5 to 2 years, so I won’t have to stress out if I
print out an 8×10 and it looks cruddy. In a month or two I will post a little review on it for those of you that are looking to get a new photo printer.
I have so many empty places on
my walls that need some art so I am so excited to start printing again!
I also wanted to mention that I am going back and updating my older download links. I used to post two links (Mediafire and Dropbox), but the Dropbox account has been closed. Years ago Mediafire links weren’t encrypted and verified (HTTPS), so they all start with HTTP. The link redirects to the secure HTTPS site, but apparently links that don’t have that “S” won’t work on some browsers. If you find a download on one of my older posts and it doesn’t work, please leave a comment and I will fix it. Until I get to it, you can copy the link to notepad or your web browser and change the HTTP to HTTPS in the address and the link will work
Download the CoffeeShop “Daguerreotypes #4” Fine Art Texture Set
Do you want to download thousands of professional CoffeeShop PSE/Photoshop actions (including exclusive ones not found anywhere for free), textures/overlays, scrapbooking papers, clip art/design elements, photo storyboards and frames, and Lightroom presets from this site in one convenient zipped file AND help support this one-woman blog?
Just click here for my CoffeeShop Mega Download Pack!
Yesterday we talked about how shutter speed works. Today, we will focus on the last of the three essential elements of the exposure triangle: ISO – a very important setting to understand and use properly if you want to take the best possible photos.
What is ISO in Photography?
In photography, ISO refers to the sensitivity of your camera’s image sensor to light and is one of the three essential elements of exposure, along with aperture and shutter speed (which we covered in our previous posts)
ISO is measured in numbers, such as 100, 200, 400, 800, and so on.
The lower the ISO number, the LESS SENSITIVE the camera’s sensor is to light, which means that more light is needed to properly expose the image.
On the other hand, the higher the ISO number, the MORE SENSITIVE the sensor is to light, which means that less light is needed to properly expose the image.
The term ISO has been carried over from the days of real film, which is made up of little crystal grains. At ISO 100 or 200, those crystal grains are tiny and need more light to expose them. With ISO 1600 or 3200 films, the crystal grains are much larger and thus require less light to expose them. The trade-off is that the larger crystal grains are more noticeable, and photos are less smooth.
Digital cameras have ISO equivalents. However, with digital cameras, it isn’t crystal grains that become noticeable as the ISO numbers get larger; it’s the pixels that become more noticeable as noise or grain.
Your camera sensor will need less light at higher ISOs to create a nicely exposed photo. However, you will also see more grain and noise in the image.
At lower ISOs, your camera sensor will need more light to create a nicely exposed photo, and you will see much less grain and noise in the image.
(This example photo was taken at ISO 6400 on a Nikon D610. At 100, the grain is noticeable but not distracting. No noise reduction has been applied).
What ISO Setting Should You Use?
Generally, you want to keep your ISO as low as possible. However, this does NOT mean you should always shoot with an ISO of 100.
There is generally much less light available when shooting indoors than when taking photos outside in the sun. In these low-light situations, you should use whatever light you have available and raise your ISO as necessary to get a good exposure.
Why? Because capturing a nicely exposed photo is more important than worrying about grain or noise.
Use lower ISO numbers when you have lots of light available (for example, outdoors where there is nice light).
Use high ISO numbers when less light is available (for example, indoors in the evening or outdoors as the sun sets).
Digital cameras have really improved their high ISO capabilities in the last several years. Many current cameras can shoot at high ISOs with relatively little grain and noise.
How to Change ISO Settings on Your Canon Camera
To adjust ISO on your Canon Camera, press the ISO button and rotate the main command dial. The ISO button is located on the top of the camera in one of the locations shown in the diagram below.
How to Change ISO Settings on Your Nikon Camera
To adjust ISO on your Nikon entry-level camera, press the “Info” button and select ISO using the back circular dial. Then set the number you want and press “OK.” Some entry-level Nikon cameras have touch screens that allow you to adjust ISO.
TIP: Since setting ISO requires a few steps, consider setting the “Fn” button on the front of your camera to adjust your ISO. Consult your manual for the exact steps to do this.
To adjust ISO on your Nikon Pro or Semi-Pro camera, press the “ISO” button and rotate the main command dial. Depending on the model, the ISO button will be located on the top or back of your camera.
Conclusion
Make sure you remember these general rules about ISO before moving on to the next part of our Mastering Manual tutorial:
Lower ISO numbers are less sensitive to light and produce little noise or grain, so use a lower ISO when you have lots of light.
Higher ISO numbers are more sensitive to light but produce more grain or noise, so use a higher ISO when there is less light available.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed Day 5 of Mastering Manual!
But Don’t Stop Now!
Don’t miss the rest of our series to help you Master Manual Mode. If you missed any of these posts, you can read/review them anytime by clicking these links!
Day 1. Why Shoot in Manual Mode
Day 2. How to Use Your Camera’s Light Meter
Day 3. Aperture for Beginners
Day 4. Shutter Speed for Beginners
Day 6. Perfect Exposure: Putting it All Together
Day 7. Practicing Your Way to Manual Mode Perfection
Bonus: free downloadable Mastering Manual Cheat Sheet for use on the go!
Gayle Vehar
Lightroom Instructor
Hi!! I am Gayle. I am a wife to my handsome husband and mom to 4 beautiful kids. In my spare time, I am a photographer and blogger at Mom and Camera. I have a passion for sharing my love of photography with others. I teach local photography classes and regularly share photography tips and tricks on my blog. I hang out there a lot—I’d love you to stop by and visit!
One of the great benefits of using social media as a photographer is the incredible opportunity to instantly connect with different creatives from around the world and from different walks of life.
It’s now easier than ever to share stories, support one another, and learn from each other from across time zones, overseas, and through screens. 📲
It is always a pleasure to bring photographers together and learn about the work they’re producing, the communities they come from, and the reasons why photography is such a special part of their lives.
This year, for International Women’s Day, we partnered with Black Women Photographers to highlight the work of several women we admire, and opened up the virtual stage for an inspiring and uplifting Twitter Space conversation.
Listen to our full chat below, and read on for the highlights – including some fantastic advice for fellow photographers, gear preferences from our featured guests, and shout-outs to the important women in their lives.
Cover images courtesy of Elsie Kibue-Ngare, Amanda Cain, Betty Tamrat and Jillian Atkinson.
We were lucky enough to speak with four different photographers from various locations around the world: London, New York, California and Ethiopia.
Meet Elsie Kibue-Ngare, Jillian Atkinson, Amanda Cain and Betty Tamrat.
When planning for our talk, we asked each of these photographers to select a few photos to share and discuss. Take a look at the photos they selected below and listen on to hear the story behind each image. Then follow these women on social media to see more of their work!
What advice would you give to fellow or aspiring photographers?
We love sharing words of encouragement, tips from the pros and uplifting messages from photographers to their peers. What would be your go-to advice for fellow or aspiring photographers? Tag us on Twitter (@photoshelter) and let us know.
Elsie: Photography can be a very lonely profession. Most of the time you’re alone. So my advice would be to look for an accountability partner, and this is something even Polly Irungu encourages us to do through Black Women Photographers.
My other tip is to always practice self care as well. Because even when you’re going through downtime – currently I’m going through a slump, I haven’t photographed in a while and I feel really bad – I’m taking it as an opportunity, and as my body telling me to rest and prepare myself for the next stage of my photography journey. Always think about how there are days that will come when you’re not motivated, but it’s ok. Take it as a chance for you to regroup and prepare yourself for the next stage in your own journey.
Jillian: Repetition is definitely key. Just get up and shoot for sure. I started cooking for myself and photographing my plates of food in the house and that progressed over time. I could see my progress and so it pushed me to keep going.
My second tip would be not to rely on your gear or camera as the reason why you take great photos… The question that I get most often is, ‘What do I shoot on, what is my camera?’ But I didn’t start with that camera. I started shooting on my iPhone and I was capturing pictures that way for a long time before I committed to actually gearing up. So, trust your eyes and define what your vision is and what your goal is. Because your eye is the picture itself, so work with whatever you have in front of you and just go for it.
Amanda: My go-to tip is to shoot everything you possibly can. Whether your goal is to be a food photographer or a sports photographer, a lot of those skills transfer over into each discipline.
Did you know we recently interviewed Amanda to learn about her experience with representation in the photo and hockey industries, how she got her start, and more? Read our feature story here.
Betty: These photographers have said it all. All I can say is trust your gut, trust the process and just use whatever you have at hand. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, you’ll figure it out in the process.
What gear is a must-have when you’re working on a project or you’re about to head out for an assignment?
Whether it’s food photography or street photography, camera gear and photo equipment can look a lot different for every photographer and every speciality.
Lighting and photographing food, in a studio or kitchen for example, comes with a great number of factors to consider. You can pull out all the bells and whistles in a studio setting. On the other hand, documentary work takes a whole different approach, where photographing people and interacting with the world around you often works better with less tools on your back and in your hands.
Jillian: When you ask me about gear, my first thoughts are the kind of layout work that I do with styling and prep. So I make photography-specific decisions based on the bowls, the plates, the food, the temperature of the food, etc. That’s not really gear, but that’s my first step. I take a lot of notes, I grid out my shots first and I sort of see them in my head; overhead shots, straight on, and about 45° angles. Then I have to think about light. Do I want to soften the light based on the plates? Do I need to change my umbrellas to a rectangle or square because I’m shooting glass?
I also shoot with a speedlight rather than a strobe, but I’d love to move onto a strobe. It gives you a lot better functionality. And then there’s diffusion. I diffuse a lot, especially when it comes to food and making sure that I’m highlighting the hero part of the image, a.k.a where I want you to look on the plate first.
Betty: As a street photographer, I choose my iPhone for that. It’s a better experience than shooting with a camera because people don’t give you as much attention. You can be your true self. People are afraid of cameras these days…
For my indoor shots, I do use Sony though. And for my travel shots I use a 70-200mm lens.
Click here to watch our on-demand webinar about iPhone vs DSLR Photography.
Let’s talk about mentors. Who inspires you? Who are the women in your life–whether they’re photographers and creatives or not–who you admire and look up to?
At PhotoShelter, countless photographers have told us they wouldn’t be where they are in their careers without mentorship. Here’s a shout-out to those who raised us, came before us, challenged and educated us along the way, and helped to make us who we are today.
Download our guide, Photography Mentorship: Why You Need it and Why it Helps Everyone, to get inspired.
Elsie: I have to give a big shout-out to Polly. I know she hears this a lot, but I think I’ll keep giving her flowers because she created this community in the height of the pandemic, we all came together, and we helped build a community of Black women photographers. This has helped so many women… and there is a lot she is planning for the coming days. So big shout-out to Polly.
And Mom, in case you’re listening, let me shout her out too!
Jillian: Many many women in my personal life who I look up to and honor everyday – my mom, whose house I’m at today and my grandmother, who’s 100 years old. I love and honor them everyday.
Also Elsie is spot on for shouting out Polly, who has created such an awesome community for us. Thank you so much Polly, and Polly’s mom too, who is always so much fun and interactive with us!
In terms of photography women that I look up to, there are so many influential women, especially in the food space. One of those is Joanie Simon, who does a lot of teaching. She’s a great resource if people want to start getting more involved in food photography. She is somebody who I really admire – just her capacity to build an entire YouTube empire around food and food photography, and I like to shout her out if people are interested in getting started.
Click here to watch our on-demand webinar with Joanie Simon about capturing action in food photography.
Betty: I want to give a huge shout-out to my grandma. I know she’ll never hear this, but she has a special place in my heart. She’s so inspiring every day.
In the photography industry: Martha Tadesse, she’s a huge inspiration as a photographer. She’s a documentary photographer and she’s amazing at her job. And of course a shout-out to Hilina Abebe. She’s my favorite and I always look forward to seeing her work.
Amanda: Shout-out to my mom for believing in my dreams and Polly too, for organizing a spot for Black women photographers to be seen and heard. That is an amazing accomplishment. Photographers in the space… quick shout-out to Nina Robinson and Michelle Agins – females like those who I’ve had the pleasure of talking to and who I’ve been mentored by. A shout-out to all of the women sports photographers out there because we are all inspiring. And to the women here too, because we are all inspiring.
Want to join us next time we host a Show and Tell Twitter Space? Follow @photoshelter on Twitter and stay tuned for our next conversation!
Most video are horizontal. Sometimes you want to change a horizontal video to vertical or to square for social media such as Instagram reel, Youtube shorts or tie Tok. Or maybe you just want to recompose a video and need to extend the edges. Here is how.
On the left is before, on the right is after. Its generative fill, but this is working on a video in Photoshop.
Choose file>Open and choose your video, it will open in Photoshop and the timeline will appear. (Not all video formats are supported, but .mov H.264 is the most commonly used and supported format.)
For more on Photoshop and video check out this tutorial
If you look in the layers panel, you will see a video group. Everything in this video group will be on a single layer on the timeline. You will see why you need to know this soon.
Lets extend the canvas.
Choose the crop tool
Drag out the crop to extend the top or bottom. Tip: Find an edge that doesn’t have movement, or shoot a photo that only has movement in the middle. This technique won’t work properly on a video that has edge to edge movement.
Press enter to apply the crop. We have a 1:1 square crop here.
Grab the rectangular marquee selection tool
Drag over the blank area, making sure to overlap the existing pixels a little bit.
Choose Generative fill
Enter text for what you want to fill the blank layer with and then press generate
Because we are in the Video group in the layers panel, you will notice the generated layer (in purple) is added at the end of the timeline, rather than stacked on top of the video
Grab the Generated layer and drag it above the Video group in the Layers panel.
Drag the clip to the beginning of the timeline.
Drag the end of the generated layer in the timeline, so it’s the same duration as the video.
You can see its now extended.
Choose your favorite out of the variations (How to use Generative Fill in Photoshop)
Press the spacebar for the video to play. Notice how convincing this is. We have essentially created a Cinemagraph
Exporting the video
Once you have created this, you can save it as a PSD and everything will be as it was when you reopen the file. To share or distribute the result, it needs to be encoded as a video.
In Photoshop choose File>Export>Render Video
Use the default format or H.264
If you use the high quality preset, the video will render using the current dimensions.
You can choose different options from presets if you want to share the video on a specific platform, as it contains YouTube presets and more.
To learn more about video in Photoshop, I have created 2 courses
Video In Photoshop (Also available as a book from Peachpit press, authored by myself, Colin Smith)
Making Movies In photoshop
Check out the video above to see this in action.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful, browse 100s more here at the CAFE
See ya,
Colin
Also follow me on Instagram, Tik Tik and Twitter. for shorts and reels.
My new course on Generative Fill in Photoshop: https://photoshopcafe.com/shop/generative-fill-in-photoshop-introduction-course/
TTArtisans has made its name with quirky, affordable rangefinder and mirrorless lenses. This portrait-friendly 90mm F1.25 comes in at a relatively low $515, but what are the drawbacks? Well, first off, it’s manual focus only. Secondly, you’ll notice that some of the images in this gallery have no or incorrect F-stop data attached – that’s because there’s no electronic link to the camera’s body. Hence the EXIF is lacking.
But, especially at a portrait focal length, soft optics can be helpfully flattering, and the price is appealing for such a fast aperture. You’ll find plenty of examples to peruse in this gallery (Raw files and processed JPEGs, shot with the Nikon Z7 and Z9). If there’s a shot you want more information about, hit us up in the comments and the sample photographer will try and fill in the missing information.
View our TTArtisans 90mm F1.25 sample gallery
Gear in this story
In stock Usually ships within 4 to 5 days.
The Sony a7CR is a high-resolution addition to the company’s compact full-frame a7C series. So what did we make of it and where does it leave the a7 IV that it sits just above.
The Sony a7C II refreshes the compact full-frame with a 33MP sensor, the addition of a front control dial, a dedicated ‘AI’ processor, 10-bit 4K/60p video and more.
Capture One Pro has come a long way since our last review, and now feels much more capable and responsive. Is it perhaps time you consider a move to this Adobe alternative?
The Sony a6700 is the company’s latest high-end APS-C mirrorless camera, built around a 26MP BSI CMOS sensor and bringing the latest subject recognition AF and 10-bit video.
This pro-oriented plugin for Lightroom promises to learn to reproduce your editing style. Can it deliver?
Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a ‘best’ option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.
There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. We’ve combed through the options and selected our two favorite cameras in this class.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both the speed and focus to capture fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
Family moments are precious and sometimes you want to capture that time spent with loved ones or friends in better quality than your phone can manage. We’ve selected a group of cameras that are easy to keep with you, and that can adapt to take photos wherever and whenever something memorable happens.
What’s the best camera for shooting sports and action? Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. In this buying guide we’ve rounded-up several great cameras for shooting sports and action, and recommended the best.
As part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, it gives photographers instant access to all updates once they are made available. While some photographers may opt to stick to earlier versions, improvements to the latest version include the following advantages:
Penny H: A well written and very comprehensive guide that I thoroughly recommend.
