photo editing « Tags « Zoom Yummy – Crochet, Food, Photography

Photography – Photo Editing with RadLab

April 12, 2013 by zoomyummy

tulip - totally rad presets - before and after comparison

Lately I’ve received quite a few questions asking me what my photo editing process looks like. This got me thinking about how many stages in photo processing I have actually gone through.
A few months ago I put together this post about my favorite retouching techniques.
And just recently I found a real gem. It is a cute set of actions (or ‘stylets’) called RadLab. And I ADORE that thing! The actions/stylets are super-easy to use and make the whole photo editing process really quick and enjoyable.
Here are a few example for you to compare…

chocolate - rad lab presets - before and after comparison

cake - rad lab action - before and after

dogs and gardne - rad lab action - before and after

truffles - rad lab actions - before and after

What do you think? Do you like the difference?
Love,
Petra

Total138
2
4
3
122
1

Photography ~ How To Create White Vignette

December 11, 2011January 18, 2014 by zoomyummy

how to add white misty border to a picture Photoshop tutorial

Because many of you, my dear readers, liked my last article on adding more light to your pictures during these tough months of winter, I decided to share another one of my light finding tricks with you.

I call it ‘white vignette’, despite the fact that the word vignette is usually used to describe dark blurred border around the picture.

I like adding dark vignette to my pictures. I find them cute because they nicely draw attention to the center of an image. I even wrote a tutorial about it once. But my winter photos, oh my winter photos do not need it that much, they need more light, that’s what they need.

Long story short, one day it occurred to me that – maybe – if I used white color instead of black one while creating the vignette, it could help my darker pictures to look better.

I liked the idea, and I loved the result.

Just have a look…

how to add white misty border to a picture Photoshop tutorial

This is the before picture.

When I was taking this picture, the display of my camera was saying it looked alright and that it was properly exposed.

But I did not think so when I saw it on the screen of my laptop.

how to add white misty border to a picture Photoshop tutorial, unsharp mask to add contrast, sharpening with unsharp mask, light with levels

This is the same picture after a little bit of editing in Photoshop Elements 8 has been done (no vignette yet).

Much better, I think.

I corrected exposure with levels (tutorial here).

I improved contrast with unsharp mask (tutorial here).

And I sharpened the picture a little (tutorial here).

how to add white misty border to a picture Photoshop tutorial, white vignette

And then I added my white vignette.

I like how it creates an illusion of more light coming in.

These are the steps that I took:

Fight For The Light

December 2, 2011January 18, 2014 by zoomyummy

how to improve histogram using Photoshop

It’s nearly winter.

If you take photographs (and especially if you take photographs inside your home) then you’re surely familiar with what winter time means to a photographer.

Short days and poor light.

Right?

Right.

“But what are we going to do?”

“WE ARE GOING TO FIGHT IT?”

“And what else are we going to do?”

“WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE MARS BARS THAN USUAL.”

Well, that was my inner motivational trainer talking to the evil part of me that likes to solve all problems with bars of chocolate. They clash, those two, quite often.

Anyhow, as a food blogger, I am currently solving just that problem – how to achieve a better looking light in my pictures.

But you know what?

I have found out that sometimes it might be good to face an obstacle. Because facing an obstacle might lead you to learning new things. Like finding out what a histogram is. And finding out about its magical powers.

Because that strange looking and strange sounding histogram is in fact a dear friend.

Just let me show you…

Photography ~ My Photo Editing Process

September 22, 2011January 18, 2014 by zoomyummy

photo editing process before and after comparison, simple tutorial, photography tutorial, crop tool, resize, boost action, pioneer woman actions, histogram correcting exposure, sharpening, boosting contrast, lighten shadows

I’ve realized that although I have already posted a bunch of photo editing tutorials here before, I have never described my entire photo editing process – step by step.

And since many of you have asked about it, I’ve prepared this little post describing my usual workflow.

Some steps you may be familiar with, some steps may be new to you. Some steps might even look strange, especially if you are a trained photographer. Which I am not. But what I am offering here is the knowledge that I’ve gained during the last two years of my photography and blogging experience. So if you have anything to add, please do so in the comment section of this post.

Learning new things is good.

That is what I’ve heard some people saying so there’s probably something to it.