PhLearn: Photoshop Tutorials

If you ever edited with Photoshop, you know there is not one and only one way to do the edits. You can go from the most complex and obscure to something very mundane and easy. PhLearn.com is an amazing source of photoshop tutorials. I just finished viewing all my backlog and instead of creating one post per tutorial I will today group them in one post.

1. How to create a sunset in Photoshop: Transform a regular picture in a photo with a gorgeous sunset light
   
2. How to clean background in Photoshop: A technique I had never seen used before based on the median blur.
   
3. How to create a double exposure in Photoshop: A artsy technique to blend 2 pictures.
   
4. How to create freckles in Photoshop: Always loved freckles and I am amazed how natural this technique is.
   
5. Change the color of anything in Photoshop: All is in the title…
   
6. How to create a lens flare: For all the JJ Abrams fans
   
7. How to change hair color in Photoshop: Not as easy as you might think due to highlights and color ranges…
   
8. How to remove anything from a Photo: A very detailed step by step tutorial to remove stuff you don’t want
   

I love these tutorials as you can understand the thought process behind it. Don’t hesitate to share your tips and tricks in the comments…

By Sebastien Grobelny

Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit, vote and see results on Celine’s blog.
• Milky Way : Nice article from PetaPixel on how to pick your lens to shoot the Milky Way
• Into the wild: Wyoming is a beautiful state but Wyoming is a wild state as shown in this timelapse.
• Lighting: The Strobist offers a Ligthing 101 guide. More details can be found here.
• May the Force…: Loved this article on PetaPixel about movie scenes done with Lego including Star Wars and Indiana Jones. One day maybe I will be able to do something similar 😉

By Sebastien Grobelny

Sébastien/Céline 2

Thank you for the good feedback I received after my first guest post!

Here is the second installation of the “Difference series”, where I show you two photos, one taken by Sebastien, and one by me, at the same place, almost at the same time, sometimes with the same equipment, to analyze our different visions.

Sébastien’s photo

LENS: Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM – EXIF: 1/250sec f/10 ISO 100

Céline’s photo

LENS: EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM – EXIF: 1/320sec f/4.5 ISO 100

These photos were taken during the road trip we took for our fifth wedding anniversary. We were in Chicago, and went on a cruise on Lake Michigan to capture the skyline. I think if we could do it again, we would go later in the day, closer to sunset (but on that day we wanted to be at the restaurant on top of the Hancock Tower for our anniversary at that hour).

What I like in each of them: From the format, to how we composed the photo around the main subject, to the color editing, everything is different! I am not a huge fan of sepia/redscale toning in general, so I prefer the colors in my photo. I like the brightness and contrast in Sebastien’s, and the photo appears sharper overall. As for composition, I like mine better, and would even have cropped Sebastien’s differently.

Sébastien/Céline 1

Sébastien and I met almost 9 years ago, and our passion for photography was one of the things that brought us closer. We have been taking photos together all this time, walking around New York, at various museums and gardens, doing various studio projects, during road trips in all 48 continental states of the USA…

What always made us laugh, was that we never took the same photos. We share our equipment and editing softwares, but even when we capture the exact same thing at the exact same time, we still get different results. I won’t lie: sometimes, I prefer my photos, sometimes, I am very jealous of Sébatien’s!

This post is the first one of a series called “differences”. The idea is to show these photos of an identical subject with a few words about the context and the technical informations for each of them. I hope you will enjoy these guest posts of mine!

Sébastien’s photo

LENS: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM – EXIF: 1/1600sec f/1.2 ISO 100

Céline’s photo

LENS: EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM – EXIF: 1/800sec f/1.2 ISO 100

These photos were taken in Santa Fe in May 2013, during a road trip, in a market where a lot of folk art was in display. We had our brand new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens with us and were still very impressed with the 1.2 focal. I think that if we had to do it all over again, we would do it at f/4.5 or f/5 (we only recently learned that sharpness was better a couple of f-stops under the widest possible for the lens).

What I like in each of them: Sébastien’s photo has the most wonderful colors! I have no idea how he achieved such a wonderful result, but I am very impressed! I also like that we don’t see the cheapness of the table (that we see on mine). But I think I prefer my composition and point of focus (although it’s impossible to lower the visibility of the table this way).

Long Exposure #6 : My photography Equipment

After filling the form on photoblogs.com and DPChallenge this week, I realized that I have never shared with you my photography equipment.
Here’s a picture of the bag we took for last weeks photo walk in Greenwood cemetery

The bag is a wonder from Petrol. It is the DSLR Camera Rollpak. Celine loves to roll it and I find it personally more convenient to put is a backpack.

Here’s what you can see in the bag in the picture above (from left to right):

• Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
• Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
• Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
• Canon DSLR 50D (body) and Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM (lens)
• Celine’s Canon DSLR 5D Mark III (body) and Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
• Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
• Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM

Not in the picture but in the bag, we also had spare batteries and memory cards as well as a cleaning kit for the lens and a cover should it start to rain.
To be complete here’s the list of lenses that didn’t make the cut this time but we could take with us next time:

• Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
• Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (sorry no link as the version we have is not made anymore)
• Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III

IS stands for Image Stabilizer.
USM stands for Ultrasonic Motor.

We used to have a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. It was the king of the quality/price in our house and you can still buy it for about 100$. We loved it so much that when the first one broke down (dropped on the floor and exploded) we immediately bought a new one. The second one just died on us (the focus can’t be trusted anymore) and we will replace it eventually with his big brother the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM.
We also have a Canon MPE-65 that is amazing to do macro shots if you are able to do the focus.

Snow shot with the Canon MPE-65

I love the 100-400mm for the very powerful zoom and the 85mm for the intimate depth of field. If I were to play and win the lottery I would probably by this lens from Sigma.

We have also several accessories:

• 2 flash Canon Speedlite 550EX
• 1 flash Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX
• 1 Manfrotto 190XPROB
• 1 flexible gorillapod

Don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment if you have any question regarding this equipment or would just like to share your equipment or dream equipment.

By Sebastien Grobelny