Photographic experimenters and artists are always looking out for new and exciting tools to expand their vision, and CyberLink PhotoDirector 9 does seem to offer some interesting and alternative approaches to photography, including 360 photo and video editing and crossover video and stills imaging. It’s also a pretty powerful all-in-one photo cataloguing, enhancing and editing […]
Featured posts
Welcome to the Life after Photoshop archive of 'Featured' posts. These are favourite articles or tutorials that appear in the carousel at the top of the home page.
Adobe Stock review
Update: My first batch of images has passed through the Adobe Stock review process. Most were accepted, two rejected. I’ve updated my review below. If you’re a designer or an illustrator you might have an interest in Adobe Stock as a quick and cost-effective way to find and buy stock images to suit your projects. […]
How to use the ON1 Photo Texture and Border filters
ON1 Photo RAW has a huge library of preset effects and you can try them all out just by browsing through the categories and clicking on the ones you like the look of. But that doesn’t really get you any closer to figuring out how its effects filters work and how you can use them […]
Serif Affinity Photo for iPad review
Affinity Photo, Serif’s professional photo-editing application, is now available for the iPad. It’s not the first time a software publisher has produced a mobile version of a desktop application – take Photoshop Express and Lightroom Mobile, for example – but this time it’s different. Affinity Photo for iPad is not a simplified, cut-down accessory app […]
Top 5 Google Nik Collection alternatives
Google has decided it will no longer develop the Google Nik Collection, so what do we all do when it’s gone? Here are five Nik Collection alternatives that could fill the void. Alien Skin Exposure X2 Once a film simulation plug-in, now a full-blown standalone image-editor with file browsing and non-destructive adjustment layers and masks, […]
How to use the Luminar Adjustable Gradient filter
The Luminar Adjustable Gradient filter is a great tool for all kinds of photography, but for landscapes in particular. It tackles that thorny old problem of bright skies and dark ground and the brightness difference between them. You can fix this at the shooting stage by using a graduated filter on the front of the […]
How many Virtual Copies do you have in Lightroom?
Virtual Copies are really useful. They let you try out a whole load of different processing variations on a single image without having to create new files, saving time and disk space in the process and keeping all your adjustments ‘editable’. But there are drawbacks too. One this that none of your edits are visible […]
How to use the Pixelmator Kaleidoscope filter to create a mirrored landscape
Pixelmator is an interesting image-editing app for Mac and iOS that I’m always telling myself I should spend more time with. Well I did just that, finding an interesting use for the Pixelmator Kaleidoscope filter. Before we go any further, though, there’s something you need to know (that I wish I’d found out sooner). The […]
Lightroom noise reduction and why you need it
If you never thought you’d need to pay attention to the Lightroom noise reduction settings, you might need to think again. Like a lot of photographers I shoot RAW files on the assumption I’m going to get better image quality by processing the images myself rather than leaving it to the in-camera JPEG processing. That’s fine […]
How to set the hyperfocal distance with a manual lens
Here’s a situation where a simple manual focus lens can do something a modern zoom lens can’t. I’ve dug this dusty old Pentax SMC 50mm f/1.7 lens out of the garage to demonstrate it, but there are an increasing number of modern manual prime lenses which can do the same thing – setting the hyperfocal distance. […]