LUTs are the new big thing in photo editing software, but what are they, how do you use them and why do they matter?
General
The power of adjustment layers and masks
Adjustment layers started out in Photoshop as a way of altering the look of an image without actually changing its pixels. It was the start of non-destructive editing. Now, adjustment layers are everywhere, not just in Photoshop, and for me they are the key to successful image enhancements. There’s a second factor, though – layer […]
Can you really take proper pictures with a smartphone?
I can understand there’s a certain amount of smartphone snobbery, but I think that’s because we associate smartphones with a certain sort of selfie-loving snapshot mentality. Smartphone cameras are actually pretty good, provided youunderstand their limitations and work within them
and put the same thought into each picture that you would with a ‘proper’ camera
Why cropping is the last thing you should do
Cropping a photo is usually seen as a creative choice, but in the real world it’s not always quite that simple. Very often, you need to produce an image to fit a specific display size or aspect ratio, and you won’t know what that is until the time comes.
Is free photo-editing software any good?
I was commissioned to write a roundup of the best free photo-editing software for Digital Camera World and you can read the full version here. There wasn’t the space or to cover every single application out there, so if I’ve missed out anyone’s favourite, apologies for that. I won’t repeat the whole list here, but […]
5 ways to convert colour images to black and white
With just a couple of exceptions, all digital cameras capture in colour, so if you want black and white you can either use the camera’s monochrome mode, which will simply convert the image in-camera, or you can carry out the conversion on a computer. But which conversion method works best?
How HDR works: exposure bracketing, merging, tone mapping and effects
HDR is a technique for photographing extra high contrast scenes, but how does it work and do you really need to shoot several exposures?
Split toning explained
Split toning can give your black and white photos depth and atmosphere and can also be used for traditional single-tone effects.
What is LUT? Read our Q&A session with Lutify.me
So what is a LUT and why should you care? We spoke to Goran Ljubuncic at Lutify.me to find out more about this new approach to image-editing, which started out in cinematography but is now finding its way into still imaging applications like Luminar, Capture One, Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. It’s a way of […]
Image-editing is not lying just because you’re adjusting ‘reality’
I was slightly stung by a comment on one of my reviews on Life after Photoshop: “Photographs do not lie , unless they are retouched.” I don’t know who posted it, or why, or whether it was the random output of some spambot – but it made me think. Why are some people so preoccupied […]