Stop being confused by photoshop and photography

By: Dan Brown

There are several good free digital photo editing software programs available for download that can fit the bill for most common photo editing needs. All you have to do is perform a search for "free photo editing software" and you should have plenty of results to choose from. But there are two programs for sale that seem to meet the needs of most average photographers whether novices or even serious hobbyists, and they are Adobe Photoshop Elements and Corel Paint Shop Pro 9. Both of these programs are very highly rated in most independent and consumer reviews as being very easy to learn and use, while also handling most any editing task that the average photographer could need.

Have you ever wondered why the Hollywood stars always look so perfect in the magazine photographs? Why is it they consistently look so good? Their hair, teeth and skin always seem to be perfect and so beautiful. Is this the magic of stardom or Hollywood? No, this isn't magic. It's just Photoshop. Photoshop is the same photo editing software program being used by professionals in the entertainment industry to make movie stars look younger, slimmer and better. They have been doing it for years and now you can achieve the same results with a little training and practice using Photoshop for some of these same photo enhancements.

Pixel parity. Never judge a digital photo without looking at the actual pixels. Image editors often squeeze the image down to the size of your screen (or, even worse, down to the size of a window on your screen). No matter how good the software is, it can't remove a lot of pixels and still show you the same image. Your image editor should have a menu choice for "Actual Size," "Actual Pixels" or "1:1." Slide your chair back a few feet if you need to get a longer view when you're looking at the actual pixels. And be sure to view your images full-screen; all good editors let you do that.

The display resolution of a digital television or computer display typically refers to the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. Some commentators also use this term to indicate a range of input formats that the display's input electronics will accept and often include formats greater than the screen's native grid size even though they have to be down-scaled to match the screen's parameters. An example of pixel shape affecting "resolution" or perceived sharpness is displaying more information in a smaller area using a higher resolution, which makes the image much clearer. However, newer LCD displays and such are fixed at a certain resolution; making the resolution lower on these kinds of screens will greatly decrease sharpness, as an interpolation process is used to "fix" the non-native resolution input into the displays native resolution output.

Ghosting. This is what this special effect is called; accomplished by using your SLR's multiple exposure feature, but with a simple twist to ensure proper film exposure. The procedure detailed in this article is different from the instructions in your SLR manual. Ghosting is perfect for pictures involving subjects in motion, taken when the camera and the background is stable (not moving) and the subjects move through, around, or across the frame. I have had great success using this effect when photographing people moving about an historic site or children as they scamper over rocks. I have also used this effect for weddings and sports shoots.

Photoshop has opened up many new and vibrant ways to change and edit your many photos. Photoshop and other editing tools are the photographers best friend for photos that are perfect except for one thing or just for experimenting on colors and variety. Frame; There are unlimited ways you can put frames around your photos in Photoshop. Vignette; Vignette is a popular effect that involves a soft fade, usually in oval shape, where the photograph is light in center and fades gradually into the background where it gets darker. Vibrant Color; By adjusting the saturation you can turn an otherwise dull photograph into a masterpiece of vibrant color. You can even work with particular color channels while leaving others alone. As you learn Photoshop and start experimenting with adding special effects to your photos you will learn many more techniques as well as different ways to achieve the same effects.

The first thing you absolutely must do is decide what field of photography you want to get into. There is fashion photography, sports photography, glamour photography, studio photography, outdoor photography, children's photography and the list goes on and on. The market for each of these and many other types is wide open. And with those wide open markets also comes a lot of competition. Deciding on which field you want to get into should not be based on the path of least resistance. There is no such thing. Pursue the path that you have the most passion for.

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