Presto Digital

Archive for the ‘digital photo professional’ Category

Professional photo albums are perfect for use as family photo albums, wedding photo albums, or photo album gifts for any occasion or celebration. The self mount pages require photo mount pieces but they enable you or the gift recipient to choose and mount your own pictures. You can also use one of your best photos in order to customise the cover of the album. Alternatively, use a selection of photos and have a professional montage designed for you and printed on the cover.

Books

Customise the cover of a photo book in the same way but instead of mounting photos yourself have your digital photo collection printed directly on the pages of the modern, high quality book. Digital photos work best for photo books and many other photo items because they use high resolution imaging in order to generate the best looking prints but you may also scan your own paper print pictures and include these to create unusual and unique designs.

Presentation Boxes

Both the photo album and the photo book can benefit from the use of a presentation box. Choose a favourite photo or other design and have it laminated and converted into a beautiful presentation box lid. The box not only looks great but will help to protect the photos inside from damage. Another alternative is a lightly textured metal presentation tin which provides incredible protection from damage.

Calendars

Photo calendars are quite unique in terms of gift items because they allow for the natural inclusion of 13 photos without having to create a montage of photos. Pick a cover title and add a picture to use on the front cover. Use photos for each of the monthly page designs and then write caption to accompany each of these pictures. You can also choose the sequence of photos and the start month for the calendar making it the perfect gift for any event at any time of the year.

Canvas Prints

Choose a single picture and have it printed on HD Satin canvas to hang from the wall in your house. The natural texture of the canvas gives exceptional photo reproduction quality and the rough fibre means that the photo you choose will have an almost three dimensional appearance to it. Add a photo montage to the canvas to create a montage print and include a personalised greeting on the back.

Montage Blankets

Another beautiful use of a photo montage is as a means to personalise a large blanket. Blankets are multi purpose items and can be used as bedding or they can be used as lap blankets or even as travel blankets. The standard design option means choosing a design for the front and a colour for the back but you could add a montage to the front and a single favourite photo for the back if you wished.

Available light, in photographic terms, is defined as existing light in a scene other than outdoor sun light. This article will discuss the three main reasons why professional photographers often prefer to use available light.

Some common examples of available light might include that which comes from a household lamp, sun light streaming through a window or a fireplace fire. Here’s what makes these conditions so desirable for taking beautiful images.

In order to capture a great picture of some one, they must be at ease. Professional models are probably not bothered by hot lights glaring all around. But the average person might become self-conscious and tense up in these conditions. By using available light, your subject will feel more relaxed and at ease. If you allow your subject to forget the camera, you will get a better candid portrait that truly shows their personality.

Photographs taken using available light tend to impart a sense of reality. These images also can convey a specific mood that cannot be achieved using studio lighting techniques. Your photos can give the viewer the sensation of darkness and melancholy or emphasize brightness and excitement. Observe the light around you now. You can train your eye to recognize different moods of available light and capture them in a way for all to enjoy.

Lastly, available light photographs are easier in many respects for the photographer. There are no heavy lights and stands to carry, no electronic flash to wait for. The photographer is free to move about trying different positions or angles. A tripod can be used but this is typically not recommended by many professionals. They simply feel an inexperienced subject will become stiff and unnatural.

So next time your behind the lens, try turning off the flash and give the available light an opportunity to shine in your prize photos. Just one word of note, because available light tends to be dim as compared to sun light or studio lights, be sure to pay special attention to your exposure.

The article given here was written for Adobe Photoshop 5,6,7,CS, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2 and 3.

Most photographers who are serious about improving their portrait taking skills have realized that a beautiful background can greatly enhance their photographs.

Muslins are a very popular choice among professionals. However, they can get very costly at several hundred dollars each. For the professional who is well established, this may not seem too much, but for the hobbyist, this may be a stretch.

A less costly alternative is a digital background. With a digital background, one can get the look and feel of a professional looking portrait without the additional cost of muslin.

Many Photography websites also sell digital backgrounds on cd. In some cases…as low as $15.00 dollars for an assorted collection. As with anything else…you usually get what you pay for. Some of these pre-made digital backgrounds are not worth the cd they’re printed on, but some of them are very beautifully made. Even so, you may be wondering how YOU can make your very own digital background. That being said, the following information will help guide you along the way.

Okay, let’s create a digital backdrop using Adobe Elements 2.0. We will create an 8×10 300dpi (dpi = dots per inch or ppi = pixels per inch) digital backdrop. For printing purposes, 300dpi is strongly recommended for a high quality print. This will also create a large file approximately 20.6megs.

Having a fast processor (Pentium 4 or Athlon XP) and at least 256megs of ram will definitely help. Also having your screen resolution on your monitor set to its highest setting 24 or 32bit will give the best results.

Okay let’s begin! If you haven’t already opened Photoshop Elements, do so now.

1. Click on File

You may ask yourself what a professional looking photo looks like. It really depends on the composition of the photo and the lighting that the photographer chooses to take the photo. Amateur photos often suffer from bad lighting. They are often too dark when taken inside a building and often too bright when the sun shines outside during summer season.

A photo must meet a number of criteria before it can be considered professional looking.

Composition

Many people think that the subject of the photo is best put right in the center of the photo. Nothing is further from the truth. There are two hints that can help you to improve the composition of your photos tremendously.

The Fibonacci spiral

Without going into a complex theory. The Fibonacci spiral is a phenomenon that appears in nature and it looks pleasant to the human eye. This spiral is the result of a mathematical sequence. If one divides two consecutive numbers in the sequence, the result equals the Golden Ratio, being 1.618 on average.

A very close approximation of the Golden Ratio is the rule of thirds. You simply divide the frame of the photo in virtual thirds with vertical and horizontal lines and you put the subject on one of the intersections.

The above mentioned tips will help you compose your photos easier for better results.

Lighting

The second criterion, lighting, is also very important to make your photos look better. Depending on the location and the amount of light available the photographer must set the camera so that it uses the optimal shutter speed and aperture. The shutter speed is the amount of time that the light-sensitive device of the camera is exposed to a certain amount of light, determined by the aperture of the lens.

To make sure that the colors on the photo look natural the camera must be set to the appropriate white balance setting. The light color outside depends on what time of the day the photo is being taken, because the sun causes different light colors during the course of a day. It is also possible to observe the subject during several hours of the day to determine the desired light color.

For most photos the automatic settings will do for both aperture and white balance.

Sharpness of the image

Most digital photo cameras have an auto focus feature built-in. Using this feature will not always result in sharp photos. One of the main reasons is that some people do not always know how to keep the camera stable while pressing the shutter release button.

Stability can be improved by not using the LCD screen on the back of the camera to take the photo. A better idea is to use the viewfinder of the camera and to hold the camera closer to the face and pressing the elbows against the body while pressing the shutter release button. This is especially necessary in bad lighting conditions.

After reading this article you may realize that taking quality photos does not necessarily depend upon the camera used, but rather on how the photographer uses the camera.

We love to see people do great stuff with their photos. In our world, everything can be professional, yet free to use. Advanced and yet easy. Powerful enough to do cool things, yet simple enough to be used everyday. Move your photos in and out of this world from any other place on the net, and use flauntR to make them feel special. In our world, everyone gets to be a pro.

This new tool, flauntR can help you an endless number of ways. A new site on the scene, flauntR offers a vast number of tools to make your digital photo editing simple. If you ever needed a professional photo design with only a single click then check out all the things flauntR can do.

Ever wished professional photo designs could be affordable? How about free. Apply 1000′s of professional photo templates to your photos, in just a single click! Set that black and white photo of your parents in an antique wooden frame. Try the photo-compositions if you’re looking for digital scrap booking templates, frame your holiday pictures in a photo postcard or polariod for that well traveled look or go grunge with photo borders! Ecards to wish people on any occasion and event- simply choose from 100′s of photo greeting card designs, customize them with photos for that personal touch.

Everyone knows that one person who is a pro at programs like Photoshop. Get the same photo editing options at no cost and create the same results in less time. All the basics such as cut-crop-rotate tools, and basic photo effects like soften/sharpen, image boosting and red eye removal are offered plus more. Adjust exposure and color correct your photos. Use all of the same effects used by pro photographers. From adding photo vignettes for a classic look to more exotic effects, you can edit with the best of them.

Get more expressive with photos with custom font text messages, and add any kind of shapes, bumper stickers and even disguises onto your photos! Say more with photos! Remind relatives of the good times past, or make up with friends you lost touch with. Turn photos into unbeatably personal greeting cards, and find custom text fonts to suit any message. Make your photos more touching with just the right words to go with them.

Now you can carry your best megapixel photos right in your phone. From pictures of your pet to desktop wallpapers, you can custom crop photos to fit your phone. Over 250 phone models are supported. Make personalized mobile wallpapers from desktop size wallpapers and megapixel photos perfectly sized to your phone. Cut the photos as imaginatively as you want to capture the best parts of your pictures. Mobile versions of photos that would not have even loaded on the mobile are now within reach and all with in seconds and a click.

Choose colors from paintings and photos, and add the color tones into your own photos, working like the Photoshop CS3 color match, only faster. Add a Mona Lisa touch to your girlfriends with only a click! Be creative color matching and increase your photo’s eye catching appeal. You can use it to professionally edit your photos. In no time, you can be a photo painter and amaze everyone with what you can do.

Ever felt frustrated when your social network profile photo looked just like your passport photo – not like you? Just click once to get your profile photos the way you want them, pixel perfect! You finally got your ‘best photo angle’ with your Uncle’s imported mega pixel camera, but your social network decides to show you only from the nose down on your profile page! Use profilR to custom crop your social network profile photo, and put your best face forward!

And there is so much more to flauntR. Hey look it up and give it a try, its fun, its simple and it free.