I just want bright & sharp photos with great contrast
A couple of months ago I went to a Photoshop seminar. One of the things I like about these seminars, which usually occur monthly, is that we’re encouraged to come with questions.
Last month the most interesting question was actually a statement: “I just want bright & sharp photos with great contast.” Pretty demanding, I’d say, especially since I have always thought it but never had the courage to say it.
I don’t always get bright & sharp photos with great contrast with my camera, a Canon 550D/Rebel T2i. Obviously I’m not the only one.
I’m more interested in getting the picture rather than missing it while I’m taking meter readings, adjusting the exposure settings, etc. When an animal yawns….
….it’s not going to hold its yawn waiting for me to make all the adjustments to the camera to get the best picture I can get.
Our instructor showed us a real easy way to get bright & sharp photos with great contrast. The steps are easy:
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Open the photo
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Duplicate the layer — click on Layer, Duplicate Layer — Name the layer or accept the default name. My default name is “Background copy.” Everything you do in the next steps will be done to the Background copy, so make sure that layer is highlighted in your Layers docker.
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Click on Filter, Other, High Pass. Set “Radius” to 100. You can set it from .1 to 1000 pixels. Have fun.
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In the Layer docker, click on Normal and choose Hard Light.
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Merge the two layers. Shortcut keyboard command is Control + Shift + E.
I don’t know the mouse commands.
That’s it!
I was impressed this morning in using this technique on three photos that otherwise I would have taken to Lightroom and played around with the various sliders for exposure, highlights, whites, contrast, and clarity, a process that is hit and miss, and time-consuming, at best.
Here are the three photos that I adjusted using this Photoshop technique — Non-living wildlife at the San Diego Zoo:
Tree monster at the San Diego Zoo
Giant spider at the San Diego Zoo
Giant spider at the San Diego Zoo
The original pictures were so bad that I didn’t even bother saving them — forgot, actually, purposely — and overwrote them with the new pictures.
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Posted on July 1, 2012, in Adobe, Digital photo editing, Photos, Zoo & Safari Park and tagged adobe photoshop cs6. Bookmark the permalink. 13 Comments.
Love the yawn, I agree with animals you take the shot and hope for the best…
Wow, thanks, this technique will come in handy with art as well…
I couldn’t agree more – its getting the picture that counts for me.
Thanks, Russel, for the easy tip!
I do that all the time in Photoshop Elements, but I tend to use overlay or soft light in the blending mode. Not sure what number I have High Pass set for now, but I think it’s lower than 100.
awesome, I’ll try this, thanks a bunch!
let’s see, in response to your question i’d reply: “get a nikon” . . but you knew that!
lol…….You know that “Nikon” backwards is “Nokin” as in “No kin do.”
have to remember that one!!
Love the cat, love the tree monster, love everything! LOL.
Thanks for the tutorial. I am a bit of a dummy when it comes to photo processing
Thanks for this tutorial! I love what you did with the lion and the flies. I also appreciate seeing the photos from the zoo, I have only been there once about 30 years ago and the photos I took, of course on film (no digital cameras in those days) unfortunately got lost at the developer’s. Aaarrrgghhh! I must go back one day with my digital camera this time.
When you get here, let me know. I often have free or discounted tickets available for visitors.