I’ve been scanning old family photos and giving them a quick fix. I scan most of the photos at 300 ppi, which is the same resolution I use to print them at the original size. If the photos are very small or I want to enlarge them for screen view and printing, I scan them at 600 ppi.
This photo is labeled “Twin Lackies,” but I have no idea who the twins and their brother are.
This video shows some of the techniques I use to restore the photos:
View or download the full size video.
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Do your photos look darker or duller on the Web or your monitor than they do in Photoshop Elements? The color space of your photo may be the culprit. I noticed that my mixing bowls looked duller on the Web than they did in Photoshop Elements – I had assigned the wrong color space in Lightroom. Can you see the difference in brightness when I changed the color space to sRGB.
| Before – ProPhotoRGB | After – sRGB |
|---|---|
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There are three major color spaces that are used by programs like Photoshop Elements and devices like monitors and printers to manage colors in images:
The key to getting good color in a photo on the Web is to match the color space of your camera to the color space of Photoshop Elements. Then, when you have finished editing your photo, convert the color profile of the image to sRGB.
If you have a compact camera, your camera probably uses the sRGB color space by default. Few compact cameras offer a choice of color spaces, but you can check your camera’s menu system to see if AdobeRGB is available. If you have a DSLR, you may have a choice of using sRGB or AdobeRGB as a color space. Many DSLRs use sRGB as the default. Check your camera’s menu to set the color space.
To set the preferred color space in Photoshop Elements:
To change from one color space to another:
You can work in either the sRGB or the AdobeRGB color space.
Make sure that your camera and Photoshop Elements are set to the same color space, either sRGB or AdobeRGB.
If you work in AdobeRGB and want to share your photo on the Web, convert the photo to sRGB before saving it.
The photos above show the difference in display between color spaces. The photo on the left was saved in the ProPhotoRGB color space in Adobe Lightroom and appeared slightly dull and dark on the screen. The photo on the right is the same photo converted to the sRGB color space.
This article is also available on the Alibony Web site.
I’m reprinting a few articles from Alibony while I’m away from the blog. I’ll be back soon!
Have you ever taken a photo and discovered later that the baby has a tree sticking out of her head? Or that breathtaking landscape looks lifeless in print? You know how frustrating it is when your photos don’t measure up to the moment you tried to capture. Our best photos tell a story of a memory we want to keep, of an experience we want to share, of delight in color, texture and shape. Here are ten tips that can help you take better photos and make your stories sparkle.
Do you have a story to tell? What do you want to say or show? What’s important? Decide what to include – and what to leave out.
Baby Chimp With Blanket
Good light makes great photos. Where is the sun? From what angle do you get the best effect of light on your subject? For most photos, shoot with the sun behind you or to one side. Shoot into the sun for a backlit effect. Look for interesting reflections and shadows. The best light is at dawn and at dusk. Midday light is very harsh, especially for portraits.
Is there a tree sticking out of your subject’s head? Is the background too busy or distracting? Recompose the photo or move the subject for a better background. For close ups, use a camera setting such as Portrait or Aperture Priority to blur the background.
The rule of thirds is a basic principle in photography and graphic design. Use the rule of thirds to compose a photo and place important objects in the frame. Imagine a grid laid out on top of your image, dividing your photo in thirds horizontally and vertically. Position important objects at the intersections of the lines.
| Grid | Example |
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Turn your camera sideways to change the orientation from landscape to portrait – or shoot at an angle. Walk around your subject to find the best view. Look up or look down for an interesting angle.
Lines in a photo lead our eyes in or out of the frame. Look for lines or curves in a scene to draw attention to the subject.
When shooting action photos, leave some space in the frame for forward movement. The runner should be running into the frame, not out of it.
Focus on the details. Zoom in close for portraits and flowers. For portraits, focus on your subject’s eyes. If the scene is very busy, show only a small part of it that captures the mood of your story.
Get the big picture. Zoom out for landscapes, panoramas and portraits where setting is important. Make portraits that show people in the context of their surroundings, on vacation or at home.
The dimensions of photos taken by digital cameras do not match print sizes. You may have to crop your photos for standard prints – and in the process, lose some important part of your photo. Include more than you want to capture in the frame, especially if you will crop or print the photo later.
I’m still away – so you can play with lessons and videos while I’m gone.
Do you ever need to work on a flattened version of your image, but you don’t want to lose all those layers you’ve painstakingly added? You can use this keyboard shortcut to create a layer that contains a flattened version of your image AND preserve the individual layers.
To create the flattened layer:
1. In the Layers palette, press Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select the layers you want to flatten (merge).
2. With all layers selected, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E. A new layer that contains the flattened version is created above the selected layers.
3. Optionally, copy and paste the flattened layer to a new document.