Archive for February, 2009
Photoshop Tutorial – Create Drama with Smoke and Mist.
Posted by: | CommentsWhat a beautiful surprising morning. Today I received a voucher copy of the UK Magazine Photoshop Creative Issue 45. Some weeks ago the magazine contacted me about an image they like to use in the magazine and include it in on the CD-ROM which comes together with the print issue. And today i saw the result – just awesome.
Photoshop Creative Cover March 2009 Issue 45
In the march issue 45 Photoshop Creative Magazine used one of my images I took in Marseille of Model Agathe Rolland at the Palais Longchamps for an Adobe Photoshop Tutorial about ‘How to add atomespheric mist and smoke’ into an image. It`s really amazing to see my image in an ‘before’ and ‘after applying the effect’ on a large full size printed magazine page. For the tutorial the magazine licenced this photo out of my portfolio from istockphoto:
Before: Original Image from my iStockphoto Portfolio. Click to download.
The Photoshop Creative Tutorial from Tim Shelbourne shows in 15 easy steps how to adjust the original image and how to add smoke and mist into this image. The result is really cool. Even on the large full size print of the magazine I couldn`t see that the smoke was added ‘artificial’ with Photoshop CS4. So here you can see (a bad scan) of the result (page 55 of the magazine). The quality of my scan below is really much worser then the original in the magazine.
- After Effect: Create Drama with Smoke and Mist Page 55 Photoshop Creative Magazin Issue 45
You can go through all of the 15 steps to achieve the result above. Click on the thumnails below to see the larger, readable scans of the tutorial pages 54-57:
Photoshop Creative Create Drama with Smoke and Mist Tutorial 54-55 Photoshop Creative Magazin Issue 45 - Click to see large, readable jpg.
Photoshop Creative Create Drama with Smoke and Mist Tutorial Page 56-57 Photoshop Creative Magazin Issue 45 - Click to see large, readable jpg.
The better and more comfortable way is to buy the magazine. The Photoshop Creative Magazine includes a CD-ROM, where all images (before/after) are availabe together with a lot more tips – more tutorials + Custom Adobe Brushes, actions etc. And there’s also a tutorial video (Smoke_Effects.mov) included how to apply the effect on the image.
Here is an overview:
Techniques
All the latest and greatest techniques including;
- Make colours pop with selective lack and white techniques
- Give dull skies a makeover using texture
- Use the Warp tool to create a distorted glass effect
Creative Tutorials
Easy-to-follow creative tutorials including;
- Learn how to add dramatic smoke to your photos
- Easy tips to transform flat illustrations into vibrant artwork
- Create beautiful mixed media designs in Photoshop
Also Featured
- Turn your photos in to stunning watercolour paintings
- Restore old photos using Channels
- Create a Picasso-style portrait from photographs
This Magazine is really worth the 6 UK Pound.
Hyperspeed Processing and Exponential File Size Growth
Posted by: | CommentsI used the free time of the last rainy, overcast weekends to go through images I´d like to finalize and process since months… here is the first bunch of uploads after last weekend’s processing spree…much more coming soon….
Thanks to the new scalable raid storage system I installed two weeks ago, now every single photo I shot ‘digital’ since the year 2000 is available immediately in lightroom and adobe CS4 on my apple mac. Don’t ask how long the import and copying of files took…But finally there’s now plenty of hdd space for new photo sessions in the next years. It`s really funny to watch the JPG file sizes of different digital cameras growing through the last 9 years.
From around 450KB JPGs in the year 2001 with a 2.0 MPixel Canon Digital Compact IXUS 1600×1200 up to around 30MB for a H3D-II 50MPixel 8176×6132. Yes, we live in exponential times, but the red line of setting beautiful light for photos didn’t change the last 120 years since the first pinhole cameras. Good to have something to rely on.
Here are the first bunch of images after the ‘processing spree’ weekend:
My New Images Mid February Update
Posted by: | CommentsHere you find the mid february update of recently uploaded images to my istockphoto portfolio. Have fun overlooking my new additions.
Holidays in Paradise (Jumping into the Bora Bora Lagoon)
Business Team (Überlypse Berlin Office Shot)
Los Angeles Skyscrapers – (Downtown Modern Architecture)
Architecture, Skyscrapers Los Angeles:
Tropical Beaches, Palm Trees & Lagoon :: Moorea Island :: Taha’a Island
Landscapes Squares :: Bora Bora :: Aitutaki :: French Polynesia :: Cook Islands
People in a Square :: Business :: Children :: Boxing :: Couples
People :: Couples :: Party :: BBQ:
People II :: Doctor Scene :: In the Kitchen :: High Society Girls:
Women and Girls – Female Photo Collection
Men and Boys – Male Photo Collection
Squares – Square Format Photo Collection
Cook Islands + French Polynesia, Tahiti, Bora Bora & More.
My newest uploads you find here…just click.
100 iStockphoto Portfolio Photos (in Random Order)..Just CLICK
more iStockphoto Portfolio Photos (Random #101-200)
Mlenny Videoclips: People & Portrait : Azores Islands : Iceland : Namibia
Posted by: | CommentsNow you find on my blog some slideshow video clips from my photo portfolio. You can view them by a simple click on the video thumbnails below. Those videos are also available to download as high-resolution videos. To download the high-resolution videos right-click on each of the ‘Quicktime High-Res” links and safe the movies to your computer (Attention: Big File Sizes, it might take some time!). Those movies are rendered at a resolution of 864×480 pixel ready as Quicktime *.mp4 for DVD, TV or on your computer with Quicktime installed.
More videos you find in the ‘Portfolio Videos” section.
People & Portrait Portfolio Video III (3min 04sec – Quicktime High-Res 29.1 MB):
All images in the above videos can be downloaded and licensed at iStockphoto.
You find them in those istock lightboxes:
New FlickR Slideshows :: Antarctica : Nambia : Iceland : People
Posted by: | CommentsWhile building up the new blog structure here on my photoblog, I sorted my FlickR Account and updated some collections and sets there. More new image sets and collections will be added in the next days. You can find them here in the Top Menu in the ‘Mlenny FlickR Slideshow” section. There is a drop-down menu, where new sets and collection will be added in the next weeks.
As the first start here are the first 4 slide shows:
People Portfolio (142 Images) (click here to view fullscreen):
Antarctica Portfolio (134 Images) (click here to view fullscreen):
Namibia Portfolio (181 Images) (click here to view fullscreen):
Iceland Portfolio (150 Images) (click here to view fullscreen):
Slideshows normally have to have musik or a soundtrack. Unfortunately it`s not possible to add music or sound to flickR slideshows. Another way to show a portfolio is to render a short videoclip. You can add music, sound and in the business version of animoto also custom text. Check out Animoto.com. The good thing is that you don`t have to upload twice (if you have already a flickR account) as animoto is able to grab your sets/collections directly from your photostream at flickR. This makes it very easy and convenient to built up a quick portfolio video. I will add soon some downloadable portfolio DVD`s here made with their technology.
Have fun playing around with this amazing technology. But beware, today is Friday the 13th ;)
All images in the above flickR slideshows can be downloaded and licensed at iStockphoto. You find them in those istock lightboxes:
Free Photo of the Week on iStockphoto + New Hasselblad H3D-II 50 MegaPixel
Posted by: | CommentsHooorraaaay, what an weekend surprise.. found my third FIOTW, aehhh now it`s called FPOTW ‘Free Photo of the Week’ on the iStockphoto Homepage after 3,5 years of uploading my images there.
This image made it as POTW: (Download it for free, just click)
Thanks to the inspectors for choosing this long time (32 seconds) twilight exposure of a wooden jetty on beautiful Tahaa Island (French Polynesia) as the FPOTW (08.02.2009).
Here are the other FIOTW images (2008/2006) and the IOTW from 2007 from the past:
Above Left: FIOTW 15.06.2008————Above Right FIOTW 23.04.2006
Above: Image of the Week 15.07.2007
The Free Photo of the Week is one of my very, very FIRST shots with the new Hasselblad H3D-II 50 camera I bought 8 weeks ago. I had and have to learn again to get ‘blindly’ used to this camera system (it`s really a bit different). I also have to adjust my workflow with the monster files of 280-320 MB for 1(!) 16Bit TIFF the hasselblad H3D-II 50 body captures.
But with every new shooting session I`m getting more and more used to it – to shot as ‘blind-natural’ as with my Canon 1D MK III Body (which I still need for people, action shots and low light). I will soon write some more words about the camera and my new workflow. I`m used to work with the combination Lightroom 2.x together with Photoshop CS4, that’s the reason why I had to implement the Hasselblad RAW converter Phocus 1.02 software into my existing Canon workflow. Neither Lightroom 2.x nor Photoshop CS4 can open the *.3FR or *.FFF RAW files the Hasselblad Digital Backs produce. (No matter if your using the 22MP/31MP/39MP/50MP Backs).
You might of course do every tweak within Phocus 1.02 (it`s really like lightroom), but as I have a lot of individual presets (and more automated scripts) in my lightroom 2.x programm folder (AND: i`m still using the workflow Lightroom 2.X+CS4 for the photos with my Canon 1Ds MK III), there has to be a step in between..
I will write a short wrap up of my personal workflow to be able to have H3D-II & Canon 1Ds Images together in one Lightroom Collection. One thing for sure is that you will need more Harddisk Space with the ‘Hassi’. And I mean ALOT of Hardisk space.
To give you a short overview:
HDD Space for 1 H3D-II 50MPixel Shot in my Workflow:
- 74.3 MB – *.3FR File (Compressed H3D-II RAW File shot on the CF Card)
- 84.8 MB – *.FFF File (Uncompressed RAW File H3D-II after importing (extracting) the *.3FR File into Phocus 1.02
- 286.9 MB – *.TIFF File 16 BIT (after you export a *.FFF into 16 BIT TIFF)
- 290.9 MB – *-2.TIFF File 16 BIT, Adobe RGB (This is the second version of the TIFF, with Retouching, Sensorspot Removal, Photoshop (or Lightroom) Adjustments as a 1 Layer Version. (Don`t think about saving a TIFF with 3-4 Layers as this will multiply the Filesize)
- 40.2 MB – *.JPG File 8 BIT, Adobe RGB to upload to e.g. iStockphoto.
If you like to backup every ‘working step’ you might end up with around 777.1 MB Data for each photo…. Wow. You can of course drop the *.3FR File after importing it (it`s just the compressed CF-Card Version of the *.FFF Raw File), so you could save at least 74.3 MB, but hey, that`s just 10% of the total…
Another possible way is to import *.DNG Files (*.FFF Files can be converted to Adobe DNG out ouf Phocus 1.02) into Lightroom 2.x. But during the conversion from *.FFF to *.DNG you lose the special Hasselblad RAW Algorithms (which optimise Moire, Distorion, Vignetting, Fringing and more optical faults for each lens individually) – Not Good.
So the ‘large’ TIFF Step is in my opinion a ‘must’. As far as I know this detour is not intentional from Hasselblad – not be able to convert their ‘secret formulas’ into the DNG – it`s more the limitation of the DNG container (and ACR Interpreter) itself which prevents special Phocus Raw Tweaks to be included into a *.DNG file. I really hope that in the future there might be a better HDD and time saving solution…but as of today the way over TIFF is a must. Some might think ‘why 16Bit’ and not ’8 Bit’ TIFF files to save space. This really depends on what your shooting. The bigger range of 16BIT simply gives you more tweaking freedom in CS4 or Lightroom. If you don`t need that, work with the 8Bit Tiff`s – but for me 16 BIT is again a ‘must’ until the final conversion to a 8Bit *.JPG.
If you have comments, questions, drop a line below. I will continue to write about the differences of both worlds (Canon – Hasselblad) here in my blog.
More H3D-II 50MPixel Images ? Here are some example I uploaded to iStockphoto from my last trip to French Polynesia (Tahiti, Moorea, Taha’a, Raiatea & Bora Bora) & Cook Islands (Rarotonga & Aitutaki):
Beach, Sea, Palm Trees, Coconuts, Islands and more:
Landscapes, Seascapes, White Beaches:
Landscapes and Nature:
Lightbox: Cook Islands + French Polynesia, Tahiti, Bora Bora & More:
And here are more of my newest uploads…just click.