Archive for the ‘Tutorials’ Category

How to Photograph Fireworks

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

How to Photograph Fireworks
by Steven Sawusch

Well, it is that time of year again when the grills get fired up, people get together and fireworks get set off. Many people try to photograph some of the fireworks and have great success while others do not. To help everyone get closer to that perfect shot, we will quickly go over some camera settings that will get you in the ballpark of getting the shot.

First, you will need a tripod (a remote is also suggested but not required).  With the longer exposure that we will be using as our starting point, there will be almost no way to hand hold the camera and not get blur. Second, set  your camera to manual mode and input the settings of ISO 400, F/5.6 and 1 second. Once the fireworks start, take a quick test shot and see how it turned out. If it is too blown out, try dropping the ISO down a little to 320, 250 or 200. If the image is still blown out too much, try moving your aperture to 6.3, 7.1 or 8. If it is still blown out after changing the aperture, start to increase your shutter speed to .8, .6, or .5 seconds.

Most of the time including a building or other object/structure into your composition will vastly enhance the image. If you decide to include an object/structure like a building, expose for the building while trying to keep a longer shutter speed.

Have a great 4th of July and go get the perfect shot.

ICC Profiles for TPT Color matching

Friday, February 26th, 2010

ICC Profiles for TPT Color matching
by Jordan Thunquest

Installation
1. Download the profiles desired from below.
2. Make sure Photoshop is closed.
3a. Windows: right click on each profile one by one and select Install
3b. Mac: Copy and paste the profiles to the proper folder below.

Operating System ICC File Folder Location

OSX Library > Colorsync > Profiles
OS 9.2.2  System Folder > Colorsync > Profiles

Proofing

Proofing is done in photoshop by going to the View menu and selecting Proof Setup and clicking Custom. You can quickly turn the last applied profile on and off using View>Proof Colors. When proofing, use the Relative Colorimetric rendering intent with the exception of Canvas, black and white prints, or prints where Relative Colorimetric tends to block up details to a noticeable degree. Otherwise, use the Perceptual rendering intent.

TPT Prosumer Glossy Cut Sheets.icm Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes up to 13”x19”
TPT Prosumer Glossy Rolls.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes from 8”x10” to 16”x24”
TPT Prosumer Glossy Rolls 2.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes from 16”x24” to 40”x60”
TPT Prosumer Satin Rolls.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes from 8”x10” to 40”x60”
TPT Pro Glossy Cut Sheets.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes up to 13”x19”
TPT Pro Satin Cut Sheets.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes up to 13”x19”
TPT Pro Satin Rolls.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes from 8”x10” to 16”x24”
TPT Pro Satin Rolls 2.icc Relative Colorimetric*
Available in sizes from 16”x24” to 40”x60”
TPT Canvas Rolls.icm Perceptual**
Available in sizes from 8”x10” to 40”x60”

* Use Relative Colorimetric with black point compensation unless printing a black and white image or relative seems to block up details in some areas.
** Use Perceptual with black point compensation unless you are getting no noticeable blocking with relative, and prefer its deeper more contrasted feel.

Embedding

Note: To get the best output on each media, send your images in either ProPhoto or Adobe RGB. If you want to replicate how your print looks when printed on a certain media, then embed that medias profile into the image. Warning this may clip colors in your image permanently. You should save your embedded file as a different file name.

Embedding profiles can be done in photoshop. Open your image, and go to the Edit menu and select Convert to Profile. Change the Destination Space dropdown to your desired profile. Leave the Engine at Adobe (ACE). Set the Intent to Relative. (Unlike proofing, you will always want to use the Relative intent.) Use Black Point Compensation should be checked as well as Use Dither. Whether or not to flatten the image to preserve appearance is up to you. Click OK. Now go to File>Save As to open the save dialog. Make sure that under the Save options at the bottom, the ICC Profile: SelectedProfile box is checked. This will embed the selected profile into the document so that the results can be replicated across multiple media.

If during your proofing you wish to use a different rendering intent other than the one suggested, make sure and notify us so we can replicate your intended output as closely as possible. Simply adding a comment with your upload, or giving us a quick call works great. In addition to embedding one of our profiles, we will accept images in sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB color spaces. Other possibilities may be available upon request. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please give us a call at (970)-744-4580

Tutorial – How to create a .zip file

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

In this tutorial, we will cover how to make a .zip file with multiple files inside it.

1. Navigate to the folder location of the desired files you would like to add to a zip file.

2. Click on the first file you would like to add.

tutorial-how-to-create-a-zip-file-image1

3. If you would like to add files that are in order in rows, hold the shift key and click on the last file (shown in image below). To add files that are not in order, hold the ctrl key and click on each file you would like to add.

tutorial-how-to-create-a-zip-file-image2

4. Without clicking anywhere else, right click on one of the files you have selected and select “send to” then click on “Compressed (zipped) Folder”. A zip file will be added inside your current folder with the name of the file you right clicked on.

tutorial-how-to-create-a-zip-file-image3