Photoshop's Content-Aware Scale Feature is Fantastic

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Photoshop CS5 has a way-cool feature: Content-Aware Scale. Basically, this feature lets you scale a picture . . without affecting the main content (subject). This is important when you need to add some extra room in an image, such as when you need to add type.

I had to use Content-Aware Scale recently for a project that I am working on. (Info on this project to come soon, but I can't let the cat out of the bag quite yet.)

My friend Julieanne Kost at Adobe explains now to use this feature best.

Following Julieanne's advice, I was able to create the image above from the image below. 

Yes, I also took advantage of the Clone Stamp tool. And yes, I was actually falling through the air at 125 miles an hour. Just take a look at my face! 

After adding the type, by the way, I chose a Gradient Layer as the Layer Style, which allowed me to add some cool and fun colors to the type.



The key to making this work is to choose Content-Aware Scale (of course) and then to make a selection of the subject you don't want stretched, and then to save that subject as a selection.

Hey! I hope to see you - and JK - at Photoshop World in Orlando this March. Click here for the list of my classes.

Explore the light,
Rick


Family Photo Tips All This Week. My Final Tip of the Week: Make Eye Contact

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It's been fun posting family photos all this week, as well as some of my travel photographs that illustrate the same photo techniques.

My final tip: Make eye contact. 'Nuf said.

As I illustrated all week, many of my people photograph tips also apply to travel and wildlife photography. See below.




Thank you for joining me this past week.

Next week, a week of Photoshop tips.

Have a great weekend!

Explore the light,
Rick

Give Topaz a Try

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What a beautiful day in NY! Sixty degrees!

It was so nice in fact that I took a walk over the Bear Mountain Bridge, which stretches over part of the Hudson River.

My original image, below, was kinda lackluster, so I spiced it up with the Spicfiy filter in Topaz Adjust.


Give Topaz a try. All it takes is one click You'll like it!

Here's the link.

Explore the light,
Rick



Family Photo Tips All This Week. Day 5: Add +1 When Shooting In the Snow and Sand

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The Sammon MCS-5200 Snow Removal Machine. Power not included.
I am have fun getting my pictures and photo tips together for my talk on family photography at the Upper West Side Apple store on February 26th in NYC. 

While I am in the family photo mood, I thought I'd post some of my favorite family photos and tips here on my blog - along with some of my travel photographs that illustrate the same basic techniques.

Today's Tip: When shooting in the snow (or at the beach) set your exposure compensation at +1.

When shooting in the snow, or at the beach, set your exposure compensation to +1 for an accurate automatic exposure. Why? Because all that snow and sand can fool your camera's exposure meter into thinking that the scene is brighter than it is, resulting in an underexposed image.

Here is another tip: Spend as much time with your kid or kids as possible. And have as much fun as possible.

As illustrated below, you can use this technique when photographing animals in the snow, too!





I took the photographs above during one of my chilly photo workshops. :-)
All of these pictures were taken with my Canon 100-400mm IS lens:

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. If you plan to shoot in the snow (or rain), check out the Op/Tech camera cover:

Hope You Can Grab a Free Redeem Code for My New and Improved iPad App: Light It!

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Hey Gang,

I just released a new and improved version of my popular app, Light It! The app covers basic lighting techniques, a more advanced app is in the works.

Price is only $4.99 for more than 1.5 hours of videos! Note: This is a very large file, so download time is not fast....

New features include:

You Light It! This photo club showcases your best photographs, along with the photographs of other talented photographers, based on the tips from my Light It! iPad and iPhone app. Join the fun to enter the monthly photo contest. The prize for the contest:  a1/2 hour portfolio review with yours truly via Skype or iChat. The winner will be featured here on my blog. Plus, I will tweet news about the winner to his 11,000 plus followers. Important! The winner needs to contact me via email.

Here is a video about the club. And here is a link to the club.

There is also a new Review sections that sum up the techniques that I discuss in each lesson. You can even print out the Review sections to an AirPrint capable printer.

There is also a new streaming RSS feature from my blog for almost daily new photo tips.


To celebrate the release of the update, I am giving away 10 free redeem codes. I hope you can grab one. They go fast!

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Please read this important note first: To redeem a code, go to the home screen of the App Store and click "Redeem" in the upper right hand corner. Enter your redemption code and sync your iPhone. Make sure to do so immediately as promo codes do expire and cannot be replaced if this occurs. Note that the process for redeeming a code is Apple's standard process, not ours.
For more info on this app, click here.

Explore the light,
Rick