Home | Site Map
     

Studio Photography and Digital Backgrounds


The article given here was written for Adobe Photoshop 5,6,7,CS, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2 and 3.

Most photographers who are serious about improving their portrait taking skills have realized that a beautiful background can greatly enhance their photographs.

Muslins are a very popular choice among professionals. However, they can get very costly at several hundred dollars each. For the professional who is well established, this may not seem too much, but for the hobbyist, this may be a stretch.

A less costly alternative is a digital background. With a digital background, one can get the look and feel of a professional looking portrait without the additional cost of muslin.

Many Photography websites also sell digital backgrounds on cd. In some cases?as low as $15.00 dollars for an assorted collection. As with anything else?you usually get what you pay for. Some of these pre-made digital backgrounds are not worth the cd they're printed on, but some of them are very beautifully made. Even so, you may be wondering how YOU can make your very own digital background. That being said, the following information will help guide you along the way.

Okay, let's create a digital backdrop using Adobe Elements 2.0. We will create an 8x10 300dpi (dpi = dots per inch or ppi = pixels per inch) digital backdrop. For printing purposes, 300dpi is strongly recommended for a high quality print. This will also create a large file approximately 20.6megs.

Having a fast processor (Pentium 4 or Athlon XP) and at least 256megs of ram will definitely help. Also having your screen resolution on your monitor set to its highest setting 24 or 32bit will give the best results.

Okay let's begin! If you haven't already opened Photoshop Elements, do so now.

1. Click on File < New. When the window opens up,make sure to set it to 8x10 inches at 300dpi.

2. Make a copy of the background layer you just created by pressing Control-J on your keyboard. If you look at the bottom right corner of your monitor, you should see an exact copy of your background layer named layer 1.

3. Select the "foreground" color for your background by clicking on the foreground square on your toolbar? the black one. (Bottom left)

4. The Color Picker window should now be open. Select a light red by clicking on the top right corner of the color palette. Click ok.

5. Now select the "background" color by clicking on the background square on your toolbar? the white one. (Bottom right)

6. The Color Picker window should open again. Select a darker red by clicking halfway below the lighter red you previously chose. Click ok.

7. Now comes the fun part! Let's put some clouds in there. On the top of your screen, click on Filter


MORE RESOURCES:

photography - Yahoo! News Search Results
photography - Yahoo! News Search Results

College offers course in iPhone photography
London colleges are planning to offer a first in photography - a course dedicated to the iPhone.
Take a Zoo Photography Class at the Nashville Zoo
Animal Art Photography Classes will Utilize Both the Classroom and the Nashville Zoo Trail By Jim Bartoo Nashville, TN - Nashville Zoo is offering three classes for amateur photographers of all levels wanting to explore the wild side of photography. Animal Art Photography I will be held Feb. 11, an Unseen New World Photography Workshop will be on Feb. 12 and Animal Art Photography II will be ...
Phil.Art.Photography snaps shot of dreams and success
KUCHING: Following one?s dreams while maintaining practical business sensibility is logical and valid, provided that one is committed [...]
San Francisco Photography Studio Goes Green with Solar Panels
Soo Photography tops off recent studio renovations with SunPower solar panels.San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 31, 2012 The recently renovated studio of Soo Photography is luxurious and inviting, with sunlight streaming in from the skylights, cozy furniture, and an elegant two-way fireplace. But it?s more than just comfortable?it?s also environmentally friendly, thanks to 28 new SunPower solar ...
San Francisco Photography Class by Michael Soo Brings the Art of Photography ...
This past weekend, a full class gathered to learn to see the world through the lens of Michael Soo, an award-winning San Francisco photographer. Those who missed the workshop can still catch upcoming classes on February 4th and 26th. (PRWeb February 03, 2012) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/wedding-photographer/san-francisco/prweb9167555.htm

 
 

 Home | Site Map | Foto Log | Perfect Laptop | Webdesign Place

Copyright © 2008 Photo-Log.info