Photoshop Elements and Techniques

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Photoshop Elements and Techniques

• Trent Rose Salina Public Library

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Turning Points

• Smart Computing in Plain English is an excellent
  resource for all home computer owners. This
  magazine provides software reviews and how to
  information.

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More Turning Points

• Find out simple, helpful techniques for digital
  photography at http//photography.about.com/
• Checkout www.photoshopoint.com for help with
  Photoshop.
• Checkout photos on Flickr and Community Webshots
  for additional techniques.

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Basic Lighting Techniques

• Remember to rely on natural light first for all
  photos.
• Natural light is generally more flattering than
  flash or fluorescent light.
• Remember a subject will appear differently at
  different times of the day because of lighting.
• A good photographer will photograph the subject
  several times a day to get the optimum photo.
• Remember, shadows are a good friend.

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Basic Camera Techniques

• Hold the camera steady.
• Use a wall or another object as a brace for long
  shutters resulting from low light conditions.
• Remember the manual settings on your camera.
• These settings are among the best for improving a
  photo.
• Remember get closer to the subject and try
  different positions (standing, sitting)

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Remember Free Editors

• Undoubtedly, Photoshop Elements is one of the
  best photo editors available.
• However, there are several free editors which may
  serve the needs of many.
• Picnik.com is a simple photo editor.
• Paint.net offers easy to use tools similar to
  Photoshop.
• GIMP is a full featured free editor, but may be
  more difficult to understand than Photoshop.

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Fireworks

• Night photography is often the most challenging.
• Fireworks are no exception to this rule.
• Since we do not know the precise location where
  fireworks will go off, wide angle shots are the
  best.
• Frame the subject in the view finder, but
  remember to leave the angle wide. Too much zoom
  and we miss the shot.
• Employ flex of the hand, turn the camera
  whichever direction will produce the best shot.
• Try to focus on the sky as best as possible
  before shooting. Fireworks move faster than
  autofocus.

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More Fireworks

• Setting the camera to manual may help as well.
• It may be easiest to watch use the LCD screen on
  the back of the camera while shooting.
• This will help the photographer better understand
  the exposure (lightness or darkness) of an image.
  
• Suggested settings for first few explosions
  Shutter 2 seconds
• Aperture 14
• Rapid explosions Shutter 1 second
• Aperture14

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Great Resources

• MyFamily.com is a free place to share your family
  tree and genealogy online.

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Bubbleshare.com

• This free tool allows users to create dynamic
  slideshows with their photos.

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Finding Photographic Subjects

• Checkout the Kansas Photo Tour for great photo
  opportunities.
• Visit the National Park Service at
  http//www.nps.gov/ for some great photo
  opportunities.