| Here is something that actually leaves the computer | | | | so white clouds come through with greater brilliance. |
| out of the cluttered loop of printing photographs with a | | | | Orange filters darken blue even more. So you can |
| digicam. PictBridge standardizes the manner in which | | | | create dramatic, magical effects. Try an orange filter |
| printers interact with digital cameras. Earlier, when you | | | | for landscapes. |
| wished to take a printout directly from a digital camera, | | | | Green filters make greens lighter and reds darker. In |
| you had to ensure that the printer was of the same | | | | landscapes or close-ups, leaves look brighter and red |
| brand as that of your digital camera. With hardware | | | | flowers darker. |
| equipped with PictBridge, you no longer need the PC | | | | Sky light or ultraviolet filters make for excellent lens |
| for a printout of the photos. You can directly print them | | | | protectors and also act as a transparent-layer filter |
| from a printer using your digital camera, keeping the | | | | that absorbs ultraviolet light. |
| computer out of the picture. | | | | Close-ups And Macros (Extreme Close-ups) - One of |
| To take full advantage of PictBridge, both your printer | | | | the problems with macro-photography is lighting. If you |
| and the digicam must sport the PictBridge logo. In the | | | | are too close to the subject, you may block out light |
| example here, we used an HP PhotoSmart R707 | | | | yourself. Most inbuilt flashes are not good enough to |
| digital camera to print using a Kodak EasyShare | | | | light up macros. One solution is to use an external flash |
| Printer Dock. | | | | with a remote control. Another, easier one is to use an |
| Shoot First things first: grab that camera and go | | | | ordinary table lamp. A good idea with the table lamp is |
| trigger-happy. | | | | to cover it with something like tissue paper, which |
| Connect Find your PictBridge cable. It is essentially a | | | | diffuses light. |
| USB cable. Take the smaller end of the cable and plug | | | | Use supplementary lenses - Learn about Depth of |
| it into your digital camera. The other end goes into your | | | | Field (DOF). DOF is essentially the range of distance |
| printer's PictBridge port. Ensure that the devices are | | | | that is acceptably sharp within a photo. It varies |
| powered on and that the printer has sufficient paper. | | | | inversely with the aperture size. For example, a |
| See to it that the battery of the digicam is sufficiently | | | | wide-open lens with an aperture of f1.8 has very little |
| charged. | | | | DOF. If it is squeezed to f16, the DOF increases and |
| Choices - Once the HP camera is connected to a | | | | more things come into focus. |
| printer, it shows up directly on the printing menu. You | | | | In macros, the DOF is especially shallow. Here is an |
| can choose to print just one picture, a few selected | | | | example on getting a good macro shot: if the subject |
| ones, or the entire lot. The camera also lets you | | | | is a fly on a flower, use a larger aperture--this will blur |
| specify the exact size of the print. The default size is | | | | out everything but the fly. If you want the fly as well |
| set at 4 x 6 inches. If your printer supports other sizes, | | | | as the flower, you will need a larger DOF; so a small |
| you can choose them here. | | | | aperture--f11, or even f16--is required. This, however, |
| Print - Click on the Print button on your camera and | | | | makes longer exposure periods necessary, which in |
| your printer gets to work. If you can't find the Print | | | | turn calls for steady hands. In other words, macros of |
| button on the device model, simply refer to the manual. | | | | small objects with the background blurred out are |
| If you use a Kodak camera with this printer dock, all | | | | easy enough. However, if you want a macro of say, a |
| you have to do is to click on the Print button on the | | | | flower, you need steady hands. |
| dock itself. For HP cameras, the Print button is on the | | | | In the example about the flower, you can compensate |
| digicam; three pixels per leaf. This means the picture | | | | for exposure time by using a higher ISO (or ASO) |
| will lose out on details. For best results, shoot subjects | | | | setting, but this brings in the possibility of extra image |
| that are clearly defined with smooth and distinct | | | | noise. |
| outlines, i.e., subjects that stand out well from the | | | | Correcting pictures - Remember to back up your |
| background. Unfortunately, most natural objects do not | | | | images before you start to correct or play around with |
| have this characteristic. When photographing outdoors, | | | | them to create different effects! |
| the best subjects to shoot are cars, buildings, | | | | A colour cast means an imbalance of colour, such as |
| cityscapes and the like. | | | | too much red or too much green. There are two |
| Black And White Colour contrast draws emphasis to | | | | methods to correct this in Photoshop: in the first, simply |
| subjects: Take a red apple against a green | | | | go to Image Adjust Levels. Here, click 'Auto'. In the |
| background, for instance. Use black and white when | | | | second, go to Layer New Adjustment Layer Color |
| this emphasis is not important. However, in the apple | | | | Balance. Then, click OK to create the adjustment layer |
| example, if you shoot in colour and then convert to | | | | and bring up the 'Color Balance Layer' dialog box. Here, |
| black and white in Photoshop, you find that green and | | | | you can experiment. |
| red turn out almost identical. So, such photographs | | | | Underexposed pictures are a frequent problem: you |
| need to be shot in greyscale mode itself. Remember | | | | need the correct level of light exposure to bring out |
| that when you take a black and white picture, aspects | | | | detail. If an image turns out underexposed, here's what |
| such as shape, lighting, texture, etc, become dominant. | | | | you can do in Photoshop: If the whole image needs |
| Do you want it to be so? Also, do you want to give an | | | | adjusting, go to Windows Show Layers. In the Layer |
| old-world, somewhat sentimental feel to the picture? | | | | dialog box, locate the Layer thumbnail. Drag it to the |
| Also, note that lighting plays more of a role in black and | | | | 'Create A New Layer' icon to duplicate the image. To |
| white pictures than in colour pictures. For example, | | | | only fix certain underexposed areas, go to step 2, else |
| when capturing a sunset, the shadows that the sun | | | | skip to step 3. Select the affected areas using the |
| throws on objects are of more interest than the Sun | | | | Marquee tool. Go to Select Feather and type in, say, '5' |
| itself. | | | | in the numerical field to soften this section by a few |
| Photographers use the term 'high-key' and 'low-key' for | | | | pixels. You can experiment with that value. Now, copy |
| predominantly light and dark tones respectively. | | | | and paste to create a duplicate layer. In the drop-down |
| These determine the contrast level of the photograph. | | | | menu of the Layer dialog box, select Screen. Adjust |
| Now, note that high contrast steers the observer to | | | | the density of this layer in the Opacity field until you get |
| look at particular subjects in the picture and low | | | | the required density. |
| contrast makes the observer look at the complete | | | | Here's how you selectively sharpen certain areas of a |
| picture--its mood, subtle nature, etc. | | | | photograph in Photoshop: Select Filter Sharpen |
| Use filters to enhance your black and white pictures. A | | | | Unsharp Mask. In the dialog box that comes up, |
| filter absorbs its complementary, or opposite, colour: for | | | | experiment with the three sliders--Amount, Radius and |
| example, blue is the opposite of orange. Purchase an | | | | Threshold. View the results in the preview window. |
| adapter ring for a filter. Perhaps your camera may | | | | The Radius setting is the key here. It controls the width |
| already be equipped with a lens thread, in which case | | | | of the sharpening halo. The Amount controls the |
| you will not need an adapter. Different colour filters | | | | sharpening strength. A small Radius setting needs a |
| have different effects. | | | | higher Amount. |
| Red filters tend to have a dramatic effect and make a | | | | Finally, set the Threshold--this helps avoid |
| photo jump to life. Remember that red filters are not | | | | over-sharpening light-textured areas such as skin |
| recommended for low-light conditions, or when you | | | | tones. Start with an Amount of 200 to 300 per cent |
| have an active subject--that is, one central object that | | | | and a Threshold of 0 and experiment with the Radius |
| is the whole idea of the photograph. | | | | setting until it matches the image contents. Then, adjust |
| Yellow filters are the most popular for black-and-white | | | | the Amount. Finally, increase the Threshold to |
| photography. For example, they darken the blue sky, | | | | smoothen out over-sharpened areas. |