Vignettes on Your Photos
A vignette on your image could either enhance it or ruin it. Vignettes are not for every image, but when used properly, they will help your overall photo and make your subject stand out. Usually, your eye will naturally focus on the lighter parts of an image. Therefore, darkening the background around your main subject near the edges of the print will cause the main subject to stand out. It does not take very much, even a very slight darkening around the edge of a print causes your eye to move toward the center and it will make your subject stand out.
Not all vignettes are good vignettes. Usually if you see the vignette, it is probably not a good one. There is a general rule that if you notice the vignette, you might have gone too far.
Many people burn around the image, and while this will work, there are much easier methods to achieve this effect. There are also add on programs, which may become time consuming to complete. I use a feature in Photoshop that is very fast and does an incredibly smooth job. With a little practice it can be completed in just a few seconds.
1. Be sure you are on the full image layer
2. Click on Filters
3. Select Lens Correction
4. In the upper right panel select Custom
5. About ½ way down choose vignette and move the slider left for the effect you want
6. Press OK, and you are finished.
There are occasions where you might want a lighten vignette instead of a darken effect, simply move the slider to the right. This also works if you think that you went too far the first time and you want a smaller change to your print.
The effect of a vignette on your image is small, but the improvement to your final print could be Large.
Please see the examples below. These photos are by: Ed Hornbeck
How to pick your best image
You have over 100 good images and you need to pick your best three,
how do you do it?
Often customers will want us to pick their best images to submit to a contest or exhibition. It is hard for a photographer to choose which are your best images. One of the reasons is that some of your images hold a special sentimental value to you alone. A judge or casual observer will not hold that same value as you do. Listed below Is a procedure that you can do to learn which really are your better images.
Having all of the prints available to see all at the same time will make your final selection much easier and quicker. When making your choices, a photo with Impact will often come out ahead of a photo that is technically perfect. Composition is also very important, and good composition will usually help with the impact.
Now a quick word about judges and the public who will see your work. Trying to predict what will be chosen by them is impossible. The same judge on a different day may make a different decision and trying to guess what the public will like is also something that will also change from day to day. Make your best picks and decide to live with the results. Ultimately, the one you need to satisfy is yourself. If you are happy with your work and have done your best, you should be satisfied.
You have over 100 good images and you need to pick your best three,
how do you do it?
Often customers will want us to pick their best images to submit to a contest or exhibition. It is hard for a photographer to choose which are your best images. One of the reasons is that some of your images hold a special sentimental value to you alone. A judge or casual observer will not hold that same value as you do. Listed below Is a procedure that you can do to learn which really are your better images.
- Start by choosing about 4 or 5 times the number of images you will need for the final selection.
- If you need 5, limit your first choice to 20 or 25 images.
- Have 2 or 3 other people review these images without any input or comments from you. Try to have someone who knows or appreciates photography or art review your images. For me, I like to look at all of them first making no selections. Then after a few hours I like to think about the images I saw and the ones I remember. The images that you remember generally will fall into either the really good category, or the bad ones. Try to have whoever is going thru your images sort them into 3 categories Yes, No, and Maybe. Usually, they will make their choices on Impact first, and technical quality second.
- Print them! You will see things on a print that you did not see on the monitor or tablet. The prints don’t need to be large, 4X5 will usually work. There is a recent feature in photoshop that will easily arrange your images into contact sheets. It is found under File – Automate – Contact sheet II. When Photoshop has arranged your images, print them on sheets of 8 X 10 paper.
- Now select your final images from the prints.
Having all of the prints available to see all at the same time will make your final selection much easier and quicker. When making your choices, a photo with Impact will often come out ahead of a photo that is technically perfect. Composition is also very important, and good composition will usually help with the impact.
Now a quick word about judges and the public who will see your work. Trying to predict what will be chosen by them is impossible. The same judge on a different day may make a different decision and trying to guess what the public will like is also something that will also change from day to day. Make your best picks and decide to live with the results. Ultimately, the one you need to satisfy is yourself. If you are happy with your work and have done your best, you should be satisfied.
Review: Moment Cell-Phone Lenses
Cell phones are becoming more and more popular as a substitute for a camera for many people. The quality of the images on the newer models is spectacular. I have printed several photos from cell phones that were more than three-feet wide and even a couple that were five-feet wide.
As people have been starting to use them as cameras, there has been an interest in having accessory lenses to widen the range of photo possibilities. Last year, my older smart phone was having a few problems, so I decided to look for the best “camera” phone I could find. After much of research I decided on the Google Pixel 2XL. I then became interested in what accessory lenses were available. Almost all of them are cheap plastic lenses that clip on the phone. I did find one company that has lenses which are made of very high-quality optical glass as well as having a solid method of mounting them to the cell phone.
Moment manufactures wide-angle, fisheye, macro, telephoto, and an anamorphic lens. They also make a special case for the newer phones that locks the lens solidly in place. Their special phone case with a built-in lens mount is the key to making their special lenses work. I did try one of the cheaper systems and returned it to the seller the next day. It was more like a toy than a professional lens. All you need to do is to pick up one of the Moment lenses and you will immediately see and feel the quality.
• The Macro lens (above) is amazing. Just set the frosted ring on the surface of what you want to shoot, and it will be in focus. The frosted ring allows diffused light onto the subject so there are not many shadows. Your image in the camera will be about 3x the size of the subject.
• The Super Fisheye lens is very unusual. It has about a 170-degree field of view. It’s great for special effects where the distortion of the fisheye adds to the artistic impact of the photo.
• One of their best lenses is the wide-angle lens. It produces great images with minimal distortion. The images are very sharp and cover about twice the area of your normal lens.
• The Telephoto Lens is a great lens for portraits. It allows you to fill the frame with the portrait, but not be up close to the subject. The result is a very pleasing image without distortion. It will also allow you to shoot scenic images much closer for details of distant subjects.
• Their newest lens is an Anamorphic Lens. It is very unusual since it is square. I have only had mine a couple of weeks, but I love it. It produces an image that is 33% wider than a normal lens but has the same height as normal. The result is an image that is like a panorama image. It does require that the image be manipulated or stretched to its normal look. Once you try this lens you will love it.
Moment has been a great company to work with and I am sure you won’t be disappointed with their products or service.
As people have been starting to use them as cameras, there has been an interest in having accessory lenses to widen the range of photo possibilities. Last year, my older smart phone was having a few problems, so I decided to look for the best “camera” phone I could find. After much of research I decided on the Google Pixel 2XL. I then became interested in what accessory lenses were available. Almost all of them are cheap plastic lenses that clip on the phone. I did find one company that has lenses which are made of very high-quality optical glass as well as having a solid method of mounting them to the cell phone.
Moment manufactures wide-angle, fisheye, macro, telephoto, and an anamorphic lens. They also make a special case for the newer phones that locks the lens solidly in place. Their special phone case with a built-in lens mount is the key to making their special lenses work. I did try one of the cheaper systems and returned it to the seller the next day. It was more like a toy than a professional lens. All you need to do is to pick up one of the Moment lenses and you will immediately see and feel the quality.
• The Macro lens (above) is amazing. Just set the frosted ring on the surface of what you want to shoot, and it will be in focus. The frosted ring allows diffused light onto the subject so there are not many shadows. Your image in the camera will be about 3x the size of the subject.
• The Super Fisheye lens is very unusual. It has about a 170-degree field of view. It’s great for special effects where the distortion of the fisheye adds to the artistic impact of the photo.
• One of their best lenses is the wide-angle lens. It produces great images with minimal distortion. The images are very sharp and cover about twice the area of your normal lens.
• The Telephoto Lens is a great lens for portraits. It allows you to fill the frame with the portrait, but not be up close to the subject. The result is a very pleasing image without distortion. It will also allow you to shoot scenic images much closer for details of distant subjects.
• Their newest lens is an Anamorphic Lens. It is very unusual since it is square. I have only had mine a couple of weeks, but I love it. It produces an image that is 33% wider than a normal lens but has the same height as normal. The result is an image that is like a panorama image. It does require that the image be manipulated or stretched to its normal look. Once you try this lens you will love it.
Moment has been a great company to work with and I am sure you won’t be disappointed with their products or service.
Why I use several Red River Photo-Papers
There are a number of companies that sell photo-printing papers for inkjet printers. All of them will say that theirs is the best paper, and that they offer great service. Not all papers are created equally, and after you have worked with several of them, you will find out that what one company calls good quality and service would be far outperformed by another.
Red River has great papers, and are very consistent
Several years ago, I bought a sample pack and spent a day downloading the proper ICC profiles for each paper and printing the same image on each paper. It is a long and tedious job, but when you are finished you can see the true range of their product line. With all of the prints laid out you will find the best paper that works for your type of work.
I started using one paper, (Polar Matte) and several years later it is still one of my favorites. It produces great blacks as well as vibrant colors today just as it did years ago. Since then I have begun using several of the Fine Art papers that my customers love. Today, most of printing at The Artistic Image printing is on one of their papers. I have others available, but customers prefer the Red River papers.
Red River Customer Service is great
Since Red River service is great, you don’t have to rely on the customer service department to fix problems. I have only had a couple of very small issues and both times they were resolved quickly and painlessly.
The Red River web site works well and ordering is easy
It is easy to place an order and almost any additional information you might want is readily available. Finding Profiles and downloading them is also very easy. The web site has information about printing as well as other useful information available. Not only do they feature their papers, but they also have sections with many tips on how to get the best out of your inkjet printer.
Shipping is Fast, and the packaging is great
Red River offers very reasonably-priced shipping and many times your order is shipped the same day. Their boxes are constructed and packed better than any other paper company I have ordered from. The boxes are sturdy, and there is never any damage to the contents of the shipment.
The Red River Newsletter is outstanding
I actually look forward to receiving their newsletter. I get several that I never look farther than the first page, but this newsletter is interesting, has useful information, and has many great links to other interesting at the bottom of it.
Overall, working with Red River is a pleasure, and their products are far better than many people give them credit for. The newer Fine Art papers are truly outstanding.
Robert Laetare
The Artistic Image
Albuquerque, NM
Red River has great papers, and are very consistent
Several years ago, I bought a sample pack and spent a day downloading the proper ICC profiles for each paper and printing the same image on each paper. It is a long and tedious job, but when you are finished you can see the true range of their product line. With all of the prints laid out you will find the best paper that works for your type of work.
I started using one paper, (Polar Matte) and several years later it is still one of my favorites. It produces great blacks as well as vibrant colors today just as it did years ago. Since then I have begun using several of the Fine Art papers that my customers love. Today, most of printing at The Artistic Image printing is on one of their papers. I have others available, but customers prefer the Red River papers.
Red River Customer Service is great
Since Red River service is great, you don’t have to rely on the customer service department to fix problems. I have only had a couple of very small issues and both times they were resolved quickly and painlessly.
The Red River web site works well and ordering is easy
It is easy to place an order and almost any additional information you might want is readily available. Finding Profiles and downloading them is also very easy. The web site has information about printing as well as other useful information available. Not only do they feature their papers, but they also have sections with many tips on how to get the best out of your inkjet printer.
Shipping is Fast, and the packaging is great
Red River offers very reasonably-priced shipping and many times your order is shipped the same day. Their boxes are constructed and packed better than any other paper company I have ordered from. The boxes are sturdy, and there is never any damage to the contents of the shipment.
The Red River Newsletter is outstanding
I actually look forward to receiving their newsletter. I get several that I never look farther than the first page, but this newsletter is interesting, has useful information, and has many great links to other interesting at the bottom of it.
Overall, working with Red River is a pleasure, and their products are far better than many people give them credit for. The newer Fine Art papers are truly outstanding.
Robert Laetare
The Artistic Image
Albuquerque, NM