Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC

753 Pages·2010·282.93 MB·English

by  Martin Evening

Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers
A professional image editor’s guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
Martin Evening
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
First published 2010
Copyright © 2010, Martin Evening. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The right of Martin Evening to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the
Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangement with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance
Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions
This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher
(other than as may be noted herein).
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Evening, Martin.
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for photographers : a professional
image editor’s guide to the creative use of Photoshop for
the Macintosh and PC.
1. Adobe Photoshop. 2. Photography—Digital techniques.
I. Title
006.6(cid:2)86-dc22
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010924449
ISBN: 978-0-240-52200-5
For information on all Focal Press publications
visit our website at focalpress.com
Printed and bound in the United States of America
10 11 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Trademarks/Registered Trademarks Brand names mentioned in this book are protected by their
respective trademarks and are acknowledged.
Foreword
Foreword

by John Nack
I
s Photoshop for photographers? And do photographers really need
Photoshop? A couple of years ago, these questions might have seemed a
little silly. No professional photographer would seriously consider foregoing
Photoshop’s image-manipulation power, whether to apply subtle color
corrections or to make radical image alterations. Now, however, new workfl ow-
centric applications like Adobe Lightroom have come into the market. With these
tools focusing purely on photographers’ needs, how relevant does Photoshop
remain?
To me the situation is a bit like what I’ve found with photography: yes, you can
start out and sometimes get by with a limited set of equipment, but the more you
know, the more you value specialized tools that can make the difference in critical
scenarios. It’s quite true that many photographers will spend more time in Bridge/
Camera Raw, Lightroom, and the like and less in Photoshop proper, but for many
demanding shots, only the full power of Photoshop will do.
Martin is in a unique position to explain the new balance of power – when
to use a raw converter/image manager, and when to use the imaging tools in
Photoshop itself. Throughout his long and intimate relationship with both the
Photoshop and Lightroom development teams, he’s helped shape today’s digital
imaging world.
You know the old cliché ‘Those who can’t do, teach,’ right? No one says that
about Martin Evening. He earns his knowledge the hard way, making a living as
a highly regarded fashion photographer. His workfl ow advice comes not from
theory, but from the practice of keeping a business in motion.
I came to work on Photoshop only after logging many years earning a living
with the product day in and day out, and I greatly value the insights that come only
from those who really practice their craft. Martin is one of the best examples of
those teacher-practitioners. I could not have been more honored than to have stood
beside him as we were both inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2008.
When it’s all said and done, tools – whether hardware or software – are just
tools, and it’s your ideas and images that matter. You’ll fi nd that Martin knows
both sides of the equation and never lets the techniques distract from the vision. I
think you’ll fi nd his perspective and experience invaluable.
John Nack
Principal Product Manager, Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Systems
xix
Martin Evening
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers
Introduction
W
hen I fi rst started using Photoshop, it was a much simpler program
to get to grips with compared with what we see today. Since then
Adobe Photoshop CS5 has evolved to supply photographers with
all the tools they need. My aim is to provide you with a working
photographer’s perspective of what Photoshop CS5 can do and how to make the
most effective use of the program.
One of the biggest problems writing a book about Photoshop is that while new
features are always being added, Adobe rarely removes anything from the program.
Hence, Photoshop has got bigger and more complex over the 14 years or so I
have been writing this series of books. When it has come to updating each edition
this has begged the question, ‘what should I add and what should I take out?’
This edition of the book is actually slightly bigger than previous versions, but is
completely focused on the essential information you need to know when working
with Photoshop, Camera Raw and Bridge, plus all that’s new in Photoshop CS5
for photographers. Consequently, you’ll fi nd a lot of the content goes into greater
detail than before on subjects such as Camera Raw editing and high dynamic range
imaging.
I work mostly as a professional studio photographer, running a busy
photographic business close to the heart of London. On the days when I am not
shooting or working on production, I use that time to study Photoshop, present
seminars and write my books. This is one of the reasons why this series of
Photoshop books has become so successful, because I am a working photographer
fi rst and an author second. Although I have had the benefi t of a close involvement
with the people who make the Adobe Photoshop program, I make no grandiose
claims to have written the best book ever on the subject. Like you, I too have had
to learn all this stuff from scratch. I simply write from personal experience and aim
to offer a detailed book on the subject of digital photography and Photoshop.
This title was initially aimed at intermediate to advanced users, but it soon
became apparent that all sorts of people were enjoying the book. As a result of this,
I have over the years adapted the content to satisfy the requirements of a broad
readership. I still provide good solid professional-level advice, but at the same
time I try not to assume too much prior knowledge, and make sure everything
is explained as clearly and simply as possible. The techniques shown here are
based on the knowledge I have gained from working alongside some of the
greatest Photoshop experts in the industry – people such as Jeff Schewe and the
xx
Introduction
late Bruce Fraser, who I regard as true Photoshop masters. I have drawn on this
information to provide you with the latest thinking of how to use Photoshop to its
full advantage. So rather than me just tell you ‘this is what you should do, because
that’s the way I do it’, you will fi nd frequent references to how the program works
and reasons why certain approaches or methods are better than others. These
discussions are often accompanied by diagrams and step-by-step tutorials that will
help improve your understanding of the Photoshop CS5 program.
We have recently seen some of the greatest changes ever in the history of
photography, and for many photographers it has been a real challenge to keep up
with all these latest developments. My philosophy is to fi nd out which tools in
Photoshop allow you to work as effi ciently and as non-destructively as possible,
plus take into account any recent changes in the program that require you to
use Photoshop differently. Although there are lots of ways to approach using
Photoshop, you’ll generally fi nd with Photoshop CS5 that the best tools for the
job are often the simplest. Hopefully, the key points you will learn from this book
are that Camera Raw is the ideal, initial editing environment for all raw images
(and sometimes non-raw images too). Then, once an image has been optimized
in Camera Raw, you can use Photoshop to carry out the fi ne-tuned corrections, or
more complex retouching. There is much to cover in this book, but you should fi nd
that the way the chapters have been ordered, plus the accompanying content on the
DVD, will help you understand how to get the most out of Photoshop CS5.
Book and DVD contents
The DVD contents are presented in the form of a Photoshop CS5 Help Guide.
Just load the DVD into your computer, or, for improved performance, I suggest
you copy the entire contents across to your hard drive. Next, double-click on the
welcome.htm fi le to launch the Photoshop CS5 Help Guide into your web browser.
The Help Guide contains movie versions of some of the step-by-step techniques
shown in this book and you may also be interested to know that many of the
images used in the movies are also provided on the DVD, along with the relevant
extracts from the book in a PDF format. The Help Guide is designed to run on
Macintosh and PC systems, and only requires you to install Flash and QuickTime
on your computer in order to view them correctly. If you should experience any
problems running the disc, please always refer to the FAQ section on the disc for
guidance on how to confi gure your computer for optimum viewing. There is also
a website that’s been set up to promote this book where you will also fi nd a Help
page should you encounter problems running the movies from the DVD. Go to:
www.photoshopforphotographers.com. I am always happy to respond to readers
emails, but if you email me regarding a problem with the DVD or a missing disc,
you will recieve a standard reply that directs you to the above website link.
xxi
Martin Evening
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers
This book can be considered an ‘essentials’ guide to working with Photoshop
CS5. If you want to take your Photoshop skills to the next level you might like to
take a look at Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop,
which I am coauthoring with Jeff Schewe. In this book we will mainly be
concentrating on various advanced Photoshop tricks and techniques. It will be like
attending the ultimate training workshop on Photoshop CS5. You can expect this
title to be released a few months after the publication of this book.
Acknowledgments
I must fi rst thank Andrea Bruno of Adobe Europe for initially suggesting to me
that I write a book about Photoshop aimed at photographers; plus none of this
would have got started without the founding work of Adam Woolfi tt and Mike
Laye who helped establish the Digital Imaging Group (DIG) forum for UK
digital photographers. Thank you to everyone at Focal Press: David Albon, Ben
Denne, Kate Iannotti, Lisa Jones and Graham Smith. The production of this
book was done with the help of Rod Wynne-Powell, who tech edited the fi nal
manuscript and provided me with technical advice, Matt Wreford who helped
with the separations, Soo Hamilton for the proofreading and Jason Simmons, who
designed the original book layout template. I must give a special mention to fellow
Photoshop alpha tester Jeff Schewe for all his guidance and help over the years
(and wife Becky), not to mention the other members of the ‘pixel mafi a’: Katrin
Eismann, Seth Resnick, Andrew Rodney and Bruce Fraser, who sadly passed away
in December of 2006 .
Thank you also to the following clients, companies and individuals: Adobe
Systems Inc., Neil Barstow, Russell Brown, Steve Caplin, Ansell Cizic, Kevin
Connor, Harriet Cotterill, Eric Chan, Chris Cox, Eylure, Claire Garner, Greg
Gorman, Mark Hamburg, Peter Hince, Thomas Holm, Ed Horwich, Carol
Johnson, Julieanne Kost, Peter Krogh, Ian Lyons, John Nack, Thomas Knoll, Bob
Marchant, Marc Pawliger, Pixl, Herb Paynter, Red or Dead Ltd, Eric Richmond,
Addy Roff, Martin Soan, Gwyn Weisberg, Russell Williams, What Digital Camera
and X-Rite. Thank you to the models, Courtney Hooper, Natasha De Ruyter, Alex
Kordek and Sundal who featured in this book, plus my assistant Harry Dutton
(who also stars as a model in a few shots).
Lastly, thanks to all my friends and family, my wife Camilla who has been so
supportive over the last year, and especially my late mother for all her love and
encouragement.
Martin Evening, March 2010
xxii
Chapter 1
Photoshop
Fundamentals
L
et’s begin by looking at some of the essentials of
working with Photoshop, such as how to install the
program, the Photoshop interface and what all the
different tools and panels do, as well as introducing the
Bridge and Camera Raw interfaces.
A lot of big changes were made to the Photoshop CS4 interface
and this has continued to be the case with Photoshop CS5. Even
if you are already quite familiar with how Photoshop works, or
have read previous editions of this book, I would still recommend
you begin by reading through this chapter fi rst to learn about some
of the things that are new in this latest version of Photoshop. You
can also use this chapter as a reference as you work through the
remainder of the book.
1
Martin Evening
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers
An overview of the book chapters
Chapter 1: Photoshop fundamentals
The chapter you are reading introduces the Photoshop interface and some of the
main program features such as the tools, panels, layers, Camera Raw, plus Bridge
image browsing. This provides a general introduction to how Photoshop works.
Chapter 2: Confi guring Photoshop
This chapter contains a guide to all the Photoshop preference panels, how to
optimize your computer system, how much RAM is required, and what sort of
accessories you are likely to fi nd useful.
Chapter 3: Camera Raw image processing
If you shoot digitally, you will most likely want to shoot in raw mode. This chapter
provides essential reading on how to prepare digital raw images before opening
them in Photoshop and includes information on all the new Camera Raw 6.0
features.
Chapter 4: Sharpening and noise reduction
This chapter is about how to use the sharpening and noise reduction sliders in
Camera Raw to apply capture sharpening to your photographs, before they are
edited in Photoshop. I also discuss some of the sharpening and noise reduction
tools and techniques that are available in Photoshop.
Chapter 5: Image editing essentials
This chapter focuses on the general Photoshop image editing controls such as
how to set the levels to improve the tone contrast and how to adjust the colors. The
foundation skills taught in this chapter are essential learning whether or not you
choose to process your photos in Camera Raw fi rst.
Chapter 6: Black and white
This chapter shows you how to create optimum black and white conversions from a
color original and how to reproduce traditional darkroom techniques.
Chapter 7: Extending the dynamic range
In this chapter I discuss high dynamic range image editing and other techniques
that can be used to extend the dynamic range of images that have been captured
digitally. This should be of particular interest now that the Merge to HDR tools in
Photoshop CS5 have been signifi cantly improved.
2
Chapter 1
Photoshop fundamentals
Chapter 8: Image retouching
This chapter shows various retouching techniques and strategies for removing
blemishes and other objects from a photograph.
Chapter 9: Layers, selections and masking
This chapter focuses on the use of channels, layers, layer masks and paths and
how these can be used to seamlessly mask different image elements. Also included
is a section on working with the new improved Refi ne Edge command as well as a
look at the new Puppet Warp feature in Photoshop CS5.
Chapter 10: Essential fi lters for photo editing
This chapter explores the Photoshop fi lters that are particularly relevant for
photographic retouching work, such as Liquify and the Lens Correction fi lter.
Chapter 11: Image management
These days, photographers can end up having to process several hundred images
from a single shoot. Good image management is all about helping you to keep track
of your photos and fi nd them when you need them. There is also a section in this
chapter on working with the new Mini Bridge extension panel.
Chapter 12: Color management
We all need to be concerned about color management. It should be a simple matter
of calibrating the monitor and selecting the correct color settings in Photoshop, but
somehow life is never that easy. This chapter provides an intermediate level guide
on how to manage your colors successfully.
Chapter 13: Print output
This chapter follows on from the previous one and shows you how to get your
prints to match what you see on the display. I also discuss the importance of
tailored output sharpening, demonstrating a sample print sharpening technique.
Chapter 14: Output for the Web
Alternatively, you may be interested in outputting your images for on-screen
publication. This chapter covers preparing images for the Web and multimedia
presentations.
Chapter 15: Automating Photoshop
This fi nal chapter describes some of the ways you can work more effi ciently in
Photoshop and how to avoid repetitive tasks through the use of actions and other
automation techniques.
3