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Preview Photoshop Effects: 5 free filter tables to download (and how to use them)

jmeyer — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:06:50 +0000

Photoshop is jam packed with handy filters and effects. Some, including the Color LookUp and Photographic Toning presets for the Gradient Map adjustment are new to Photoshop CS6. Other Photoshop effects like Photo Filters, Curves and filters have been around for a while.

With so many filter options, it can be hard to find the right one. To help out, we created five Photoshop effects filter tables for you to download for free.

In the tutorial below we’ll show you how to size your image and add it to the table so you can see what each filter will look like on your image.

When you find one that you’d like to use, we’ll show you how to copy it to your image and how to adjust its settings to suit.

How to preview Photoshop effects on your free filter table

01 Open the Table

Download the Photographic toning table.

Unzip the file, extract its contents and then open the file ‘photographic_toning_table.psd’ in Photoshop.

02 Resize your image
Open the image ‘tables.jpg’ and choose File>Automate>Fit Image, then set both Width and Height to 900 and click OK. Choose Image> Image Size, deselect Resample Image and set the Resolution to 300 dpi and click OK. Choose File>Save As, name the image ‘tablessmall.jpg’. Close it, and open ‘tables.jpg’ again.

03 Add your image
Display the Layers Panel by choosing Window>Layers. Right-click any of the numbered Smart Object layers and choose Replace Contents. Select the file ‘tablessmall.jpg’ that you created in the previous stage and click Place. All the images in the table will automatically update with this.

04 Apply your adjustment
Choose an effect that you like, then right-click the Adjustment Layer and choose Duplicate Layer. From the Document list, select your image and click OK to apply the adjustment to it.

Next, you have to double-click the new Adjustment Layer to then open it and adjust its settings.

Now you’ve got to grips with how to preview Photoshop effects and add them to your image, why not download a few more…

Free filter tables for Photoshop

Explore filters
The Filters table shows you how each of the filters in Photoshop works. To edit a filter, just double-click it in the Layers Panel and adjust its settings.

Download the Filters Chart table

Mimic Film Effects
The Color Lookup table shows the new Photoshop CS6 image colours that mimic different film effects. Find an effect that you like and then use it on your image – these adjustments can’t be copied.

Download the Color Lookup table (CS6 only)

Review your filters
View your image with a variety of coloured filters applied to it. Then copy a duplicate of your preferred adjustment to your own image.

Download the Photo Filters table

Creative Curves
The Curves table gives you previews of 30 different Photoshop Curves adjustments. Duplicate any Curves layer onto your image for great effects.

Download the Curves Adjustments table

Photoshop CS2: is Adobe offering a free download? (UPDATE)

jmeyer — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:36:19 +0000

UPDATE 8 January: It appears Adobe is not offering free downloads of CS2. According to a post on Adobe’s forums on behalf of Adobe Systems…

You have heard wrong! Adobe is absolutely not providing free copies of CS2!

What is true is that Adobe is terminating the activation servers for CS2 and that for existing licensed users of CS2 who need to reinstall their software, copies of CS2 that don’t require activation but do require valid serial numbers are available. (Special serial numbers are provided on the page for each product download.)

ORIGINAL STORY

Adobe appears to be offering free and legal downloads of Photoshop CS2, the older version of its popular photo editing software, according to a new page on the company’s website.

News of a possible free Photoshop CS2 download came to light when PetaPixel highlighted a new page on Adobe’s website titled “CS2 Downloads“, where people can download its older Creative Suite 2 software, which includes Photoshop CS2.

The CS2 Downloads page is down at the moment, but it was live long enough for fans of the photo editing software to take screen grabs of the page.

From these images (via PetaPixel) you can see that Photoshop CS2 and each of the other programs from Creative Suite 2 is being offered for download alongside a universal serial number for people to use.

However, because the page is no longer working it remains unclear if enthusiastic fans of the software have crashed the site or the page was simply an error on Adobe’s part.

We placed calls to representatives at Adobe and will update this story as more information becomes available.

Adobe CS2 includes Photoshop CS2, InDesign CS2, Illustrator CS2, Adobe ImageReady CS2 and Adobe Version Cue CS2.

Full installation of Adobe CS2 requires 2.62GB of space, and programs like Photoshop CS2 can also be downloaded individually, as can other Adobe products like Photoshop Elements 4/0/5.0.

Our 12 most popular photography tutorials and features of 2012

jmeyer — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 01:00:15 +0000

We’ve had a great year, here at Digital Camera World. And it’s been great because we got to meet all of you! When we launched just over a year ago we were posting photography tutorials that were largely read by friends and family who were kind enough to ‘like’ and ‘follow’ us. But as 2012 progressed we found new audiences – photographers of all walks of life from around the world.

It’s been exciting getting to know some of you and reading your comments and wall posts. We’ve been inspired by what you’ve shared with us, and as we’ve grown we hope you’ve been inspired by us as well. We strive to offer a wide range of photography tutorials and techniques on Digital Camera World to try and cater to our new audiences’ diverse tastes and abilities.

As we head into 2013, we thought it would be nice to look back at some of the photography tutorials and articles that you found the most useful over the past year. Below are our 12 most popular photography tutorials of 2012.

And if there’s something we didn’t cover in 2012 and you’re dying to know how to do it, let us know in the comments and we can add it to our list of photography tutorials for 2013!

1) 54 Portrait Ideas: free downloadable posing guide

We must admit: the popularity of our portrait posing guide even took us by surprise. We thought it would be popular, with its diverse range of poses and suggestions for expressions… but we didn’t expect it to go viral from the Digital Camera World Pinterest page when we posted it. If you missed it (and if you did, there were also some Olympics this year you might want to catch up on, as well), our most popular photography cheat sheet is a visual posing guide that you can download and use as inspiration for your portrait photography whether shooting models in your home photo studio or a more professional setting.

2) Free family portrait photography cheat sheet

Another cheat sheet that went off the charts… our family portrait photography cheat sheet broke down what we believe are four of the trickiest conditions for shooting family portrait photography. You can see the format above – within each scenario we crafted a handy flow chart to take you step-by-step through each challenging situation. Whether you aspire to be a professional photographer or your family’s official photographer, there are photography tips here that can start improving your work today.

3) 99 common photography problems (and how to solve them)

As well as being one of the most expensive hobbies around, photography is also one of the more technical pastimes you can pursue. But it doesn’t have to be confusing! One of the perks of working for photography publications (apart from all the new cameras lying around!) is getting to speak to the experts who have been through the struggles and come out the other side with a better portfolio to show for it. In this post we culled our best tips from the pros for solving 99 of the most common photography problems often experience starting out.

4) 44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

Our collection of top digital camera tips and essential photography advice will have you improving your photos in no time. One of our earliest – and favourite posts – these 44 camera tips run the gamut on everything from setting up your digital camera to honing your photo composition. By the end you will learn the secrets and shortcuts to getting high-quality pictures every time.

5) 17 posing tips and in-camera slimming tricks for shooting curvy models

Portrait photographer and regular Digital Camera World contributor Kelly Weech revealed her trade secrets with 17 posing tips for photographing curvy models. She explains how to direct a subject to inspire confidence and get the best out of their body shape, whatever it may be.

6) 49 seriously good Canon DSLR tips, tricks, time savers and shortcuts

To help you get to the grips with your EOS camera and all the great technology therein, we put together this essential guide to 49 Canon DSLR tips and tricks that will help you get more efficient use from your Canon EOS camera. From basic stuff, like how to shoot raw format files, through to advanced shortcuts aimed at pros, you’ll find everything you need to take better shots faster, which was the whole point of buying a Canon DSLR in the first place…

Nikon photographers, don’t fret. We’ve not forgot about you.

PAGE 1: Our 12 most popular photography tutorials of 2012, 1-6
PAGE 2: Our 12 most popular photography tutorials of 2012, 7-12

50 free Photoshop actions for portrait photographers

jmeyer — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 01:00:41 +0000

In our recent Photoshop tutorial we explained the benefits of using Photoshop actions, and explained how to set them up. Now that you’ve had some time to digest this information we thought we’d just go ahead and save you the trouble – we’ve created 50 Photoshop actions for portrait photographers which you can download for free today!

Our free Photoshop actions offer all sorts of creative Photoshop effects to apply to your images, such as classic sepia tones and black and white photography treatments, ranging to funky psychedelic colours, cross-processing and high-key portraits.

Click here to download our 50 free Photoshop actions for portrait photographers

If you download our free Photoshop actions and use them, we’d love to see your results! Post them on our Facebook wall and let us know how they turned out.

And if you liked these, you might also like our 50 free Photoshop frames, our 100 free Photoshop textures or our ongoing photography cheat sheet series.

13 best free iPad photo apps

jmeyer — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:27:05 +0000

The iPad is a fantastic tool for photographers, with many uses ranging from a showcase for your best images to image manipulation. There’s a huge number of useful iPad photo apps you can download to make it an even better experience, and what’s more all of those applications featured in this list are completely free.

All of the free iPad photo apps on this list were available at the time of writing.

Best iPad Photo Apps: InstaEditor

This is one of a variety of editors which is powered by the online editing service, Aviary.

Other versions, which all offer pretty much the same editing tools include Photo Editor + and Photo Editor Lite.

Basic, but useful editing tools include adjusting Brightness, Saturation and Sharpness.

There are also lots of filters to experiment with, to give your photos a creative twist.

Download InstaEditor

13 best free photography apps for iPhone

jmeyer — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 10:00:06 +0000

The best camera is the one you have on you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of the snapper in your pocket. Apple’s iPhone is the most widely used “camera” on Flickr, while the number of photography apps for iPhone has probably reached the thousands by now.

But you don’t have to shell out hard earned cash (or iTunes credit) to pimp out your iPhone, as we take a look at the best free photography apps for iPhone right here.

All of the free photography apps for iPhone in this list were available at the time of writing.

Best Photography Apps for iPhone: Instagram

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably already heard of Instagram, but it’s still worth a mention here in case you haven’t already checked it out.

A neat way to funk up your photos with retro photography effects and borders, you can also share the resulting images on the Instagram network, via Twitter or Facebook.

Find out more about Instagram

No. 1: Instagram
No. 2: Photo Editor by Aviary
No. 3: PicStitch
No. 4: Muzy
No. 5: Photoshop Express
No. 6: SP Photo Fix Lite
No. 7: Facebook Camera
No. 8: Pudding Camera
No. 9: Polarize
No. 10: Piictu
No. 11: Magic Hour Lite
No. 12: DMD Panorama
No. 13: PowerCam

Win a 5-night Cornish holiday!

jmeyer — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:00:16 +0000

Top aerial photographer Jason Hawkes needs no introduction to Digital Camera readers, as we interviewed him in issue 123. To celebrate the launch of his great new book, Britain From Above: Month by Month, we’ve teamed up with publisher DK to offer this exclusive competition.

The prize is a five-night cottage holiday in St Ives, Cornwall, one of Britain’s most beautiful and photogenic areas (discover more of Britain’s and the world’s most photogenic locations).

The holiday is for two people, and you’ll be staying in delightful self-catering accommodation, giving you all the time you need to get great shots. Meanwhile, the five runners-up will each get a copy of Jason’s wonderful new book (see box, right).

So what do you have to do to win? Basically we are looking for great photography that captures the essence of Britain in 2012. Whether it’s bustling, diverse cities, stunning countryside or iconic buildings, we want to see digital images that capture the heart and soul of modern Britain.

How to enter
Visit our competition page to enter this exclusive contest, held in partnership with DK and Photobox. From here, simply upload your photo, along with a short description of why it captures the essence of Britain.

Please note this competition is limited to United Kingdom residents for logistical reasons. The holiday will include five nights’ accommodation in Cornwall for two people, in a self-catering cottage chosen by DK. The break must be taken by 31 December 2012 and excludes bank holidays.

The prize does not include travel to and from Cornwall, transfers, general expenses or food. Dates to be agreed upon by the winner and DK.

Order a copy of Britain From Above: Month by Month.

100 free Photoshop textures to download

jmeyer — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:30:07 +0000

Our friends at Practical Photoshop have been giving away free Photoshop textures every Tuesday. They’ve been so popular the team has very kindly agreed to share them with Digital Camera World readers as well!

Below you can find a sampler of each of the 10 packs of free textures and direct link to download them today.

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 1 – Peeling paint

Download this free Photoshop texture collection.

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 2 – Rusted metal and roasting tins

Download this free Photoshop texture collection.

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 3 – Close-up pictures of wood

Download this free Photoshop texture selection.

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 4 – Close-up pictures of metal

Download this free Photoshop texture selection.

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 5 – Underbellies of fishing boats

Download this free Photoshop textures pack

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 6 – Distressed textures (Brick, wood, metal)

Download this free Photoshop textures pack

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 7 – Close-up pictures of bread

Download this free Photoshop textures pack

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 8 – Muted colours

Download this free Photoshop textures pack

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 9 – Close-up pictures of wet rocks

Download this free Photoshop textures pack

Free Photoshop Texture Pack 10 – Domestic delights

Download this pack of free Photoshop textures.

Free portrait photography cropping guide

jmeyer — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:56:33 +0000

Portrait photography is challenging for a whole host of reasons. Getting your portrait right in-camera is only half the battle. Knowing how to edit your portraits can be quite difficult when it comes to cropping a photo. Cropping in an awkward position on your subject can end up ruining a perfectly good shot.

In the latest of our photography cheat sheet series of free infographics, we’ve put together this easy guide for understanding some of the best places to crop a subject in a portrait, and some of the places where you should not. ‘Yes’ areas are marked in green, while ‘bad’ locations are marked in red.

Simply drag and drop this free portrait photography cheat sheet on to your desktop and keep it handy for your next photo editing session. And let us know how you got on in the comments!

Download More Photography Cheat Sheets

Free f-stop chart: master your aperture
Photography Basics: understanding exposure
Famous Photographers: 100 things we wish we knew starting out
15 common photography questions from beginners (and how to solve them)
How to read a histogram: free photography cheat sheet

Photography Basics: understanding exposure

jmeyer — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:00:58 +0000

The word ‘exposure’ has been in use since the very beginning of photography. To make an image, you expose light-sensitive material to a controlled amount of illumination.

That material could be a chemical emulsion coated onto film or a glass plate, but these days it’s much more likely to be a digital chip, such as the sensor at the heart of your digital camera.

The word ‘exposure’ is used in more than one sense. ‘An exposure’ is almost synonymous with ‘a photo’ – early photographers would talk about making an exposure, while more recently a roll of 35mm film would allow 24 or 36 exposures.

However, the word is now used more often in relation to the vital business of making sure the right amount of light reaches the sensor for each image. We talk about exposure metering, about getting the exposure right and about shots being under- or overexposed.

Do you view your memory card as half empty or half full? Don’t let poorly exposed pictures get you down.

In our photography cheat sheet below we aim to explain some photography basics in a different way. Someone very clever on our team had the idea of comparing exposure to the act of filling a cup with water.

Drag and drop this graphic on to your desktop and start getting better exposures today!