Browsing all articles by Helen Bradley.

Photoshop: Smarter sharpening with the High Pass filter

In previous posts I have introduced the basics of sharpening in Photoshop and I also looked at a way to spot sharpen an image in Photoshop Elements using faux layer masks. In this post I want to show you the benefits of using high pass sharpening in Photoshop as an alternative to using the Unsharp [...]

Photoshop, Lightroom and Photoshop Elements: How do you Vignette?

Adding a vignette to an image involves adding a subtle (or not so subtle) edge effect to it. A popular vignette technique involves darkening the edges of your image – it gives the image a slight border which helps keep the viewer’s eye in the photo. This is an effect which has been popular for [...]

Creating a Triptych in Lightroom

When presenting your photos you will sometimes want to create and print them as a series of three images on a single sheet of paper rather than a single image. You might want to do this, for example, to use to decorate a gift card or for framing.

Using Lightroom you can assemble multiple images ready [...]

How to Make a Photo Collage Banner for Your Photoblog or Website

When you’re creating a photo blog or website a photo banner lets you showcase a range of your work. You can create a collage of photos for a banner in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements very easily.

Here’s how to make one.
Step 1

Start with a new image the size of your banner or a multiple of it. [...]

Creating a TV Scan Lines Overlay [Photoshop Creative]

Photoshop has a great tool for creating patterns which – on the face of it – is of little use to the average photographer. That is, until you begin to explore its creative possibilities and one of these is creating an overlay of lines on your image, much as you might see on a photo [...]

Spot Sharpening with a Faux Layer Mask in Photoshop Elements

One of the features on the wish list of most advanced Photoshop Elements users is Layer Masks. It is one of the key features that separates Photoshop Elements from Photoshop – but it doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to create faux layer masks in Photoshop Elements if you know how – [...]

More on the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom

In an earlier post I looked at the basics of using the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom 2. In this post I’ll have a look at some advanced features of the adjustment brush which help you make multiple adjustments to the image at one time and to do so more easily.
Step 1

In the Develop module, when [...]

How to Keep a Log of Your Work in Photoshop

How many times have you created a neat effect on an image using Photoshop and then wanted to duplicate the effect on another image? The problem is that unless you’ve taken notes about what you’ve done, it is often difficult if not impossible to remember exactly the steps you took to get the final image.
While [...]

The Orton Effect: Mimicking darkroom processes in Photoshop

Photoshop gives us tools we can use to create effects which previously could only be obtained in the darkroom using images which were captured specially. One such process is the Orton effect named after photographer Michael Orton. This process results in a somewhat surreal image which has a slightly out-of-focus look while retaining lots of [...]