Digital Photography

New Freebie from MCP Actions

July 21, 2011

Would you like an easy (& free) tool from MCP Actions to speed up your Photoshop Elements workflow? Yes?  Well then, download these free shortcut cheat sheets that Jodi & I made for you. There’s one set for Elements, and another for full Photoshop. The thing about shortcuts in Elements is that there are approximately [...]

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Creating, Loading and Saving Brushes in Photoshop Elements

Thumbnail image for Creating, Loading and Saving Brushes in Photoshop Elements July 19, 2011

Last week’s Photoshop Elements tutorial covered brushes in Photoshop Elements.  You’d think it was plenty long enough to cover everything, but this is Elements after all.  You can learn and learn and learn and still not get to the end of the info! So we’re going to wrap up today.  After this, you’re on your [...]

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Finding the Light – Final Review and Early Bird Registration Discount

Thumbnail image for Finding the Light – Final Review and Early Bird Registration Discount July 18, 2011

The spring/summer session of Finding the Light is just finishing.  I had the privilege of attending the workshop. Did I participate fully?  No.  I could have, but just didn’t have the time.  Do I wish I had participated fully?  Absolutely. I’ve written about this workshop a couple of times over the past 60 days.  You can read [...]

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Photoshop Elements Tutorial: Brushes – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Thumbnail image for Photoshop Elements Tutorial:  Brushes – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know July 8, 2011

What is it with the Soft Round Brush in Photoshop Elements anyway?  Why does that term appear in every portrait retouching tutorial out there?  Are you interested?  Read on for excruciating detail about the who, what, where, why and when of using this tool in PSE. What’s the best way to access the Brush Tool? [...]

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A Solution for Stinky Shooting Conditions

Thumbnail image for A Solution for Stinky Shooting Conditions July 6, 2011

We all have them sometimes.  Those moments when we really want a photo, but conditions don’t allow even the best photographer to get a nice shot. So, here we are backstage at my daughter’s first dance recital.  She wanted nothing other than to spin and twirl in her pretty costume, and to look in the [...]

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Tips for Getting the Most out of Window Light

Thumbnail image for Tips for Getting the Most out of Window Light July 1, 2011

Don’t you love shooting in homes that have perfect windows?  The main window that I used in each of the following photos is on the right side of the photos.  But the room essentially had 1.5 walls of windows, so there was an enviable amount of light. I had fun experimenting with the different looks [...]

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New Photoshop Elements and Lightroom Online Classes

Thumbnail image for New Photoshop Elements and Lightroom Online Classes June 29, 2011

The schedule is set for summer classes – Elements and Lightroom both. Save 25% by signing up for all 3 Elements classes at once.  Read more here! And you Lightroom lovers (soon-to-be Lightroom lovers, that is) can save 20% by registering for both classes.  Here’s the info. I hope to see you in on or [...]

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Create a Brush Based Watermark: A Photoshop Elements Tutorial

Thumbnail image for Create a Brush Based Watermark:  A Photoshop Elements Tutorial June 28, 2011

After the Watermark tutorial for Photoshop Elements last week, lots of you asked how to create a watermark to apply with a brush. It’s easy, and I’ll show you how shortly.  Let’s talk about the differences between the two methods first.  The creation process is very similar – it’s the application process that’s different. Using [...]

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How Beth Jansen tells her clients to dress for shoots

June 24, 2011

Beth Jansen is an incredible photographer.  I love the colors that show through in her photography.  Both in the scenes that she sets and the way her clients dress. So I was thrilled when she appeared on the current version of Photovision 2011 (#86) looking through clothes that a client brought for a shoot.   She [...]

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Portrait Retouching, Part 2: Photoshop Elements Tutorial

Thumbnail image for Portrait Retouching, Part 2:  Photoshop Elements Tutorial June 23, 2011

My Portrait Retouching Workflow tutorial for Photoshop Elements generated lots of good questions.  To answer them, I going to give you some advanced portrait techniques in this tutorial.  Here’s my before and after: Other than my basic workflow steps, this tutorial will show you how to repair blown out pixels, make eyes larger and add [...]

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Create a Watermark: A Photoshop Elements Tutorial

June 22, 2011

Photoshop Elements gives us at least two different ways to create watermarks.  My favorite is to put a logo in a PNG file that you can place anywhere you want on any file at any size and opacity.  The other way is to create a brush – lots of people use this method too. (If [...]

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Photoshop Elements Textures: Savings for You

June 17, 2011

The Texture and Overlays winners from Kaleidoscope have been notified.  Make sure to check your spam folder looking for emails from Patti and me, especially if your name is: Danyelle Alissa Stacy Laura Starr For the rest of you, even though Patti’s spring sale has ended, she has given a 25% coupon code to Texas [...]

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Photoshop Elements Actions: A Secret Use for Magic Skin

Thumbnail image for Photoshop Elements Actions:  A Secret Use for Magic Skin June 10, 2011

MCP’s Magic Skin action for Photoshop Elements is my favorite way to soften and brighten skin in a jif.  But did you know that it can be used to blur backgrounds and even remove noise as well?  That’s right.  It’s not just for skin! Last week I wrote up a tutorial about retouching portraits.  Well, [...]

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Photoshop Elements Tutorial: Montage

Thumbnail image for Photoshop Elements Tutorial:  Montage June 9, 2011

Photoshop Elements is made for montages like this: How did I make it?  I took a short cut, by starting with an MCP Print It Board, size 20×20.  But you don’t have to start that way. You can start by finding a background image and sizing it to the aspect ratio that you want.  Then, [...]

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