Posts Tagged ‘Photo Editing Software’

How To Take Stock Photo Images That Sell

March 3rd, 2010



Taking stock photo images that sell is not difficult at all. In my opinion, it is actually a lot easier than when I took photos that were artistic and had very complex meanings and messages woven within them. Stock photos that sell have usual characteristics within them. If you try to follow these characteristics your photos will most likely sell much better.

One of the main necessities for stock photos that sell is the quality of the picture. You must ensure that the photo is the highest quality you can get it at. Do not settle for less than your best. What I mean by this is that you need to make sure your photo is as perfect as you can get it and has flawless as possible. If your stock photo has errors it will not get accepted.

The technical aspects of stock photos are very difficult for the beginner. You must be sure your photograph is focused right and is as sharp as possible. An out of focus stock photo will not sell and you should not waste any time or money trying to fix it.

Lighting plays a major role in how great your stock photo looks. Be sure not to go cheap when lighting your photos. Take extreme care to ensure that the transition from light to dark areas of light on your photo are right.

Another very important part of stock photos is the noise. When you use larger ISO settings you will get more noise. It is NOT acceptable to submit your photos if they have a substantial amount of noise within them. Use photo editing software and get rid of that noise if possible.

Stock photos that sell are usually more simple than you think. One of the most selling photos on a popular stock photo agency is a picture of two hands shaking. The angle is a side shot showing both hands and the background is white. I can guess that if you’ve been taking photos for a couple weeks you could take a photograph just like this.

When taking stock pictures be sure that you are photographing a subject that is desired by people that buy stock photos. However, make sure that it is not too competitive unless you are able to compete and know how to do so. The best selling stock photos may be simple but they are precisely executed and nearly flawless.

By: Al Sanez

How Adobe Photoshop Will Make Money From Your Digital Photos

March 2nd, 2010



Today, Adobe Photoshop is considered to be one of the best photo editing software programs available today. It is very easy to use and it will be able to provide all the tools you need in order to edit digital images. Although it is true that this particular software is expensive, you have to consider that there are ways where you can make some money out of this software. By being a little creative and by familiarizing yourself with the tools in Adobe Photoshop, you can make a lot of money out of this software.

So, here are some of the things on how you can make money out of Adobe Photoshop.

The first is by offering a photo restoration service. For sure, there are quite a lot of people who wants to get their old photos restored. You have to consider that moisture and even sunlight can cause damage to photographs. And, there is a chance that someone out there considers their old photographs as priceless. By offering a photo restoration services, you will be able to make a lot of money out of the Adobe Photoshop software. For photo restoration, you can use the healing brush tool, the spot healing brush tool, and patch tools. This particular software can make any old or damaged photos look new again.

You can also offer your services as a photograph doctor. As a photograph doctor, it will be your job to fix red eye, pet eye and even “finger over lenses” syndrome. Aside from that, you will also fix poor lighting, poor exposure, and dark photographs. With Adobe Photoshop, you will be able to fix all these things quite easily. And, the best thing about it is that you will be able to charge a high fee for these small services. You can also make a colored photograph in to a black and white one and vice versa. You have to remember that not everyone is a good photographer and with your services, you can be sure that you can never be short of bad photographers seeking your services.

Adobe Photoshop is not just about editing photos, but it is also about enhancing them with the graphic design utilities. This software will be able to provide you with tools that will enable you to design greeting cards. You can enhance photos and convert them in to drawings or paintings, you can combine photos with another photos, and much more. You can design birthday cards, condolence cards, and even get well soon cards as well as Christmas cards and other cards for different holidays.

T-shirt design is another way that you can earn something from Adobe Photoshop. If you always think about something that would look great on a T-shirt, you will be able to make this a reality with Adobe Photoshop.

Of course, in order for you to really make money out of Adobe Photoshop, you will need to have a color printer, photo paper, digital camera, and scanner.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of ways on how you can earn money out of Adobe Photoshop. From photo restoration, to web design, you will have a lot of opportunities in making money out of Adobe Photoshop. Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to have a great time earning money with Adobe Photoshop.

By: Dave Martin Peters

The Final Step Or Digital Photo Processing

February 11th, 2010



Some photographers think this is where the fun begins. Some think this is where it ends. To me this is the greatest challenge in photography. This is the place your artistry, talent, and knowledge combine to skillfully create the best possible photo you can produce. It is a process.

As an under graduate student we would debate and question whether photography was an art. At that time I was not sure if it should be considered an art, but I was unwilling to say it wasn’t an art. Now, five decades later, I know that photography is an art. The process I use as a painter is a little different that the process I use as a photographer. Painting is a continual process of painting and reflection. When the painting stops, I will just look at the painting for a time. My mind is visually analyzing and criticizing, asking what do we do now? I say of this reflection period that the painting will tell me what to do. When It does, I start painting again. This process continues until the painting is finished. As the photographer, I wander around with a camera and a pack of supplies that may be needed until a visually interesting image arrests the eye. Out comes the camera and whatever else is needed. I take the shots and then wander off to find the next inspiring visual image. This safari continues until it is time to go home. At some point I transfer the images to the computer and start working to find and produce the right visual images as the final product.

Photo-editing software gives the photographer the opportunity to work with the images in three different ways. Enhancing a photo. Adjusting several elements of a photo. Finally applying special effects to the photo.

Enhancement

Enhancement is a basic fix that takes care of a problem in one click of a button. For example one click enhancement is a program with predetermined settings for color, brightness, contrast, and focus with one click. The removing of red eye from people is another basic fix. Cropping is a very important fix. Best left to a later time in the process. It can improve the placement of form to create a better composition for the image.

Adjustment

Adjustment of several elements of the image give the photographer the opportunity to use use his perception to introduce drama and emotion into the visual image. Increasing brightness or decreasing brightness can introduce an element of tension or emotion to the image. Increasing or decreasing contrast can modify the feel of the picture as a whole or call attention to a certain area. Altering colors can improve an image. Changing the hue of color can soften an area or make it bolder. Blurring or Sharpening an image can add importance to one area over another. These adjustments give the photographer an enormous amount of artistic freedom.

Effects

The pencil drawing effect is startling. I am reminded of the Camera Obscura that has been around for over two thousand years. Embossing is another effect that is sometimes used. The sepia gray scale is reminiscent of the sepia prints of early photography. The mirror image gives you a reverse image. The black and white allows you to increase or decrease the effect of each color independently. This effect can have a momentous impact on an image. Give a photo an oil painting effect or Watercolor painting. Add or take away a film grain effect on some photos.

These tools are very important to digital photographers. It is here when using these tools that the photo tells the photographer what to do. With the final step he is an artist. These tools have the potential when used with the right vision and highly developed skills to turn a drab poorly composed photo into a surprising gem. It is gratifying and challenging to turn a bad shot into a good photo. It is just like turning a bad painting into a nice painting. The digital camera and photographic software is making these tools available to everyone with a camera. It is leveling the playing field. With everyone having these advances available to them, it is sure to raise the quality of photography as a whole. Keep shooting and use those tools.

By: Barry Vaughn