The Magazine for Photographers

Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
October 2012
Cleanup in a Pinch
Exploring Croatia
Folder Structure Strategy
Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
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Thank you,
Tim Grey
Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
5 Cleanup
in a Pinch
9 Finding Similars
12 Folder Structure Strategy
17 A Tool to Avoid
17
20 Exploring Croatia
30 HDR Efex Pro 2 Review
20
35 Lowepro Lens Exchange 100 AW Review
38 Stability is Relative
35
41 When Slow is Fast Enough
43 Elements 11 New Features
38
From the Editor
There’s something about the spirit of
adventure that seems to be a natural fit
for photography.
Naturally there is the natural spirit of
adventure, embodied by such adventures
as exploring a completely new place in
search of photographic possibilities. I
had just such an adventure recently in
Italy and Croatia, the latter of which I
write about in this issue.
I encourage you to stretch beyond
your normal modes of photography
in search of great images. And I hope
Pixology proves helpful in this quest.
So here’s to great photographic
adventures!
As always, I welcome your thoughts via
email at tim@timgrey.com.
Thank you,
Tim Grey
Editor
PIXOLOGY
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But there are so many aspects of
adventure in photography, from trying
out new equipment, new software, new
techniques, and more.
4
Cleanup in a Pinch
Utilizing Photoshop’s
Spot Healing Brush Tool
for Fast Cleanup
By Tim Grey
In my mind one of the most significant
issues separating a good photo from a great
photo is the presence of visual distractions.
Of course, not all distractions are created
equal. Some are quite significant, and can
require considerable effort to remove from
a photo effectively. But generally speaking,
I think it is fair to say that as photographers
we make an effort to ensure our images are
as good as possible in the initial capture,
and that includes making an effort to
ensure that visual distractions aren’t in the
photo to begin with.
What that translates into is that most
photographers will hopefully find that
most of their better images contain very
few distractions, and those distractions are
relatively minor. In other words, hopefully
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for most photographers most of the time,
removing distractions from a photo can
be a relatively simple task. And thanks
to the Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop
and Photoshop Elements, the process of
cleaning up blemishes and distractions can
be remarkably simple.
Perhaps when you hear “image cleanup”
you think about extensive time being
spent with very detail-oriented work.
That is certainly possible, but to me that
generally falls into the category of “photo
restoration” rather than image cleanup. To
be sure, some cleanup tasks are going to
be more difficult than others, but in many
cases you might be surprised at just how
easy it is to remove basic blemishes and
distractions from your photos.
5
In my mind the Spot Healing Brush
tool is one of the most valuable tools in
Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It
is easy to work with, and surprisingly
powerful and effective.
I prefer to take a layer-based nondestructive approach to just about any task
I perform on my images. When it comes to
working with the Spot Healing Brush tool
that means working on a separate image
layer. But that doesn’t mean creating a copy
of the Background image layer, as doing
so will double the base file size and not
provide any real benefit. Instead, the first
step is to create a new empty image layer
that can be used for image cleanup.
To create an empty image layer for use
in image cleanup, start by clicking on the
thumbnail for the Background image layer
on the Layers panel, so the Background
image layer will be the active layer. Then
click the Create New Layer button (the
blank sheet of paper icon) found at the
bottom of the Layers panel in Photoshop
or the top of the Layers panel in Photoshop
Elements. Because the Background image
layer was selected on the Layers panel, the
new layer will be added directly above the
Background layer.
Next, choose the Spot Healing Brush tool
from the toolbox. On the Options bar set
the Type option to Content Aware. This
will make use of advanced image-cleanup
processing, causing the source of pixels
for the cleanup to be selected intelligently,
and causing blending that will dramatically
improve the quality of the cleanup.
Because you are working on a separate
image layer for the cleanup, it is also
critical that you turn on the Sample All
I highly recommend renaming any new
image layers you create when working
on a photo, to aid in keeping your layers
organized and to ensure there is never any
confusion about why a particular layer
exists. To rename the new layer you can
simply double-click on the name of the layer
on the Layers panel, type a new name (such
as “Image Cleanup”) and press Enter/Return
on the keyboard to apply the name change.
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6
Layers checkbox on the Options bar. This
will ensure that all image layers are taken
into account when performing the cleanup
work. In basic situations that means source
pixels will be copied from the Background
image layer, and then painted onto the
Image Cleanup layer, covering up the
blemishes in the image. But that also means
that if there are multiple image layers (such
as in a composite), all of those layers will be
taken into account for the image cleanup.
One of the great things about the Spot
Healing Brush tool with the Sample All
Layers checkbox turned on is that the Spot
Healing Brush tool is intelligent enough
to ignore the effect of adjustment layers.
This contrasts with the Clone Stamp tool,
for example, where you need to turn on
a separate option to have the effect of
adjustment layers ignored when painting
with the Clone Stamp tool. Ignoring the
effect of adjustment layers is critical for
image cleanup, so that the pixels you copy
with the image cleanup tools will match
surrounding pixels, and any adjustment
layers you have added will only affect the
pixels on all layers the same.
With the Spot Healing Brush tool
properly configured, you’re ready to begin
performing cleanup work in the image.
To do so, simply move the mouse over the
image and then as needed press the left
square bracket key ([) to reduce the size
of the brush and the right square bracket
key (]) to increase the size of the brush.
Generally speaking you want the brush to
be no larger than the area you’re cleaning
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up, and in some cases you’ll need to use
a smaller brush to build up the image
cleanup in several steps.
To actually perform the cleanup, all you
need to do is paint over the blemish. As
long as you’re holding down the mouse
button you’ll see a black overlay indicating
the area of the photo you’ve painted on,
and thus the area that will be cleaned up.
As soon as you release the mouse button
that area will be cleaned, replacing the
blemish pixels with other pixels taken
intelligently from around the photo.
Because the Spot Healing Brush tool
includes a blending behavior intended
to help blend your corrections into the
surrounding area of the photo, in some
cases you’ll find there will be “blooming”
around the area you corrected. This is
especially likely in areas of the image that
have relatively high contrast. When you
need to perform image-cleanup work in
an area of the photo that contains highcontrast edges, you’ll generally get the best
results with the Spot Healing Brush tool if
you paint perpendicularly across the highcontrast line rather than parallel to that line.
The settings for the Spot Healing Brush
tool, like all of the other tools, are “sticky”,
meaning that the settings will remain as
you set them until you change the settings
again. What that means is that in the future
all you need to do is select the Spot Healing
Brush tool and start painting over the
blemishes in your photo, without the need
to establish the settings for the tool. Of
7
course, it is always a good idea to quickly
confirm that the settings are correct before
you get started working with any tool.
There’s no question I tend to prefer a
“manual” approach to working on my
images. I don’t like to apply automatic
adjustments in most cases. But when
it comes to cleaning up blemishes and
distractions from my photos, I consistently
find that the relatively automated approach
of using the Spot Healing Brush tool
produces excellent results.
Photoshop CS6 Image Cleanup Workshop
To learn more about making the most of Photoshop to cleanup
blemishes and distractions in your photos, take a look at my video
training course, “Photoshop CS6 Image Cleanup Workshop”. This title
features over two hours of high-definition video training to help you
master image cleanup in Photoshop. Sample videos, more information,
and ordering options can be found on my video2brain online store here:
https://partner.video2brain.com/timgrey/course-18485.htm
PIXOLOGY
8
Finding
Similars
Big Help from a Lightroom Command
You Might Not Have Noticed
By Tim Grey
When it comes to image management, one of the biggest challenges facing
photographers is the need to find a particular photo when you need it.
Sometimes the photo you need is reasonably easy to find, perhaps because
you know exactly which folder it is contained in, which keywords were
added to it, or other criteria found in metadata. But I find that quite often
when I find a particular photo, I decide that the photo I really need is one
captured just before or just after the image I was able to find.
PIXOLOGY
9
For example, in some cases you may find
a photo, but then need a similar image
captured with a different shutter speed,
from a slightly different perspective, or at a
different moment. I actually find that this
happens to me all the time. Sometimes it is
a matter of having second thoughts about
the star rating I’ve assigned to what is
ostensibly my favorite shot of a given
image. At other times I just want to review
some additional options.
In many cases I locate the initial image
without navigating to a specific folder on
my hard drive. I might have been reviewing
images from the previous import utilizing
that option in the Catalog section of the
left panel in Lightroom’s Library module.
Or I might have used the All Photographs
option in order to search across every
single photo and video clip being managed
in my Lightroom catalog.
The “Go to Folder in Library” command can be found by
right-clicking on an image in Lightroom’s Library module.
I find the “Go to Folder in Library” especially helpful for situations where you found one image via means other than navigating
within a folder, and you’d like to see other images captured on the same shoot.
PIXOLOGY
10
Whatever the reason, when I locate an
image and then want to review the images
captured immediately before or after that
image, Lightroom makes the task quite
simple. The key is the ability to navigate
automatically to the folder containing a
specific image.
the folder that contains the image you
right-clicked on to issue the command. You
can then turn off any filters you have applied,
or change the criteria for that filter, and
perhaps change the sort order to Capture
Time or another option by selecting that
option from the submenu under View > Sort.
First, of course, you need to have located
an image that is in the folder you want to
browse. But this tends to be not so much
a matter of intentionally locating a photo
that is contained in a given folder so much
as realizing upon locating a photo that you
want to see other images in the same folder
as that photo. When you find yourself in this
situation, you can simply right-click on the
photo in question and choose “Go to Folder in
Library” from the popup menu that appears.
It’s just that simple, and I continue to
be surprised at just how often I put this
command to use. Sometimes I stumble
upon a photo quite by accident, and
other times I’m looking for an image that
meets specific criteria. But whatever the
motivation, I find the ability to navigate to
the folder that contains a selected image
to be incredibly helpful. I just wish it was
a little more obvious to Lightroom users
that this option was available. But now that
you know it is there, I suspect you will find
a variety of situations where it proves very
helpful in your workflow.
Choosing this command will cause
Lightroom to automatically navigate to
Once you select the “Go to Folder in Library” command Lightroom will automatically navigate to the folder that contains the
image you right-clicked on, with that image selected as a helpful reference.
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11
Folder
Structure
Strategy
Maintaining Basic Organization for Photos with a
Thoughtful Folder Structure
By Tim Grey
No matter what software you use to manage
your collection of photos (and possibly video
clips), you’re likely utilizing a very basic level
of organization for your images through the
use of a folder structure. I have never heard
of a photographer who stored every single
photo they capture in a single folder.
And yet, I’ve met a great many photographers
who have made a terrible mess of the folder
structure that ostensibly forms a foundation
of organization for their photos.
In fact, even my own three-terabyte hard
drive used for the exclusive storage of photos
and videos contains some not-so-organized
folders. For the most part those disorganized
folders with meaningless names date back to
my earliest days of digital photography, when
I was mostly experimenting with the medium
and not really thinking about long-term
image management strategy.
Whenever I begin teaching photographers
how to utilize a software tool for image
management, such as Adobe Bridge or Adobe
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Photoshop Lightroom, I always make a point
of getting started outside of the context of
that software, reviewing my own approach to
organizing photos based on a folder structure
that can prove very helpful regardless of what
other tools you’ll be putting to use to manage
your images.
The process of locating a particular image is
largely a process of narrowing down the list
of available photos based on specific criteria.
That criteria can include a wide variety
of information, including capture data,
keywords, star ratings, and more. But quite
often, I find that photographers start off by
selecting the folder that is likely to contain
the image they’re looking for, and so that
folder structure often serves as an important
starting point when looking for a particular
photo.
My personal approach is not to recommend
a specific approach for every photographer.
I realize that different photographers have
different workflows, different needs, and
12
different priorities, and so there isn’t a
single solution that is an ideal fit for all
photographers when it comes to defining a
folder structure. But I think the underlying
concepts provide a starting point that is
useful for all photographers.
First off, I recommend that if at all possible,
you utilize a single storage location for all
of your photographs. For me that means
utilizing a single external hard drive, in large
part because I appreciate the convenience of
being able to take that external hard drive
with me if needed on specific trips, and
because it provides a convenient solution in
general for switching between computers
while retaining access to my full collection
of images. There are certainly drawbacks
to utilizing an external hard drive such as-in my experience--a higher risk of drive
failure, as well as the slight delay you’ll often
experience when you need to initially access
the drive.
For some photographers a single storage
location won’t be possible, because their
storage needs exceed the capacity of even the
largest hard drives. There are other solutions
in this case to cause multiple hard drives
to appear as a single drive to the computer,
but this is a challenge most photographers
won’t face, at least in the near term. And
hopefully storage capacity growth will
continue to outpace the storage needs of most
photographers. That has certainly held true
thus far for me, for example, and I would
Having a single location where all photos are stored provides
a simpler overall approach to managing your photos.
Of course, that single storage location could
also be an internal hard drive, or even a
“photos” folder on the same internal hard
drive where your computer’s operating
system is installed. There are a variety of
reasons to choose one storage location over
another, including capacity, performance,
convenience, and more. The point is, having
all of your photos stored in a single location
means you only have one location as a
starting point when you’re trying to locate
an image. In my mind, one of the things that
works the most against keeping your photos
organized is needing to search across
multiple hard drives in order to locate a
particular photo.
PIXOLOGY
13
argue that I accumulate digital photos and
videos at a much higher rate than is typical
for photographers.
Once you have the overall storage location
settled for your digital photos, the next
consideration is the folder structure. I think
it goes without saying that you’re not going to
keep every photo you ever capture in a single
folder, so we’re all probably in agreement that
there will be a series of folders used to group
images together. The question is, what will
that folder structure look like?
In my mind, the most important
consideration when it comes to folder
structure is to have a clear concept of what
you will think of when you have a particular
photo in mind. That thought is what I
loosely refer to as the “photo shoot”. That
doesn’t mean that all of your photos must be
organized based on a proper and structured
photo shoot. Sometimes our photos are much
more random than that. But it does mean
that there is some concept of photos being
part of an overall group.
In the most structured sense, a photo shoot
might be an individual session with a single
model in a photo studio. It might also be
a single event, such as a wedding. A photo
shoot might revolve around a specific
location, or a general theme. The point is,
when I ask you about your favorite photo
of a particular subject, something will come
to mind that helps to identify the folder
structure for you.
Let’s take a look at some examples, starting
with something very straightforward. If
I were to spend the better part of a day
exploring Central Park in New York City
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in spring when the flowering trees are in
full bloom, my first thought if you asked
me about the photos I capture during that
outing would be “Central Park”. For some
photographers it might instead be “Flowering
Trees”, or perhaps “New York City”. But for
me, it is Central Park. So when I want to
track down some of the photos I took on
that outing, the first thing I’m going to do (in
most cases) is look for a folder called “Central
Park”. More specifically, I would call the
folder “Central Park Flowering Trees”, adding
the month and year to the end of that folder
name just for reference.
Another common example I often cite is
from my first trip to Austria. On that trip I
visited a variety of locations in Austria, but
I also ventured into Germany, Switzerland,
and Liechtenstein. While I visited a variety of
different cities and several countries, in my
mind that was my Austria trip. And therefore,
the folder name I used was “Austria”, again
with the month and year appended for
reference. I could have named the folder
“Europe”, or perhaps had individual folders
for each country I visited. But to me, this
was my Austria trip, so that’s how I chose the
folder name.
I’ll share one other example that represents
a similar situation with a different outcome.
On another European trip I spent some
time in Iceland, then continued to Paris,
and then went to Prague. Again, there are
many possible approaches to creating a
folder structure for this trip, but the most
important consideration in my mind is how
I think about the photos and how they get
grouped together logically in my own mind.
And for me, while this was one big trip, it
felt like three individual trips. So, the Iceland
14
photos are in a folder called “Iceland”, and
the Prague photos are in a folder called
“Prague”. The images from Paris are slightly
more interesting from the standpoint of
folder structure, because while in Paris I also
took a train out to Normandy Beach for a
tour. Even though some of the photos were
captured outside of Paris, and even though I
spent time in Paris both before and after my
time in Prague, in my mind I think of all of
the photos captured in France as being part of
my Paris trip, and thus they are all stored in a
folder called “Paris”.
I share these examples not in an effort to
change your way of thinking, but rather to
provide some insight into how I think about
my own folder structure in the context of
the way I think about the photos themselves.
There are a great many different ways you
might think about your photos. Whatever
is the most dominant thought about a
particular set of photos is, to my thinking, the
way you should name the folder that contains
those images. And how you think about the
photos also determines whether a variety of
photos are included in a single folder, or are
divided into multiple folders.
Ultimately, what all of this means is that
you are defining your own folder structure
to meet your own needs, but that the folder
structure you use is based on a thoughtful
approach to organizing your images. The
beauty of this approach to me is that it allows
for tremendous flexibility. For wedding or
portrait photographs the folder will likely be
named based on the name of the person or
people you were photographing. For an event
the folder will likely be named based on the
event or the host of the event. For product
photography the folder will likely be named
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based on the name of the product or the
company that makes the product. For nature
photography the folder will likely be named
based on the location or the key subject you
were focusing on.
There is one general category of folder
naming that I personally recommend
against in most cases, and that is utilizing
dates as the exclusive means of organizing
your photos. That’s not to say that it isn’t
possible to organize your photos primarily
by capture date, but that I feel for most
photographers this doesn’t make a lot of
sense. When I think about the young man
surfing on a standing wave in the River Mur
in Graz, Austria, I’m going to think “Austria”,
not “September 15, 2012”.
I’ve seen more than a few photographers
create folders for each year, then folders for
each month within that year, and in some
cases folders for days within the months. And
in most cases I’ve been able to quickly stump
them when asking them to find a particular
photo. Again, I’m not saying it can’t be done,
but I don’t consider a folder structure based
exclusively on date to be the best approach for
most photographers, especially considering
you can always filter images by date or a
range of dates very easily using a variety of
image management software tools.
There are other challenges, of course, with
the structure I have outlined here. As one
example, some photographers tend to
venture out just about every day, capturing
random images of random subjects near their
home. For this type of photography, there
is a bit more of a challenge when it comes
to organizing the photos, because there isn’t
necessarily a clear distinction between the
15
photos of one day versus the next. But overall,
I think most photographers can benefit from
the approach I’ve outlined here.
Another similar issue arises if you visit the
same locations many times, for example. But
in those cases I think it eventually makes
sense to create a new parent folder to contain
the multiple individual folders with photos
from that location. For example, I’ve visited
Austria more than a few times, so I have
quite a few folders that are all called “Austria”
with the month and the year appended to
the name of the folder. If that starts to feel a
little too cluttered, I can simply create a new
“Austria” folder, and place each of the folders
from the individual trips to Austria within
that new folder.
I think the most important consideration
here is to actually give some thought to the
folder structure you use as the foundation
of your image management system. You
have surely accumulated a reasonably large
number of photos, and you probably already
have some system for naming the folders
you put your images into. However, it can be
very helpful to give some thought to how you
will structure and name your folders moving
forward, and perhaps to revisit your existing
folder structure to see if you might be able to
clean things up a bit to make it easier to find
the photos you need when you need them.
There isn’t a single folder structure that is ideal for all photographers, but by organizing images into folders based on the way you
think about groups of photographs, you’ll have a strong baseline organizational system working for you.
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16
Tool
Avoid
A
to
x
An Argument Against
Photoshop’s History Brush Tool
By Tim Grey
Photoshop has a wealth of features and
capabilities, but some of them are, in my
opinion, better avoided. One of those is
the History Brush tool.
The History Brush tool certainly offers
some very interesting potential for your
photo-optimization workflow. After
all, it enables you to selectively remove
effects in specific areas of a photo. But I
feel very strongly that the best workflow
in Photoshop is a flexible (and nondestructive) workflow. The History
Brush simply doesn’t provide for
significant flexibility for refining effects
later. I therefore consider the use of the
History Brush tool to be a bad habit that
is better avoided.
The concept of the History Brush is rather
impressive. Put simply, with the History
Brush tool you can choose a specific
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history state from the History panel, and
then paint on the image to take specific
areas of the photo “back in time” to reflect
an appearance before certain adjustments
or effects had been applied.
As an example, you could apply a variety
of creative adjustments and filters to the
overall image, and then use the History
Brush to “erase” those effects from specific
areas of the photo. You could apply an
artistic filter effect to the entire image, and
then remove that effect from only the key
subject, so that subject appears normal
and is set against a background that now
has an interesting artistic effect applied.
The problem is that this approach lacks
flexibility. Specifically, it is virtually
impossible to put the History Brush tool
to use and then later modify the area
that is versus is not affected by specific
17
adjustments. In the example above it isn’t
possible to close the image, and then later
re-open it and refine the area that receives
the artistic effect. So if you didn’t paint
perfectly with the History Brush tool, you
may not be able to effectively correct the
problem without starting over with the
various adjustments.
Fortunately it is relatively easy to
overcome the limitations of the
History Brush tool by utilizing layer
masks. Instead of applying a variety of
adjustments and then painting them away
with the History Brush, you simply create
a layer mask that defines the same area
of the image, causing the adjustments or
creative effects you apply to only affect
specific areas of the image. Even better,
with a layer mask you can use a selection
as the basis of the targeted effect, rather
than only being able to paint as is the case
with the History Brush tool.
My personal preference in most cases is to
utilize a layer group in conjunction with
a layer mask to apply a variety of different
adjustments and effects to particular areas
of an image. This involves first adding a
layer group by clicking on the Add Layer
Group button (the folder icon) at the
bottom of the Layers panel.
If you want to use a selection as the basis
of the targeted adjustment, you can create
that selection at this stage. Then add a
layer mask to the layer group by clicking
the Add Layer Mask button (the circleinside-a-square icon) at the bottom
of the Layers panel. You can then add
The History Brush tool provides some powerful capabilities, but those capabilities come with a rather significant lack of flexibility
in your image-optimization workflow.
PIXOLOGY
18
adjustment layers or create additional
image layers as needed to achieve the
desired affect in the photo.
After adding one or more adjustments,
you can then modify the layer mask as
needed. For example, with the Brush tool
you can paint with black on the layer
mask to block the effect of all adjustments
contained within the layer group. You can
also paint with white to reveal the effect,
or with a shade of gray to partially reveal
the effect.
With this layer-based non-destructive
approach, you retain maximum flexibility.
At any time you can refine the various
adjustments you’ve applied, and even add
new adjustments or effects that will only
impact the area of the image defined by
the layer mask. And if you later discover
that the layer mask wasn’t quite perfect,
you can simply modify the layer mask
directly, changing which area of the image
is affected by the various adjustments
contained within the layer group.
The History Brush tool in Photoshop
certainly offers some cool possibilities,
and it can make for a very impressive
demonstration. But from my perspective
it is far better to employ a layer mask
with a layer-based workflow in order to
ensure maximum flexibility. Getting in
the habit of utilizing layer masks and
avoiding the History Brush tool will, in
my opinion, only increase the potential
of what you can accomplish with your
images in Photoshop.
Utilizing layer masks provides the same capabilities as you could otherwise achieve using the History Brush tool, but with
significantly more flexibility and power in your workflow.
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19
Exploring Croatia
A Photographic Road Trip Through an Adriatic Gem
By Tim Grey
On a recent trip to Austria to record a variety of new video training
courses in the video2brain studios there, I decided to spend some time
exploring possible locations for future photo tours. I had received more
than a few recommendations that Croatia was worth a look, so it was
high on my list. In fact, I had intended to visit Croatia on two of my
prior trips to Austria, but that just didn’t pan out. Fortunately, I finally
managed to spend some time in this beautiful country on the Adriatic
Sea, and the experience was very rewarding.
PIXOLOGY
20
The push pins shown here indicate the areas of Croatia explored and addressed in this article. The key highlights were on the
Istria peninsula shown toward the top-left, and Hvar shown at about the bottom-center.
In preparation for the trip I talked to as
many friends and colleagues as possible to
gather recommendations on which areas to
visit. I was even fortunate enough to gain
some insights from a friend I had made
in Austria who was born and raised in
Croatia. Well, actually, born in Yugoslavia,
before Croatia gained independence. But
that’s another story.
Most of the recommendations focused
on the peninsula of Istria. The island of
Hvar also received high praise. It quickly
became clear there was going to be a lot
of ground to cover, so renting a car for
a road trip seemed to make the most
sense, especially since I love road trips.
Fortunately I had a companion to enjoy the
experience with, and to help sort out the
cultural differences, language barriers, and
navigational challenges.
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One of the things that is interesting about
driving in Europe is that if you don’t
pay attention you might not even realize
you’ve driven into a different country.
Both Austria and Slovenia, for example,
are part of the European Union, so there’s
no passport control to go through. The
only initial indication that you’ve crossed
an international border is a small sign on
the side of the motorway that indicates in
a somewhat understated way that you’re in
another country.
Croatia, on the other hand, is not in the
European Union, so there was passport
control to deal with. But this turned out
to be a fast and easy process. A Slovenian
passport control officer took a quick look at
our passports and added a departure stamp.
A short distance beyond, a Croatian passport
control officer took an even faster look, didn’t
21
bother to stamp our passports, returned our
passports and waved us through.
Also, because Croatia is not in the
European Union, it is also not on the euro
shared currency. Instead, Croatia has the
kuna. Much like we have dollars and cents
in the United States, in Croatia they have
the kuna and the lipa, with 100 lipa per
kuna. At this writing the one US dollar
is worth around 6 kuna. Fortunately it is
very easy to get kuna from any automated
teller machine (ATM) throughout Croatia.
Perhaps more importantly, when you drive
into Croatia and need to pay tolls on the
motorways, you can utilize a credit card for
that payment, so you don’t really need to
arrive with kunas on hand.
Driving from Graz in southern Austria,
through Slovenia, and on to our first
destination of Poreč on the coast of the
Istria peninsula required about four hours
on the road. Adding in a late start and
a few stops along the way, that meant
arriving right around sunset. Along the
way, however, our route would enable us to
enjoy some initial glimpses of small towns
and the Adriatic coast as we made our way
to the Istria peninsula.
The coast of Poreč makes it clear that enjoying the natural beauty
of the coast for purposes of swimming is highly encouraged.
The Istria peninsula was a definite highlight of Croatia,
especially the central west coast.
The light was fading as we approached
Poreč, but we were still able to see the
colors of the water along the Adriatic
coast. Well, we could see the colors,
but we could hardly believe it. The
water was exceptionally clear, and an
incredible turquoise close to shore, quickly
transitioning to a crystal blue. The coast
itself was rather jagged, with pebbles and
stone that tend toward warm tones of
brown to yellow.
By the time we arrived in Poreč and
got settled in it was too dark for any
meaningful photography. But we still
walked along the coast to get a sense of
what the photography would be like in
the morning. It quickly became clear that
photography here was going to be a treat.
At first light I was out the door, with two
missions. First, I wanted to photograph
the beautiful coast, and second I wanted to
swim in the remarkably clear water. One
of the things I found interesting was that
PIXOLOGY
22
the development on the coast was rather
minimal, and seemed mostly aimed at
facilitating access to the water for both
boating and swimming. Stone paving
blends almost seamlessly into the natural
rock formations, and ladders for getting
into and out of the water are attached
directly to the rocks. This makes for an
enjoyable swimming experience, as well as
some fun photography.
For a little change of pace from the
food at our hotel, as well as to see what
photographic opportunities might exist,
we next ventured into the town of Poreč.
Poreč first became a city about two
thousand years ago as part of the Roman
Empire, so to say there is some history
here is a bit of an understatement. In fact,
there are Roman ruins within the town.
Shuttered windows on an aging building in Vrsar.
An overview of Vrsar from the church bell tower.
Detail of rooftops from the church bell tower in Vrsar.
PIXOLOGY
As you might expect in a town that has
been around so long, many of the roads
are made of cobblestones, with many of
them being quite narrow. And many of
the buildings are quite weathered, which
to me only added to the enjoyment of the
photography.
After spending a couple of days in Poreč, it
was time to head further south on the Istria
peninsula. The next overnight stop was
Rabac, which would only require a little
over an hour on the road. Since we had all
day to get there, that meant we could stop
at a variety of places along the way. So we
took a less-than-direct approach to Rabac,
making an initial stop in the small town of
Vrsar with a population of less than 3,000
23
And taking a moment to enjoy a coffee
while sitting outside in this small town
provided a great opportunity to take things
in an think about what other photographs
I wanted to capture. Wandering out of
town, I mostly focused my lens on the
juxtaposition of shuttered windows,
winding streets, aging buildings, and other
elements of the overall architecture.
Shuttered windows set on aging buildings became a
recurring theme in Vrsar.
people. The photographic opportunities
here weren’t quite as good as in Poreč, but
it was still a worthwhile stop.
One of the key highlights of Vrsar is a
small church at about the highest elevation
in town, with a bell tower you can climb
for a view of the town and surrounding
area. At this point in the trip the weather
wasn’t all that great, so the photographic
opportunities weren’t as good as the view
itself. But the high vantage point did
provide a view of the terra cotta roofs in
the town, most of which clearly hadn’t been
updated recently.
Just below the church I experienced
another highlight of Vrsar in the way of
the best coffee I have ever tasted--literally.
Looking across the water toward the peninsula of Rovinj.
Based on my prior research, I expected our
next stop in Rovinj to be a highlight of the
trip, and I wasn’t disappointed. There is a
very rich sense of history in Rovinj, and it
certainly shows. Simply approaching the
main part of town along the coast provides
a remarkable view, and exploring the small
winding streets within the town is an
adventure in more ways than one. The port
area supports both fishing and tourism,
and also proved to be a photographic
treasure trove.
The next destination was Pula, which is
the largest city on the Istria peninsula,
with nearly 100,000 people in the overall
metro area. There is most certainly a rich
history in Pula, and I explored some of
the ruins there, which were surprisingly
accessible. And I’m sure there are a
great many things to experience and
photograph in Pula. But for whatever
reason this city just didn’t resonate with
me. Perhaps it was the stark contrast with
the small towns and villages we had thus
far explored on the peninsula. Or perhaps
we just didn’t find quite the right parts of
town. But frankly, shortly after arriving in
Pula I was eager to move on.
The approach to Rabac was exceptionally
beautiful, and the coast was unbelievably
PIXOLOGY
24
The rugged coastline combined with the incredible colors of the Adriatic Sea provided wonderful views in Rabac.
beautiful. The water was even more
clear than it had been in Poreč, and the
colors seemed move vivid. The pebbles
and rocky outcroppings were similar in
color, but appeared more sun-bleached,
creating a slightly chalky appearance with
brown undertones.
The “Maiden with the Seagull” statue by Zvonko Car along
the coast in Opatija.
With all the stops we had made along
the way from Poreč, the sun had gotten
low and the shoreline was mostly cast
in shadow. I therefore knew I was
going to need to wait until morning for
photography. But I was very eager, both to
photograph the coast and to take another
swim in the Adriatic Sea. So eager, in fact,
that I set an alarm to be up with the sun.
After a quick breakfast I was on the beach,
photographing the coast before venturing
into the water for a swim. I love the water
to begin with, but to be able to enjoy this
beautiful coast both photographing from
the shore and floating among the waves
was simply remarkable.
One of the things I enjoy most about travel
is the opportunity to meet new people,
PIXOLOGY
25
enjoying a coffee, and there were certainly
photographic opportunities, especially
along the waterfront.
Having greatly enjoyed the Istria peninsula,
it was time to venture inland so I could
explore the lakes and waterfalls at Plitvice
Lakes National Park. I didn’t know quite
what to expect, other than to find waterfalls.
Of course, I was visiting just before the first
day of autumn, so part of me was a little
nervous that the waterfalls would be mere
trickles, or less. The drive was also a little out
of the way in terms of the overall route I had
planned, but by all accounts the falls would
be worth the effort.
The wooden walkway over the water at Plitvice Lakes
National Park
and at dinner in Rabac we met two couples
from Switzerland. They frequently spent
leisure time in Croatia, and we shared
stories of our favorite experiences along
the coast of Istria. When we mentioned
our upcoming plans, it was recommended
that we stop in Optatija, which one of the
women in the group referred to as the
“Monaco of Croatia”. I have to admit that
I wasn’t all that impressed with Monaco (I
might have enjoyed it more if I were using
it as a tax haven and staying in a large yacht
in the harbor), but I knew what she meant.
So we added Opatija to the list of places to
stop the next day. While much like Monaco
it proved rather difficult to get around and
find parking, Opatija was very nice. It was
a worthwhile stop for walking around and
PIXOLOGY
Getting to the waterfalls requires a bit of
effort. You first take a boat across one of
the lakes, mostly to avoid the long walk
around the lake. Of course getting to the
boat involves a bit of a hike, involving a
couple hundred stairs. After taking the
small boat across the lake, there’s more
walking and more stairs. Most of the path
at this point is a wooden path, in large part
built right over the water. This makes for
a very enjoyable experience, though one
where you need to carefully watch your
step due to the uneven surface and the lack
of railings.
The waterfalls at Plitvice Lakes National Park.
26
peninsula. This proved to be an enjoyable
area to walk around and explore, though I
didn’t find it as photographically exciting as
other smaller towns on the Istria peninsula.
After a night in Zadar we wrapped up
the driving portion of our exploration of
Croatia with a relatively short drive to Split,
so that we could return the rental car and
board a ferry to the island of Hvar, which
had been highly recommended.
I didn’t see much of Split, but I have to say
that what I did see I didn’t enjoy too much.
In general it struck me as “just a city”, and
I didn’t find it to be all that photogenic.
The ferry terminal area is also a little
The primary focus of Hvar is the water, which is especially
appealing because it is so clear and colorful.
The port area of Hvar on the island of Hvar is a quaint and
photogenic area to explore.
I very much enjoyed exploring Plitvice
Lakes National Park, though I have to
admit that I think the experience of seeing
the waterfalls and lakes was considerably
better than the photographic opportunities.
The falls are very nice, but the vegetation
is relatively thick and the overall scene
isn’t quite as photogenic as I would have
expected. I still think it is worth a visit,
but I wouldn’t expect too much on the
photographic front.
After spending some time at Plitvice Lakes
National Park, it was time to continue
on the road for an overnight stay in
Zadar. Because I was mostly interested in
exploring the smaller cities and towns of
Croatia, I considered Zadar to mostly be
an overnight stop. However, it does have
a wonderful “old town” area on a small
Hvar Island
PIXOLOGY
27
unpleasant, with throngs of people trying
to convince you to rent an apartment
from them. The problem is, the people
making the sales pitch were in general a bit
unsavory, so I can’t say I’d be comfortable
renting a room from them, let alone having
them in my face trying to make a sale.
Our unpleasant experience in Split,
however, was greatly rewarded with the
beauty of Hvar. This is an island just off
the coast of Croatia, and the city of Hvar
on the island of Hvar would be our final
destination in Croatia. The ferry takes
about an hour, and drops you off right at
the center of the small town of Hvar. Once
again we got to experience the incredibly
beautiful water, along with a rugged
coastline, and a quaint little town set on a
small harbor. This was definitely a highlight
of our time in Croatia and is a destination
I would highly recommend for both leisure
and photography.
Recommendations
My visit to Croatia was in large part a
scouting trip. Naturally I hoped to get
some great photos along the way, but
mostly I wanted to get my bearings,
figure out where the best spots were,
and determine whether it would be
worthwhile to return for a more focused
photographic excursion. My feeling is
that Croatia is most certainly worth a
photographic trip.
With the knowledge I gained on this trip,
there are three basic recommendations
I would offer in terms of possible
itinerary elements.
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If you were going to explore only
one area of Croatia, I would highly
recommend the Istria peninsula. In order
of priority in terms of photographic
opportunities, I would visit Rovinj,
Vrsar, and Poreč. Rabac and Opatija are
also worthwhile additions if you want to
explore a little further. For this portion
of Croatia I highly recommend renting
a car, which you can obtain from Sixt
(www.sixt.com) as well as other vendors.
I do strongly encourage having a GPS
navigator to help you get around, as
many of the roads you’ll travel on are
smaller local roads that can be a little
confusing in places.
While Plitvice Lakes National Park didn’t
quite live up to my expectations from a
photographic perspective, it was a very
enjoyable place to visit. The challenge is
that it is a bit out of the way. Depending
on your departure point from the Istria
peninsula, for example, Plitvice Lakes
National Park is about a two-and-a-half
to three-and-a-half hour drive. From
there if you chose to stay the night in
Rijeka or Zadar you still have a little
more than two hours of driving ahead of
you. However, there are also hotels very
close to (and even within) Plitvice Lakes
National Park, which provides a good
option for a visit.
The third area I highly recommend is
the island of Hvar. However, I would opt
not to drive down to Split (another two
hours from Zadar, or over four hours
from Rijeka). Instead, I would take a
ferry directly from either Rijeka or Zadar
to Hvar, depending on where you were
ending your journey. I don’t feel that a
28
car is necessary on the island of Hvar, but
if you choose to keep a rental car during
this portion of your journey it is possible
to take a car on the ferry. My preference
for Hvar, however, is to not have a car,
getting around by foot once you arrive.
I think the best time to visit Croatia is
in September, when the weather isn’t
too hot and the crowds of peak season
have mostly faded. Just keep in mind
that many of the ferries only operate
seasonally, discontinuing operations for
some routes at the end of September,
for example. But with some advanced
planning you’ll have no difficulty getting
around by ferry at the times that are best
for visiting Croatia.
The only major area that I would have
liked to explore but missed on this trip
was Dubrovnik, which has also been
highly recommended from a variety of
sources. It was, however, another three
hours drive beyond Split, and our
time was already limited for this
particular adventure.
There are a variety of options for getting
to Croatia, including flying to one of
several cities within Croatia. There are
Sunset across the water on the island of Hvar.
PIXOLOGY
The port area of Rovinj.
also ferries (mostly overnight) between
Italy and Croatia, which makes for a good
option if you’re planning an extended
trip and want to include more than one
country. But in my mind Croatia is a
worthwhile destination all by itself. If I
were to fly directly to Croatia, I would
likely fly to Rijeka and rent a car from
there to explore the Istria peninsula,
possibly adding additional areas of
Croatia to the trip, as outlined above.
I found Croatia to be a beautiful country,
especially the coastal areas. The food
and accommodations were priced
very reasonably in most locations and
generally very good. Communicating
in English was almost never a problem,
and safety was never a concern. I most
certainly plan to make another trip to
Croatia in the future, focusing on the
areas I found to be most photogenic on
this initial exploratory visit. If you like
the idea of exploring ancient European
towns and cities on the coast of the
Adriatic Sea, Croatia is a destination I
highly recommend.
29
Review:
HDR Efex Pro 2
A Minor Update Makes a Major Difference
By Tim Grey
The popularity of high dynamic range (HDR)
imaging has grown significantly over the
last several years, and with that popularity
an increasing number of software tools for
assembling HDR images have become available.
Among those tools, HDR Efex Pro 2 from Nik
Software (http://www.niksoftware.com) has
suddenly become one of my favorites.
When HDR Efex Pro from Nik Software was
first released, I was eager to spend some time
with it because I had grown to appreciate
the elegance that is typical of software
applications from Nik Software. In most cases
their products take a preset-driven approach
that makes it easy to produce an effect
quickly, and that encourages exploration
and experimentation. Beyond the presets,
however, Nik Software applications also
PIXOLOGY
provide a good degree of control over the
final effect, including the ability to apply
targeted adjustments via control points.
While I was, as I expected, very happy with
the overall capabilities of the first version
of HDR Efex Pro, I did find that the ghost
removal capabilities were rather poor. So
poor, in fact, that I never put that first
version to use for my HDR images. When
version 2 was released, the very first thing I
did was test the ghost removal feature, and
I’m very happy to report that the problems
here have been completely solved. Ghost
removal is incredibly important in HDR
imaging. Even when the scene appears to be
completely static, there may be some degree
of movement, such as branches in the breeze
or a bird you didn’t notice, for example.
30
When there is movement between the frames
you capture for the HDR image, the result
will be ghosting unless the software you use
for processing your HDR image provides the
ability to remove ghosts.
HDR Efex Pro must be hosted by another
application, which means you launch HDR
Efex Pro from within Adobe Bridge, Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom,
or Apple Aperture. Generally speaking you
would select the multiple RAW captures you
want to process with HDR Efex Pro and then
initiate processing by HDR Efex Pro.
The first step in actually assembling the
HDR image in HDR Efex Pro is to combine
the multiple captures into one. During that
process you can determine which specific
settings you want to utilize in the assembly.
This includes the ability to have the individual
images aligned based on their content, the
ability to reduce the appearance of ghosting,
and the option to remove chromatic
aberrations. For ghost reduction you can
choose a strength, but from my perspective
if you need the benefit of ghost removal you
should always apply it at 100% strength.
You can also choose which image in the
sequence being assembled should be used
as the reference photo for ghost removal,
which determines the position of subjects
that had been moving from frame to frame.
For chromatic aberration you can fine-tune
the correction on a red/cyan axis as well as a
blue/yellow axis.
Once you have established the settings for
the creation of your basic HDR image you
can adjust the appearance of the final photo
through the tone-mapping settings. Tone
mapping can be performed on both HDR
HDR Efex Pro requires a “host” application. That means you send photos to HDR Efex Pro from other software, such as via
Lightroom’s Export feature, shown here.
PIXOLOGY
31
images assembled from multiple captures
as well as a single image, though obviously
with the latter you won’t have the same level
of detail as could be achieved by assembling
multiple images.
Tone mapping is in many ways at the heart of
HDR imaging, and this is where HDR Efex
Pro really shines. You start by selecting a
preset that determines the overall settings to
be used as a starting point for tone mapping
your photo. The thumbnail previews reflect
the actual image you’re working with, so you
get a true sense of what to expect with each
preset. In addition to the variety of presets
included with HDR Efex Pro, you can also
create your own presets, or obtain presets that
other photographers have created and shared.
Of course, a preset simply stores the settings
that were used to achieve a particular look,
which means it is very easy to fine-tune
the settings to adjust the appearance of
your photo. The adjustments are divided
into sections, which ensures the process of
adjusting the photo is not intimidating in the
least.
In addition to the overall global adjustments
available in HDR Efex Pro, you can also take
advantage of Control Points, which provide
an efficient and powerful way to apply
adjustments that affect a specific area of the
photo. You simply add a control point to
the area of the photo you want to adjust (for
example, the sky) and determine the size of
the area, and HDR Efex Pro will automatically
mask the area based on appearance. In other
words, you can click to add a control point
in the sky and enlarge that control point to
include all of the sky, and for the most part
only the actual sky will be affected by the
adjustments for that control point.
While the focus of your work in HDR Efex Pro
will tend to be the adjustments you apply to
fine-tune the appearance of your photo, there
are other features within the software that
The first stage of creating an HDR image with HDR Efex Pro is to assemble the multiple frames, where you can adjust the overall
settings used to assemble the images.
PIXOLOGY
32
provide for an efficient workflow. Among these
are a variety of options for previewing the
effects you are applying to the image. Naturally
when you select a preset or apply adjustments
the effect is immediately visible in the preview
image. You can adjust the zoom setting for the
preview image, but you also have access to a
Loupe view that enables you to have a 100%
view of any area of the image.
Of course, at times you’ll want to take a look at
the “before” version of the image to get a better
sense of the adjustments you’ve applied, and
there is no shortage of options here. One of my
favorite options is the Compare button, which
in many respects is similar to the Preview
checkbox you’ll find in other applications.
However, because the Compare button is a
button rather than a checkbox, it actually
provides a small but helpful boost in efficiency.
To view the “before” version of the image
you simply click and hold your mouse on the
Compare button. When you release the mouse
button the image returns to its current state.
Therefore, the process of viewing the before
and after involves only one click-and-release
of the mouse, rather than two clicks with a
Preview checkbox. A small issue, to be sure,
but one that to me indicates that Nik Software
was thinking about the user when designing
their software.
You can also utilize a variety of “before and
after” preview displays while working with
your image. The more basic option here is
a side-by-side display of both a before and
after view of the full image. With the click
of the mouse you can also switch the display
between before and after images side by side
or above and below, which enables you to
make better use of the available display area
depending on whether you’re working with a
horizontal or vertical image.
The other before and after view option is
the split view. With this preview option the
image will initially display with the left half
showing the before version of the image
and the right half showing the after version.
However, you can change the orientation
The tone-mapping stage is where you have the most impact on the final appearance of your photo in HDR Efex Pro.
PIXOLOGY
33
for this display as well, so that the split is
between the top half and bottom half of the
image rather than left and right halves. Even
better, you can drag the line that divides the
before and after portions of the image. This
enables you to position the transition point to
an area that makes more sense based on the
subject matter of the image, but also provides
a method for switching between more of a
before view versus and after view by dragging
relatively quickly from one side of the image
to the other.
To really help you focus on your image, you
can also hide the left and right panels that
contain the adjustment controls, and also
change the color of the area around the image
between middle gray, black, and white.
One of the things I have appreciated about
the variety of applications from Nik Software
is the consistency of the user interface. That
means if you have used any of their other
software products, you’ll feel at home quickly
in HDR Efex Pro. But even if you’ve never
used other Nik Software products, I think
you’ll find HDR Efex Pro to have an efficient
and approachable user interface that enables a
smooth workflow.
While the overall workflow and interface in
HDR Efex Pro is rather straightforward, there
are some options available in the Settings
dialog that allow you to fine-tune the overall
interface and behavior of the software. These
mostly relate to the default settings for
the various options available to you when
processing your HDR images.
Whether you’re just getting started with high
dynamic range imaging or have had years of
experience assembling HDR images, I think
you’ll find HDR Efex Pro to be a powerful
tool. With the greatly improved ghost
reduction capabilities, HDR Efex Pro has
become my overall favorite tool for creating
HDR images because it is easy to use and
offers a wide range of creative and corrective
adjustment options.
HDR Efex Pro includes a variety of preview options, including the split before and after view shown here.
PIXOLOGY
34
Lowepro
Lens Exchange
100 AW
A Smaller Version of a Clever Bag
By Tim Grey
At the 2011 PhotoPlus trade show
in New York City a couple of friends
at Lowepro introduced me to what I
consider to be a very clever bag call the
Lens Exchange 200 AW. I became an
instant fan, and immediately asked if
it would be possible to obtain some of
these bags to offer as prizes during the
month-long celebration of the tenth
anniversary of my Ask Tim Grey email
newsletter (www.asktimgrey.com).
Now I have had the opportunity to work with
the latest addition to the Lens Exchange line
from Lowepro, the Lens Exchange 100 AW.
The Lens Exchange bags are unique and
clever, and can prove extremely helpful
to certain photographers in the right
circumstances. The basic concept behind
these bags is the ability to store a single lens
when the bag is closed, but to hold two
lenses when the bag is open. As such, a Lens
Exchange bag can be very helpful when it
comes to quickly and safely changing lenses
on your digital SLR.
PIXOLOGY
The basic process is quite simple. Let’s
assume you want to be able to easily switch
between two lenses while traveling around
on foot. You have one lens on the camera,
and you put the other lens in the Lens
Exchange bag, attaching the bag to your
belt with built-in mount that holds securely
with durable hook-and-loop fabric.
When you want to switch lenses, you
hold the camera in one hand and then
grab the over-sized zipper handle on the
Lens Exchange bag with your free hand.
You pull that handle outward and down
to unzip the bag. You can then remove
the lens from your camera using both
hands, and place the lens in the free
compartment of the bag.
Next, you remove the lens you want to
use from the bag, and attach it to the
camera, returning the rear cap from
the lens you’ve mounted to the lens you
placed into the bag. At this point you
once again hold the camera in one hand,
and pull the handle up and in to close the
35
bag, with the lens safely inside. You can
then continue with your photography,
repeating the process as needed to switch
lenses again at any time. When you’re
finished or otherwise want to keep the
bag closed for an extended duration, a
snap at the top of the bag ensures that
even if you accidentally open the zipper,
the lens inside will remain inside.
In addition to holding lenses, the Lens
Exchange 100 AW includes elastictopped pouches on two sides, which
provide additional storage for items
such as a spare battery, spare digital
media cards, or other small items you
want to have with you. And if wet
weather threatens, you can remove
the all-weather cover (thus the “AW”
designation in the name of the bag) and
cover the bag to keep the contents of the
bag dry. The all-weather cover is stored
inside the back wall of the bag, providing
easy access while at the same time
staying out of the way.
The Lens Exchange 100 AW also comes
with a shoulder strap. This can be helpful
when you’re traveling from one place
to another, but when you’re actually
photographing with the potential need
to switch lenses, I strongly recommend
mounting the bag to your belt to provide
a more stable platform for one-handed
operation of the bag.
The construction of the Lens Exchange
100 AW is durable and the zippers
operate smoothly, instilling confidence
that this bag can hold up to frequent
PIXOLOGY
36
use in challenging circumstances. And
it is priced very reasonably at $44.95.
With a compact size, the Lens Exchange
100 AW is aimed at working with a
pair of relatively short focal length
lenses, generally up to about 100mm.
In my testing I worked with a Canon
10-22mm wide zoom and a Canon 24105mm zoom, pairing these lenses with
my Canon EOS 7D. The bag worked
great with this lens pair, though I do
recommend keeping the longer of your
two lenses in the inside pouch of the bag,
with the shorter lens in the outer pouch.
lenses, I highly recommend the Lens
Exchange 100 AW (or the larger Lens
Exchange 200 AW for lenses up to about
200mm focal length) from Lowepro. You
might feel a little silly with a lens bag
mounted on your belt, but that feeling is
likely to fade very quickly as you realize
how quickly this bag enables you to
switch lenses, with no fear of dropping
a lens trying to change lenses on your
camera using only your two hands.
For photographers who like to travel
light and have both hands available for
working with the camera and changing
http://amzn.to/SCE37c
PIXOLOGY
You can find the Lowepro Lens Exchange
100 AW bag on Amazon here:
37
Stability is Relative
Even on a Tripod, Fast Shutter Speeds are Helpful
By Tim Grey
Sometimes even when we are being
especially careful we manage to get lulled into
complacency. In photography it seems to me
this is especially true when it comes to using
a tripod.
Now, let’s be clear about my relationship with
tripods. It is a tenuous relationship at best. Don’t
get me wrong. I own a tripod and a very nice
ball head, and I bring that tripod with me on
most trips. I even use the tripod sometimes. But
for the most part, I only use the tripod when I
need to use the tripod. I generally prefer to work
without a tripod, simply because I can work
with greater speed and flexibility hand-held. But
I know my limits, and when a tripod is needed,
I don’t hesitate to put it to use.
images, and under the circumstances a little bit
of astrophotography seemed in order, perhaps
even including photographing star trails. I
started with some relatively short exposures
of around 30 seconds, but was surprised at the
degree of motion blur in the photos. After all,
my tripod was stable and sturdy, and the ball
head was locked down.
Taking a close look at a long exposure, even on a tripod, can
reveal motion blur caused by a variety of factors.
When the circumstances are such that you
really need to use a tripod, I think there is
considerable risk of complacency. While
your tripod may be very stable, how stable is
it really?
Sometimes the lack of stability is readily
apparent, or at least should be. I remember
standing on the “flight deck” at Bosque del
Apache National Wildlife Refuge in the
freezing cold (literally) of pre-dawn, claiming a
spot for the blast off of snow geese that would
occur later. As long as I was standing out in
the cold I decided I might as well capture some
PIXOLOGY
38
What I had failed to take into account,
in part because it was so dark I couldn’t
really make out my surroundings, was
that the platform I was standing on
was a wooden deck. And many other
photographers were on that deck, mostly
pacing around in an effort to keep warm.
All that movement caused the boards of
the deck to flex, creating movement that
was quite significant in the context of a
30-second exposure.
At other times the lack of stability isn’t quite
as obvious. The vibrations of the engine on a
boat can transmit enough movement through
the deck to affect the sharpness of a photo
captured on a tripod. A stiff wind or even a
moderate breeze can cause enough movement
of the lens to cause motion blur. A platform
that isn’t as stable as it might seem, such as
a sandy beach, can allow a certain degree of
camera movement during the exposure.
With all of this potential for movement of the
camera even with the use of a tripod, it can
be important to avoid complacency related to
shutter speed. Naturally you want to reduce
the risk of noise by keeping the ISO setting
as low as possible. And you may want to stop
down the lens for a variety of reasons, from
maximizing sharpness to achieving a starburst
effect for lights. Those two factors can result in
a relatively slow shutter speed.
I often say that the trio of exposure settings
(aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) reflect
a compromise in many (perhaps most)
situations. Quite often the initial decisions
we make about exposure settings lead to
a relatively slow shutter speed. When you
The wooden platform at the “flight deck” at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge can result in a surprising amount of
movement even on a tripod, due to the many photographers on the platform.
PIXOLOGY
39
combine this with the use of a tripod, in
theory it isn’t a problem. And yet in many
cases, stability on a tripod isn’t nearly what
you might assume.
As such, I encourage you to be more
thoughtful about your exposure settings
when putting a tripod to use. You may
be intentionally trying to achieve a long
exposure, and that’s perfectly fine. In fact, a
long exposure can produce a wonderful effect
with many scenes. But in most cases a long
exposure requires a stable platform. When
going through the process of setting up your
tripod-mounted shot, be sure to take into
account all of the potential factors that can
lead to motion blur.
If possible, choose a location for the tripod
that will provide the most stable platform.
Make sure the tripod is properly locked down,
including firmly tightening the leg extensions
and ensuring the head is tightened properly.
If the lens you are using include a built-in
stabilization feature, be sure you understand
whether this feature needs to be turned off or
switched to a different mode when utilizing a
tripod. And if there are factors beyond your
control that might reduce sharpness in the
image, make the necessary compromises to
achieve a shutter speed that is fast enough to
compensate for those factors.
In many cases the use of a tripod can greatly
add to the sharpness of a photograph. But it
pays to pay attention to the conditions where
that tripod is employed so you can be sure
you’re really getting the stable platform you
expect for your photographs.
To achieve sharp images with dark subjects, even with a tripod you may want to aim for as fast a shutter speed as possible.
PIXOLOGY
40
When
Slow is Fast Enough
Why You Might Not Need the Fastest Digital Media Cards
By Tim Grey
Digital media cards are the unsung workhorses
of digital photography, serving as initial storage
and transfer media for our digital photos. For
most digital photographers, the type of media
used, such as CompactFlash, is dictated by
what type of card their camera supports. Some
cameras support more than one type of media
card, but generally speaking each camera
supports a single type.
When it comes to the capacity of those cards, I
think there are two general mindsets at play. Some
photographers buy the highest-capacity cards
available (or within their budget), while other
photographers prefer to keep their cards relatively
modest in capacity in the interest of limiting their
losses should a card full of images fail.
But what about speed? While media cards
in general are getting faster all the time, you
generally have the option for several different
speed specifications. How important is it
to get the fastest cards possible? For many
photographers it isn’t important at all, at least in
the context of capturing photos.
Thankfully, most card manufacturers have gotten
away from the “X” speed designations that were
largely meaningless to many photographers, and
replaced them with a speed rating that indicates
how many megabytes per second the card can
transfer. This makes it much easier to evaluate the
relative capabilities of various cards.
There are two basic scenarios where the speed
limitations of your media cards comes into
play. First is when the photos are actually
PIXOLOGY
captured, and second is when the images are
being downloaded to your computer. While we
would all like to download our files as quickly
as possible, where that speed is most important
is during capture. You don’t want to miss out
on a great photo because your camera is busy
writing photos to a digital media card that isn’t
all that fast.
However, for many photographers the speed
of the digital media card is not a factor at all
in their photography. The reason relates to
the buffer built into your camera. When you
take a picture, it isn’t immediately written
directly to the media card. Instead it is
written into the camera’s internal memory
buffer. From the camera’s buffer the images
are then written to the media card. What
that means is that as long as there is free
memory buffer space in your camera, your
photography won’t be interrupted. If the
buffer isn’t full, your camera can continue
capturing images no matter how slow your
media card is.
41
The real question then in terms of how fast your
media cards need to be to ensure interruptionfree photography relates to your behavior as
a photographer and the types of subjects you
photograph. If timing is critically important to
your type of photography, such as with sports
photography, then you want to be sure that
to the extent possible you never have to wait
to capture an image. You want the camera to
always be ready to capture the next frame.
Furthermore, if you tend to capture a
relatively large sequence of images in a short
duration, you risk filling the camera’s buffer,
thereby creating a situation where you can’t
capture a new image until enough free buffer
space has been created. That, in turn, requires
that the photos from the buffer be written to
the media cards, and the write speed of the
card plays a huge role in determining how
long you have to wait.
For example, if you compare a 30MB per second
card to a 90MB per second card, and we assume
a “typical” camera with a RAW capture file size
of around 25MB, you’ll need a full second to
clear the buffer for a single shot with the 30MB
per second card compared to a third of a second
for the 90MB per second card.
If, on the other hand, you rarely or never fill the
camera’s buffer, then a fast card isn’t going to
provide you with a significant benefit, at least in
the context of capturing images in the first place.
When you do fill the buffer because a large number
of images were captured in a short duration, you’ll
see a “Busy” indication on the camera, and you
won’t be able to capture new images until free
space has been cleared in the buffer. If you’ve
never run into that situation, and you don’t tend
to capture bursts of images, then a fast media card
might not be worth the extra cost.
50% performance benefit. That’s not a bad
equation, but the question is whether it is
worthwhile for you.
There’s no question that a little insurance policy
provides peace of mind and greater options.
So when you’re choosing your media cards
you’ll want to consider the potential benefit of
paying more for a faster card. But there’s also
no sense paying more for something you don’t
need. Every photographer is different in terms
of their behavior. For me personally it isn’t all
that common to fill the buffer on my camera.
But when I do it tends to be a situation where I
consider the photography to be rather important,
at least to me personally. As a result, I tend not to
buy the absolute fastest media cards available, but
I do tend toward faster than average cards.
The key, in my mind, is to understand the
various factors at work in your photography,
so that when you’re purchasing new tools for
your photography you’ll be able to make a
more informed decision. If money is no object,
by all means purchase the fastest media cards
available. But if you’re trying to balance the cost
of your tools with the benefit they provide, you
might give some thought to buying media cards
that are a little less expensive and therefore a
little slower, but still plenty fast based on your
photographic behavior.
Card speed is primarily an issue when the camera’s memory
buffer is full, requiring you to wait until images are written
to the card before you can capture new photos.
For example, a typical 60MB per second
card might sell for around $85, while a
90MB per second card sells for around $150.
That’s a bit more than a 40% premium for a
PIXOLOGY
42
Top 6 in Elements 11
Favorite Features in the New
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
By Tim Grey
Adobe has rather consistently released a new version of
Photoshop Elements at around early fall each year, in plenty
of time for the holiday shopping season. In most cases each
new version includes a handful of features that get top billing,
and a variety of smaller features that help fill out the product
and entice users to upgrade. The update to Elements 11 is
a little different, and I for one would like to applaud Adobe
for the focus they’ve put on the overall user interface in
Photoshop Elements 11.
I think it is very easy for a software company
to get caught up trying to add as many whizbang features as they possibly can. And
often those new features come at the price of
overall efficiency and ease-of-use. To be sure,
many users complained (some rather vocally)
about the less-than-ideal user interface of
prior versions of Photoshop Elements. Adobe
has clearly listened, and the user interface
receives top billing as a result.
PIXOLOGY
Here are my top six favorite new features in
Photoshop Elements 11, which combined
create a product that I think is very worthy
of an upgrade, or worthy of consideration
for new users looking for a streamlined
and simply tool for managing their
photographic memories:
43
1
Complete Interface Overhaul
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 bears very
little resemblance to previous versions, in
both the Organizer and the Editor. And that,
in my mind, is a very good thing. The new
interface is considerably brighter with larger
text, and it is also very clean without any of
the clutter found in previous versions.
Taking the overall interface updates a step
further, there is also better organization in
terms of workflow. The features you are most
likely to use are front and center, and there is
a logical flow from left to right, for example,
for importing, organizing, and sharing photos
in the Organizer.
PIXOLOGY
In the Editor you’ll also find a similar
streamlining of the interface, and that extends
to many of the adjustments. In addition
to being able to drag sliders or otherwise
adjust the values for specific adjustments,
the adjustments in the Quick edit mode
now include a series of thumbnails you can
click on to apply an adjustment, with each
thumbnail reflecting the effect you’ll achieve.
It is very clear from the updates in Photoshop
Elements 11 that Adobe listened to customer
feedback, and also spent considerable time
thinking about the best way to present the
interface to the user. From my perspective, the
team at Adobe who implemented this major
overhaul deserves a hearty pat on the back.
44
2
Put Photos on the Map
In many cases where you took a photo is
part of the reason you took the photo in
the first place, or at least an important
consideration when it comes to organizing
and locating photos. An increasing
number of digital cameras (and most
smartphones) even include a GPS receiver,
so that location information is included
automatically when you capture the photo.
Those photos will automatically appear on
the map in the new Places feature, which is
powered by Google Maps.
PIXOLOGY
Even better, for any photos that don’t have
GPS coordinates embedded in their metadata,
you can very easily add location information
to those photos by simply selecting the photos
and then clicking the Add Places button. You
can then drag one or more photos to specific
areas on the map, and GPS coordinates will
be added to the metadata of the photos. This
enables you to then browse the map to locate
photos, to get an overall view of where your
photos were captured, and of course to take a
look at specific photos on the map to remind
you of where they were photographed.
45
3
Filter Photos by People, Places, and Events
Among the many other bits of metadata
added automatically by the camera and
that you can add yourself to the images, the
Elements Organizer enables you to identify
the people in your photos (this was also
possible in previous versions of Elements),
and now add tags for places and events to
your photos. And of course, the whole point
of adding that information is to be able to
locate photos based on the information later.
PIXOLOGY
You can add this information to your photos
using the People, Places, and Events options
in the Organizer, and this is also where you
can filter and sort images using this criteria.
The result is an ability to manage and locate
images based on the criteria that is likely
most important to you in the first place.
46
4
Refine Edge
Over the years Photoshop Elements has
continued to get more sophisticated,
which has made it much easier for many
photographers to employ Elements instead of
the full version of Photoshop for optimizing
their images. In the process, of course, they
end up saving a considerable amount of
money compared to what they might have
otherwise spent on Photoshop.
The trend of Photoshop Elements getting
an increasing number of features that are
“borrowed” from Photoshop continues,
and now the Refine Edge is available within
Photoshop Elements. You can use the Refine
Edge command both for modifying selections
as well as modifying layer masks employed
to create composite images or targeted
adjustment layers. I suggest using Refine
Edge to modify a layer mask rather than a
selection (even if that layer mask is based on
a selection) because this enables you to better
preview the actual final effect in the photo.
in order to smooth the transition of the effect
within the image.
The most powerful capability, however, is the
option to paint within the image in order to
adjust the radius of the area being evaluated
for refinement. This is done by painting with
the Refine Radius tool, or erasing with the
Erase Refinements tool. By simply painting
over areas that aren’t blended very well with
the Refine Radius tool, you’ll generally see an
almost magical improvement in the quality of
transitions in the selection or layer mask.
In short, if you create composite images or
apply targeted adjustments, the Refine Edge
feature alone is probably worth the price of
upgrading. And frankly, if you’ve not utilized
layer masks or selections before, the addition
of Refine Mask might be important enough
that you should consider starting to put these
features to use.
The Refine Edge command allows you to
apply rather sophisticated refinements to the
edges of selections and layer masks, which
can be incredibly helpful in challenging
situations, such as when you want to create
a composite or apply a targeted adjustment
where the key subject has a “fuzzy” edge, such
as with hair, feathers, and fur.
The general adjustments available in Refine
Edge allow you to add a degree of blending
along the edge, such as by feathering and
smoothing that edge. You can also shift
the edge inward or outward, which is often
necessary when you need to apply feathering
PIXOLOGY
47
5
Tilt-Shift Effect
There are a variety of new Guided Edits in
Elements 11, but my clear favorite is the new
Tilt-Shift effect. This type of effect has long
been available in-camera through the creative
use of a tilt-shift lens, but more recently
various software tools have enabled you to
create the effect even with photos captured
with a normal lens.
The basic concept here is that you can
mimic the ability of a tilt-shift lens to create
a unique miniaturization effect. This effect
generally works best for images of relatively
wide scenes captured from a somewhat high
PIXOLOGY
vantage point. But the effect can also be used
in a wide variety of other images.
Because this effect is offered as a Guided Edit,
the process of applying it is quite simple. You
simply add the effect, then modify the area of
the image that will appear in focus, and then
apply refinements to adjust the degree of blur,
amount of contrast in the blurred area, and
the saturation of the blurred area.
Granted, you’re not likely to apply this effect
to a large number of images, but it is a fun
effect to apply to certain photos.
48
6
New Creative Effects
There are a pair of creative filters in Elements
11 that are very similar, and that can be a
lot of fun to apply. The effect is a bit on the
strong and creative side, so these filters will
likely not get used too often, but when you do
put them to use they can be a lot of fun.
The first of these filters is called Comic, which
as the name implies creates an interpretation
of the photo that is a little more graphic, with
a lower level of detail and a bit more impact.
You can, of course, refine the effect, adjusting
the degree of softness, posterization degree
and transition, and color vibrance. You can
PIXOLOGY
also adjust the thickness of the outline added
at high-contrast edges in the photo.
The other filter is Graphic Novel, which is a
little more dramatic in terms of the effect it
creates. The photo becomes less a photo and
more a pen drawing, featuring dark lines and
areas of black with a mostly monochrome
result. You can, of course, refine the effect to
your preferences, but in general the result will
always be a rather dramatic image. This filter
is generally best for images that are relatively
simple, with a key subject that is dominant
within the photo.
49
Conclusion
There’s no question that the major emphasis
of Photoshop Elements 11 is the new
interface. Quite frankly, I consider that
update alone well worth the upgrade price,
because with these new updates to the
interface the experience of using Elements is
greatly improved. While some users may feel
that the lack of photo-focused new features
makes this a less appealing upgrade, I think
the combination of interface overhaul and
new organization capabilities (especially the
mapping feature) make Elements 11 a very
worthy upgrade.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 is available for Windows
(7, Vista, and XP) and Macintosh (OS X). List price is $99.99
for new users and $79.99 for an upgrade for existing users.
Find Photoshop Elements 11 on Amazon here:
http://amzn.to/UWIdIY
You can also save with a bundle of Photoshop Elements and
Premiere Elements, which you can find on Amazon here:
http://amzn.to/Vhj4J6
PIXOLOGY
50
Upcoming Events
California Photo Festival
October 10-14, 2012
Tim Grey will return for the third straight year to the California Photo Festival on the central
coast of California to present a series of photography and digital imaging sessions. Choose from
a wide variety of topics presented by various instructors, and of course get the opportunity to
learn from Tim in his sessions and during free time.
http://www.californiaphotofest.com/events.php?instructor=9
Olympic National Park Workshop
May 5-11, 2013
Experience the remarkable forests, rugged coasts, and quaint towns of the Olympic Peninsula
with this week-long workshop led by Tim Grey and Wolfgang Kaehler.
http://timgreystore.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=OLYMPIC2013
Palouse Photo Workshop
June 15-21, 2013
Experience the incredible landscape of the Palouse region of eastern Washington state with this
week-long workshop led by Tim Grey and Wolfgang Kaehler.
http://timgreystore.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=PALOUSE2013
PIXOLOGY
51
Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
Pixology magazine is published electronically on a monthly basis. For more information, visit
www.pixologymag.com
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Grey. All Rights Reserved.
To contact the publisher:
Tim Grey
328 8th Avenue #132
New York, NY 10001
www.timgrey.com
tim@timgrey.com
About Tim Grey
Tim Grey is regarded as one of the top educators in digital
photography and imaging, offering clear guidance on
complex subjects through his writing and speaking.
Tim has authored more than a dozen books and hundreds
of magazine articles on digital imaging for photographers,
and has produced over a dozen video training titles on a
wide variety of subjects. He publishes the Ask Tim Grey
email newsletter in addition to Pixology magazine. Tim
teaches through workshops, seminars, and appearances at
major events around the world.
For more information:
www.timgrey.com
Every attempt has been made throughout this magazine to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the
capitalization style used by the manufacturer and marking those marks as either a trademark or registered trademark. All trademarks and
registered trademarks included in this book are the property of their respective owners.
The publisher has made best efforts to prepare this magazine, but makes no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the
completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability,
fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly from this magazine..
Parting Shot
Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
Special Offer!
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking a look at this complimentary issue of Pixology magazine.
Pixology is a monthly digital publication featuring a wide range of articles that
I believe photographers will find informative and entertaining.
Now that you’ve had a chance to view some sample content from Pixology,
I hope you’re interested in becoming a subscriber. If so, I’d like to offer you
a special discount.
Sign up now and you can save 20% off a subscription to
Pixology magazine. You can get started here:
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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at tim@timgrey.com.
Thank you,
Tim Grey