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Sue's Lesson January As far as I can remember it Audrey (Sue in Italics)

Correct Perspective

Click the icon LHS that looks a bit like a nazi swastika (Crop)and select the area of photo you want

Go to top of browser and click 'perspective '

Move your dotted lines to align with the slope you wish to correct and when ok, left click and save.

OR as Sue presented it in Lesson 1:

LESSON 1 - CROPPING AND CORRECTING CONVERGING (leaning) VERTICALS

Cropping

1.Select MY DOCUMENTS

Go to MY PICTURES

Right click on the relevant photo icon and select OPEN WITH:  Photoshop 7

2.Maximise the photo (click square box at top right of image)

3.Select CROP TOOL # from Tool Bar on left of screen

In the boxes at the top of the screen Type in the required Width and Height

(e.g. 7 in and 5 in)

4.Position the crop cursor at the top left corner of the image and drag down and right as far as it will go (having entered the finished size, the selection will be restricted in the correct proportions).

5.With the arrowhead cursor in the centre of the selected area (all other areas will be greyed out) hold down the left mouse button and move the frame around until you are happy that you have selected the part of the image you wish to keep. Release the mouse and “Click the Tick” at the top of the screen (just right of centre) to confirm the crop.

6.Select FILE  SAVE AS and type in File Name ending with the .jpg extension.

From the Format options Select JPEG. Ensure the destination is where you want

it to go, and click SAVE.

7.If you then see the JPEG Options screen,

Select:QUALITY12 (Large file)

FORMAT OPTIONS:Progressive

SCANS3

Click OK

Correcting converging verticals

1.Proceed as above as far as step 4. You will now see a check-box labelled

PERSPECTIVE on the top menu bar. Check this box.

2.Drag each corner marker in turn until each side of the bounding box line is parallel with the

straight edges in your image. Each side moves independently to give an exact match. When you are happy with the alignment release the cursor. Click the Tick at the top of the screen and the image will crop, straighten and fit the frame.

3.SAVE or SAVE AS in the normal way.

If at any time you make a mistake, click EDIT STEP BACK to undo the previous action.

Cloning

Select clone stamp (looks like a square bucket with a lolly on top) Go to top and select your brush. Move to area on your photo that you wish to use to clone out whatever offends you.You can increase size of brush by altering numbers by the brush at top (Sue said you can use the brackets but I couldn't do this) Press 'Alt' to select the area you want to copy. click to accept when you decide it is right colour and size, move to area you want to obliterate , and clone away.When complete Save. I usually save my alterations with a different file name.

Changing contrast using levels

Choose the photo you wish to tackle.

In the Layers box on right, click the 2nd icon from right at bottom of levels box to make a duplicate layer. Then click the 3rd icon from right to get up your selection list. Click 'Levels' You will get a chart showing contrast distribution.At the bottom you will see a line with triangles either end , these will adjust your high and low tones. The line above, choose middle triangle to change mid tones. Keep twiddling until you like it better than originaland then click OK

Save as before with different file name in case you decide you like the original better.

Tutorial March 2009

Tutorial - Printing and sizing difficulties:

Sue had brought her printer and demonstrated how to crop to a specific size and proportion by entering the sizes in the relevant boxes at the top of the screen once the crop tool has been selected. Also, how the selection can be moved around to arrive at the best final result and then printed on the same sized paper. There was plenty of discussion on how to get multiple prints on one sheet of paper. It is possible by selecting multiple images from the opened file list and exporting them to the print screen, or by making a separate file for all required images.

Tutorial May/June.....

LESSON 8 - HOW TO MERGE TWO IMAGES IN PHOTOSHOP

1 . Import Image 1 File -> Open -> navigate to your chosen image

2. Erase Background:

From the Tool Bar (LH side of screen) select Magic Eraser Tool (click on bottom RH corner of eraser tool icon and select) - Tolerance 10 to 15 or dependant upon subject being selected.

Background Eraser tool and Opacity 100%

Adjust size of brush for speed and/or delicacy of detail to be erased then "rub" out usingmouse to move the eraser over the unwanted areas.

Finish with eraser tool

3.Import Image 2 (as for Image 1)

4.Change Background Colour if necessary:

Image -> Adjustments (Play with various settings from sub-menu until desired effect is achieved.)

5.Merge Images 1 and 2:

Click on Image 1 to copy it - Select -> All then Edit •> Copy

Click on Image 2 and click on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette

Then select Edit -> Paste

6.Rescale Image 1:

Edit -> Transform -> Scale then use the "handles" ajrthe colter of the box created and move in until the desired size of image is achieved(ENTER)

7.Flatten the Images (combine into one image permanently):

Select Layer -> Flatten Image.

8.Save Final Image:

Select File -> Save as and name your new file.

** New layer icon 2nd from right in layer box

PPHOTOGRAPHY 2 GROUP MEETING – 27th November 2009

Present: Sue, Norman, Frank, Roy T, June, Betty, Val, Gill, Sheila & Roy D, Audrey

Apologies: Richard, Yvonne, Jackie, Maureen, Mike

Notices:

1.There would be another Photo Marathon on Saturday, 16th January 2010. Details will follow by email, including entry form. Participants and partners will be welcome to the judging and social in the evening. Cost is £6 per person payable to Bedford U3A. One or two volunteers from our group are needed to help with setting up and preparing the supper. Names to Sue asap please. Everyone entering is asked to bring a photo of a mystery object for a quiz in the evening.

2.Sue asked if the Group would like another social evening in the New Year. There was general agreement and the date chosen was Monday, 18th January 2010 from 7pm. Contributions to the supper would be appreciated – please let Sue know what you will contribute (finger buffet). (Norman has volunteered to bring wine)

3.As we have regretfully lost Christine and Geoff from our group due to their personal circumstances, there are now a couple of vacancies. Gill will announce this at the December Open Meetings.

4.Grateful thanks to Norman and Jackie for leading the Sept and Oct sessions. It was unfortunate that Jackie’s email did not reach many of the members.

Monthly Topic: Ruins

The photos were shown in the normal way and there was discussion and comment on each one. Those chosen for the album were: Audrey – Saxons, Romans and Normans; Betty – St Andrews Cathedral; Frank – Ludlow Castle; Gill – Midley, Romney Marsh; June – The Sphinx; Richard – Ruins at Ephesus; Roy T – Wimpole Folly; Sue – Pollution ruins the Atmosphere and Val – More Ruins. Those from June, Sue, Val, Gill, Audrey, Richard and Roy T were selected for the website (7 chosen as there was a tied vote).

THERE WILL BE NO MEETING IN DECEMBER

The subjects for January and February are “Christmas Sparkle” and “Still Life” respectively. We will explore Still Life at our January meeting. Please bring any objects you think would make a good subject – and your camera if you want to do some experimentation. Gill will bring her reflectors. Angle poise lamps may also be useful.

There then followed a discussion on what members want from the meetings in future, what topics they wanted to be covered, and many suggestions were put forward:

•Demonstration of manipulation methods used to produce a submitted photo by the author, showing ‘before’ and ‘after’ images

•More ‘location’ sessions – visits to locations as a group to take photos of a particular topic or type of subject, in place of normal monthly meeting

•Close-up / macro photography

•Use of the Layer Mask

•General recapping session(s) of Photoshop techniques already covered

•Use of camera – discussion/comparison of techniques or settings used by members

•Still Life (see above)

•Frank asked if members would like to be “Judge for a day” but most felt we were already doing so in a low-key way as we comment on the monthly topic photos.

Sue then informed the Group that she and Richard wished to be relieved of the Leadership from March 2010 as they would then have completed 3 years. There was some consternation expressed, and general discussion and the feeling was that members would like the leadership to remain as it is. Sue eventually agreed that if the leadership of individual meetings could be taken by other members, she and Richard would consider remaining as nominal Group Leaders. There would be no requirement for technical expertise and the content would be the choice of the member(s) concerned. After consulting with Richard, he is happy to continue to receive and organise the monthly topic photos, and Sue will continue to keep the register and take subs. If there is a volunteer to do the Notes that would be great. Some offers were received to “project manage” a monthly meeting and this will be explored further in January and February.

Thank you for your vote of confidence!

If our paths don’t cross again before December, we both wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year.

Happy Snapping,

Sue & Richard

Lesson 9 Layer Masks to Merge Images

1. Import Image 1 (background) File  Open  navigate to your chosen image

2. Import Image 2 (as for Image 1), and using the Move tool (top rt of Toolbar)

drag this layer over the background layer.

3. Apply a Layer Mask to this top layer: Layer  Add Layer Mask  Reveal All

4. Check on the Tool Bar (LH side of screen) that the icon near the bottom like

two overlapping squares, one black, one white has the black on top. If it is

reversed, click on the double-ended arrow to the right to swap them over.

5. Choose the paintbrush tool

Choosing an appropriate sized brush, (use square brackets next to the ‘P’ – ] to

increase or [ to reduce size) paint over the areas of the picture that you wish

to remove. This will reveal the background picture beneath.

If you accidentally paint over a part you wanted to keep, click on the ‘reverse’ arrow by the black&white squares, and ‘paint’ that part back in. Using the

black on top reveals the lower picture, using white restores the top one. Adjust

the brush size down for more accurate work around the edges of your selected

top image.

6. To reposition the top image at any time, revert to the MOVE tool and adjust its

position.

7. When you’re satisfied with the new image, you need to save it as follows:

8. Combine into one image permanently: Layer  Flatten Image.

9. Save Final Image: File  Save as and name your new file as a jpg

file.

You can have so much fun with this and the first Merge technique, and produce some really surreal results. Do try it, even if you feel it may not be a procedure you will use often.