Shaun+Davidson+-+Tennis+Racket

[|Digital Photography]: [|Digital Photo Editing]: [|Fall 2008 S603 Photo Editing]: Shaun Davidson - Tennis Racket

=Shaun Davidson - Tennis Racket=

The following pictures have been edited using Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is such an extensive program that the possibilities are really only limited your knowledge of the software itself. My own knowledge is pretty basic, so there won't be anything too extravagant.

A major element of Photoshop is the use of layers. Just as you can put multiple layers of clothes on to stay warm, in Photoshop, there can be multiple layers to a project that can overlap each other and be edited independently. While I edited this picture of a tennis racket as whole to demonstrate a specific tool, try to imagine the capabilities of the software when there are many layers present all with different effects, settings, etc. I know this isn't intended to be a photoshop tutorial, but I hope it gives some insight for those who haven't used it before.

All of the edits will be done from the following original picture: A basic alteration is increasing or decreasing the brightness. This is useful when the picture is dark overall from just not enough light or if there are a lot of dark subjects together and you want to differentiate between them.

Compare the photos above and below. Which one looks better to you? Sometimes brightness is a matter of taste.

This next photo includes text. This is a simple way to showcase how layers work in Photoshop. When I insert the text on this photo, it doesn't apply itself directly to the photo but creates a new "layer" for the text. Try to think of the text simply floating on top of the background image. So, any tools I use to edit the text layer will not affect the background layer in any way. Sometimes I even use Photoshop just to create and edit text!

Text is a great way to add a description to a photo or add labels.

This next effect is pretty fun: lens flare. This lets you get that 2001: A Space Odyssey / WALL-E lens effect. While it's kind of silly looking on the tennis racket, a tasteful lens flare can add a little life to a photo.

[|Digital Photography]: [|Digital Photo Editing]: [|Fall 2008 S603 Photo Editing]: Shaun Davidson - Tennis Racket