AdvancedPhotography.Net » Post Processing

Create a Realistic Torn Photo Frame Effect using Photoshop

Shivanand Sharma — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:43:00 +0000

This is the first tutorial of its kind on APN about photographic and other special effects. I had a beautiful photograph of my son and I wanted to make it my desktop wallpaper. But not without adding some special effects. The torn edge frame effect was the one that came to mind. But the tutorials were either too long, unrealistic or just not relevant. Here’s something simple you can do to add a torn edge effect to any photo. Fire up Photoshop. We are going to use this photo —

Select the part of the picture that you want to retain in the frame — a good estimate is about 5-10 pixels from the edges like so:
Next, (align the selection to the center if not already and) go into quick mask mode using the last button on the Tools.
Go to Filter > Sketch > Torn Edges…
See the edge preview here (like in the picture below) and adjust the settings using the controls on the top right and click OK.
Exit out of the quick mask mode using the button as in step 2. You’ll have the following area selected:
Right click on the image and click Select Inverse. You’ll now have the edges selected. Hit Delete on the keyboard and you’ll have the torn edges frame —

We’ve shown this on a patterned background to distinguish the photo’s white edge from the page background. This method works the best on medium sized images. Share or bookmark this tutorial. What other methods have you tried to create the torn edges frame effect?

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White balance: Unlocking the secret to great color

Shivanand Sharma — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:22:54 +0000

White Balance is one of the most neglected controls on a digital camera. You can tweak settings like contrast and sharpness etc. but most of us still choose to set the white-balance to auto. While white-balance is used to correct the color temperature of the pictures, it is a very powerful tool to manipulate your photographs for some extraordinary effects- or even more original for that matter. Take the following image for example. I shot it in on a clear blue late morning with my D80 set to auto white-balance.

Compare the above to the following. See how the sky looks more neutral and the yellow of the flowers pops out. Done as a part of post processing, it’s best to neutralize white at the source or in-camera.

The reason this happens is that all cameras have different settings. Shooting under different kinds of lights changes white balance too. Thus the only way to get the perfect white balance is to painfully fix it during post-processing for every image.

Or, you could use filters depending upon the scene. That’s what filters are made for. When under a strong clear blue sky, you get cooler (more bluish) images due to the sky reflecting back on the scene. Depending on whether you are shooting indoors under the light you may get a warm color cast. These can be removed in-camera by using warming or cooling filters.

Welcome to the digital age. There’s another way to do it without filters. Depending on your camera you may have the ability to tune white balance and make it warm or cool. You can also do it in-camera as a post-processing step. Some cameras offer the ability to use a preset white balance or measure it in the scene.

So far the main idea is only to neutralize the color temperature. However some of the surreal effects are often achieved by choosing a custom white-balance not in the favor of neutrality but to blow the colors to your preference. After all photography is not only a science but also an art – an art to visualize the results before you shoot photographs. Here’s another image I shot with my D80 in the evening. This temple is built of white marble and was already glowing warm during the sunset after a rain under red clouds. Pretty much everything seems fine. Shot under the magic light, the marble glows beautifully.

But this is not what I visualized to achieve under magic light. I applied a warm filter (85 ) in Photoshop. The glow is prof0und yet subtle.

Warming up the warm colors and leaving the cool ones alone is what makes Fuji Velvia 50 the world’s standard for nature and landscape photography.

Beware it is too easy to overdo this. Using filters to do it in-camera keeps things in check. The main idea is to know the effects of the light you are shooting in. To extend it further feel free to experiment and bring out results that are truly what you feel look great – it’s your art and expression after all.

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5 Auto-level tips for post-processing

Shivanand Sharma — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:51:27 +0000

I was scanning some old images when the thought of using auto-level for batch post-processing dwelled upon me. So quickly to share my findings.

Auto-Level is not mandatory

Auto-level is not a necessary step during post-processing. When you get a good exposure right from the camera, auto-leveling can introduce artifacts into your images.
Consider Manual Level adjustment instead

In most software auto-level adjustment happens on per-channel basis. Thus red, green and blue channels are all auto leveled. This changes the ratio of these three colors. This step in turn alters, destroys the original image colors and introduces color cast.
Batch post-processing

There is nothing called batch post-processing. Only go for it if you are willing to get acceptable images. The only way to get the best result is to go the painful way of hand-editing each image individually.
Use Auto Contrast instead

Auto-level attempts to balance the image histogram on per channel basis while giving enhanced contrast. A better way to handle this is to go for auto contrast which does not interfere with color balance.
Tap into the power of Curves

The curves tool is a more powerful tool which gives realistic and appealing results.

Photo by samdiablo666

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AdvancedPhotography.Net » Post Processing

Create a Realistic Torn Photo Frame Effect using Photoshop

White balance: Unlocking the secret to great color

5 Auto-level tips for post-processing

Auto-Level is not mandatory

Consider Manual Level adjustment instead

Batch post-processing

Use Auto Contrast instead

Tap into the power of Curves