My photo blog - by Manoj C. V.

Give me red...

2011-12-04T17:13:00.001+05:30

Pretty Yellow

2011-12-03T20:30:00.001+05:30

Pleasant

2011-12-01T18:01:00.001+05:30

Sunset

2011-10-17T22:52:00.001+05:30

Reflections

2011-04-19T13:13:00.001+05:30

Cherry Blossom

2011-04-03T15:21:00.001+05:30

Solitude

2011-03-28T02:05:00.002+05:30

Random

2011-03-21T05:46:00.004+05:30

Fresh & Blossom

2011-03-13T04:34:00.001+05:30

Daffodils

2011-03-05T15:51:00.004+05:30

Love

2011-01-29T20:27:00.000+05:30

Friends

2011-01-23T23:48:00.002+05:30

Watchful

2011-01-16T18:22:00.002+05:30

A shot from Hamleys Shop - Regent Street London.

After shower! :)

2010-05-29T00:40:00.000+05:30

Dreamland

2010-05-22T15:34:00.002+05:30

Big Brother

2010-05-20T22:08:00.002+05:30

Ornamented

2010-05-19T23:46:00.003+05:30

Color Stripes

2010-03-21T21:32:00.000+05:30

Torn off the color

2010-02-25T00:09:00.001+05:30

Hi All,

I will be updating this post soon with the steps used to process.

Original

Processed

What is layer blending in photoshop?

2010-02-16T16:43:00.000+05:30

Blend - the dictionary meaning of this transitive verb is "To combine or mix so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another".

Yes this is exactly Photoshop provides us. Blending layer options provides us a way to combine the effects we make in different layers to finally produce the creative outcome we are looking forward to.

I would like to explain blending using a simple example to understand how it works. Usually while processing an image of a piece of art, we have to perform numerous trial and error before we can finalize on a blending mode we have to actually select for the layer where the final outcome is visually pleasing and creative.

Let’s quickly jump to the example.

Step 1 : Open an image. When we open an image, by default it will be set as the background, which can be viewed in the Layers palette.

Step 2 : Create a layer from the background. (Right click on the Background in the Layers palette and select Layer from background)

Step 3 : Duplicate the layer. (right click on the new layer created in step 2 in the layers palette and select duplicate layer)

Step 4 : Change the blending option to 'Soft Light' from the tiny dropdown list at the top left of the Layers palette. When a new layer is created the blending option that will be selected for the new layer will be Normal.

Step 5 : Adjust the transparency of the new layer to 50%.

Now we can see that the image looks a bit deep in colour and lighting where the shadows are further darkened and the highlights are lightened but the effect blends well with the original picture we had opened.

The above example is just a very simple way to explain what and how we can change the blending option of a layer. We can use more effects by creating different duplicates of the original layer, provide different blending options to each of the layers and then see how the final image looks.

Hope you enjoyed the post.

Thanks,
Manoj

1-2-3 edit in photoshop

2010-02-07T19:05:00.002+05:30

The above picture was edited and processed in photoshop. And the result is shown below.

How to select font in photoshop?

2010-02-07T17:47:00.009+05:30

Hi,

In this post I would like to explain how to select font for a text in Photoshop.

Step 1 : We can open the character palette by (Menu Windows > Character)

A small palette as shown below will be visible.

Step 2 : Select the text tool (Keyboard press T)

Step 3 : Type the required text

Step 4 : Highlight the typed text, and select the required font from the character palette. (for example select Arial from the font family dropdown list in the character palette)

Thanks,
Manoj

What is a layer mask in photoshop?

2010-02-05T17:22:00.005+05:30

Hi,

When I was initially delving through the many features of photoshop, the most useful and simple one I came across is the layer mask. This is a very useful feature that allows us to control the visibility of certain sections in a layer.

Below are the steps to try out a very simple demonstration of how to use a layer mask and understand the different applications of it.

Step 1 : Open an image in photoshop.

Step 2 : Convert the background to layer (right click on background in the Layers pallete and select Layer from background).

Step 3 : Open another image in photoshop.

Step 4 : Using the Move tool (Keyboard press V), drag the new image opened on top the old image.

Step 5 : Add a Hide All layer mask. (Menu Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All).

After step 5, we will be able to see only the first image we opened, but we notice a black rectangular box in the layers pallete corresponding to the new layer which was created for the new image we dragged on top of the old image.

Step 6 : Select the brush tool (Keyboard press B).

Step 7 : Set the foreground color to white (Keyboard press D).

Step 8 : Draw over the picture, now we see the new image partially through the path we are drawing.

From the above steps we can understand the use of a layer mask. Now use your imagination to mix and blend any number of images of your choice and make those dreamy images.

Thanks,
Manoj

How to flip horizontal or vertical in photoshop?

2010-02-04T13:15:00.006+05:30

Hello All. In this post of mine I would like to demonstrate a very simple action in photoshop. That is how can we flip a layer in photoshop.

Step 1 : To start with let us create a new image in photoshop (Menu File > New) (Keyboard press CTRL + N).

Step 2 : Since it would be eazy to understand this action using a shape, let me select the 'Custom shape tool' (Keyboard press U).

Step 3 : Create a new layer (Menu Layer > New) (Keyboard press SHIFT + CTRL + N).

Step 4 : Draw the shape on the layer

Step 5 : Flip the shape (menu Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal)

Now we can see the shape is fliped horizontally.

Thank you for reading this short post on how to use flip in photoshop.

A Helping Hand

2010-01-20T00:06:00.002+05:30

It is such a big disaster that the residents of the earthquake affected areas in Haiti had to face that dreadful day. I have seen in news that for food and basic amenities people are bursting into violence. It cannot be only attributed to the way the help is being given to those victims of the quake. But the transportation links have been lost to provide them with the essential for their survival. With prayers for the victims to God to protect them in this situation.

Photo Filter and Curves in photoshop

2009-03-03T00:29:00.010+05:30

Hello everyone! :)

Apologies for the long gap since my first post. I visited my hometown and took a break from work for a relaxing vacation.. :)

Today's post is regarding how the Photo Filter can be used to reduce the effect of unnecessary colours in the photo graph.

The image I used to edit was a cute little fish from my aquarium at home.

Step 1 : I added a new Photo filter adjustment layer and selected the Cooling filter (80).

Step 2 : Next I added a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer on top of the photo filter layer.

Step 3 : On top of the brightness/contrast layer I added the Curves layer.

Step 4 : to adjust the saturation a bit, I added a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on top of the curves layer.

Step 5 : I reduced the noise using the noise filter.
Note: Please remember to select the background while the noise filter is selected.

After modification

View larger image in mY fLiCkR.

Hope you liked today's post.

Have a nice day.

Manoj C V
mY fLiCkR

Jewels using curves in photoshop

2009-02-09T00:27:00.008+05:30

I will start with a very basic step in Photoshop.

That is to enhance an image using 'Curves' adjustment.

The original image looked like this.

I opened the image using Photoshop.

Then I followed the steps below.
Step 1 : Right click on the 'Background' in the 'Layers' palette as shown in the figure.

Leave all the values in the 'New Layer' dialog without amending and click on the 'OK' button.
Now we have made the background to a layer. The use of layers is one of the greatest strengths of Photoshop.

Step 2 : Click on the 'Create new fill or adjustment layer' button on the bottom of the 'Layers' palette, and select 'Curves' from the options as shown in the figure.

Step 3 : In the 'Curves' dialog which pops up, I selected 'Red' from the 'Channel' and set value 166 for output and 133 for input. This is done for enhancing the red colour.

Step 4 : Now in the same 'Curves' dialog, I switched the 'Channel' to 'RGB' and set the values 49 for output and 127 for input.

Yes that’s it. The contrast, colour balance of the image has been set using the curves.

Now I need to crop the image to remove distractions such as the edge of the bowl, over exposed parts etc.

Step 5 : Before doing that, I flattened the image.

Tip: It’s advisable to save the file before flattening, because in case we need to do some additional processing before we go ahead with cropping, it would be helpful to open the backup which is saved.

Step 6 : Select the 'Rectangular marquee tool' from the tool bar.

Step 7 : I dragged the marquee tool to get rid of the distractions in the image, which doesn’t add much value to the image.

Step 8 : Once I've selected and finalized which will be my final image that needs to be cropped, I selected the 'Crop' option from the 'Image' menu.

That’s it. The image is ready.

After changes

Adding a border and signature

Step 9 : I opened the modify canvas size dialog.

Step 10 : Checked the 'Relative' checkbox, set the value 50 for width and height, select 'pixels' from the dropdown list and click 'OK'.

Step 11 : I selected the empty space which is created using the magic wand tool.

Step 12 : While the magic wand tool is active, right click on the selected section(the highlighted section shown in the figure above), and select 'Select Inverse'.

Step 13 : Copy the selection (ctrl + C).

Step 14 : Create a new document (ctrl + N), click 'OK' with all default values in the 'New' dialog.

Step 15 : Paste (ctrl + V)

Step 16 : Resize the new image.

Increase the width and height by 50 pixels.

Step 17 : In the new image which is resized, select all (ctrl + A) and copy (ctrl + C)

Step 18 : Go to the previous image window (alt + TAB), and paste (ctrl + V).

Step 19 : Move the new layer 'Layer 1' below the layer 'Layer 0', by dragging the layer.

Step 20 : Blur the layer 'Layer 1'.

Step 21 : Select the 'Horizontal Type Tool' and select suitable font and font size and type the signature.

Step 22 : Set the opacity of the 'Text' layer to 50%.

Image with the border and signature

Thank You,
Manoj C V
mY fLiCkR

An introduction to myself

2009-02-08T14:17:00.000+05:30

Dear Friend,

I'm living in Bangalore which is the Information Technology hub of India. My hometown is Trivandrum which is the capital of Kerala. My sweet family has my Father, Mother and younger Sister. I'm a software developer by profession, working for different clients from around the world.

I enjoy coding very much. It’s my passion since my 7th standard to program and learn new languages and technologies. This quench for new technologies got me introduced to some of the very interesting visual tools such as Photoshop, flash, etc.

Later when I started software development as a profession, I learned many aspects of web development mainly focusing on development for intranet and internet solution for my clients.

Photography is my hobby. I like to click images which captures the amazing moment nature creates using a combination of light.

I started clicking snaps when I got my first camera as a gift from my dearest friend. It was a Canon Powershot A520. I decided to learn the basics of photography, because using the 'auto' mode in the camera not always given what I actually wanted to capture. The terminologies and techniques used in photography were alien to me then.

Internet was the only source of help for me for my photographic learning journey. Mastering the basics allowed me to explore the different aspects in my little camera. And now I have my new DSLR, the Canon EOS 40D with a Canon 28-135 IS USM lens. It’s a magic machine in itself. It clicks fabulous images. I use Canon image processor for processing my RAW images and slight touches using Photoshop to enhance those images.

During my experiments with Photoshop I have come across many techniques and sequence of actions that created wonderful effects on a photograph. I thought it would be a good idea to share different learning I came across. From my experience, internet is the best place where I can share my learning with photographic enthusiasts around the globe.

Hope the posts I add to my blog will be useful for you.

Thanks,
Manoj C V
mY fLiCkR