Tuesday, June 05, 2007

one word answer tag

tagged by Taylored Expressions

Yourself: Silly
Your Partner: Giving
Your Hair: Straight
Your Mother: Prayerful
Your Father: Smart
Your Favorite Item: Canon XTi
Your Dream Last Night: photoshop
Your Favorite Drink: sangria
Your Dream Car: convertible
Your Dream Home: beach
The Room You Are In: study
Your Fear: death
Where You Want To Be In Ten Years: Healthy
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: husband
You're Not: Quiet
One of Your Wish List Items: organization
The Last Thing You Did: dishes
You Are Wearing: shorts
Your Favorite Weather: spring
Your Favorite Book: Tuesday's With Morie
Last Thing You Ate: slimfast
Your Life: chaotic
Your Mood: Happy
Your Best Friend: Husband
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: Home
Your Car: minivan
What Are You Doing At The Moment: reading
Relationship Status: Married
What Is On Your TV: Nothing
What Is The Weather Like: Sunny
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: this morning

Sunday, June 03, 2007

USM.. the big mystery!!

I am just getting the hang of this... my focus fell slightly on some recent photos and I wanted to get them back- the capture was so cute.. but how to make it look right??

well, use your USM in your photoshop. It's called UNSHARP MASK but it does seem to sharpen.. It has to do with how it was done in a real darkroom versus how we do it in a computer digitally. "It gets it's name because it unsharpens (de-focuses) the image and uses the difference with the original image ..." (this quote from Focus Magic)
Anyway..
there are 3 things to understand.
The first being amount which is measured by percentage.
The second being radius which is measured by pixels.
The third being threshold which is measured by levels.

I have some links to some sites and I would really like to get a discussion going on this great filter!!! What do you say?? are you ready to clear up some of your photos that are soft on focus??

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-usm.shtml
luminous landscape


this one is studied by a lot of people. He is right on in his explaining- some times a little technical but you might be into that!
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/unsharp-mask.htm

maybe you want a quick once over??
wikipedia

photos and diagrams here:
scan tips

this guy is really clear and explains it very well!! I love this site!
Earthbound Light

clear and concise with photos to go with the information! He shows you with the filter pulled down
Nature Scapes

explains different ways of how to use USM (from global to detailed to parts of a photo)
Creative Pro

another explanation with great photos for visual learners (tips inside this one!!)
http://docs.gimp.org/en/plug-in-unsharp-mask.html

about dot com always has tons of references!
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshoptutorialssharpen/Photoshop_Unsharp_Mask_and_Other_Sharpening_Methods_and_Tools.htm

another quick description:
http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/htmltuts/unsharp.html

in podcast form:
http://kabili.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=155509

another great tutorial:
http://www.photocritic.org/articles/usm.php

for those of you using PaintShop Pro
http://www.scenic-route.com/tutorial/psp/tutor/unsharp/Unsharp.htm

tutorial with comments from others so you can learn from their mistakes:
http://www.cameronmoll.com/archives/000169.html

to show you that you can go TOO FAR with this
http://www.digicamhelp.com/processing-photos/advanced-editing/unsharp-mask.php

and the last tutorial/article came from the great Lone Star State!!
http://www.lonestardigital.com/usm_fade.htm