How to Post Great Photos in Threads

[Igrow2]

If your camera has this option use the RAW file format for your best pictures. Raw format does not compress the image at all so on my camera for instance a picture will be 7 mb where the highest quality jpeg will be 3 megs.

Once you get the pictures into the editing software the RAW format allows you to make better corrections in color temp., sharpness and so forth. Then when the photo is ready save it as a jpeg the size you want.


I also forgot to mention in the last post that changes in the aperture are more dramatic as you zoom in (or increase focal length) so that it is better to go to maximum zoom and increase your distance from the subject than go to minimum zoom and get closer.

[xjo]

This little tutorial assumes you have a basic knowledge of paint shop pro....

Open Paint shop pro

File, new, canvas size 350x350 pixels, background colour transparent, click ok, you now have a blank canvas called image 1

Click text tool on the left hand side menu

Click on your blank canvas

Write text for watermark in text window, highlight the text in the window and choose a font & size 48, colour doesn’t matter, use this as an exercise, font type has a bearing on finished watermark…..refer to screenshot

Tick anti alias and floating ticked as shown, then click ok….You now have some text on the canvas with “marching ants” to show the text is selected, this auto selects so you don’t have to do that part.

Now hover your mouse over the layer palette window

if it is not showing enable it by clicking this on the left hand menu , you should see Floating selection and Layer 1 when hovering your mouse over the layer palette

Right click floating selection in the layer palette window

and choose delete, you should now just be left with the “marching ants” on your canvas

Click effects on the file menu, 3d effects, drop shadow and choose these settings

Now click ok

Click selections on the file menu, click select none

Right click the menu bar on your canvas and choose copy

then right click in a blank area outside of your canvas and choose paste as new image, this will appear in the workspace as image 2

Have a break and a spliff/bowl/pipe/flapjack..

You can now delete the original uncropped image named image 1, now all you should have in the workspace is image 2 (cropped watermark)

Now we will make it into a tube for easy use on pictures. A tube is something you can use to apply your watermark with a few clicks of your mouse

Make sure image 2 is selected by clicking in the menu bar of image 2.

Click on File> export > picture tube > ….export picture tube box will pop up.

Click in the white box next to tube name and write watermark, or whatever you want to call the tube click ok.

Open a picture that you would like to add the watermark to.

Click on layers > new raster layer > click ok on the layer properties box that appears.

Continued......

Xjo

[xjo]

Now click picture tube palette button on the left hand side menu


Hover your mouse over the tool options/picture tube palette

If you can’t see it right click this on the left hand menu and go to options. When you can see the tool options/picture tube palette, hover your mouse over it and click on the spinbox and look for your watermark in the list of pictures and then click to on it to select it.

Now in the tool options/picture tube palette choose a scale of around 40-45 (you can play with this to increase or decrease the size of the watermark, the settings stay where you last left them, and leave the step setting at 100.

Now click anywhere on the picture you are adding the watermark to and you will see your water mark appear. If the watermark is too big or too small press ctrl+z at the same time on the keyboard to undo the last action and adjust the scale in the tool options/picture tube palette.

If you need to move the watermark click on the move tool from the left land toolbar, now click and hold the left mouse button and move the watermark to the appropriate place.

Click on Layers > Merge > Merge all

Now save the picture and there ya go. You’ve created the watermark that you can use at the click of a mouse time after time. Always use the watermark on a new raster layer as it makes it easy to move around….

Any questions please ask, if you need to use a light coloured watermark change the colour of the drop shadow to a lighter colour than the picture, opposite for darker pics....

Xjo

[self_medicator]

Trying to get your file sizes down to upload your beautiful pics and having a hard time? Use JPG Cleaner to strip out unnecessary header info from your JPGs. The best part is it's totally free.

Download it here (or search google for JPG Cleaner):
http://www <dot> rainbow-software.org/programs.html#JPG%20Cleaner

I'm not going to post any screenshots because it's so easy to use. I just open JPG Cleaner and drag my JPGs in from a My Computer window. You can select multiple files to drag in (tip: hold down the <CTRL> and click multiple files; if all the files are next to each other, click the first, hold down <SHIFT>, then click the last). Click the Start button in JPG Cleaner and away you go. I usually uncheck "Create Backup Files".

Photoshop CS2 will make 135K files that I can strip down to fit within the 108K upload limit.

Enjoy

[milagro]

Hey folks,


I received a nice note from EZMark telling me that a couple of my old threads had been a help to him. Yeah, there was a day when I was more helpful around here, but then I grew more and more weed, and I smoked more and more weed, well, you get the picture.

I did start thinking about this thread though, and even though it is a sticky, I thought I'd send it out amongst the living and breathing community about now, not to educate....

but to make you all aware that it exists, and is always a receptive vessel for new and better ways to take and post great photos. We have had experts give up some time here and describe ways to help the masses.

Maybe some of you can give up a tip or two to help the rest of us take, modify, or post better pics. Whaddaya say?



milagro

[bluecheese]

Milagro -

What a great thread for us newbies on the board! Please keep the link in your signature.

[rocky81426]

Hey guys! Wow, what an amazing thread!! This thread gave me the itch to look into this whole photo editing business. I had always thought it was something too difficult and that it would be of no interest to me! Meh..wrong!! This is amazing!!

I tried Macromedia Fireworks and made a couple great shots. But it seemed to mees up my pc something terrible so I had to uninstall it. Tried PhotoImage, but couldn't get it to download. Then came across Corel Paintshop Pro. For now, I really like the program! Easy to understand.

Here's a couple shots I doctored up thanks to tips from you guys. Would it be to much of a bother to ask for constructive critism on my work? I would like to improve but don't really know what else to do!

A question I have for you all is how do I get the plants to appear the true dark green they are. I am shooting under the 250 watt light. Is the correction in the taking of the photo, or in the editing?

Thanks

[milagro]

Originally Posted by rocky81426

A question I have for you all is how do I get the plants to appear the true dark green they are. I am shooting under the 250 watt light. Is the correction in the taking of the photo, or in the editing?

Hi rocky,


I'm glad this thread has helped you out. There is some good advice in here from some good photographers.

I personally turn off my HPS or remove the plants from under it before I shoot. I'm pretty sure that somewhere in this thread someone talks about adjusting your camera settings or flash to tungsten I believe, but you might want to re-research that one.

Buena suerte.



milagro

[Teazin2]

How do I get my pictures to be seen on my posts and not just a URL to them?Back some time ago u were able to just upload images,when it was hempcultivation.com I guess or I may be gettting mixed up.Thanx for the info so far and hope u don't mind if I ask more questions,seems not many people want to answer about how to get good bud pics with thier camera.

[bluecheese]

Click on the link "How to Post Great Photos" in Milagro's sig (or mine for that matter). It will tell you how to post inline (in the midst of text) photos. IE - read! It's in there.