When I think of changing the color in Photoshop, one would think there are no techniques left to learn. But it looks like you can always learn some new tricks. This one is particularly useful if you want to change a specific color, and you have an image with very complex selections. It’s relatively simple, and in this video, Jesús Ramirez guides you through it step by step. In his photo, Jesús wants to change the blue tones into golden brown....

While I’m a big proponent of using flash in my photography, particularly portraits, there are times when the natural light gives you everything you need without the addition of flash. And sometimes, it’s almost there, but might need a little help from a reflector or two to help wrangle the natural light to fit the look you’re after. That last bit is the principle used here as Pye Jirsa walks us through building up a home portrait studio in a garage in under 5 minutes....

Shooting in small spaces can be challenging. In this helpful video, Jeff Rojas will show you how to create a white background and even lighting for your portraits with a single strobe. The setup isn’t only simple, but it can come in handy if your shooting space is limited. For his setup, Jeff uses a Profoto D2 modified by a large Westcott Zeppelin 47″ softbox. He adds a 1-stop inner diffusion panel and a 1-stop outer diffusion panel to create a large, soft light source....

Adding shafts of light to your photos in post is pretty common, but doing it in camera is even easier. All it takes is a little know how and maybe a smoke machine. In this video from The Slanted Lens, Jay P. Morgan walks us through the whole process. He talks about the advantages of continuous lights vs. flash and other issues you may run into. The main trick is to have something the air for the light to shine on, hence the smoke machine....

Photography style But what exactly is “style”? For me, “style” in photography is about consistency of subject-matter and consistency of aesthetic (how the photo looks). For example, if you want to build a definite “style” in your photography — seek to work on a photo project, where you focus on a specific subject-matter. You can focus on a specific person (personal documentary), you can focus on a certain city (your own hometown), or you can focus on a certain social issue....

Adobe has a great sale for Black Friday. They are selling their all-apps subscription that usually costs around $52.99/month for only $39.99/month. No doubt that this is a great bargain, but there is a caveat. This deal is only available to new customers. If you are already an Adobe customer, you would have to keep paying your usual $52.99. There is a way around this though, that lets you get the new price....

I needed an action camera to document DIYP’s trip to Photokina in September. I didn’t really want to have to fork out for a GoPro. It’s just not something I’d use often enough to justify the cost. So, I looked into the cheaper alternatives. This is when I found the Yi HD Action Camera, and some of the side-by-side examples I was seeing with the GoPro Hero3+ Silver just blew me away....

A bathroom might seem an odd place to make a portrait, but then most of our bathrooms aren’t as appealing as this one. In this video from Fuji X-Photographer Damien Lovegrove, we see how we can light such a scene using continuous LED lights, and cookies to help break up and scatter the light for a more natural appearance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQjeW4FGr40 Despite the advances that have been made with LED lights, many still see them as underpowered when compared to flash, but the video highlights one huge benefit to using a continuous light....

If you shoot often enough, at some point you’re probably going to get caught in the rain when you want to keep on shooting. If your gear’s weather sealed, you might be ok just as you are, but if you shoot Sony you’ll probably want to cover up a little. There are, of course, actual rain covers available for cameras, but sometimes you need to respond quick. In this video, Jordy from Cinecom shows us how we can easily make our own from a plastic tub, a bag and some gaffer tape....

I never really done much light painting before, always liked the idea of it but somehow have just never got round to it, or found the right subject for it. Also I’m not hugely keen on wandering about in the dark, tripping over all the crap I have left lying around on the studio floor (note to self: tidy up floor!). Anyway a couple of weekends ago I was playing about with some ideas for a new portfolio shot involving a wall clock....

Elliott Erwitt has taken many photos that have become iconic. Some of them show humans, but the main subject of others is the man’s best friend. There are many dog photos Erwitt took and became famous for. And there’s no doubt that his images are recognizable and unique. In this video, Martin Kaninsky of about photography dives into Eliott’s personal history, but also into his recognizable style of dog photography....

In an ideal world, studio floors and walls would all be pristine and perfect. But in the real world, even freshly painted and cleaned ones don’t stay that way for very long. They pick up dust and dirt, get smudges, scuffs and scratches, and we end up having to either clean and repaint them more often or just deal with it in post. And if it’s a rented studio, forget about it....

To get it out, you need to pry the box open, disconnect the controller and there you have the hard drive. Interestingly, after “sourcing” the drive you are still left with a controller, a case, a USB 3.0 Cable, and a power adapter. You have to admit. This is not a bad deal for minus forty dollars. (And minus a warranty) This, of course, raised a few questions marks with us, so we asked around....

A while back I was on a family trip and used a GoPro to capture some memories. I put the gopro on the end of a selfie stick and the family took turns taking videos. Suddenly, someone, I am not naming names here, dropped the stick. Now, the camera (and stick) sunk to the bottom of the lake and we never could find them. I later realized that I should have used a buoy rather than a selfie stick....

When I first saw this video from The Film Look pop up in my feed, I thought it was going to be about how to simulate computer monitor light with studio lights, but it’s actually not. Here they used actual computer monitors to light the subjects to film this scene. They did add a couple of small LED lights as well, to help light up the background and add rim lights, but it’s a very simple setup for recording a dramatically lit scene and making the most out of practical lighting (well, monitors) to light your shot....

Shooting short films is one of the greatest creative outlets for many video shooters, especially those that might otherwise be trapped in the corporate world, always shooting to a brief. But shooting a film, even a short one, can be quite expensive, depending on what that story is, and how you think you need to tell it. This short film above, Whispers, shot by filmmaker Joris Hermans, however, was shot on no budget at all....

Infrared photos can be surreal, wonderful and a great way to try something completely new. However, if you want to shoot them you may have to convert your camera. Fortunately, there’s an easier and cheaper alternative, and this video from Craig Roberts of e6 Vlogs shows you how to take infrared photos without altering the camera. The easier way is to use the infrared filters. They’re affordable and give pretty good results, but there are some tricks to shooting with them if you want to get correctly exposed, sharp images....

Most of the photographers avoid direct sunlight when taking outdoor portraits, especially if the Sun is the only light source. However, you can turn the harsh sunlight into your advantage, and use it as a key light. Jay P. Morgan picked up his camera to show us how to do it, and ended up with some interesting shots using only the light coming from the Sun. Jay and his crew shot in Bombay Beach, CA....

Most of us rely on our DSLR or mirrorless cameras for photoshoots. Some also take them on causal walks, while others rather rely on their phones or these casual shots. But instead of just using your phone to capture quick snapshots, you can use it to hone your skills. In this video from Adorama, Pye Jirsa talks about how taking photos with your phone can make you a better photographer with your camera....

Advertisements If you don’t wish to read any further I’ll sort you right here: If you’re not a high end retoucher. Affinity will likely do what you need it to at a fraction of the price of Photoshop. Also, this is a beta, so I guess lots of the stuff will get fixed till this becomes a full availability paid version. But for now, it is what it is....