[Photography] Tilt-Shift Lenses: Everything You Need to Know

The post Tilt-Shift Lenses: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nisha Ramroop.

In this article, I explore the ins and outs of tilt-shift lenses. I explain:

• What tilt-shift lenses are and how they work
• The benefits of using tilt-shift optics in your photography
• The difference between the tilt and the shift effect
• Much more!

So whether you’re looking to understand the tilt-shift lens basics or you want to level up your own tilt-shift photography, then keep reading!

What is a tilt-shift lens?

A tilt-shift lens is a special optic designed to do two things:

1. Offer expanded control over depth of field
2. Prevent perspective distortion

In particular, tilt-shift glass is frequently handled by landscape and especially architectural shooters, though other photographers (e.g., wedding, portrait, and even macro shooters) do use them to produce interesting creative effects.

Note that tilt-shift lenses work like any other interchangeable lens – but with a few additional features. In other words, you can mount a TS lens to your DSLR or mirrorless camera and use it immediately; as long as you don’t mess with the tilt and shift mechanisms, you’ll need zero additional knowledge or training. Of course, there are major advantages to utilizing a TS lens’s unique abilities, which I discuss in the next section:

Tilt vs shift: What does a tilt-shift lens do?

As mentioned above, tilt-shift lenses are designed to eliminate perspective distortion and offer powerful control over image depth of field. But how does this work?

Because the tilt effect and the shift effect are essentially unrelated, we can tackle them independently:

The tilt effect

Normal lenses are perfectly aligned with (i.e., parallel to) the image sensor, which means that the plane of focus is also aligned with the sensor. If you point a normal lens at a flat brick wall and focus it carefully, you’ll capture a photo with each and every brick in focus. Any objects sitting far enough in front of the brick wall, however, will appear out of focus, as will any objects positioned far enough behind the brick wall.

(I say “far enough” because every image contains a depth of field. Think of this as a sharpness buffer around the plane of focus. If you capture an image with a shallow depth of field, you’ll have very little sharpness beyond the plane of focus and the background will turn out blurry. If you capture an image with a deep depth of field, you’ll have lots of sharpness beyond the plane of focus, and the background will turn out sharp. Make sense?)

Tilt-shift lenses, however, give you the ability to tilt the lens’s plane of focus so it’s not perfectly parallel to the image sensor. The resulting image can have all sorts of interesting effects: the left side of the scene can be in focus while the right side of the scene is blurred; a subject in the right foreground area and the left background area can be in focus while the opposite areas (the left foreground and the right background) can be out of focus.

This next image features an extreme tilt effect where the plane of focus appears almost perpendicular to the image sensor:

So why is the tilt effect useful?

Two reasons. First, you can use a tilt effect to give your images an eye-catching look. By keeping parts of the scene in focus but letting other areas go soft, you can emphasize certain subjects, blur out other subjects, and even create a cool “miniature city” effect, where buildings and cars seem tiny and cute.

Second, you can use a tilt effect to keep your entire scene sharp – even with a limited depth of field.

You see, if you’re photographing a deep landscape scene – with a rock in the near foreground and a mountain in the distant background, say – you’ll generally want to keep the entire shot in focus. The standard approach is to narrow your lens’s aperture until you have a depth of field so deep that both the foreground rock and the background mountain are sharp. But while this method often works, you can run into two issues:

1. If the scene is too deep, your lens may not offer a sufficiently small aperture to achieve the depth of field effect that you need. (Plus, once you get past f/13 or so, you’ll see a noticeable loss in sharpness due to diffraction.)
2. If you need a fast shutter speed and you’re working in low light, you may not have the option to shoot at a narrow aperture.

A tilt-shift lens, however, can ensure an entire shot is sharp even with a shallow depth of field. You simply tilt the lens down so the plane of focus is more closely aligned with the ground. That way, the depth of field keeps all landscape elements sharp from the foreground to infinity!

The shift effect

All photos feature perspective. You’re familiar with the concept, even if you don’t realize it: When you photograph a scene, the objects closest to the lens look bigger than the objects off in the distance.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with perspective. In fact, it’s what makes photos look natural! But in certain scenarios, perspective can lead to unnatural effects – that is, perspective distortions. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in architectural photography.

Let me explain:

If you point your camera directly at a building – so that the camera sensor is parallel to the building facade – every inch of the building is effectively equidistant from the sensor plane. Take a photo, and the building will turn out perfectly straight.

However, what if you want to lean back to capture a tall skyscraper? When you tilt your camera upward, the sensor plane will no longer run parallel to the building facade. Instead, the bottom of the building will be much closer to the sensor plane, while the top of the building will be much farther away. And remember what I said about perspective? The closer the object, the bigger it appears.

So the bottom of the building will look big, the top of the building will look small, vertical lines will converge, and the building as a whole will appear to be falling backward:

The result is pretty off-putting, and while you can correct this perspective distortion in post-processing, you’ll lose a lot of pixels along the way. That’s where the shift effect comes in.

You see, a tilt-shift lens is capable of shifting the glass – that is, moving it physically in relation to the image sensor – so that you can keep the camera pointed straight ahead even while capturing tall subjects. And since you don’t need to tilt the camera, your images will be free of perspective distortion:

Note that the shift effect can also be useful when capturing panoramas. A normal panorama photographer rotates the camera about a fixed point, which can introduce parallax error. But with a tilt-shift lens, you can point your camera straight ahead, then shift the lens to capture a series of perfectly aligned (and distortion-free!) images.

When is a tilt-shift lens useful?

Tilt-shift lenses are plenty powerful. If you own (or plan to own) TS glass, then I encourage you to try it out in a few specific scenarios:

When photographing architecture

A tilt-shift lens will help you keep your architectural photos looking natural. You can use it to prevent converging vertical lines (caused when you tilt your camera upward or downward), and if you’re used to shooting buildings with a non-TS lens, it’ll be an absolute game-changer.

You can also prevent converging horizontal lines, which are caused when you tilt your camera to the left or the right. The effect can be strange, however, so use it with caution!

When photographing landscapes

Tilt-shift lenses have a few major landscape photography uses.

For one, you can use the shift effect to prevent distortion caused by panoramas. When you shift your lens instead of rotating it, the result will look more natural (and will therefore require less work in Photoshop!).

You can also use the shift effect to prevent converging verticals. While irregular landscape subjects make this type of perspective distortion far less obvious compared to the straight lines of buildings, if you photograph trees, the TS lens will prevent them from leaning toward the center of the frame.

Finally, you can use the tilt effect to keep your entire scene in focus (even with a shallow depth of field!).

When photographing portraits or events

While tilt-shift lenses aren’t generally used by wedding and portrait photographers to handle distortion, they are used to capture creative images.

I encourage you to experiment with different tilt effects! Use your tilt-shift lens to enhance background blur when photographing wedding rings, or to keep the subject’s eyes in focus while letting their body slide out of focus.

When photographing nature

As with portrait and event photography, nature scenes don’t really benefit from the corrective effects offered by tilt-shift lenses, though you can certainly take advantage of the TS lens’s creative potential! For instance, when photographing flowers, you can get in close with your tilt-shift lens and keep certain petals in focus thanks to careful tilting.

You can also have plenty of fun capturing beautiful forest scenes:

When photographing cities

Cities and street scenes offer the opportunity to create an interesting miniaturization effect. By tilting the lens, you can make an expansive scene look like a tiny model:

To create this effect, you need to be elevated by at least 10 feet (though I’d recommend getting higher if possible!). I’d also urge you to use a wide focal length, if possible – that way, you can create a better sense of place.

The best tilt-shift lenses you can buy

If you’re a Canon photographer, you have a few solid tilt-shift lens choices (though they are on the expensive side!). The 17mm f/4L is great for ultra-wide landscape and architectural photography, while the 90mm f/2.8L is a good telephoto option for portrait, event, and nature scenes.

Nikon photographers should look into the 45mm f/2.8D ED, which can handle portraits, tighter architecture scenes, and close-up nature shots. I’d also encourage you to check out third-party options, such as the Rokinon 24mm f/3.5; non-native glass is generally far cheaper than native options, yet the quality is often outstanding.

Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t manufacture any tilt-shift lenses, but you do have a few third-party options worth considering, including the Rokinon 24mm f/3.5 and the Samyang 24mm f/3.5.

Finally, if you want to produce a creative tilt effect but can’t afford a tilt-shift lens, you can always try freelensing, which gives a similar (but less controllable) result.

Tilt-shift lenses: final words

Tilt-shift lenses are useful – if specialized – products. They can help you capture sharp landscapes, distortion-free architectural shots, creative city scenes, and more.

So consider purchasing a tilt-shift lens!

Now over to you:

Which tilt-shift lens will you buy? What will you use it for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Tilt-Shift Lenses: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nisha Ramroop.

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[Photography] Image File Formats in Photography: The Ultimate Guide

The post Image File Formats in Photography: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

JPEG, RAW, HEIF, PSD, DNG – photographers deal with an array of image file formats, and it can get very confusing, very fast.

To help you better understand your different photography format options and to ensure that you pick the right file type for each situation, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide. And I promise: By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be able to select the perfect file format with ease.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

What are image file formats?

When you take a photo using a digital camera, your camera records image data, which then needs to be stored on your memory card, your computer, and/or your external hard drives. Each image file format is simply a different way of structuring that image data – so that your images can be easily stored, viewed, transferred, edited, and copied across devices.

Now, different file formats offer various benefits and drawbacks. Some formats are designed to compress image data so that you obtain a small image file, some are designed to save editing layers, and others are designed to be compatible across platforms. While I delve into the most commonly used formats in greater detail below, here’s a quick list:

• JPEG
• HEIF
• TIFF
• RAW
• DNG
• PNG
• GIF
• BMP
• PSD

Choosing the right file format is essential. If you select the wrong file format for the job, it can be a critical mistake (depending on the level of quality and post-processing you require).

Key photography image formats

In this section, I take you through all the essential file formats used by photographers, starting with:

JPEG

JPEG stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group,” and it’s probably the best known out of all the image file formats. The JPEG is what many cameras set as their default output, so if you’ve never adjusted your camera’s image quality options, it’s what you’re probably using.

JPEGs are compressed at the moment of capture; therefore, when you take a JPEG, you instantly lose some image detail (and consequently store a lower-quality image). A benefit of this compression, however, is file size: JPEG is many times smaller than alternative formats (such as RAW and TIFF, discussed below). Therefore, you can generally store thousands of JPEGs on a single memory card, and you can quickly transfer JPEGs from your camera to your phone or computer.

Another big benefit of JPEGs is that they can be displayed on pretty much every browser and operating system you’ll ever encounter. You can share JPEGs over email, chat, and social media, and you’ll never run into compatibility issues.

Some cameras have options for different JPEG quality levels (e.g., low, medium, and high). The better the quality, the less compression the camera will perform on the image – though all JPEGs do feature some compression.

Generally speaking, JPEGs should be used:

• When the photos are intended for personal use, for social media, albums, and small prints (and are not intended for large prints)
• When you don’t intend to enhance or edit the photos much in post-production
• For sharing images via email or messaging apps

JPEG benefits

• The small file size means that more images can be stored on a single memory card
• You get quicker file transfer times
• JPEGs are easily displayed

JPEG drawbacks

• Loss of quality due to image compression
• Less opportunity for image manipulation in photo-editing software

HEIF

HEIF, or High Efficiency Image Format, is the newest file type on this list; the format was designed in 2015 and was soon implemented by Apple to store iPhone photos.

HEIF image files are smaller than JPEGs yet offer similar or even increased quality. In other words, HEIF files take up less space than JPEGs, yet they look equally good. Therefore, the HEIF format offers a lightweight JPEG alternative that’s perfect for rapid image transfer and efficient storage.

Unfortunately, HEIF files are far less universal than JPEGs. They cannot be easily displayed by internet browsers, which makes them a poor option for image sharing on social media and portfolio websites. And while HEIFs can be processed by a few editing programs – including Lightroom, Photoshop, Affinity, and GIMP – many programs cannot handle HEIFs, which severely limits their usefulness.

HEIF benefits

• Smaller than JPEGs
• Relatively high-quality file storage

HEIF drawbacks

• Limited compatibility

TIFF

TIFF stands for “Tagged Image File Format,” and it’s another file type that’s commonly used in the photography industry. (For instance, TIFFs are generally requested by publishers). TIFFs can be smoothly converted to JPEGs, so even if the end file format will be a JPEG, many photographers prefer to edit a TIFF.

TIFF files are usually uncompressed, so they’re extremely high quality and offer the opportunity for extensive post-processing. You can make powerful tonal adjustments and do stunning color grades to your TIFF files – but because TIFFs are feature zero compression, they are much bigger and take up a lot of space both on your memory card and on your computer.

Not all cameras offer the option to shoot in TIFF, but some do offer TIFF as their highest-quality image format. Note that TIFFs can be displayed on some – but not all! – browsers.

TIFF benefits

• You can make extensive adjustments in editing software
• TIFFs let you print at the highest quality and at much larger sizes

TIFF drawbacks

• Much bigger file sizes (so more storage is needed)
• Longer transfer and loading times due to file size

RAW

These days, most cameras offer the option to shoot in RAW, including mirrorless models, DSLRs, and even smartphones.

RAW files store all of the information originally captured by the camera – which means that adjustments to white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation, and sharpness can all be easily applied in image-editing software after the photo has been taken.

Like TIFFs, RAW files are very large and take up significant space. Unlike TIFFs, RAW files are not displayable on browsers or even computer desktops; to view a RAW file, you must use special processing software such as Lightroom, Capture One, or ON1 Photo RAW.

Simply put, RAW is the best option if you want to create the highest-quality files, so it’s the option preferred by most professional photographers. And it’s important to note that if you don’t use RAW files, then your camera will automatically adjust your images at the time of capture (and these adjustments will permanently alter the files).

Photographing in RAW requires plenty of memory cards, not to mention considerable post-processing time. It also requires some basic knowledge of image-editing software such as Adobe Lightroom because – see above! – files will have to be edited and converted before they can be printed, shared online, etc.

RAW benefits

• Image quality is outstanding
• Extensive post-processing options

RAW drawbacks

• Significant time is needed to convert and edit photos
• Bigger file sizes require more storage and longer post-processing times

DNG

These days, just about every camera uses a different proprietary format to capture RAW files. Even cameras from the same manufacturer often use different formats, which means that image editing software must be able to read a huge range of file types.

As a result, editing software providers face a challenge: They must manage and continuously provide updates for their programs so they can read each and every RAW file format.

Enter the DNG.

The DNG, or Digital Negative, was created by Adobe in an attempt to provide a standard RAW file that can be used by all manufacturers and cameras.

The DNG is offered as a main RAW file format or as an alternative to the manufacturer’s native RAW format. One of the problems with keeping images in the original RAW format is that, several years from now, you may struggle to access these files because they are specific to cameras and manufacturers. But if you convert your files to Adobe DNGs, they’ll be future-proof.

The DNG conversion does add another step in your post-processing workflow, which takes extra time. However, editing software such as Lightroom can convert large batches of files to DNGs so that you don’t need to manually convert each image.

DNG benefits

• Can be accessed by image-processing software such as Lightroom and Photoshop
• Possibly the safer long-term option because it guards against future incompatibilities

DNG drawbacks

• If your camera cannot create DNGs automatically, it takes extra time to convert camera RAW files to DNGs

PNG

Designed in the ’90s as an improvement on the GIF file format, PNG files are reasonably small, relatively high quality, and displayable on browsers – so they’re ideal for internet use.

PNGs are compressed in a lossless format and therefore retain plenty of detail for viewing and editing. But unlike many other file formats, high-quality PNGs don’t require lots of storage space; this is useful on the internet because you want images to load quickly.

The other benefit of PNG files is that they allow for partial and total transparency, which is ideal for overlays and logos.

PNG benefits

• Lossless compression offers good image quality, which isn’t compromised when editing
• PNGs can maintain transparency, which is important for graphics such as overlays and logos

PNG drawbacks

• File size is larger than JPEGs

GIF

Like PNGs, GIFs are perfect for internet use. Lossless compression means that files are small but image quality is not sacrificed, and GIF supports transparency (though it doesn’t support partial transparency, so the GIF format isn’t ideal for graphics). GIF also allows for animation.

However, GIF files can only contain a maximum of 256 colors. Therefore, GIF is not the best choice for photos, but rather for images with a limited color palette.

GIF benefits

• The small file size makes the GIF file format ideal for web use
• Files can contain animation

GIF drawbacks

• Limited colors make GIF a poor choice for photos
• GIFs don’t support partial transparency (e.g., drop shadows)

BMP

The BMP is another lossless file format; it was invented by Microsoft, initially for use on the Windows platform. However, BMPs are now recognized by Mac programs, too.

BMPs are on the larger side as color data is saved for each individual pixel without compression. As a result, BMPs produce a high-quality file that is great for printing but not ideal for sharing photos on the web.

BMP benefits

• Can be used for printing
• Images are very high quality

BMP drawbacks

• The large file size requires a lot of storage

PSD

The PSD is used by Adobe Photoshop to save data. The big advantage of the PSD is that it allows you to store edits using individual layers rather than on the image itself.

This makes PSDs ideal if you need to extensively manipulate your original photo in Photoshop. PSDs offer plenty of flexibility because layers can be added, removed, or edited at any time without affecting the original photo. And if you save an image as a PSD, you can always open it later and re-access editing layers.

But remember:

Once a layered PSD file is flattened (this essentially merges all of the layers), it can’t be undone. So if there’s a chance you might want to rework some layers later on, make sure you save your file as an unflattened PSD first.

PSD benefits

• Ability to manipulate images on separate layers
• Once the image is edited, it can be re-saved as any other file format

PSD drawbacks

• Layered files can be incredibly large due to all of the additional data

Image file formats: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all the common image file types.

As you probably realize, choosing the right file format when capturing the original photo – then choosing the right file format when saving the photo for sharing or printing – is absolutely essential.

Professional photographers generally shoot in RAW format (even if the final file will be a JPEG or TIFF), convert those files to DNGs, then edit in software such as Photoshop or Lightroom.

What’s your favorite image file format? Do you use any formats not mentioned in this article? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Image File Formats in Photography: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

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[Photography] Anthropics PortraitPro 22 Review: Pro-Level Editing at 10x the Speed

The post Anthropics PortraitPro 22 Review: Pro-Level Editing at 10x the Speed appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Do you ever want to speed up your portrait editing workflow? Do you ever wish you could do comprehensive, professional editing simply by adjusting a few sliders?

Then consider PortraitPro 22, the latest and greatest version of Anthropics’ portrait editing software. It’s designed to offer both professionals and amateurs a way to create refined, subtle edits with only a few minutes of work and minimal effort. 

Thanks to Anthropics’ outstanding AI technology, you can apply a wide variety of edits – including face shaping, hair coloring, and even relighting – by moving a slider. And for those who want to cut down their editing time even further, PortraitPro offers dozens of intelligent presets and easy batch-editing options, so you can (genuinely!) edit hundreds of portraits in a few seconds.

In this PortraitPro 22 review, we offer an in-depth look at the program’s different features, benefits, and pricing options. By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll understand what makes the software so special, and you’ll know whether it’s right for you.

Let’s get started.

What’s new in PortraitPro 22?

The original PortraitPro debuted way back in 2006, and since then, Anthropics has steadily improved the powerful portrait editor. This iteration – version 22 – is better than ever. 

In addition to the bevy of innovative retouching tools available in version 21, PortraitPro 22 offers a few handy additions, including:

• Hairline correction, which lets you quickly and easily improve a subject’s hairline
• Neck and shoulders sliders, which let you adjust your subject’s neck and shoulder shape as needed
• Body lighting controls, which let you make realistic adjustments to the lighting effects across your subject’s entire body
• A Chin slider, which lets you add shadows under the subject’s chin

You can improve hairlines with minimal effort!

For the serious portrait photographer, these upgrades are insanely powerful. Imagine adjusting the direction and quality of the light falling on your entire subject – and making changes that add drama, contrast, three-dimensionality, and more. Even portrait photography beginners will appreciate the power of these relighting tools and the ease with which PortraitPro can now adjust hairlines, necks, chins, and shoulders. 

In short: If you already own a previous version of Portrait Pro, version 22 is certainly worth the upgrade. Note that you won’t need to pay full price; all upgrades come at a 25% discount.

Layout and ease of use

PortraitPro 22 is ridiculously easy to use; getting started requires zero editing knowledge and zero familiarity with post-processing software. 

Head over to the Anthropics website, purchase your software and follow the installation steps. When you open PortraitPro, you’ll see a set of tutorials, and unless you’ve used PortraitPro before, I do recommend you watch “First Steps.” It’ll take you on a guided tour of the software’s interface and explain everything you need to know before you can dive into actual editing work.

Once you’re ready to move on, choose the Open Single Image option in the right-hand corner, pick the file you wish to edit, then hit Open.

And just watch as PortraitPro’s AI technology goes to work analyzing your subject’s face, identifying the eyes, nose, mouth, chin, and more. The analysis takes a second or two, but it’s a display I never grow tired of seeing – and once the process is over, you can dig in and start making adjustments.

The PortraitPro layout is simple and intuitive. No, it’s not especially sleek, but that’s okay; the workspace is designed to put functionality first. In the center of the screen, you’ll see your photo:

You can change the photo view by selecting from a few different options. The default view – View After Only – shows you only your edited image, but the View Before and After shows you the edited and unedited versions side by side, which can come in handy if you want to make sure you don’t take your edits too far.

On the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll see all your editing options, located in four panels: Controls, Presets, Snapshots, and History.

The Controls panel contains an array of editing tools, which let you adjust just about every portrait feature you can think of, while the Presets panel lets you speed up your workflow with one-click adjustments that are intelligently applied to each image:

Most of the editing tools exist in slider form, so adjusting your subject’s face shape, hair volume, or eye brightness is as simple as clicking and dragging. In the rare case that the edit isn’t applied using a slider – such as when adjusting hair color, cropping the frame, or replacing the image background – the process remains both quick and intuitive. And if you ever get stuck, you can click the question mark icon next to the control, and PortraitPro will send you to a page with detailed instructions.

By the way, the Studio Max version of PortraitPro does offer a batch-processing workflow, which you can access on the home page. If you have this option, you can open dozens of images and instantly apply presets. Then you can click on the individual images to fine-tune the results via the editing controls.

Note that, unlike traditional batch-editing processes, PortraitPro 22 intelligently applies each and every preset based on your subject’s face structure. That way, you can avoid error-prone one-size-fits-all presets and quickly apply edits that are specific to each image.

It’s pretty amazing and it saves an insane amount of time. For wedding and portrait shooters who capture a large volume of portraits on a regular basis, it makes the Studio Max version well worth the cost.

Editing tools

PortraitPro 22’s editing tools are comprehensive, powerful, and shockingly efficient. If you’ve never used PortraitPro before, you’re in for a treat; what might have taken years of study and hours of painstaking work in Photoshop can be done in a few seconds using PortraitPro sliders, no matter your experience level.

The program offers a huge group of editing tools designed to target different facial features and image elements. Fortunately, they’re well organized, so you never feel overwhelmed. You can work your way down the panel or you can jump around; either works, and it’s really all about creating a process that works for you.

For instance, you might start with the Shape tab, which includes sliders that:

• Reshape the face, eyes, mouth, nose, neck, and shoulders
• Change the subject’s expression
• Adjust the subject’s hairline
• Correct for distortion

Note that most of these sliders include sub-sliders that you make even more fine-grained changes. The Mouth Shape tool lets you adjust the upper lip and lower lip separately:

While the Face Shape tool lets you independently shape the forehead and jaw.

In other words, when it comes to PortraitPro, you’re given the power to make sweeping changes, but you also have the option to customize and fine-tune to your heart’s content.

Once you’re done with face and body shaping, you can move down to the Skin Smoothing tab, where you’ll see around a dozen sliders designed to selectively smooth your subject’s skin.

Working with the skin smoothing sliders is as easy as you’d expect, and you’ll have your subject’s skin looking better in no time at all. PortraitPro automatically detects the relevant areas, but if the skin adjustments are incorrectly targeted, you can always alter the skin mask by clicking on the View/Edit Skin Mask button and make adjustments via the skin mask brushes.

Unlike many skin-smoothing tools, PortraitPro’s Skin Smoothing panel makes it easy to apply adjustments that actually seem natural. And that’s true across the board; the Makeup, Hair, Eye, and Mouth & Nose tabs are powerful, but the results look realistic, not fake.

One more tab deserves special mention:

The Lighting & Coloring tab, which is quite possibly the most powerful portrait-editing option I’ve ever encountered. With its tools, you can adjust the light and shadows on your subject’s face and body, and if you don’t like the lighting direction, you can even reposition the light using a handy interactive tool:

What’s especially amazing is how natural it all appears. You can move the light “source” from one side of the subject to the other, and the shadows and highlights shift as if you’re really adjusting a studio light. It’s a great way to add drama, bring out different facial features, and just have fun exploring different effects.

While PortraitPro makes it easy to enhance portraits via the sliders, if you want to cut down your editing time even further, you should check out the Presets panel. There, you can apply one-click adjustments that adjust the entire subject or use specific editing tabs to target features independently. As I mentioned above, PortraitPro’s presets are applied intelligently based on an analysis of facial features. You don’t need to worry about a preset giving wildly different results depending on the subject; the presets are modified from image to image to account for changes in subjects and angles.

PortraitPro offers literally hundreds of high-quality presets, though you can always make your own to suit your specific workflow. And to kick things up yet another notch, you can combine the presets with the batch-editing option (discussed in the previous section) to intelligently edit entire sets of images in a handful of seconds.

Bottom line: PortraitPro 22 offers editing tools that are easy to use, give great results, and will save you lots of time. If you’re a beginner, a professional, or anything in between, you’re bound to be impressed!

Speed and performance

Most AI-based tools require a lot of processing power, which can result in a sluggish editing performance – so while the tools work well in theory, users can quickly become frustrated as they wait for each and every little adjustment to load.

Not PortraitPro 22.

I don’t know what kind of wizardry the Anthropics team has included in their software, but PortraitPro is fast. Most edits are visible in real-time, including complex options that require auto-generated masks. It does take a few seconds for images to load when first imported, but after that, you shouldn’t run into any issues, even if you spend time clicking back and forth between different presets.

Of course, performance will vary depending on your hardware, and I can’t speak for everyone. But my computer isn’t especially advanced and I ran into zero issues, so I’m guessing that most users will be just fine.

For reference, here are the PortraitPro system requirements:

• Processor: 2 GHz or faster
• RAM: 2 GB (though 4 GB is recommended for large files)
• Display: 1024×600
• Operating system: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.14 or later

Price

PortraitPro is available as a one-time purchase. Anthropics offers three editions, each with a different price. 

The Standard edition costs $54.95, and it features all of the core functionality discussed above, minus the batch-processing option. However, the Standard edition isn’t capable of editing RAW files, which is a major drawback for anyone who prefers to make all their edits inside of the PortraitPro interface.

The Studio edition costs $84.95, and it includes everything offered in the Standard version plus limited batch processing options and the ability to handle RAW files. You also get a Photoshop plugin so you can integrate PortraitPro edits into your existing processing workflow if desired.

Finally, the Studio Max edition costs $169.95. It offers everything in the Studio edition, but the batch-processing tool is upgraded so you can apply presets to dozens of images at once.

So which edition should you get? If you’re a hobbyist and you only ever edit a few images at once, I’d recommend the Studio PortraitPro option. The price is very reasonable (the program costs far less than a yearly Lightroom and Photoshop subscription), and you get a full-fledged portrait editor, RAW processing capabilities, and a batch-editing interface.

On the other hand, if you want to quickly edit hundreds of images at once, it’s probably worth springing for the Studio Max edition. If you’re not sure whether the upgrade is worth it, you can always test out the batch-processing feature with a free trial.

Note: Anthropics is currently running a 50%-off sale (which is reflected in the prices above). Therefore, if you’re thinking about purchasing PortraitPro, it’s better to buy sooner rather than later! Also, dPS readers can get an additional 15% knocked off the price by using this special code: DPS922.

Is Anthropics PortraitPro 22 right for you?

PortraitPro 22 is ultra powerful, it offers professional results, and it’ll dramatically accelerate any portrait post-processing workflow. It’s miles easier to use than Photoshop, and it’s very reasonably priced, especially for those who don’t require advanced batch-processing (and for those who do, the extra money is undoubtedly worth the saved time and effort).

In other words, PortraitPro is perfect for pretty much any portrait or wedding photographer, beginners and experts alike. So whether you’re just getting started or you’re a veteran portraitist looking to speed up your editing, I encourage you to grab your copy from the Anthropics website!

Alternatively, you can download a free trial here.

Special offer: Get 50% off new purchases or upgrades (and use the code DPS922 for an extra 15% off!).

Anthropics is a paid partner of dPS.

The post Anthropics PortraitPro 22 Review: Pro-Level Editing at 10x the Speed appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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[Photography] 9 Tips to Improve Your Black and White Landscape Photography

The post 9 Tips to Improve Your Black and White Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.

Black and white landscape photography is beautiful, timeless, and – when done well – incredibly moving. But how can you capture stunning B&W landscapes? How can you find the right compositions, choose the right camera settings, and do the right post-processing so that you end up with images that are truly breathtaking?

That’s where we come in.

In this article, we share nine easy-to-follow tips that’ll improve your black and white scenics; we also share plenty of examples so you can understand exactly what goes into a good black and white landscape image.

Specifically, you’ll discover:

• The best camera settings for B&W photography
• How to enhance your landscape scenes with filters
• What to look for in a landscape scene
• Much, much more!

So if you’re ready to capture black and white shots like the pros, then let’s get started!

1. Make sure you understand composition

When shooting in color, you can rely on the strength of bright greens, stunning yellows, and smoldering reds to create drama and interest. In fact, to capture good color landscape photos, you often need to just find a dramatic scene and photograph it in beautiful light. (That’s why so many color landscape shots are taken during the golden hour or just after sunset.)

But black and white landscape photography is very, very different. Without color, you can’t rely on pure drama, color, and light; you have to captivate the viewer by creating strong compositions. Yes, light matters, but composition matters, too. And unless you can really master this technical skill, you’ll struggle to produce compelling images.

In other words, instead of just chasing great light, you need to learn to look for the building blocks of photographic composition: leading lines, shapes, patterns, tonal contrast, and texture. When you approach a scene, try to ignore interesting colors. Do what you can to see in black and white so that you quickly recognize eye-catching geometry, impressive textures, and more.

For example, this photo works well in black and white because of the tonal contrast between the twin waterfalls and the dark rocks, not to mention the balanced geometry (two twin rectangles of light on an all-black background):

Yet the average viewer (or average color photographer) probably wouldn’t notice these features at first glance. Instead, they’d focus on the hues of the pool or the rich green leaves just outside the frame. And until you learn to see in black and white, you probably would, too!

2. Look at black and white landscape masters

We don’t naturally see the world in black and white. Therefore, learning to work in monochrome takes some practice. It’s almost like learning a new language; you have to spend time really recognizing what works in B&W photos and what doesn’t (which is often very different than what works in color landscapes).

Now, you can figure out how to make a great black and white landscape through a lot of trial and error, but why reinvent the wheel? Instead, deepen your understanding of B&W landscape images by looking at the work of masters – the folks who already spent dozens of years perfecting their composition, lighting, settings, and technique.

I recommend starting with Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, who worked predominantly in black and white and whose work is closely aligned with contemporary landscape aesthetics. You might also check out Harry Callahan (if you’re interested in more intimate landscape shots) as well as Wynn Bullock (who captured wonderfully atmospheric photos).

Also, look at what modern-day photographers are doing on Instagram and 500px. Some names to search for include Cole Thompson, Rob Dweck, Arnaud Bertrande, Thibault Roland, Joel Tjintjelaar, and Nathan Wirth.

When you look at the work of B&W landscape shooters, ask yourself: What makes their black and white landscape photos so powerful? What light do they use? What photographic techniques (e.g., long exposure) do they employ? How do they approach composition?

The answers will teach you a lot about black and white photography and will help you understand which elements and scenes really lend themselves to a monochrome treatment.

3. Look for tonal contrast and texture

Tonal contrast describes variations in brightness between different parts of the image. Take the photo below as an example; the jetties are dark and the sky is much lighter. That is tonal contrast. And it looks amazing in black and white.

The alternative – low tonal contrast scenes, where the entire shot is covered with, say, midtones – tends to look very mushy and flat. Tones don’t separate out, key elements fade into one another, and the composition loses impact. While color photographers may pursue scenes without tonal contrast, they can rely on changes in color to differentiate key elements. In black and white, however, that’s not an option, and it becomes all about the tones.

Texture (and contrast between textures) looks great, too. If you think about the elements that often appear in B&W landscape photos – cliffs, rocks, grass, trees, mountains, oceans, along with human-made objects like piers, jetties, and old barns – you’ll notice that they all have distinct textures. Some feature rough, heavy textures, while others are intensely smooth.

In the photo below, the arch, the cliffs in the distance, and the rocks in the foreground are all heavily textured. The sea and the sky are much smoother. There is a strong contrast between the roughness of the rocks and the smoothness of the sea and the sky. And thanks to that textural contrast, the photo is much more impactful!

4. Shoot in Monochrome mode

Did you know that your digital camera can help you see in black and white?

It’s true. All you have to do is set it to its Monochrome mode. Your camera’s rear LCD will show you a black and white Live View feed – and if your camera includes an electronic viewfinder, that’ll turn black and white, too (you can literally look at the world in black and white – how cool is that?).

As you can imagine, constantly looking at the world through a black and white LCD or viewfinder is the perfect way to see how tones are rendered in monochrome. This, in turn, makes it easier to imagine how scenes will turn out in black and white if you’re not shooting in monochrome mode (or if you don’t have your camera to your eye).

Personally, I think that black and white electronic viewfinders are an absolute game-changer. If you’re serious about B&W landscape photography, it’s probably worth switching to a mirrorless camera for that feature alone! After all, it’s far easier to compose in black and white because you can see how tonal contrast, texture, lines, shapes, patterns, and light will affect the landscape.

One note, though: Don’t forget to set your camera to RAW. RAW files contain all the information captured by your camera’s sensor – so if you decide you don’t like the image in black and white, you can always convert it to color. If you don’t shoot in RAW, however, you’ll lose the ability to switch back and forth between color and black and white, and images shot in Monochrome mode will be stuck in monochrome forever.

5. Learn to use neutral density filters

Neutral density filters are a B&W landscape photographer’s secret weapon. Grab one (or more) of these accessories, and you’ll be able to capture jaw-dropping images beyond your wildest dreams.

(Am I exaggerating? Honestly, I don’t think so. Neutral density filters are a huge deal.)

But what makes ND filters so special?

ND filters are basically dark pieces of glass that go in front of your lens and prevent light from hitting your camera sensor. In other words, ND filters block out the light, which lets you lengthen your shutter speed while retaining a balanced exposure.

You see, as a landscape photographer without an ND filter, you’ll often be using a shutter speed between 1/2s and 1/125s (assuming you’re shooting with a relatively narrow aperture of f/13 or so, which is generally a good idea).

At times, you may want to lengthen your shutter speed for creative effect – so that you can blur water, stretch clouds, and create a beautiful ethereal look in your photos. But in most situations, dropping the shutter speed beyond 1/2s or so just can’t be done. The light is too strong; if you try it, you’ll end up with an overexposed image.

Unless you have an item that can block out the light – such as a neutral density filter! The ND filter will keep your camera from overexposing the scene even when you’re dealing with lots of light. That way, you can push out your shutter speed to 5s, 10s, and more – and you can get the stretchy clouds and blurry water that you’re after.

Check out the photos below. The first was taken at dusk with a shutter speed of 1/5s. This exposure time was slow enough to introduce some blur into the water (look at the foreground wave), but it wasn’t slow enough to really flatten out the water while making the clouds turn into interesting streaks.

But I added a neutral density filter and made the next photo using a shutter speed of 180 seconds. That way, the water turned out completely blurred and the clouds moved across the sky for a streaking effect:

Bottom line:

Neutral density filters are amazing. They give you control over your shutter speed, which you can then use to enhance your black and white landscapes.

6. Don’t just take photos like everyone else

Black and white landscape photographer Cole Thompson has an interesting idea. He practices what he calls “photographic abstinence,” where he doesn’t look at the work of other photographers before heading to a new location. The idea is that it enables him to see the landscape through his own eyes without being influenced by other people’s photos of the same elements.

I’ve never taken this idea to its extreme. I believe it’s important to research an area before you go; that way, you can find its most photogenic parts and avoid boring areas. But this does lead to a problem: the most powerful images you see tend to stick in your mind. The natural tendency is to want to create similar images – so if you spend time researching locations, you’ll often end up capturing photos that end up looking like everybody else’s.

I encourage you to push back against this tendency! Recognize that certain subjects are photographed in particular ways. Use that knowledge to capture images that are different – images that are truly you.

Let me give you an example. A few years ago, I visited the Playa de las Catedrales (Cathedral Beach) in northern Spain. Search for it on Google or 500px, and most photos will look something like this, showing the cathedral-like arches for which the beach is named:

Anybody who visits the beach will naturally want to take photos of the arches. They’re the reason the spot is famous, after all. But if you only focus on the arches, you’ll miss other (equally compelling!) possibilities.

So after traveling to Cathedral Beach and getting my rock arch photos, I really started looking. I saw some rocks in the sea that made an interesting minimalistic composition, and I made the following photo:

It doesn’t feature famous arches. But the shot feels more personal and was more satisfying to take.

7. Try to simplify your compositions

As I mentioned above, black and white photos can get kind of mushy. The files don’t include any color information, which means that images can get pretty confusing. Various subjects blend into one another, and the viewer may struggle to understand the scene.

Now, one way to deal with this tendency is to include plenty of tonal contrast. It’s a good technique, and I highly recommend it. But if you want to really elevate your B&W photos, you should also aim to cut down on extraneous elements in your compositions. That way, the viewer will know exactly where to focus – and they’ll be able to instantly interpret the shot.

So before capturing a new image, ask yourself: Does the frame include any elements that might distract the viewer? Is the viewer able to clearly identify the main subject? Make sure that every part of the scene contributes to the composition.

But if you come upon a scene that seems a bit cluttered, don’t walk away. Instead, take steps to simplify. Get in closer, use a longer lens, or adjust your angle so that you highlight certain objects and block out others. Make sense?

8. Don’t forget about the light

Throughout this article, I’ve emphasized the importance of composition in black and white landscape photography. And it’s true: Composition makes a huge difference.

But make sure you don’t fixate so heavily on composition that you forget about other key photographic elements – such as lighting.

Color landscape photographers love shooting during the golden hours, and this soft-yet-direct light also looks great in black and white. The low sun will create long shadows, which you can use as powerful compositional elements (e.g., leading lines).

But as a black and white shooter, you can head out at other times and capture equally compelling images. For instance, overcast days produce soft, intimate light that reveals detail in forest and mountain scenes. And even harsh midday sun – which is hated by most color landscape photographers – can make for interesting black and white landscape shots. The trick is to use the contrasty light to your advantage; let it create shadow geometry, then incorporate these shadows into your compositions.

Blue hour is another great time to shoot black and white landscapes. The light is wonderfully soft, and if you can find a moving subject (e.g., ocean waves), you’ll be able to capture ethereal long exposures that look outstanding.

9. Travel when you can

All the photos I shared in this article were taken while traveling – and unless you are lucky enough to live in a breathtaking area, it’s likely that, like me, you need to travel to find inspiring landscapes to photograph.

Even if you do live somewhere with spectacular landscapes, traveling will expand your experiences and add depth to your portfolio. All my favorite landscape photos were taken while traveling, and the two activities really do go together very well – travel is more interesting and exciting when there’s a purpose behind it. Landscape photography can give you that purpose.

Without travel, I would never have experienced and photographed places like this (taken in Bolivia):

At the same time, I recognize that traveling is costly and time-consuming. So even if you can’t travel, try to cultivate a traveling mindset – where you see the world around you with fresh, new eyes. Tackle more familiar scenes with this newfound excitement (and you’ll be amazed by what you start to see!).

Black and white landscape photography: final words

Hopefully, this article has given you plenty of helpful tips and tricks for black and white landscape photography.

So get outside. Give black and white shooting a try! It’s a new way of seeing the world – and one that can be a lot of fun.

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for black and white landscape photography? Share them in the comments below!

The post 9 Tips to Improve Your Black and White Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.

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