Author Archives: Blake Rudis
Photomatix 4.2 Tutorial
HDR Soft recently released version 4.2 of their critically acclaimed HDR software, Photomatix Pro. I have been processing photos with Photomatix Pro for countless years and have found it to be my “go to” HDR software. After processing thousands of HDR images through Photomatix I am ecstatic to see it evolving in a positive direction. After seeing the new additions to Photomatix Pro, I will be sure to process a thousand more!
Photomatix Pro Trouble Shooting Chart
For standardization purpses:
- An Increase in the slider is any movement to the right.
- A Decrease in the slider is any movement to the left.
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Topaz Pro Insight
I wrote a Pro Insight article for Topaz Labs blog. It is featured on their page today. This company is awesome, I love what they do for artists around the world.
What are you waiting for, go check it out!
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Photomatix 4.2 Review
Photomatix, by HDR Soft, has recently updated their show-stopping HDR software from 4.1.4 to 4.2.1 and I must say, they added some very nice features. Photomatix creates impeccable HDR results in almost any tone mapping circumstance; I would expect nothing less from the release of 4.2.1. With the new release comes a slightly new look and a few new features. You can see the full list of new features here.
The Interface:
The Good:
- The addition of finishing touches is very welcomed in the new release. HDR Soft has included three very helpful Finishing Touches that can be applied after the image has been tone mapped making Photomatix very close to being a stand-alone HDR tone mapper and post processor. These touches include Contrast, which is controlled very similar to “Curves” in Photoshop, Color, which allows one to control the saturation of individual colors, and Sharpening.
- 20 new Presets are included in the new version. In the past the presets always frustrated me as they were not very helpful for creating a desirable product. HDR Soft has greatly refined their presets and has also included a category system for them.
- Another great preset feature is the ability to list your presets in not only a single column, but a double column.
- As always the quality of the image Photomatix produces is bar nun!
The Bad:
- HDR Soft keeps getting closer and closer to what I would love in their product. They added the finishing touches, which I think are a great addition, but I would really like to see those finishing touches added to the tone mapping phase. There would be a much higher level of control over the final image if these were included in the tone mapping and not as a finishing touch.
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Change Is Good
Well I figured after a little over a year and a half, it was time Everyday HDR had a makeover. I loved my old layout, it was clean, smooth and quick to load, but it lacked the design that I had originally imagined. I have been searching for weeks now for a “new look” and finally found the perfect theme for it. I wanted to keep it true to the blog roll that I have come to love about the simplicity of Everyday HDR.
A couple of things you may notice as you navigate through Everyday HDR:
- The title image now blends with the concrete background.
- The text boxes and side bar now sit independent of one another allowing the background to show through.
- The Gallery is much cleaner and now allows one the ability to enlarge the image twice.
- The slideshow bar is oh so sweet!
- The navigation bar is smoother, cleaner, and in a much better location.
- You can click on the EverydayHDR logo to go back to the homepage.
- Overall the theme is more user friendly and appealing to the eye.
No matter what you are into or what you are used to I should say, change is always good. Open your mind up to change every once in a while, even if it is something you hold in high esteem. You will be surprised how good it feels!
To all of my faithful viewers, your opinion is extremely important to me. Please feel free to rifle off any comments, critiques, concerns, likes, dislikes, and constructive criticism. Thank you everyone. Have a great week!
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Dodging and Burning With a Purpose: Photoshop CS5
If you are a long time EverydayHDR follower, you know that I did a dodging and burning tutorial in the past. However, I did not have a sweet microphone at the time. As a matter of fact, it sounded like I was talking into a tin can! I really felt the need to redo that old tutorial to bring you a better look at Dodging and Burning and just how important it is to your workflow.
I typically save Dodging and Burning for last. I try to pull out as much as I can with curves and levels adjustments before I dig into the dodging and burning. Go ahead, follow along and this tutorial will have you dodging and burning in no time Maverick! Okay okay, I know that wasn’t very punny…
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Sound of Speed
This weekend was the “Sound of Speed” Airshow at Rosecrans Airport in St Joseph Missouri. I loved airshows as a kid and was pretty excited about this one and the opportunity to photograph the aircraft there. The downfall, I had to work all weekend as it was still a “working” drill weekend. I was able to sneak up to the top of our 70 foot tower with my 70-300mm lens to get some shots of the F-22 raptor and the Leap Frogs Flag Drop!
The static displays (aircraft that are not flying but are there for looks) were incredible. I spent plenty of time trying to capture the glory of the A-10. That is a serious piece of equipment and so intimidating! I could not help but look down the barrel of the revolving 30mm cannon and get one amazing perspective of power!
Let’s not forget the F-22 Raptor either, the United States Air Forces newest fighter jet. I watched this aircraft do some things that shouldn’t be possible. At one point the pilot flew straight up into the sky, stopped the aircraft in mid flight, leveled it out and continued to fly at a 90 degree angle to it’s original position. Later he flew vertically threw the air as if it seemed natural. I don’t know how it gets any better than that, but technology does have a way to amaze you just when you thought the impossible couldn’t happen.
I just hope that the airshow tradition stays alive. There was not nearly as many people as 2 years ago, about 75% less to be exact. I don’t know what it is, maybe it is our generation and the movies taking away from the glory of the real thing. There is nothing you can’t you-tube or find on TV these days that in some cases is more realistic than the real thing.
Tip For The Week:
Taking pictures at an Airshow with static displays can be nerve wracking with all of the people around. You can really bring out your subject matter with a few helpful tips.
- Set your shutter speed as low as you can to help blur out the background clutter.
- Take a knee and photograph the aircraft from a low vantage point shooting up. This will make the aircraft look extremely intimidating and will also allow you to get rid of the distracting crowds.
- If you are shooting flying aircraft, set your camera to shutter priority and try to aim for a shutter speed to 1/1000th or faster and pan with the aircraft as you take the picture. Follow through with the shutter just as you would your golf or baseball swing.
