Wall colour - Corel Paint Shop Pro tutorial - Montreal's South Shore family photographer

Colouring walls is a fun trend right now. I'll be honest: I'm not sure how I feel about it. When I know something has been changed drastically in my image, I have a hard time shaking the idea that it looks fake. Truth is, though, I often like it in others' images. Sometimes I can't tell whether the wall has been coloured in post or not.

So I tried it myself. And I'm offering you the easiest step-by-step on Corel Paint Shop Pro. Not too complicated. Basic tool use. Keeping it real, guys.

Step 1:
Duplicate your layer...

Golden - Montreal's South Shore photographer

There's the golden rule:

So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ~Matthew 7:12

And silence is golden:

But that's not what I'm talking about today. I wanted to share with you about the Golden Mean (or Golden Ratio), explained here:

Ratio refers to how one measurement relates to another. The ratio formed of 1:1.618 is called the Golden mean - the ratio of bc to ab is the same as ab to ad. If you divide each smaller window again with the same ratio and join their corners you end up with a logarithmic spiral. This spiral is a motif found frequently throughout nature in shells, horns, flowers, etc.

In  other words, visual art requires math. (Something you can tell you 12 year old.) And that math can look a little something like this:

Why am I telling you this? Good question. Besides the fact that I think this is all super cool and I'm glad I was paying close attention in college when they explained it, I wanted to let you into my universe.

As many of you may know from your sessions with me, I may take about 200 shots during our time together, but you only get to see about 30 of them. No, I don't actually overlay the optical collimator (that snail-looking doohickey shown above) onto all my shots. But this is the math behind why I like one shot over another. And you'll get to see the one I like most.

Here's an example:

A little PSP how-to - Montreal's South Shore photographer

Here's a little step by step with Corel Paint Shop Pro, this photographer's editing software of choice.

Here's my original image, with one of my very fave little models.

Typically, I start by adjusting the curves. I wanted this backlit, golden-hour shot to feel a bit blown out (as is the case with most of my work). Most of the time that means nudging the very top of that curve down vertically some. This keeps the hot-spots to a minimum as I lighten the entire image.

The focal point of this image is this lovely lady's profiled face. Selecting my burn tool. I emphasize the darkest parts of the eyes and just add a bit more contrast to the lashes and brow.

Handmade Christmas, week 10 - Some fun sit-down keepsakes

I love handprint kiddie art.

Handprint. Fingerprint. Footprint. I love 'em all.

Here is the last installment of my Handmade Christmas Series. And a little something just for you and the crafty kidlets in your home. Fingerprinting trees.

i-ball - Montreal's South Shore photographer

A few weeks ago I did a quick tut on my basic paint Shop Pro editing process. Response was great, and it's still one of my most visited posts.

I've since noticed that there is relatively little out there in the way of Corel Paint Shop Pro tutorials. That' really too bad. It's a great little program that can do a whole lot.

So here's a real quickie on how I go about editing eyes. Even if you use another editing software, this may prove helpful to you.

For the tutorial, I want to go all out and make the before and after pretty dramatic for you. I'm therefore using an image where we only see one eye. 2 eyes is trickier. Add or take away too much, and you have suddenly given someone deux yeux dans l'même trou, as we say in French. So when editing a standard 2-eyes portrait, be sure to take 'er easy.

We'll start with this image:

Dirty little secret - Montreal South Shore photographer

Well, it could be considered a dirty little secret. While other photographers edit away using prestigious programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, I use...wait for it...Corel Paint Shop Pro. To some, it's like buying Fruity-O's and hiding it in the Fruit Loops box. Especially since I do use such lingo as "I can Photoshop that out." 
But aren't we all guilty of that sort of thing, really? I mean, do you buy Scotties and then ask for the "Kleenex?" Or buy the generic cotton swabs and call them Q-Tips?
Alright, I am being a little satirical. But fact is, since I started telling the inquisitive which editing software I use, I have started getting requests for help. 
So here's a start to finish edit:


Starting with this image straight out of camera (SOOC)...

I almost always start by adjusting the contrast. (Go to "Adjust", "Brightness and Contrast", "Curves.")

This image needs a bit of sharpening. I use the lasso tool and sharpen just where I need it. (To sharpen, go to "Adjust", "Sharpness", "High Pass Sharpen" to perform this with the most control.)

It's really bothering me that the hot spot on the subject's forehead is melting into the white sky. So I want to add some corn to the background behind her face. I lasso tool one portion of the corn background, and copy-past (as new layer) it over the spot where I want more corn.

Now having a spot of corn over her face, I need to do some erasing. To see what I'm doing, I always adjust the properties of my new layer, taking it to about 40%.

Erase...

And bring the layer properties back to 100%.

Now that the hot-spot isn't getting on my nerves anymore, I adjust my curves again.

I'm ready to add a bit of interest, and see where this image is taking me. i know many would wait until everything is perfect and then add some effects, but my creative process has its own order. So I duplicate my Background, and adjust the new layer properties, this time to 20%.

Heading over to "Time Machine" (under "Effect", "Photo Effects") I select the Albumen setting. Then I flatten all my layers.

Again with the lasso tool. This time, I select some of the edges of the image, and use curves to darken them. I like to frame out the subject this way.

I apply one of my own actions as a layer, and adjust the layer properties to 25%. The I create a mask layer (going to "Layers", "New Mask Layer", "From Image").

I create the mask from source luminance. (Basically, the software will decide where the bright spots are, and allow the action to do its magic specifically in those spots. Handy dandy.)

Time to clean up the skin on the face. I lasso tool where I want to smooth out the skin, and perform a digital camera noise removal. I even isolate some specific skin imperfections, allowing the program to smooth it out for me.

A little perspective adjustment. If you try to pull this off when you're overtired, it can go so wrong... Once I get it to where I want it, I crop and smudge to get it all to a 4x6 proportion again.

And done. Not to mention there'll be more form his session coming soon. It's just a snippet of one sweet couple celebrating 10 years of marriage by renewing their vows and frolicking in corn fields.

Hope that was helpful to anyone using Corel Paint Shop Pro.

Linking this post up to Show Off Your Shot,  Pixel Perfect: Before and After as well as Ramblings and Photos: Shoot and Edit.