Have you ever looked at a record cover of a Sinatra or Dean Martin record, and wondered what it was that make those old cameras take such special images? Well, let’s break it down in this tutorial. This may be more for the digital photographer than for the graphic artist, but the gap between the two is quickly closing down. If you are a graphic artist reading this, the tutorial will still be useful for you. But if you are a digital photographer it will not only teach you too make sepia like images with your digital, but will also teach you a thing or two about photography itself.

Lets start with an image that you may feel like adding a touch of nostalgia to. I’ve used an image of my own self here, a photograph that was taken by a friend of mine many years ago. Well, not long enough for it to be a black and white sepia unfortunately, and that’s the effect id like to give to this picture. Do note that such an effect would do very well for things like picture postcards (where the background may be monotone sepia, while the foreground has colored texts. I chose this image because the composition includes a little bit of the antique Yezdi motorcycle, so its perfect to add the nostalgic touch to. When we speak of sepia the first thing that comes to mind is ‘brownish monotone’, and that’s what most people are satisfied with. All you would need to do is to de-saturate the image and color balance it while still in RGB or CMYK. Remember, sepia is not pure black and white so greyscales won’t do. Well, the following image shows what that would give you. Most people are unfortunately happy with this feel, and don’t take the time to go further into the matter. Ask yourself – if this were an old blackand white image would it look like what you see on screen after these simple changes? Not so!

Well, the biggest difference in photography today and in early days is the replacement of the film with the CMOS or CCD censor. Old clack and white films tended to be much slower, meaning they required longer exposures. Old lenses were not that fast either, which mean the depth of field should be greater. But it is not so either! Remember, old box cameras and other cameras of the day had lenses of much longer focal lengths than what is common today. A longer focal length as any photo enthusiast knows well, spells out a smaller depth of field, and for those of you who are getting bored; it means more of the background would be out of focus. So let’s take care of that before we go further. Go back to the raw image. Select the outline of the figure alone (do try it along with an image of your choice). Feather it adequately, and apply the Gaussian blur to the inverse. Remember to select all items on the plane of the figure, in this case the motorbike and the shoulder bag. We get more separation between foreground and background with this. Next, I cropped the image to make it more pleasing to the eye. Of course your image may not require that.

Next a little bit of simple brightness-contrast and we have a better image. Again it is better to make a slightly extreme contrast because old films had less ‘latitude’ than modern films and digital cameras. Next, we go ahead and de-saturate the image. You will notice that the photograph tends to look less contrasty when you de-saturate the color, and that’s because the tonal differences in color are gone. You may want to increase contrast more at this stage, I did.

Next, we add a little glow to the image with the diffuse glow filter. Keeping in mind the nature of old ‘slow’ films again, keep grain at minimum and experiment till you are happy with the diffused sunlight effect. I prefer to over diffuse it and then use the fade effect to get it just right. Finally, work with the color balance tool to generate the sepia tones. Increase yellow and red, and you are there. You may need to reduce green a bit as well.

Learn more about photoshop and digital image manipulation at photochopz.com. We have lots of great member made photoshop tutorials, weekly contests and a great forum with lots of helpful members.

Beautiful moments routinely come and go in our lives. Fortunately most of us have at least one camera to capture a few of those unforgettable scenes. Cameras can be used for purposes ranging from birthdays to graduations, from a school play to tragic scenes on a battle field, and much more.

Unfortunately most people who stand behind the camera button do not have the expertise to snap high quality pictures that truly draw our attention.

We love our family members, friends, and work associates, but that love doesn’t translate to photography talent. Consequently, many of us hire professionals to do the job for us, despite their often steep expense.

For those who wish to avoid the cost of paying others, below are a few brief techniques to guide you in capturing pictures you will be excited to show off.

1. For portraits, it is important to have an appropriate backdrop. Using a camera stand helps to stabilize the image and avoid blurring it.

2. Using the sun as your primary light source adds natural beauty to the picture. Make sure the sun is not directly in front of the camera lens but rather behind it.

3. Natural poses usually make a picture more appealing. Photographers should try to make their subjects feel at ease before taking a shot. Indulging them in friendly conversation prior to the picture usually lightens the atmosphere.

4. While taking a picture, make sure that each person or object that you intend to be in the picture is included in the view. Provide polite instructions if necessary.

It is advisable that the tallest person stand in the back row with shorter people in front so that nobody is missed from the shot. The positioning can be delicate for someone who is sensitive about their height (short or tall), so approach this step with due consideration.

5. Occasionally - perhaps frequently - you will want to take spontaneous shots. These are good alternatives to stiff, artificial smiles and poses that squelch a person’s natural style when you point camera toward them. These kinds of pictures are great at weddings, birthdays, and other festive events.

The job of a good photographer is to capture their subject’s best moments, such as when they are truly at ease and not actually trying hard to “act natural” in front of a camera - usually a prescription for capturing a horrible pose.

A photographer should also make sure the people in the pictures look as natural as possible. A great picture will bring out the innate personality and beauty of the subject - rather than serving as an attempt to create what isn’t really there.

Practice often, and take as many pictures as you can until you are comfortable using your specific camera. Over a period of a few months or even weeks, you may surprise even yourself at how compelling some of your pictures turn out.

And if you are not happy with your early photography results, don’t give up. Developing a talent for picture-taking is a learned skill and for most people requires a dedication to practice and ongoing learning.

For practical photography & camera information, please visit www.photography-and-cameras.com, a popular site providing great insights about photography training, camera types, and more!

Digital cameras come in various sizes, shapes, and specifications and offer a variety of impressive features.

Digital cameras are quickly gaining popularity around the globe. Many people already own one and routinely use it for their own pictures. Their use have become part of the culture among many communities and industries.

Digital cameras also have become part of a broad package of combined features with other hand-held tools, such as PDA devices and cellular phones. This makes the use of both devices much more convenient, having them combined in one, rather than two or more, functional instruments.

Digital cameras, moreover, not only can be used for still photos as with conventional cameras, but also for taking videos. An owner needs only to upgrade the camera’s memory card to increase storage capacity.

The marketplace offers a number of digital camera brands that provide a wide range of features. Olympus, Canon, Nikon, Kodak, and HP are some of the better-known brands of cameras offering the conventional 35mm to digital. Other key camera manufacturers include Sony, Panasonic, and Casio.

Digital Camera Considerations

Differing from conventional cameras, digital cameras have a small LCD screen, and sometimes an LCD screen plus viewfinder. The LCD screen is similar to TV screens that allow the photographer to see the picture, even before snapping it. Some have large screens that enable the photographer to see more of the subject and background.

Digital cameras also come with memory slots that hold a memory card or “stick.” The amount of memory available in them ranges from megabytes to gigabytes. Of course, the more memory, the greater the cost. However the extra storage capacity may be well worth the additional expense.

Another purchasing concern is the battery. Some digital cameras use disposable batteries. However, they wear out quickly, so most people recommend rechargeable batteries for longer energy life. Typically a rechargeable battery and a charger come in bundle with the camera unit.

Finally, consider the way the pictures are downloaded. Though many digital cameras come with a USB port which easily connects to a computer, there are others that necessitate removing the memory card and positioning it with a reader to download pictures.

Digital Camera Features

Camera buyers should know at least the basic features of their camera of choice before making an expensive purchase. Though the snapping of pictures is fundamentally the same from camera-to-camera, there are features that make one brand more appealing than others.

For example, the number of mega pixels used when taking pictures - meaning millions of pixels that help with the clarity of the pictures - should be one of the primary considerations to most buyers. Pixels are the individual “dots” that make up the content of pictures.

As such, cameras offering a greater number of pixels can produce larger images with better resolutions than those with less. Be aware, though, that cameras using a more pixels consume more camera memory when storing the images.

The camera’s zoom function is also critical. Most digital cameras are enhanced with a two-zoom capability; the optical and digital. Optical zoom uses a moving lens and makes the subject in the picture appear closer, while digital zoom crops or stretches the image.

Finally, don’t neglect the importance of the camera case’s durability. Some digital cameras are made predominantly of plastic materials - and are consequently more fragile - while others are comprised of a combination of plastic and metal alloy.

Either type has limitations in the amount of jarring that can be sustained without internal damage. Spend a little extra money to purchase a case that will protect your camera investment.

For practical photography & camera information, please visit www.photography-and-cameras.com, a popular site providing great insights about photography training, camera types, and more!

If you’ve been printing or developing photographs for a number of years, chances are some of your photos are already fading and losing their original quality. The fact of the matter is that properties of most photo paper and the chemicals and dyes used in printing on it don’t react well to long periods of exposure to light and air. Even when properly framed and stored, the average time it takes a photograph to start losing quality is roughly six to seven years, and within twenty years noticeable overall fading has usually set in.

So what’s someone to do if they don’t want their favorite memories to have a life of less than twenty years before they need replacement? Easy: print photos on canvas.

Canvas pictures are a new phenomenon in the world of photography, coming to full fruition only a few years ago when technology advanced enough to make canvas printing as affordable as traditional photo printing. Printing pictures on canvas is cheaper than ever, quicker than ever, and more used than ever. The best part? Pictures printed on canvas can last well over one hundred years before noticeable fading begins.

Look back to all of the long-lasting remnants of culture throughout the world. What are the two best preserved formats found by archeologists time and time again? Stone and canvas. Obviously printing photos on stone isn’t really plausible (or likely something you’d want to do), but canvas? Photos on canvas can be ordered by simply uploading a digital picture to a professional canvas printer’s website, or by attaching it to an email to a qualified canvas printing technician.

Now, you may think that printing photos on canvas (or canvas prints in general) shouldn’t last as long due to the way they’re printed on the canvas, and not painted into it like traditional works of art from hundreds of years ago. While it seems like a logical conclusion, it’s very wrong. Thanks to the current technology used with canvas prints and specialized inkjet printers, your photos are transported to the canvas prints in a fashion similar to traditional painting by injecting the canvas with special dyes and ink, ensuring high quality images with rich vibrant colors which will most likely remain vibrant and show no color loss until the day you die.

Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. is just one of the many reputable organizations which has taken their time to look into modern canvas prints to try and figure out how long they can last before they begin to fade. The result is an astounding 60-148 years without any noticeable fading in a humid, sunlit environment. For most people in the United States, you’ll be looking at the upper end of the spectrum as many places don’t reach regular year-long humidity levels of 60%, the baseline used in Wilhelm’s testing.

How can you tell if canvas prints will last a long time where you live? Let’s look at some basic weather facts. The ten most humid environments in the United States are all in Alaska, with an average humidity in the 70-80%’s. One of the most extreme environments possible in the United States when it comes to housing your canvas prints, Alaska also features a varying amount of sunlight throughout the year with some months having near constant sunlight. Even in these most adverse settings, according to one of the researchers at Wilhelm, a high-quality canvas print can still last approximately 70 years on average in Alaska assuming the owner keeps it in an environment not completely exposed to the outside elements. For the rest of the country where there’s far less constant exposure to sun and a much lower level of humidity, that’s fantastic news.

In most areas of the US, humidity levels rarely reach above the mid-30s. Taking the average temperature, amount of sunlight, and humidity in the United States, canvas prints last (on average) well over a century if they’re kept in a stable environment. As you can see, printing your photos on canvas is not only affordable with prices starting under $25, but is also well worth it, as your memories will assuredly last a lifetime.

ZaZaGallery - Our art is the buzz in our community. Our fine art prints are gallery wrapped using the finest canvas and inks to create a museum grade art piece.Our product is unique so join the buzz and visit us by clicking photos on canvas Thank you, Hugh Parker

photo credit: desi.italy 

Digital scrapbooking is becoming so popular that even traditional scrapbook enthusiasts are making the switch. Read why so many are learning to scrapbook on the computer and why you should give it a try.

1. Saves Time

As in all things digital, there are many ways scrapbooking digitally saves you time.

If you’re really lazy or think you can’t even combine two elements without messing something up, you can buy pre-made pages with spaces for your photos and journaling and just drag and drop your pictures onto the page.

Printing your pictures before you put them into your scrapbook pages is no longer necessary. Just download your digital camera pictures to your computer.

No need to spend hours going from one store to another looking for the right color paper to go with your daughter’s Easter dress. Shopping the Web is faster or you can create your own paper. This also eliminates those unwanted 2-year-old tantrums in the paper aisle of the local store.

Everyone I’ve spoken with that’s made the switch to digital says they love how much faster they can complete pages.

2. Saves Space

For some traditional scrappers, the idea was whoever dies with the most supplies wins. Setting aside a permanent corner, room, basement or annex for your supplies was a way to beat your husband at his game of collecting tools.

On the other hand, the only physical space required for digital scrapbooking is for your computer, scanner and printer. The other “space” requirement is the size of your hard drive in your computer. Digitized images do take a lot of megabytes of drive space, but have you seen the price of hard drives lately? You can get a 500 gigabyte drive (that’s 512000 megabytes) for under $100 these days.

Many digital scrappers also like the fact that printed digital scrapbooks are just like any other book. No bulky pages filled with buttons and ribbons.

3. Clean and Tidy

With your supplies on the computer, there’s no need to physically sort through all the punches, paper, ribbon or other embellishments you might have lying around. No worries about leaving a project partially done and laying out where kids can spill a soda on it. No need to get supplies out on the dining room table only to put them away later so you can serve dinner. Just click save and don’t leave your computer screen where someone can accidentally delete your work.

Since you don’t have to worry about the hassle of getting supplies out and cleaning up afterwards, you will find many more opportunities to work on your pages than ever before.

4. Saves Money

You already own a computer, now all you need is the right software. Cost of software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements is $75 - $100.

Digital scrapbook kits usually go for around $5.00 to $7.00 and have lots of paper and embellishments included. The equivalent in physical paper and embellishments costs $20 to $35 and are “consumable” meaning once you use them, they are gone. Digital kits can be used over and over to your heart’s content.

Once you learn how to use your digital scrapbooking software, it’s not hard to create your own supplies if you feel adventurous.

Oh, and saves a lot of gas money too since there’s no need to spend hours going from one store to another looking for the right color paper to go with your daughter’s Easter dress.

5. Waste Proof

This naturally follows number 4 because you can literally re-use any digital scrapbook element as many times as you like. No more buying extra paper to avoid running out of a certain pattern or color. No more keeping piles of leftover paper scraps. Imaging starting each new project with a complete new scrapbook kit. With digital scrapbooking, you can.

6. Mistake Proof

The most precious items in your scrapbooks are your photos. So why take the chance of butchering them with scissors. With digital scrapbooking, there’s no worry of ruining the only photo you have of Great, Great Grandpa. Scan the photo and make as many copies as you need. Resize and crop as many times as you like. Don’t like it? Back up a few steps with the Undo function or start over.

Ever place a sticker on a page and didn’t quite like it? Oh well, it’s stuck on the page now. Digital scrapbooking allows you to experiment with a multitude of possible combinations until you get it just the way you want.

7. Photo Manipulation

Restore vintage photos to make them look just like new. Take current photos and purposely make them looked aged. Remove the red eye in that otherwise perfect candid shot. Get rid of ugly facial blemishes (the proverbial pimple in the Prom portrait) or too much sweat making the face glisten. Crop, enlarge, tint, age — there are so many options to make your photos even more attractive, you’ll be absolutely amazed. Photos you thought were hopeless are given new life.

8. Easier to Share

Ever create a scrapbook page only to duplicate it once again for your mother? Not anymore. In addition to being another time saver, digital scrapbooks can be shared so easily in so many ways. Print multiple copies of your completed books to share with family. Upload pages to your family blog. Email pages to relatives wherever they live. Use the same digital template for multiple photos. Get the idea?

9. Archival Quality

Remember when everything had to be acid free? First it was the paper, then the sheet protectors, the inks, the glue. Then came all the embellishments. Were they acid free too? Wait a sec…with digital scrapbooking, everything is acid free because there is no ink or glue to mix with your photos. Everything is preserved digitally either on your computer hard drive or on CDs or DVDs. Print as many copies as you need as often as you like. Not only is this archival, but keeping extra copies of your photos digitally either in a fire-proof safe or in a second physical location is the best way to ensure against your keepsakes being destroyed by a disaster such as a fire.

10. Unlimited Styles

With traditional scrapbooking, you’re limited by whatever paper you can find in your local store or on the Web. Even then, you might find a pattern you like but sometimes the color isn’t quite right.

Not a problem with digital scrapbooking. It’s so easy to adjust the paper color from one hue to another so you can always match your daughter’s Easter dress perfectly.

11. Trendiest

Scrapbook paper manufacturers use designers to create a new line of products. Then they decide which designs go into production. From there, retail buyers decide how much of the line to carry in their stores. By the time you get around to shopping, you’re lucky if the product is in stock and in the right color.

Digital paper is not limited by any of the above. There’s a multitude of online purveyors of digital scrapbook kits and there’s no waiting for the product to hit the store. New designers don’t have to have a big company behind them to sell their own designs. You get the trendiest designs and they are guaranteed to always be in stock.

12. Makes Anyone an Expert

So what if your handwriting looks as bad as a doctors prescription. That’s what computer fonts are for…to make you look like a professional calligrapher. But the best part is, there’s no commitment, so if you misspelled a word in your journaling, you’re free to go correct it without damaging your layout. Cropped photos always have perfect edges and text is always straight. Using a computer to scrapbook brings out the real artist inside you when you don’t have to worry about making mistakes.

13. Flexibility

Try this exercise: Take a piece of pattern paper and attach a photo. Now add some ribbon and some journaling. Now go back to the pattern paper and change it to another style to see if it will look better. Can’t do it? You can when doing it digitally. That’s what layers are for. It’s like making a big Dagwood sandwich and deciding you want relish instead of pickles after the sandwich is already built. With layers, you can change any element on the page at any time.

14. Professionalism

Sure we like homemade stuff, but if we can make it look professional, it makes us all the more proud we created it. Submit your digital scrapbooks to printers like Viovio to have them professionally printed and bound. Then show everyone how talented you really are.

15. Versatility

Take any design you like and turn it into just about anything you want. Change the opacity to make it look like vellum. Tweak the colors to add a little more blue or red. Increase the color saturation or decrease it. Change it into anything you desire.

16. Endless Supplies

Never, ever run out of the letter “S” when using a sticker set again. And always have it in the right size, color and style. With digital scrapbooking, you will never run out of supplies again.

And who knows, maybe you’ll start designing your own paper lines.

17. Easy on the Furniture

No more hammering eyelets! No more dents in your oak dining table. Enough said.

Paul Lindberg is a freelance writer and co-owner of toNoodle.com where you can learn digital scrapbooking through Adobe Photoshop video tutorials.