Highlight recovery in Photoshop Elements 13

Last week was the first time I had the opportunity to work with the new Photoshop Elements 13 and I was impressed by its highlight recovery. Debbie B. captured this wonderful image in Lower Antelope canyon during the Southwest workshop .

Lower Antelope Canyon Processed

If you have worked in any of the Photoshop develop modules you can work in any of the other Photoshop develop modules. They are all laid out similarly. Debbie B. emailed me this great composition that she had captured during the Southwest workshop and I walked her through the steps to process her image. The highlight recovery in Elements 13 is far superior to the highlights I have been able to recover in CS6 and Lightroom 5.7. Adobe keeps surprising me with their software magic!

Lower Antelope unprocessed

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Glow can be used as a stand-alone or a plugin to transform your photos from dull to dazzling. Containing more than 70 unconventional and quirky filters, you can infuse your images with neon, graphic, liquid and other electrifying effects.

 

National Parks location workshop tours

The 4th of July is a great day to have fun with family and friends and plan trips to our great National Parks. My images below capture the beauty of Grand Canyon and remind me of the visual treasures the parks hold for us to photograph. I have scheduled two workshops this fall in our National Parks, hope you can join us.

The Great Smoky Mountains Workshop tour October 26-29 2014

Southwest Slot Canyon Workshop tour Nov. 8-14 2014.

Hope you can join me in one of our national parks!

Shadow Lands, South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Both Topaz and Nix software can work magic on your image. Today Ihave spent a little time today working on images of the Grand Canyon that are in my Panoramic Gallery. The Topaz software that I used to finish these images makes a huge improvement over the original processing in Photoshop CS3 used just a few years ago.

Tapestry of Light, South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Raw image with a few adjustments

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Tumble Weed – Antelope Canyon – Topaz Labs Complete Collection $199.99

During the Southwest workshop I was able to spend time in Antelope canyon on the Navajo reservation near Lake Powell Arizona. The area is laced with wonderful slot canyons where the light dances off textured sandstone walls painting them with muted colors that the Southwest is famous for and gave Georgia O’Keeffe the subjects for the painting that made her famous. When you are standing in these canyons it gives me the feeling that I am in another world and I cannot wait until I return to explore more of our canyons and parks.

Tumble Weed – Antelope Canyon – Processed with Topaz Software

After I captured this image I made a few adjustments in Camera raw before opening it into Photoshop.

Tumble Weed – Antelope Canyon – Camera raw

Next I created a layer and opened it in Topaz Labs Clarity and in the Landscape Pallet I added the Sunny Day setting.

Tumble Weed – Antelope Canyon – Clarity Sunny Day

Then I added sharpening by adding Topaz Labs InFocus

Tumble Weed – Antelope Canyon – Topaz Labs InFocus

The right side of the tumbleweed was a little light so I selected a circular gradient layer and used Multiply in the Blend mode to darken the light area. This technique is similar to selective burning I used countless times in the darkroom.

Tumble Weed – Antelope Canyon – Circular Gradient Layer

The Topaz Labs Complete Collection will be sold for $199.99, which is almost 50% off the normal price of $379.99. The sale will run from November 28th through December 2nd.

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Southwest Slot Canyon Workshop Nov. 8-14 2013

The southwest’s slot canyons with their sculptured sandstone walls shaped by water and wind over thousands of years provide photographers with the southwest’s most sought after photographic images. In the fall when the sun is lower in the sky the muted red and purple tones are breathtaking. We will start this workshop in the Valley of Fire just an hour from Las Vegas which has wonderful slot canyons, one of which has wonderful pink walls and another canyon has some of the best examples of native American petroglyphs in the southwest. We will be staying in Overton for the first two nights before heading to Utah for an overnight stay at ZionNational Park before heading to Page Arizona for two days of shooting in wonderful sandstone canyons that feel as spiritual as any of Europe’s wonderful old cathedrals and they will take your breath away.

Into the Light – Antelope Canyon, Southwest Photo Workshop

In the Fall slender shafts of light penetrate the narrow canyons and bounce soft light off the rock walls casting wonderful muted colors against the  sandstone walls. In this workshop you will learn how to capture these images and improve your compositional and technical skills.

My friend and fellow photographer Craig Osterloh will be working with me on this a photographic adventure.

What’s included in my tuition:

Tuition includes fieldwork, guiding, software training and critiques of your digital files during our classroom sessions, transportation during the workshop, Navajo guides  and entrance fees onto the Navajo reservation and park entrance fees.

What’s not included in my tuition:

Airfare, lodging and meals are not included.

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