Rangefinder Magazine
December 2006

Photoshop CS² How² by Eddie Tapp
Imagination ~ Portra-Rama

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When looking through the lens of my camera, I always see something other than what just my eyes behold. My imagination alters the setting; it sees more than the person, the house or the landscape. It sees a scene that is more intense—more vivid—than what the camera’s lens records. With the advent of digital photography, I discovered I could create photographs that look more like what my mind envisions. For the past 20 years, I have developed techniques to enhance my images so I could do more than just take pictures. With these techniques I can create truly unique works of art—and so can you.

A few years ago I started creating what I call Portra-Ramas using Photomerge. Today, with any digital camera that has manual settings, you can easily create exciting panoramas in Photoshop using Photomerge. The following Portra-Rama came to my imagination on a location shoot while teaching a workshop in the mountains in northern Georgia last year.

A few tips for shooting panoramas: Use manual settings for exposure, white balance and focus. Have approximately 20% overlap between frames, and before you shoot, take note of an object that you will include in each frame. Use a normal or telephoto focal length lens when possible, since wideangle images can become difficult to match up. Stay in one location, use a tripod, if possible, and minimize camera tilt. Also, shoot in RAW format if possible.

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Kenny Simmons modeled for this composition as I created three exposures (everything manual) with my Canon EOS- 1D Mark II in RAW format.

Figure 1: I used Bridge in Photoshop to select the three images to open in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

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Figure 2: First I used the “Select All” button in the upper left corner of ACR and then the Synchronize Button to make sure any adjustments I made would be the same for all images.

Figure 3: Because I wanted this to be a black-and-white image, I used the powerful controls in ACR and moved the Saturation slider all the way to the left and adjusted the Temperature and Tint sliders to help conform the tone in the image. I also used the Calibrate tab and adjusted colors there. (Note: Adjusting color temperature and colors while the saturation is at -100 will still effect the tonal ranges of the image because it is actually still in color.)

Figure 4: Using the Curve tab in ACR, you can adjust the contrast. Here I added a little extra detail in the clouds and then clicked the Done button rather than Open or Save. Figure 5: Back in Bridge, you’ll notice the images have adapted the adjustments from ACR. Because these are RAW files, the original color versions are always accessible by removing these adjustments (from the Bridge main menu, you would select Edit > Apply Camera Raw Settings > Clear Camera Raw Settings). Now that the images have been processed, we are ready to create the Portra-Rama.

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Step 1

Figure 6: First select all images in the Bridge, and from the Bridge main menu select Tools > Photoshop > Photomerge.

Step 2

Figure 7: The selected images will open in the Photomerge work area. In some cases Photomerge will automatically position each image together, and other times (such as this one) images will be placed in the light box at the top, allowing you to move each frame separately onto the work area. By placing your cursor over one of the frames, you can move it over the next frame. As you do this you will notice a seethrough quality, allowing you to line up objects in both images. With the Snap to Image option, Photomerge will snap the image into place when you let go of the mouse.

Step 3

Figures 8-9: Select OK to process the Photomerge, and the image will automatically open in Photoshop. Use the Crop Tool to crop, and then save the image.

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Step 4

Make a duplicate of your Photomerge layer by typing Cmd-J (Ctrl-J in Windows). This layer copy may be used for added blending later.

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Step 5

Figure 10: One of my favorite thirdparty plug-ins for Photoshop is LucisArt (LucisArt.com), and here I will use the Whyeth effect at about 50%. Whyeth is a special effect that reveals image detail.

This will give added contrast while keeping the shadow regions and highlight areas crisp.

After processing this filter, you can adjust the layer’s Opacity for added blending.

Step 6

Show Rulers by selecting View > Rulers from the main menu. Now you can click your mouse on the ruler and drag out a guide. Position several guides near the corners of the house so you can Transform the image to straighten out the lines in the house.

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Step 7

Figure 11: Flatten the image, and from the main menu go to Select > Select All, and then Edit > Transform > Warp. By placing your mouse near the corner of the house, slowly move your cursor to the left until the edge matches the vertical edge of your guide. The Warp feature in Photoshop CS2 is very powerful; you can click anywhere on the image and move your cursor to Warp Transform. Crop the image if necessary afterwards.

Step 8

Figure 12: As a bonus, we will finish this image with what I call a Border Rule. First type the letter “D.” This will default your foreground and background color to black and white. Next, expand your Canvas size. Select from the Image menu > Canvas Size. Check the option “Relative,” and for width and height, select one inch. The Anchor is set for the center by default, and you’ll want to use the center anchor. Now select OK, and you’ll notice your canvas has expanded, leaving a transparent one-inch border around your image.

Step 9

Figure 13: From the main menu, select Edit > Stroke. In the Stroke window, type 3 pixels, Center location using the Normal blending mode, and click OK.

Step 10

Figure 14: Finally, expand your canvas size once again using the same or similar settings as in Step 8.

This technique is but one example of the infinite number of ways that you can add richness and texture to your photographs so they match what your imagination sees. I am willing to bet that your imagination also sees more than what your camera captures. Let me teach you how to use the tools of digital photography to bring your imagination into reality.

In addition to being an award-winning photographer, Eddie Tapp is a Photoshop World Dream Team instructor and was recently inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame at the Photoshop World Conference in Las Vegas. He is writing a new tutorial-based book series called Eddie Tapp on Digital Photography, published by O’Reilly Media. The series covers specific areas of photographic technology, and topics range from color management and workflow to production techniques and output. The first two books covering workflow management and color management are now available.

Final Image