What I Am Working On: Cropping and Layers

The file I was working with this morning illustrates how edits can really change a photo, and one of the most powerful tools is the cropping tool:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/377sec 4.2mm

This first edit was created in the app Hipstamatic using the randomize feature which means that the filters were chosen for me. The second edit was also created in Hipstamatic, but I chose the various filters and it was the version that I added to my Instagram feed:

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Busy. #bee #flowers #thingsiseeonmywalks

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jun 17, 2020 at 7:27am PDT

I go back and forth between these two and I think there are elements to both that I like but that neither is exactly right. This morning’s edit which I created using the original file in Luminar 3 is this one:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/377sec 4.2mm

This edit keeps the original ratio of the photograph and is more top-heavy than the square version. When I was working on this edit, the crop was the second edit in my workflow. I started with basic edits like luminosity and adjusting the blacks and whites. Then on a separate layer, I did the crop. Then on an additional layer, I added then tweaked a custom Luminar look that I have saved as a preset. It turned out that when I got to that point, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the crop. Because the crop was on its own layer, it was easy to click on and edit just that layer.

So, there are two important points here I think, first is that the crop set to different ratios can really change the photo’s story and second that putting the crop on its own layer can make your editing process much easier.

Your thoughts on cropping in general or in this specific case are welcome below. This post was inspired by the Lens Artist Challenge, One Single Flower.

Cheers!

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 19

The challenge set for this week is Aging. It’s a beautiful time of year for that, with a lot of flowers blooming and then fading. This wisteria on the garden wall of a nearby neighbour is stunning. I take photos of it every year. It also smells wonderful. A close look though and you will see that parts of the blooms have begun to fade:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/905sec 4.2mm

The photo has been cropped and had some luminance added. It has the Luminar Look, Aethereal added and set to 32%. Your thoughts and comments are welcome below.

Cheers!

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 11

I’m a bit behind again for this week’s challenge, but I liked this photo enough to go ahead and publish late anyway. The theme for this week was fill the frame:

iPhone with Hipstamatic

This photo was shot within the Hipstamatic app with no further editing.

The Instagram version is here:

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Cheery. #daffodils #yellow #thingsiseeonmywalks #hipstamatic

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Mar 17, 2020 at 12:05am PDT

 

I’ve also added it to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cheers!

What I Am Working On: Using the History Button

It’s fair to say that when you are editing photos, sometimes you like the potential of an earlier version of your work, and you would like to revisit it. That is when the history button can be a very useful feature of editing software. This morning I was working with this file:

ISO 250 f/11 55mm 1/15sec

I wanted to make a black and white version. After a few basic edits including a crop, white balance adjustment and luminance boosting, I added a custom look I had created in Luminar. After a few more tweaks, I had this black and white edit:

ISO 250 f/11 55mm 1/15sec

I like this edit so I saved a version of it. But is also true that at one point in the editing process, I liked another idea and I wanted to revisit it.

The other idea came at a point in the edit after I had applied my black and white look but before making the final adjustments. At that point I had experimented with the slider that adjusts the amount of the look applied to the photo. Because I was applying a black and white look to a color photo, the result was that the color version begins to show through. I ended up really liking that effect. So after I had saved my version above I went back in the history to where I had been working with that slider and started reworking the edit from that point. Here is the resulting color edit:

ISO 250 f/11 55mm 1/15sec

This ability to go back through your history and rework from a certain point can be very helpful if you are interested in creating more than one version.

Your thoughts and comments on the edits are welcome in the comment section below.

Cheers!

Added to Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge, Any Kind of Geometric Shape and Cee’s Flower of the Day.

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 6

For this week’s challenge, which is #nofilter, I went with an image that I thought was more about the storytelling possibility than the technical perfection of the image. This is my choice:

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/100sec

I think there is a lot of tension between the living and the dead in this image. The photo challenge for this week stated that there were to be no added filters but allowed for basic edits. I opted out of editing at all, so this is an “as-shot” image. Your thoughts on the image are welcome below.

Added to Week 6 of the 52 Week Smartphone Challenge.

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday: Yellow Snowdrops

ISO 250 f/11 50mm 1/25sec

Added to One Word Sunday, Symmetry.

Cheers!

January Squares: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ah, winter, who doesn’t love winter? Me. When snowdrops begin to appear it signals the beginning of the end:

ISO 400 f/11 55mm 1/100sec

This edited photo of snowdrops is available on my Picfair portfolio. As shown, it has been edited in Luminar with a film fade look applied. For the square version, I simply applied a crop:

ISO 400 f/11 55mm 1/100sec

This post is the last in my January Squares series. I’ve really enjoyed this challenge, so thanks to you all who have followed along or checked in over the month. My biggest thanks though is to Becky who graciously hosted this challenge. The challenge will run again in April, with the theme being announced in March. If you would like information about how the challenge works check here.

I posted all my images for this challenge also on Instagram, today’s is here:

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Spring is coming. #fridayfeeling #spring #snowdrops #januarylight

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 30, 2020 at 10:30pm PST

Added to Day 31 of January Squares, also to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cheers!

 

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 5

I love snowdrops for several reasons so today I booked myself a spot on the snowdrop tour at Anglesey Abbey. What fun and the weather was even tolerable. I took both my iPhone and my Canon 80D. For this post, I am sharing a photo from my smartphone:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/50sec 4.2mm

For this edit, I’ve added the Luminar Looks, Camden Fade and Morning Fog:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/50sec 4.2mm

I’ve added this to the 52 Week Smartphone Challenge, Symmetry, in honor of how symmetrical and balanced these lovely little flowers often are. Also, I’ve added it to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome below.

January Squares: Sunlight in Flower Form

This photo is for the days when you drag sunlight inside and ignore the weather:

Didn’t save the original file!

This photo was created in Hipstamatic with the Jane Lens and Ina’s 1982 film filters applied.

My mistake here? I did not save the original file, so the photo specifications I usually put in the caption space are not available.

Instagram version is here:

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A bit of sun for your #friyay #sunflower #flowers #januarylight #hipstamatic

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 23, 2020 at 11:32pm PST

Added to Day 24 of January Squares and Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cheers!

 

January Squares: Stretch Towards the Light

This is a photo for one of those days:

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/40 sec

The kind where you really have to stretch for natural light, because winter is just like that sometimes:

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/40 sec

I often enjoy editing simple photos like this in Hipstamatic. The one has the Florence Lens and Ina’s 1982 film filters added.

The Instagram version is here:

View this post on Instagram

Stretching for the sunlight. #januarylight #roses #flowers #hipstamatic

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 20, 2020 at 10:47pm PST

Added to Day 21 of January Squares and Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cheers!