Photos Light

Photos Light is my new stock photography blog on Tumblr. License information will be posted with each photograph along with any other relevant information.

Notes and License

Click on the images to see the full-sized photograph.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Notes and License

Click on the images to see the full-sized photograph.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Notes and License

Click on the images to see the full-sized photograph.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Notes and License

Click on the images to see the full-sized photograph.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Notes and License

Click on the images to see the full-sized photograph.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Notes and License

Click on the images to see the full-sized photograph.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

• Level: Beginner
• Goal: To improve a poorly lit photograph by using it as a base for a painting design.
• Translatable: Yes
• Steps: 6

The preview above shows a small portion of the picture in order to show the details. Click on the preview to view the whole picture.

The Original Photograph

The original picture has poor lighting and is not particularly clear. However, despite its flaws it can be manipulated with Photoshop to look like a flower painting.

Step 1

Go to Layer -> Adjustment Layer -> Levels and adjust the levels by moving the slider so that it goes to the point of the edge of the curve. This will improve the lighting and contrast.

Step 2

This picture needs additional help due to the poor lighting so we will also be adding a curves layer. Go to Layer -> Adjustment Layer -> Curves. When you are done click ok.

Step 3

Goal: Get rid of the noise in the picture.

There are a number of methods for solving this problem. You can use the median filter that comes with Photoshop (Filter -> Noise -> Median), but that does not allow for much customization. You can use the Neat Image Reduce Noise plugin, but the free version can only be used for smaller pictures. For this image I used Medhi’s Noise Shampoo plugin. (Available from Medhi’s Plugins). Use the settings Clean 10.5 and check Enhanced.

Step 4

The noise shampoo gets rid of the noise, but it also makes the image less clear so this step helps remove the fuzziness before adding the paint effects.

Duplicated the layer and sharpened it (Filter -> Sharpen -> Sharpen). Duplicating the image is optional, but I like to make changes on a different layer as it makes it possible to later adjust the opacity.

Step 5

Duplicate the layer. Now go to Filter -> Filter Gallery -> Brush Strokes -> Crosshatch. Use the settings Stroke Length 5, Sharpness 6, and Strength 1. Adjust the settings as needed to fit your picture. In general more detailed objects will need a shorter stroke length than large and less detailed objects. When you have the settings you want click ok.

Step 6

This time duplicating the layer is required rather than optional. Go to Filter -> Filter Gallery -> Artistic -> Paint Daubs. Use the Settings Brush Size 2, Sharpness 5, and Brush Type Simple. Click ok. Go to the Layers Palette. Starting with 50% adjust the opacity as needed. If this step works for most of the picture, but makes a small area too sharp or pixelated, erase around that area.

Click on the final image to see the full-sized picture.

If you see a stock photography site you like then bookmark it

Do not depend on yourself to remember it a month or a week or three hours later. Even if the photographs on the site are not relevant to your current project, if the photographs look good bookmark the site for possible use in your future projects. Take advantage of sites such as del.icio.us to organize your bookmarks. Backing up your bookmarks is also a good idea.

Check the terms on the site

Stock photography sites vary wildly in their terms of use. This is especially true for sites that offer free stock photography. Some sites have strict or downright strange terms. If you do not want to abide by the terms do not use the photographs. Chances are you can find a comparable photograph on another site.

Photo Credit: From A Digital Dreamer Free Royalty Free Stock Photographs

Organize the photographs you download

Some sites such as Stockvault include their name in the file name, but many do not. Do not trust yourself to remember which site you downloaded a specific photograph. Use folders or add information to the file name itself. If you are downloading stock photographs for both commercial and non-commercial purposes make note of which photographs are not licensed for commercial use.

Familiarize yourself with the basics of copyright

Copyright law is complicated. Do not rely on the owners of stock photography sites to ensure you are legally using photographs. Getting the advise of a lawyer with a knowledge of copyright issues can also be important. In some places there are differences in copyright laws depending on the use of the photograph. In some places those working on a design for an school or other educational organization are subject to slightly different laws. Adult sites or sites of a controversial nature sometimes have to contend with additional laws.

The content of the photograph itself can be copyrighted

The fact that the photographer has released the photograph for specific uses does not mean that all of these uses are necessarily legal. If the photograph contains a recognizable person, and the standards for recognizable are broad, you may still need a model release particularly for commercial or controversial designs. Logos, certain architecture, and copyrighted artwork are problematic even if the photographer claims no personal rights or acknowledgment.

Consider taking your own pictures

In many cases using stock photography is the only reasonable option. Other times if you have good equipment and talent it is quicker and easier to take your own picture than to spend the time looking through stock photography sites.

Search during your downtime

While some stock photography is heavily dependent on a specific project there are some generic types of photographs that it is good to have at your disposal. Consider finding and downloading these photographs during a quieter time so you have one less thing to worry about when you are under a tight deadline.

One of the common discussion topics among designers is beauty vs. function. Is it the content that drives the design or does the design drive the content? Is content king or is it the design? Can good content overcome bad design and vice-versa?

It is easy to forget that there is no reason that attractiveness and function have to be in conflict. Sometimes functional can also look good. It works in nature and it works in designs made by humans.

Astronomical Inspiration

Pictures are from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive