Softening Digital Images

Written by Tom Ray, CPP


The nature of photographic media has changed. That isrepparttar obvious part; but what can surprise you is thatrepparttar 150298 lens filters that worked so well with your film cameras don't always achieverepparttar 150299 same results inrepparttar 150300 digital realm. Photographers who've discovered this are either abandoning their old filters and using nothing or using whatever software comes standard with their Photoshop or similar program. If you're interested in gettingrepparttar 150301 same quality for your portrait photography that you used to get with film and filters, you need to know that it can be done!

Like many people who’ve maderepparttar 150302 switch from film cameras to digital, I’ve discovered thatrepparttar 150303 lens tools I once used so effectively on my cameras to soften, diffuse and vignette my images for quality “finished” professional results won’t do for digital what they did for film.

I’m sure it’s arguable by some that their diffusers still work fine, and I too have discovered that some tools still work okay under some circumstances but as I’ve learned, not all circumstances; my Ziess Softar #1 seemed to offer decent results when photographing a single subject inrepparttar 150304 studio but not without substantial cost to image contrast. I also knew thatrepparttar 150305 black netting diffuser that I used so effectively with my Lindahl Bell-o-Shade and medium format camera no longer worked onrepparttar 150306 new digital zoom lens without showing lines inrepparttar 150307 image. I also knew that my other softeners maderepparttar 150308 images look too out of focus. Not a risk I was willing to take professionally so I just stopped usingrepparttar 150309 Lindahl shade and drop-down filters. Intimidated, I stopped using any filters.

Then it happened. A savvy carriage trade-minded customer brought in a wall portrait that she had purchased several years ago by a photographer obviously using medium format lens tools like I was used to using inrepparttar 150310 past with my film camera. She wanted her new wall portraits to have that same “softened” look. So I arrived atrepparttar 150311 portrait session armed with my digital camera equipped withrepparttar 150312 very mild Softar Filter that worked okay inrepparttar 150313 studio on single subjects.

Understand that I knew any diffusion used on an entire family group portrait would be more exaggerated by their relative head sizes but I had explained that to her and she assured me she liked her portrait images “very soft”.

Whilerepparttar 150314 images looked good onrepparttar 150315 small camera monitor, once I opened them up in Photoshop and printed them out as proofs I knew they were too soft. I called a colleague who is a digital expert and explained to him what I had done. He told me that you simply cannot use on-lens filters anymore for professional softening and diffusion without creating mush on 35mm type digital camera images. This leavesrepparttar 150316 special effects job now torepparttar 150317 computer and notrepparttar 150318 camera. I told him I’d tried using Photoshop CS inrepparttar 150319 past for their diffusion tools and what I got didn’t look like real photography, at best it degraded my images or made them look grainy and out of focus. He agreed that Photoshop’s filters weren’trepparttar 150320 right tools either to mimicrepparttar 150321 professional photography filters ofrepparttar 150322 past but told me that there is a company that has a software program that is a plug-in for my Photoshop and has filter tools to recreate believable results for various levels of softening and diffusion.

7 Magic Trick Tips using Invisible Thread

Written by Dion Semeniuk


SEVEN MAGIC TRICK TIPS USING INVISIBLE THREAD

Have you ever been to a magic show, sitting there mesmerized as you asked yourself, “How did they do that?” As you know, magic is more an illusion, creatingrepparttar vision that something is happening although it is not. While magicians use many different tools ofrepparttar 150117 trade, one ofrepparttar 150118 most popular isrepparttar 150119 invisible thread. Trying to get magicians to divulge their secrets associated withrepparttar 150120 invisible thread is near impossible. However, we do want to provide you with some highlights and tips aboutrepparttar 150121 top seven magic trick tips performed using invisible thread.

What is “Invisible Thread”?

The first ofrepparttar 150122 seven magic trick tips using invisible thread is to understand what it is. This type of thread is actually a very fine stand of nylon used primarily for getting small objects to levitate. For years, magicians worked with invisible thread and their hands only, meaning they had to be very precise in their movements forrepparttar 150123 magic tricks to appear flawless. Today, magicians can use an invisible thread reel, which not only dispensesrepparttar 150124 thread but it is also designed to retract it. Because of this,repparttar 150125 magician is able to maintain a constant tension onrepparttar 150126 line so there are no mishaps inrepparttar 150127 performance.

Invisible Thread Reel Size

The second tip when using a thread reel is to userepparttar 150128 appropriate size. Since different objects need different types of control, thread reels are made in a number of different sizes. Typically,repparttar 150129 longerrepparttar 150130 tuberepparttar 150131 more distance you will get fromrepparttar 150132 reel whilerepparttar 150133 more tensionrepparttar 150134 less distance. For magicians,repparttar 150135 idea is to userepparttar 150136 smaller size invisible thread reels for close-up work opposed to a larger reel for distance. As far as size, a stage reel is capable of extending 35 feet, which means a magician could easily perform a “floating bill” trick inrepparttar 150137 center of a room with no nearby walls. However, if you want to really impress a crowd, you could performrepparttar 150138 same floating bill trick outdoors simply by anchoringrepparttar 150139 reel torepparttar 150140 ground. With this, it would appearrepparttar 150141 trick was impossible andrepparttar 150142 crown cheers.

What about Tension?

Third onrepparttar 150143 list of seven trick tips using invisible thread is usingrepparttar 150144 right tension. As you pullrepparttar 150145 invisible thread out ofrepparttar 150146 reel, there will be an increase in tension. What happens at some point is thatrepparttar 150147 pull will become too much forrepparttar 150148 thread, causing it to break. If you want to put more tension onrepparttar 150149 thread reel, wind more ofrepparttar 150150 invisible thread into a wax ball. What you do not want to do is add additional winds onrepparttar 150151 elastic, which would only make it cumbersome.

Floating Objects

Next onrepparttar 150152 list is insight into working with floating objects. When using invisible thread for a magic trick, keep in mind that you want something that is light enough not to sag by putting too much weight onrepparttar 150153 thread. The key is to choose objects that you can easily move and maintain in a position in space, which is whyrepparttar 150154 floating bill is such a popular choice. Other choices to use an invisible thread magic trick include ring fingers, an empty soda can, etc. The greatest benefit of using a thread reel is that when you walk away from your floating object, you are actually transferring energy torepparttar 150155 reel, which can then be used to makerepparttar 150156 bill float fromrepparttar 150157 floor to your hand – magically.

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