Photoshop Help: Content Aware Fill

Perhaps the most useful addition to Photoshop CS5 is the "Content Aware Fill" feature.  It's quite effective for removing unwanted portions of a scene.  Now as most of you know, I have long been an advocate of getting it right in the camera.  As such, I tried different camera angles, and changed the height of the tripod up and down.  These adjustments helped to remove almost all of the distracting elements in the background...except that bottom right corner of the frame.  This is where Content Aware Fill comes in handy.  I simply lassoed the area, selected Edit, Fill, and Content Aware.  I think it did a great job as you can see in the finished version below. 

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Photoshop Help: Noise Reduction and Selective Sharpening

This is my 7th episode of Photoshop Help, and the first one available in HD quality! To fully appreciate the resolution, and see all of the detail, I strongly encourage you to change your settings to 720p HD and watch in full screen mode.  

While I liked the old format, only a limited amount of monthly bandwidth was available.  This new method will allow you to watch as many times as you'd like without overloading the system.  Since new episodes will now be hosted on YouTube, they'll be easier for you to share on Facebook, and other sites.  They will also play on mobile phones and iPads.  

In this video, I detail how to use Neat Image, a terrific noise reduction plug in for Mac and Windows.  From there, I show you how to selectively sharpen small portions of the photo using layer masks.  Thanks for watching.  I truly appreciate your support!

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Photoshop Help: Preparing an Image for the Web

This is entry number 6 in my ongoing series of Photoshop Help screencasts.  In this episode I detail how to resize an image for the web.  I also reveal my preferred settings for Unsharp Mask.  Check it out, and feel free to suggest topics for future tutorials. Thanks for watching.

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Photoshop Help: Black and White Techniques

This is entry #5 in my ongoing series of Photoshop help.  In this episode, I go over the steps used to process my image "Earthbound Stars".  This particular technique will not work with every subject, but I encourage you to try it on some of your own photos.  To catch up on earlier episodes of Photoshop help, click here.

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Photoshop Help: Creating a Vignette in Less than Two Minutes

This is part 4 in my ongoing series of Photoshop Help screencasts.  In this episode, I show you how to create a vignette in less than 2 minutes.  Try it out on one of your images and see what a big impact it can make.  If you have suggestions for future episodes please tell me about it in the comments or on FB.  Thanks!

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Photoshop Help, Converting to Black and White

Here is the third installment of my Photoshop Help screencast series.  This one focuses on using the Channel Mixer tool and layer masks to convert a color image to Black and White. 

Remember, your input will determine what the next tutorials will be about.  Let me know in the comments area.  Thanks for watching!



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Photoshop Help, How to Selectively Sharpen

This is my second Photoshop CS4 screencast and I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable while recording them.  In the first one, I covered how to make a layer mask in less than 2 minutes.  Here, I show you how to use the High Pass filter along with Hard Light and a layer mask to selectively sharpen a portion of the image.  Like all things with Photoshop, there are multiple ways of accomplishing the same tasks. Try this out for yourself and let me know what you think.  Thanks!

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Photoshop Help, How to Create a Quick Layer Mask

The Layer mask is one of the most powerful, useful features in Photoshop. While the process is considered an advanced technique, it doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, once you get the hang of it, it's actually quite easy. In this, my first ever Screencast, I show you how to create a layer mask in less than two minutes. Since this is a trial run for me, I'd appreciate your feedback. If there is something you'd like to see in the future, please let me know. Thanks!