Video Tutorial - Using Gradient Maps to add Color and Tone to an Image

I put together this brief video tutorial demonstrating how to use gradient maps to tone your image and introduce color effects in Photoshop CC. Difficulty level: Super Easy

 

Video Tutorial - Using Gradient Maps to add Color and Tone to an Image

Creating an idea machine

Image from Holy Mountain

Turn yourself into an Idea machine instructions:

get a notebook.

start a movie that is not currently popular, but is notable for some quality of excellence.

while you watch the movie, take note of any ideas that you have for creating something.

write the ideas down in the notebook.

write down as many details about the idea as you can.

choose movies that are not currently trendy.

old stuff, from the ’60s or the films that inspired the creative people you look up to.

that way you’ll be encountering ideas that your contemporaries won’t be aware of.

and then write down your ideas that are generated from those references.

some movies that i’ve seen recently that were very idea-stimulating include:

belle du jour, point blank, the birds, wings of desire, holy mountain, enter the void, the bicycle thieves, the tree of life, the fountain, 8 1/2, brazil, city of god, drive, upstream color, and on and on.

so you watch these movies, and you write down all your ideas in your notebook, and later when you need to come up with a concept, you look through the notebook, and you take bits and pieces from this one and that one. maybe combining “shoot a model’s reflection in a broken mirror” with “shoot a landscape in an unusual way” to get a view of a broken cityline.

This is a great way to actively engage in synthesizing new ideas from references.

Mix and match to wind up with new and interesting combinations.

Don’t wait for inspiration to strike…. get out there and hunt that bastard down.

-Tim

 

Creating an idea machine

PHLearn Video - Amazing Trick to Recover Shadow Detail in Photoshop

Aaron Nace from PHLearn put together a really great video tutorial on recovering detail in shadows and adding a gradient layer. Check his video out: Amazing Trick to Recover Shadow Detail in Photoshop. I use these photoshop techniques all the time, and the best part of this technique is it makes it look like you have a much more expensive camera than you really do (since really expensive cameras are the ones with wider dynamic range). In addition, think about the possibilities of applying this technique to just part of an image… say the background is too dark for your tastes, but the subject looks great…. using shadows/highlights to bring up the background selectively (using a mask or a duplicate layer) can really add a dynamic feel to your shot. Well worth exploring if you want more control over the tonal range of your images.

 

PHLearn Video - Amazing Trick to Recover Shadow Detail in Photoshop