Does anybody know how to

[LensBaby]

Make digital backdrops in photoshop?

[Snappers]

This may be of some help....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaEMuGQl4QA

Also this guys selling a package which looks quite good.
http://www.digital-background.net/

[LensBaby]

Thanks. I think that is the same guy that my cd is from (Martin Evening) I bought the book Adobe Photoshop for photographers) I think this might even be on there. Thanks so much!

[Snappers]

No problems. Hope you get it sorted and once you have, don't forget to show us your results. I'd like to look into this myself too but I need to concentrate on taking better photos first.

[LensBaby]

Yes I know what you mean. Wouldn't it be nice to just be able to take perfect photos from the start and not need photoshop? I love to mess around with it though. You know how some people like to read a book to relax, well I like to sit and play around with photoshop. So its not that I am trying to really learn it but just kinda learn as I mess around with it.

[Snappers]

So its not that I am trying to really learn it but just kinda learn as I mess around with it.
That's often the best way to learn! Manuals Huh, they usually confuse you more than the item you are trying to learn:D

[LensBaby]

my camera manual is the perfect example. It's just very hard to keep my attention on it. (And no I dont have ADD)

[Snappers]

I dont have ADD either but I tend to get bored with the manual, I did take mine work with me for some light reading but I found that not having the camera infront of me whilst reading the manual, just confused me even more. I must admit though, there is loads about my camera that I dont know so I suppose I really ought to sit down with it and learn some new stuff. Maybe my new years resolution.

[LensBaby]

This is what I am trying to figure out.....The can make such an awesome piece of equipment, and the technology is excellent...why cant they make a book that you can understand. How does this work??????????????????

[gjtoth]

Yes I know what you mean. Wouldn't it be nice to just be able to take perfect photos from the start and not need photoshop? I love to mess around with it though. You know how some people like to read a book to relax, well I like to sit and play around with photoshop. So its not that I am trying to really learn it but just kinda learn as I mess around with it.

Ya know... oddly enough, one of the online courses I sampled before I chose Proud Photography, advocate EXACTLY that! That was enough to convince me to dump THAT course. Mind you, some of the sample photos of the instructors were astounding IF they, indeed, were un-PP'ed. But, I have my doubts. I'm sure there are some folks that can get away with that. But, I'm equally sure they have a fortune invested in their equipment AND they've got a fortune invested in time and instruction to get those photos. If I wanted to do this as a profession and had fairly unlimited financial resources, that's what I would do too. But, like you said, PS is part of the fun! And, if you perchance are pleased with the capture without PPing it, that's cool too. Unfortunately, I don't have unlimited financial resources nor do I have TIME to get that good (I'm an old coot with one foot on a banana peel and other in the grave -- heheheh). AND, this is for MY enjoyment. If someone else likes my stuff, that's cool. If not, there's lots of other stuff he/she can look at.

Just my point of view.

[jonrayner]

Yes I know what you mean. Wouldn't it be nice to just be able to take perfect photos from the start and not need photoshop? I love to mess around with it though. You know how some people like to read a book to relax, well I like to sit and play around with photoshop. So its not that I am trying to really learn it but just kinda learn as I mess around with it.

I wonder if it is possible to get the perfect photo without post-shoot tweaking? I would imagine that even good or excellent photos could all be tweaked, even slightly, to make them perfect. Well it's got me thinking anyway!!

[LensBaby]

Much easier to take the photo right from the start and not have to take time to edit it, but I like photoshop for the artistic abilities.

[Snappers]

Nicly put Gary.

I often thought of "tweeking" your photo after in photoshop as cheating but I am quickly coming around to the opinion that it is par the norm for digital photography. Although you can take perfect pictures without the need for software.

[LensBaby]

Yeah I was kind of amazed when I found out Ansel Adams dodged and burnt all of his photos. So let me ask you this....was that cheating also? I'm just curious as to what people think about this.