Thursday, July 26, 2012

HDR Starter Recipe Part 1 (Video)


(*Click to watch on YouTube for best quality)

With Millie and my wife Lauren asleep, I finally had a quick chance to play/work on my very first HDR video tutorial. This is part 1 of my "HDR Starter Recipe" video series. I just finished uploading it to YouTube. I've some tweaking to do I'm sure, but it's my first attempt so I don't expect an Oscar...yet! I welcome any feedback as I will attempt to produce more if anyone likes the video(s).
Stay tuned... I will be adding the rest of my "HDR Starter Recipe" soon! Thanks again for looking!

@Batteman87

Monday, July 23, 2012

HDR eFex Pro 2 Quick Demo


The Old Mill - Pigeon Forge, TN
The Old Mill - Pigeon Forge, TN
Nik HDR eFex Pro for processing
I decided to give some new software a chance with my HDR photos. For the past week I've been using Nik Software HDR eFex Pro 2. And so far, my initial impression of it are pretty darn good. My Old Mill image turned out great. Check out the detail in the water just before the falls. It's most certainly real contender for Photomatix Pro that I typically use. But, it's early and I'm still tinkering with the program and throwing several photos at it when I can. Will be posting a full review soon. If you're interested and want to tinker yourself, check out their site and see what you think! They offer a FREE trial, can't beat FREE!

The good folks at Nik Software are also allowing me to offer to my readers and students their NEW software "HDR eFex Pro 2" with a 15% discount! Just click the banner/link below (embedded discount) or you can just enter Batteman87 at checkout to save your 15%.


HDR Efex Pro 2

Click the banner above to automatically save 15% OR enter Batteman87 at checkout!

Happy processing,

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Strumming my keyboard...

Guitar
Still finishing up the processing on my singer-songwriting friend Robb Underwood's photo shoot. Just wanted to keep everyone up to tabs. I will be working on a review of some new software from Nik. They just released Nik HDR eFex Pro2! I will be running it through the gambit and see what she can do! I have had a little chance to play with it... definitely has some great features! Excited to play with it some more! 

The above image was processed in Photoshop Elements 10. I cropped it, ran through Topaz DeNoise, then Topaz Adjust 5. All while using my typical layer technique. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Thanks for looking! 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Robb Underwood - Singer/Songwriter

Robb Underwood - Singer/Songwriter

A great guy and local (Aiken, SC) musician (singer/songwriter) Robb Underwood hired me for a photo shoot this past weekend. Thus the little break from my normal HDR. This is one of the many images we got that day that I thought turned out pretty nice. We shot in a few different locations including this one at the old train station located in Augusta, Ga. Check out some more of my images on his website and give his songs a listen or two! RobbUnderwood.com
Thanks for looking!

Friday, July 13, 2012

FREE Photomatix Pro Presets!

I'm offering 5 FREE Photomatix Pro Presets that I use for my HDR (High Dynamic Range) images! I hope these presets can save you a little time and effort in your HDR processing. Just click the image below to enlarge and see the effects. The default image is on the left, and my preset image is on the right. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for my upcoming preset bundle!
Click image to enlarge
5 FREE Photomatix Pro Presets! 

Note: I have uploaded the .zip file "FreePhotomatixpresetJBP.zip" to MediaFire to ensure a safe and FREE download! I hope you enjoy! 


Instructions for downloading 
  1. Click to download the "FreePhotomatixpresetJBP2.zip" file. I suggest saving to your desktop. 
  2. Unzip the file. 
  3. Select the 5 files.
  4. Copy and paste into your "Photomatix Pro Preset" folder. OR... Open up Photomatix Pro. Start to process an image. On the bottom of the adjustment menu, click import preset. (Seach for your desktop or where ever you saved the files). You might have to do it one at a time to get all three in. This is why I prefer the copy and paste method. 
  5. Once imported, you find them located in your custom preset collection.

Included File Names: 
  1. frB&Wco.xmp
  2. frExpoFusco1.xmp
  3. frNatCoolco.xmp
  4. frStyleco.xmp
  5. frToonB&W2.xmp

I recommend playing a little with the slider adjustments to get the exact look your going for if it's not there already. If you have any questions feel free to contact me! Leave a comment or Tweet me @Batteman87 

Cheers!




Sunday, July 8, 2012

Pro Bundle Photomatix Presets

Bundle example photos: Titanic - PaintXpress1.xmp, Mountain Road - MtnRoad1.xmp, Lazy River - LzrRvr1.xmp
$0.99


My NEW bundle of (25) Photomatix Pro presets available for download.  It includes the above example(s) LzrRvr1.xmp, MtnRoad1.xmp, PaintXpress1.xmp PLUS 22 MORE for just $0.99 (US). This saves you guess work and time to get the look you want! If you prefer to "test the waters" first, grab my FREE Photomatix Pro presets! Thats 30 presets total!  

Note: I've uploaded this file ("PhotomatixPresetsJBP.zip") to PayLoadz.com to ensure safe and convenient downloading. Transactions are through PayPal.

Instructions for downloading 
  1. Click to download the "PhotomatixPresetsJBP.zip" file. I suggest saving to your desktop. 
  2. Unzip the file. 
  3. Select the three files (LzrRvr1.xmp, MtnRoad1.xmp, PaintXpress1.xmp). 
  4. Copy and paste into your "Photomatix Pro Preset" folder. OR... Open up Photomatix Pro. Start to process an image. On the bottom of the adjustment menu, click import preset. (Seach for your desktop or where ever you saved the files). You might have to do it one at a time to get all three in. This is why I prefer the copy and paste method. 
  5. Once imported, you find them located in your custom preset collection.

Click to apply these to your HDR images. Then I recommend playing a little with the slider adjustments to get the exact look your going for if it's not there already. If you have any questions feel free to contact me! Leave a comment or Tweet me @Batteman87








Sparks Fly Photo Inspiration


    I've had this in my favorite file for a while and wanted to share. I'm waiting on a not so dry day to do this. Check out the video from the Photo Extremist and get inspired! 

Friday, July 6, 2012

In the works...

Coming Soon!
Working on adding a few new things to the blog here. Some of you might notice the two new pages listed. "Downloads" and "Tutorials" are ramping up for launch.

Downloads: I will bring some great free stuff and/or links to great free downloads. I will also be offering some "premium", but relatively inexpensive things as well. Mostly because it takes me a lot of time to put things together to offer and share here. Plug-ins, settings, filters, etc. will go here.

Tutorials: I often come across a lot of helpful hints, tips, and tricks via video or step by step photo guides that someone else took a lot of time to create. This is where I will be sharing links to those, as well as providing my own.



Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Nik 4th of July Sale!

2012 4th of July promo

I use Nik Software Color eFex Pro 3.0 (New version is 4.0) as well as Viveza 2. Nik just emailed me  about a 4th of July sale that they are having. Sorta late, I know... Apparently they will be having the sale until Sunday in celebration of Independence Day! Click the banner to check out their software and get a deal while it last.


Viveza 2

Happy 4th of July!

Lazy River - RiverStone Resort & Spa (Pigeon Forge, TN)

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July! This is one of the images I took while in Pigeon Forge, TN. This is the lazy river located at the  RiverStone Resort & Spa. Nice place to stay while in the Pigeon Forge area.

Typical HDR WorkFlow here. Added a little Topaz Simplify and Nik Color eFex Pro as well.

Have some little changes coming for sharing tips on how to get the best out of your photos. Also working on filters to share too! Stay tuned. Until then, go spend some time with your family or your pets! Happy Fourth!