Daily Photo Tips Archive

09.Apr.11When changing the behaviour of a particular action, be careful to check that the new functionality is acceptable for any other actions that call it. Settings that work for one action group may not work for another.

08.Apr.11It may not make sense to nest actions, particularly if two similar action sets will be developed independently. Nested actions should be used when exactly the same behaviour is required, not if two sets may be changed in the future.

07.Apr.11Resist the temptation to try to communicate everything through a thumbnail image. A thumbnail should represent the larger image; however, its main job is to tempt the user to explore further!

06.Apr.11An 'interlaced' image is one that will appear as a degraded version of the entire image first, then progressively improve until the entire image is displayed. Interlaced GIF images are similar to progressive scan JPEG images.

05.Apr.11Arranging photography online, in a gallery, or in a magazine all require unique sets of presentational skills. Because the format and the expectations of the audience are different, the artistic interpretation of the works must be different as well.

04.Apr.11If you ever save work in PNG format, be aware that many software packages automatically attach colour signatures to the image. As well as being a poor format for raster work, PNG images can also misrepresent colours.

03.Apr.11When using an unsharp mask, larger radius values work best for large images and print preparation work. These images have coarse details, and will likely show no improvement if sharpened with a very small radius value.

02.Apr.11Small radius sharpening is more prone to moire than large radius sharpening. Because noise and unresolveable patterns often occur at this level, they can be unpleasantly enhanced by fine sharpening algorithms.

01.Apr.11A 'threshold' in photography software is the value at which the given control will begin to take effect. If measured values are below this threshold, the algorithm will not affect that area of the photograph.

31.Mar.11When saving a JPEG image, the 'progressive scan' option will cause a very low resolution image to be displayed immediately, then gradually improved until the image details are fully loaded.

30.Mar.11Make sure action names are descriptive. If you come back and look at your workflow after years away, you should be able to understand what an action does, what it takes as input, and what it produces as output.

29.Mar.11Sometimes, even great photos don't 'thumbnail' well. When a photo relies heavily on texture or small details, it can miss its mark when its best features are not visible.

28.Mar.11When using unsharp mask, large radius values require lower percent values, and vice versa. Since low radius values cause less visible sharpening, they need to be applied in larger quantities to be effective.

27.Mar.11Make sure action names are future-friendly. As your workflow develops and expands, ensure that the names you pick will remain specific enough, particularly if you run actions from within other actions.

26.Mar.11Interlaced GIF and PNG files are less efficient because they store data telling the computer when to load the various parts of the image. Modern computers and Internet connections are usually fast enough to cope with regular images.