To Photoshop, or not to Photoshop?

I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.3 to process my raw digital images as they come from the camera.  I compare the images and choose the “keepers” and delete the “throwaways” before doing any development.  I then make adjustments to exposure, white balance, and a few other parameters before I assign keywords and file the images in the big photo file on my computer.  Having done these basic processing steps I’ve prepared the image for display or printing and I’m able to use the keywords to recall any photo from among the 25,000 or so that I have on file.

I don’t use Adobe Photoshop CS5 very often, but occasionally I find that I need the advanced editing features available in this program.  Using Photoshop CS5 can also yield some fun results, such as the orb to the right which is produced from an image of an iris.

The process is built into Photoshop CS5 and the directions for this transformation are:

1. Open up your image, but make sure it is only one layer.

2. Crop the picture into a square (if not the end result will be an oval rather than a circle)

3. Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates>Polar to Rectangular

4. Image>Rotate>Flip Vertical

5. Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates>Rectangular to Polar.

6. Admire your orb!

The use of a Photoshop plugin enables another fun result–a kaleidoscope effect.  The image to the left was produced from a flame azalea photo using the kaleidoscope plugin for CS5.  The process is really easy;  just download the free plugin at

http://www.mehdiplugins.com/english/kaleidoscope.htm

Install the plugin following the directions on the web site, and then kaleidoscope your images!

Have fun!

About Tom

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Appalachian State University.
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