I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop for the better part of 15 years. When I was a beginner, Photoshop was like a beautiful girl who can’t get a date, because everyone is too intimidated to talk to her. I really wanted to try it, but I figured it was just too sophisticated and I’d strike out. Sound familiar?

Well, let’s work on boosting your confidence then! You see, Photoshop has an amazing set of out-of-the-package filters that will perform outstanding graphic conversions without you having to break a sweat. Today, I’m going to introduce you to Photoshop’s High Pass Filter. It's a must for anyone who wants to sharpen the look of any digital photo. Let's give it a try!

Let’s start with a digital photo that wasn’t shot with a high-end camera. When I say “high-end,” what I mean is a camera with a high megapixel rating. Most consumer digital cameras available today run anywhere from three megapixels to eight megapixels. The higher the number, the cleaner the shot. (You can read this tip for more information on that).

I’ll be using this photo of my dog, Pepper:

That photo was shot with my cell phone camera (not known for their clarity), so it’s a perfect example of how to take a “fuzzy” photo and sharpen it up almost instantly. You’re going to love this!

Start by opening your image in Photoshop.

As you may know, Photoshop allows you to work in layers, so you can make all your corrections on a new layer that’s separate from your original photo. How cool is that?!

Across the top of your screen in Photoshop, you’ll see a listing for “Windows.” That tells Photoshop what you want to see in your workspace and what you don’t. Click on the Windows tab and then scroll down through the list to Layers.

Click on Layers and a new window will open that shows you all the layers of your file.

So, now we’ll create a duplicate layer of Pepper by choosing Layer across the top and selecting Duplicate Layer. What you’ll end up with is an exact copy of your photo (see picture below):

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Your duplicate layer will be called Background Copy. That’s the one you’re going to apply the High Pass Filter to.

So, here’s the deal! Along the top of the page, select Filter and then scroll down to Other. Clicking on Other will reveal five more choices. Pick High Pass. At this point, the photo will turn gray, but don’t panic! Remember, we’re working on a new safe layer and your original image is underneath it.

A dialogue box will then appear. You can adjust the effect more or less to your liking when you have time to experiment, but for now, go ahead and click OK.

What the High Pass Filter does, essentially, is pay closer attention to the details of an image and it ignores the rest. It’s almost like throwing a piece of tracing paper over a picture and tracing the outline.

So, where’s your big result? Well, here we go!

In the Layers window, right above the little icons on your photo and its “copy,” you’ll see the word “Normal” with an arrow next to it. Click on the arrow and hold it to reveal a list of layer styles for you to choose from. Scroll down through the list and choose Overlay.

When you let go of your mouse, watch your photo!

The High Pass Filter has pumped up the detail areas, taking Pepper from “fuzzy” to “fantastic!”

Now, if you'd like, you can go to the little “eyeball” located next to your Background Copy image.

Clicking on the eyeball over and over will turn the High Pass Filter on and off so that you can see the before and after!

Pepper never looked so good. Try this with a photo of your best friend today!

Lenses are very sacred when it comes to digital photography. Without a proper lens, no picture you take will be worth anything. That's why choosing a lens is so important. There are two kinds of lenses: prime and zoom. Most compact cameras have zoom lenses, whereas most professional cameras have prime lenses. The difference between them is rather easy to understand. Prime lenses have one focal length and can be used for specialist photography. On the other hand, zoom lenses are great for general photography, because they have a wide range of focal lengths.

Of course, there are other tangible benefits from using both types of lenses. Like any field, both have their merits and demerits. Below are a few guidelines you can use when choosing the right lens for your photography!

You may want to think about some of the following features when choosing a prime lens:

1.) Superior images: Prime lenses generally offer high quality pictures, because they are largely made for professionals who want to be perfect in their chosen field. What they offer is priceless: clean, crisp and precise shots.

2.) Economical: There are two sides to prime lenses. While there's the nifty 50mm variety that comes cheap, there are others that come with a higher price. Generally though, prime lenses are cheaper, because unlike a zoom lens, they don’t have too many moving parts.

3.) Lightweight: Since prime lenses lack complex construction, they are smaller and lighter as well.

4.) Faster: If you're constantly taking pictures in low light conditions, prime lenses offer a great way to capture your subjects faster (in terms of aperture). Both the 85mm and 50mm lenses are fast and allow you to shoot without a flash.

Now, here are some features to consider when choosing a zoom lens:

1.) Portable: Prime lenses might be lightweight, but zoom lenses are lighter in a different context. If you have to carry a range of prime lenses for different focal lengths to suit different kinds of photography, you might as well just carry one zoom lens that can deliver all of those angles at once.

2.) Dust: If you use several primes, you will have to change the lenses more frequently than with zooms. Every time you change the lens, you're running the risk of letting where to buy cheap propecia dust surround the body and sensors.

3.) Affordable: It's true that some zoom lenses are more expensive than prime lenses, but you have to look at the cost benefits. If you had to buy three prime lenses to meet your photography needs, the sum total would come up to as much or even more than what one zoom lens would cost.

4.) Flexible: This is the best part of a zoom lens. You don’t need to constantly change your prime lenses to shoot at different focal lengths. You can simply adjust the zoom and you're ready. That's very ideal for taking surprise pictures or quick shots where you don’t have time to change your lenses. It's also great when you have to take close-up pictures from a distance.

Here are a few additional options for lenses:

1.) If you have a Canon DSLR, a couple of 50mm lenses would be great for low light conditions. In addition, you could buy a 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens. It's not only good for macro shooting, but it's also great for portraits. If you're going to buy a zoom lens, go for one or more of these: 17-40mm, 24-105mm or a 70-200mm.

2.) You could go for a 70-200mm zoom, because the focal range is too big to cover with several primes. In addition, you could buy a 28mm and 50mm prime lens for lower focal lengths.

3.) For general photography, it's best to go with a 24-105mm mounted lens. Or, if you want to get more creative, you may want to consider a 50mm prime lens.

4.) For those of you who are beginners, a basic zoom lens or a cheap 50mm prime will do. You can then take it from there.

Since there are advantages to both prime and zoom lenses, the best way to make the most of them is to own one of each and use them accordingly. That way, you're not deprived in either direction. It really all just depends on what kind of photography you do and how passionate you are about your work. Prime lenses are definitely faster, but zoom lenses are more versatile, so you just have to figure out what will work the best for you. Happy lens shopping!

Slower shutter speeds can make or break a picture. More importantly, if you master it, you can make a picture look like a million bucks! propecia young men Below are three ways to fine tune your slow shutter techniques. Let's check them out!

Step 1: Let There Be Light

Light plays an important part in brightening up your pictures in ways you would never have imagined. But what normally happens is we often limit ourselves to the normal lighting we're used to seeing. Therefore, the best advice is to set your camera down on a tripod for blur-free photos and then set the camera at a slow shutter speed so that you can manually get some movement on the lights in your scene. For that, you need to experiment with flashlights, rope lights, candles, torches, reading lights or any light source you have access to. One example is getting your subject to sit perfectly still in a completely dark room. Set the shutter as close as possible to the time it would take you to walk around their chair holding a candle (approximately eight seconds). That way, you light their face entirely by candlelight. Also, if you move too quickly around them, you'll be able to capture the floating flame. Cool, huh?!

Step 2: Capture Motion

Sometimes it’s good to be off-focus and introduce a little bit of blur. It's particularly great if you're trying to capture motion blur. A sports scene or any action scene will benefit the most from motion blur. All you need to do is use a shutter speed slow enough to get the movement of the subject (their head, hands, feet or something they're holding). Of course, you may want to use a tripod for that step. Also, in case you forget to capture the motion blur, Photoshop has a filter called Motion Blur, so you can recreate the effect if you missed it while taking the photograph.

Step 3: Turning Night into Day

Yes, that can be achieved on a full moon night. All you have to do is pick a place you like the most. It could be a beach, a mountain top or tower with great aerial views of the area. Or, it could even be a busy market place. Not only do you have the moonlight to compensate for lack of lighting, but you also have a slower shutter speed to let more light into your camera. The result? Almost daylight photos that capture a lot more detail than the usual night shot. If you're taking a photo by the beach, the colors will appear more vibrant. Also, notice the dreamy look it gives to the moving water, rendering the waves almost like low lying clouds.

All of that can be done with the power of a slow shutter speed. Who knew?!

Below are a few tips you can use to get your digital camera squeaky clean. Let's check them out!

Lenses

Basic lens cleaning tools are a blower, a microfiber cloth and lens cleaning fluid (such as Zeiss). Try to blast dust off the lens with the blower or canned air. Finger prints can be removed with a circular wipe of the microfiber cloth. Persistent dirt should be removed with lens cleaning fluid as well. Always drip the fluid onto the cloth and then wipe the lens. Don't ever put the fluid directly on the lens.

Don't even think about cleaning the mirror on your SLR camera. You could use a handheld blower to remove any dust particles, but canned air is too powerful. Technicians clean mirrors with some kind of special fluid and they often do it for free at camera clinics run by shops or conventions. Mirrors have very fragile surfaces and you shouldn't even think about cleaning them with a standard lens cleaning solution or cloth.

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Modern TTL flash systems have numerous contacts and if you don't clean them every now and then with a pencil eraser or something similar, you may end up with several intermittent failures.

Camera Body Sensor

One of the great things about digital SLRs is you can change the lenses as necessary for different projects. However, during those lens changes, there is a risk of dust falling "onto the sensor." In fact, the CMOS or CCD sensor is covered by a color filter or a clear glass plate, so the dust actually falls on the sensor's covering. Nonetheless, you want to be careful and non-aggressive, because if anything near the sensor is scratched, the camera will have to go in for professional service.

Now's the time to get out the owner's manual for your camera. Make sure the battery is fully charged and then follow the instructions to flip up the mirror for the "sensor cleaning mode." If you can't dislodge dust using a simple hand-squeezed blower, consider visiting a camera repair shop.

Camera Body Exterior

Camera and lens bodies are fairly well sealed against dust and moisture, so you don't really ever have to clean the exteriors of your equipment. On the other hand, if you don't want the dirt on the camera body to work its way into your camera bag and onto an optical surface, it's probably worth wiping off the body with a soft cloth.

Just a few things to think about. Happy cleaning!