Here’s the final picture:

Transparent Screen MacBook Pro - Final Picture

• Camera
• Computer screen (laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc.)
• Tripod (or other flat surface so your camera doesn’t move)
• Image editing software (PS, PSE or other image editing software). I am using Photoshop Elements (PSE) 8.0 here and assume you know how to use it or your own favorite image editing software.
• Props

STEP 1: Arrange The Scene And Take A Picture With Your Computer In The Scene.

We are going to take two pictures of the scene: one with your computer in it, and one without. Here, in this first step, we’ll arrange the scene and take a picture of the scene with the computer as part of it.

• Minimize all windows on your computer’s screen and leave only a few icons (and maybe a small window if you like the ‘floating window’ effect). Change your computer’s screen background to a solid color. The reason is to make it easier to select the screen in the next step.
• Place your computer, in this case my MacBook Pro (MBP), on the table.
• Arrange the scene however you want, making sure that some of your props overlap behind the computer so that in the final scene, they will be seen through the transparent screen.

Step 1: Arrange The Scene And Take A Picture With Your Computer In The Scene

Here, I’ve placed a box (on the left) and the “Digger” toy (on the right) so that part of each is visible and part is hidden behind the computer’s screen.

• Place your camera on your tripod
• Compose and take a picture of your computer in the scene.

As you can see, the screen is definitely not transparent.

STEP 2: Take A Picture Without Your Computer In The Scene.

Next, we want to take a picture of the same scene, but with the computer removed.

• Now, carefully remove your computer from the scene without disturbing any of the props in the scene.
• Take a picture of the scene minus your computer.

STEP 2: Take A Picture Without Your Computer In The Scene

You now have two pictures of the same scene, one with your computer in it, one without.

As far as picture-taking is concerned, that’s it. You’ve got the two photos you need to make the magic happen.

STEP 3: Select The Screen.

The rest of the steps are performed in PSE, so fire your image editing software up!

• Transfer the pictures to your computer.
• Open each picture in PSE in its own separate layer.
• Using the Magic Wand Tool with a Tolerance of 30, I simply click on the blue screen to select it.

The solid color screen you choose as a background color will determine how easy — or frustrating — this step is.

STEP 3: Select The Screen.

Make sure your selection is clean:

• Maximize the screen to 100% and verify that you have straight lines, corners, etc.
• I’ve got a few stray pixels, so I use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to add and subtract those pixels out for a smooth selection.

If you look carefully at the picture above, you’ll notice that I turned all layers invisible, except the one with the picture I am editing (in this case the scene with the MBP).

STEP 4: Select The Scene.

This is the “magic” portion of the steps. This is where you do a sleight of hand and select the portion of the scene that matches what’s hidden behind your computer screen.

• Still maintaining the screen selection in Step 3, switch to the scene without the computer in it. [Make the layer visible. Hide the other layer, if necessary.]

STEP 4: Select The Scene.

This selected portion of the scene will serve as the transparent screen of your computer.

STEP 5: Copy & Paste The Scene.

Now it’s simply a matter of Copying & Pasting the selected scene onto the screen. The selected scene will be pasted into the screen, giving the impression that your screen is transparent!

• Copy the selected scene.
• Switch back to the layer containing the picture with the computer in it, do a Paste Into Selection. The selected scene will be pasted exactly into the screen.

And here is our final picture:

Transparent Screen MacBook Pro - Final Picture

Voilà, the Transparent Magic Screen Trick! Now, go forth and amaze your family and friends.

Additional notes:

1. Notice how the exposure changed slightly between the two photos (STEP 2). It’s because I used Program shooting mode and Multi-Pattern metering — and the darkness of the screen obviously affected the exposure. If you’re after perfection, use Manual shooting mode to set the exposure the same for both shots.
2. You may want to brighten the selected scene to further enhance the illusion that your screen is transparent.
3. Need some inspiration? Here are some Smashing examples.

The new Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 [QuickPrice Check] features a couple of new functions that make an upgrade well worth the money. Today I want to take a look at their Photomerge Exposure function that takes two or more pictures taken at different exposure settings and merge them into a single one with optimal exposure setting.

Photographers will immediately recognize this as High Dynamic Range (HDR) — the real kind, not the eye-popping headache-inducing candy version.

It is difficult for cameras to record a picture where detail is preserved in both the highlights as well as the shadows. If we meter for the highlights (e.g. the bright sky, to capture the rich blue color), then the shadows are usually underexposed and are too dark. If we meter for the shadows (to preserve interesting details), then the highlights are overexposed, i.e. “blown.”

How do pros do it? Here’s the secret. They capture two or more pictures of the same scene, metering for the different parts of the scene where they want to preserve detail. Then, in post processing, they use an image editing software, such as Photoshop, to merge the photos with different exposures together [hence, the name "Photomerge Exposure"] into a single image where detail is preserved in the high, mid and low tones! In other words, they obtain a perfectly exposed picture that will have your friends wonder “What camera did you use to get such nice shots? Mine always comes out too bright or too dark.”

Step-by-step instructions:

Step-by-step instructions follow.

STEP 1 – BRACKET YOUR EXPOSURES

Here are 3 pictures I took at the Centre Island Farm using the camera’s Auto Bracketing function to expose them at -1 EV, 0 EV and +1 EV.

+1 EV to preserve detail in the shadows (low tones)

0 EV (mid tones)

-1 EV to preserve detail in the highlights (high tones)

[Note: Click on any image for a larger version.]

If your camera has an Auto Exposure Bracket (AEB) function, use it. I set mine to +/-1 EV when the scene has very dark shadows and very bright highlights. Otherwise, use less range, such as +/- 1/3 EV or +/- 2/3 EV.

If your camera does not have AEB, but has Exposure Compensation, then dial in the exposure compensation manually. It’s the same thing.

If you have a very difficult scene (as far as the lighting is concerned), then you may choose to meter manually for each area you want to preserve detail in and take as many exposures as you believe you need.

You optimally want your camera on a tripod so the 3 shots register perfectly.

An Area AF function with AF Spot metering is very helpful here, allowing you to keep the camera pointing on the scene, but moving the AF Area frame to the exact spot on the scene you want the camera to meter on.

Avoid scenes where there is movement, such as people moving.

STEP 2 – OPEN IN PSE8

Once you have transferred the pictures from your camera to your computer, open them up in Photoshop Elements 8.

Step 2- Open in PSE8

Notice how I arranged the 3 pictures in order of high tone, mid tone and low tone. Not sure what algorithm is being used in PSE8, but I find that when I arrange them like that, and leaving the low tone as the selected and last one, Photomerge does a better job and takes all three images into consideration. Any other order and PSE8 merges only two of them. You may want to experiment a bit and see what works best for you.

STEP 3 – RUN PHOTOMERGE EXPOSURE

Now go to File – New – Photomerge Exposure and let PSE8 do its magic.

Step 3 - Run Photomerge Exposure

If it can, it will automatically merge the shots and display the resulting merged image. If it can’t for some reason, it will ask you to do it manually.

STEP 4 – ADJUST TO LIKING

Step 4 - Adjust to Liking

Notice the sliders in the right column, allowing you to vary Highlight Details, Shadows and Saturation to your liking.

STEP 5 – MANUAL MERGE

If you want to, you can also take full control and do the merge manually. Click on the Manual tab in the right column.

Step 5 - Manual Merge

STEP 6 – MANUAL MERGE: SELECT BACKGROUND IMAGE

Step 6 - Manual Merge: Select Background Image

All you need to do is to drag the image you want to use as the background. I select the low tone image here.

STEP 7 – MANUAL MERGE: SELECT DETAIL TO MERGE

Step 7 - Manual Merge: Select Detail to Merge

Selecting which part of the image (the high tone image in my case) to merge into your background (the low tone image) is now a simple matter of “painting” or identifying it. Just a bar as I’ve done here is enough for PSE8 to know to extract the barn door and fence posts from the high tone image and merge them into the low tone image.

STEP 8 – DONE!

Photomerge Exposure - Done!

And here’s the result! I sharpened my output.

Implying Motion While Zooming

I’ve just added the above picture to illustrate “Implying Motion While Zooming” in the Understanding “Understanding Exposure“ series on Photoxels on Facebook.

I used the Fujifilm FinePix HS10 super zoom digital camera set to 1/40 sec., F8.0, ISO 200, and zoomed (using its wonderful manual zoom ring) from 24mm to approx. 80mm [equiv.135]. It’s not as fancy as Bryan Peterson’s tree example but I believe it illustrates the principle behind the technique he describes.

I handheld the shot of my neighbor’s beautiful Dropmore Honeysuckle vine but if you want a tack sharp central subject, it’s best to use a tripod.

If you are not getting the zooming effect, you may be using a shutter speed that is too fast and/or zooming too late. It’s trial and error, and I found that I got best results when I pressed the shutter release button and zoomed right away. Zoom too early and you get a zoomed in flower; zoom too late and the picture is recorded before the zoom effect. I took about 10 shots and selected this one as the best one.

Send me yours and I’ll post them.

But is one better than the other? You would think so by reading the discussions on some forum boards. There is a difference in how they work but there is no better I.S. Each has its own strength and weakness.

Optical Image Stabilization
As its name implies, Optical I.S. is an image stabilizer technology that is based on the optics of the lens: optical image stabilization shifts a lens element inside the lens to compensate for camera shake.

• Pro: Because it is lens-based, it is able to stabilize the image the lens projects on the image sensor, and hence the image you see on the screen. This makes it easier to compose and frame your scene, especially when using a long telephoto lens.
• Pro: Optical I.S. can be optimized for each lens.
• Con: Optical I.S. is lens-based so if you want image stabilization in a particular lens, you need to purchase the I.S. version of that lens. A lens with I.S. can be much more expensive than its counterpart without I.S.

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
As its name implies, Sensor-shift I.S. is an image stabilizer technology that is based on the camera’s image sensor: sensor-shift image stabilization shifts the image sensor inside the camera to compensate for camera shake.

• Pro: Sensor-shift I.S. is inside the camera so any lens you attach to the camera automatically takes advantage of the built-in stabilization, potentially saving you mega bucks from having to buy the I.S. version of a lens.
• Con: Because it is sensor-based, it is not able to stabilize the image the lens projects on the image sensor, and hence the image you see on the screen. The stabilization takes effect only when you press the shutter release button to take the picture. So, when you look into the screen, there may be times when you will find it difficult to compose and frame your scene properly. This is especially true when using a long telephoto lens: any slight movement on your part is magnified and the subject moves erratically on screen.

You will find that most DSLRs use Optical I.S. though there are a couple that use Sensor-shift I.S. I have no preference either way, though I understand how the attraction of being able to attach any lens to a camera and automatically gain image stabilization (i.e. Sensor-shift I.S.) can be attractive. If you are on a budget and plan to buy a number of lenses for your DSLR, then Sensor-shift I.S. may be the way to go. Most professionals do not care one way or another and buy whatever equipment they need to get the job done.

On compact digicams where you cannot change the lens, optical I.S. definitely has the advantage since it can stabilize the image on screen. For this reason, I believe Optical I.S. is preferable on super zoom digital cameras. On other digicams, it really makes no difference whether the I.S. is optical or sensor based.

When I.S. Matters Not

• If you always use a tripod to take pictures, e.g. for landscape photography, then I.S. is not important to you. In fact you need to turn I.S. off when your camera is on a tripod or the mechanism itself might cause unintended blurring!
• Consider also that no amount of I.S. (optical or sensor-shift) might be enough to stabilize a super zoom camera or a long telephoto lens when the lens is zoomed maximum, so hand holding your camera may be out of the question. Once you use a tripod, you need to turn I.S. (optical or sensor-shift) off.
• If you always take pictures in bright conditions, whether in the sunny outdoors, using flash or in a well-lit studio, the shutter speed the camera uses is fast enough so that camera shake is not a factor.

There are a number of reasons why a picture may come out blurry, but one of the main culprit is ‘camera shake.’ This is especially true if you are brand new to photography and are handling your very first camera. But some people have been taking pictures for a long time and still have not figured out how to avoid camera shake. In this article, we will look at some tried and proven techniques pros use to reduce — or even altogether eliminate — camera shake and avoid blurry pictures.

Just What Is Camera Shake?

When you press the shutter release button on your camera, you imperceptibly move the camera. That slight movement is referred to as ‘camera shake’ and is often enough to result in a blurred photograph.

The degree of camera movement depends on how still you hold the camera. We often see people literally pound the shutter release button with their finger. The camera jerks down at an angle and there is no doubt another blurry picture has just seen the day.

Another mistake we often witness is the photographer presses the shutter release button and then immediately moves the camera away. Depending on the shutter speed the camera is using, that fast movement of the camera may happen while the camera is still recording the picture.

Camera movement while the picture is still being recorded is ‘camera shake’ and results in a blurred photograph.

OK, now that we understand what camera shake is and two of the most common ways it occurs, are there any techniques a photographer can use to reduce or eliminate it?

The answer is fortunately, Yes, and you can apply them immediately for instant results.

1. Be Gentle With The Shutter Release Button

Most, if not all digital cameras, have a shutter release button that has three possible positions. The shutter release button can be at rest when you have not pressed it yet, and it can be fully pressed to take the picture. But did you know that there is also an intermediate position between those two when the shutter release button can be half-pressed?

Get your camera out and try it. Rest your index finger ever so gently on the shutter release button. Don’t press it yet. Just let your finger linger on the surface and get a feel for it. This is the position at rest. When you compose your picture in the viewfinder or on the display screen (LCD or otherwise), your index finger should be at this rest position, ready to take the picture.

Now, gently press the shutter release button down but feel for a resistance as you do so. As soon as you feel a resistance, stop. This is the half-press position. Practice getting to this half-press position because this is a very important position, and we will explain why a bit later. For now, practice getting your finger from the rest to the half-press position in as gentle a press as you can. Be light on the button. Be gentle on the button.

Practice holding the shutter release button at this half-press position. [Trust us, practice it.]

Last, from the half-press position, gently apply a little more pressure (“squeeze”) to the shutter release button until it travels fully and the camera takes the picture. Be aware of any camera movement, ever so slight, as you do so.

The exercise here is for you to get from the rest position to the half-press position, hold it as long as necessary, and then continue to the fully pressed position. Most beginner photographers skip this “hold” at the half-press position, and that is the cause of many camera shakes.

So, finger at rest position; compose your scene; half-press the shutter release button when you are about ready to take the picture; hold; then gently squeeze the shutter release button fully to take the picture.

Try this technique and notice that you have reduced camera shake to a minimum already.

2. Hold The Camera Steady

Of course, all the shutter releasing technique in the world is of no value if you are not holding the camera steady in the first place. If your body is shaking, the camera is shaking. If you are in a car with the engine on, then your camera is shaking. If a very strong wind is blowing and the camera is moving in the wind, the camera is shaking.

One way to steady the camera is to hold it against your face, eye to the viewfinder. Of course, many digital cameras nowadays do not have a viewfinder but come with a wonderful display screen. This display screen on the back of the camera allows the photographer to see exactly (more or less) what will be recorded on the image sensor.

Unfortunately, this also means that you have to hold the camera away from your face. We see people hold the camera with both arms fully extended and it is almost impossible to hold a camera steady like that. Try this instead: bend both arms at about 90° and you will find that it becomes easier to hold the camera steady.

How you actually hold the camera is also important, not just for stability but to also ensure that your fingers do not get in the way of some sensor that may affect the quality of your pictures. See the tutorial we wrote years ago on the basics.

Read more about: The Basics

3. Use A Support

We can do with all the support we can get in life — and as far as reducing camera shake is concerned, it’s no different.

The best way to totally eliminate camera shake (you were waiting for this moment, weren’t you?) is to place your camera on a steady tripod. With three strong legs firmly planted on the ground, camera shake is a problem of the past — unless you move the tripod and camera in the process of taking the picture.

But, what if you do not have a tripod with you or simply hate walking with a tripod that is bigger, heavier and more expensive than your digital camera?

Use all the support you can get from whatever is available around you. For example, you may press your back against a wall, place your elbows on a table, place the camera itself on the table edge (edge, because you do want to include said table in your picture), on a pile of books, on top of a drinking glass, etc. etc. Be creative.

4. Exhale (Shoop Shoop)

As the inimitable Ms. Houston says in her song, “you’ll find a point when you will exhale.”

Just before you press the shutter release button from the half-press position to the fully depressed position, that is the point when you exhale. You stop breathing for a fraction of a second. Take the shot, then don’t forget to breathe again! Or, do the reverse: take a breath, hold it as you take the shot, then exhale. You may prefer one or the other; use whichever works best for you. The very act of breathing can cause camera shake, so we stop breathing at the moment we press the shutter release button fully.

5. Use the Cable Shutter Release, Remote Controller or Self-Timer For Long Exposures

If you are going to use a long exposure (in the seconds), say for a night shot, there is no way that you can hand hold the camera for such a long time without moving it. The best thing to do here is to, first, place your camera on a sturdy tripod, then use a cable shutter release (which is a cable that connects to your camera’s shutter at one end and has a thumb-operated shutter at the other end) to take the picture. Because of the long cable, you will not move the camera when you take the picture.

Better still, if your camera has one available, use a Wireless Remote Controller. This allows you to be physically a certain distance away from the camera so your movements do not introduce camera shake. [For example, the floor may not be too stable and standing (and moving) close to the camera may cause the floor to shift slightly.]

The cheapest alternative is to simply use the self-timer that is available on every camera. This self-timer is usually defaulted to 10 seconds but certain cameras have in addition a 2 second option or even allows you to define how long you want it to wait after you press the shutter release button before actually triggering the shutter to take the picture.

I personally like a 2 second interval wait unless I have to physically move away from the camera, in which case the 10 second interval is preferable.

6. Image Stabilization, Anyone?

No, we haven’t forgotten that most digital cameras nowadays come with a nifty feature called an Image Stabilizer.

There are two types [and two types only] of image stabilizers: the first one, Optical Image Stabilization, is based on moving a lens element to compensate for camera shake; the other one, Sensor-shift Image Stabilization, moves the image sensor itself inside the camera to compensate for camera movement. Other types of image stabilization you may read about are all digital (or electronic) based and almost always decrease image quality in a compact digicam.

One image stabilizer is no better than the other, though each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Find out: Which is better: Optical or Sensor-shift Image Stabilization?

The important thing is that an Image Stabilizer, as its name implies, can help stabilize the camera and hence reduce, or even eliminate, camera shake. It’s not a panacea and it won’t help at all if you shake the camera like a dish rag while taking the picture. But in certain situations, it can help so much that you may not need to worry about using a support or even be concerned with any of the techniques we’ve mentioned above. It is a really wonderful technology and there is no reason your next digital camera should not include one or the other type of image stabilization.

On compact digicams where the lens cannot be changed, it does not matter whether the image stabilizer is optical or sensor-shift. On DSLRs, optical image stabilization is lens-based and you’ll need to purchase the image stabilized version of the lens to take advantage of this technology.

7. Don’t Move The Camera Until The Picture Appears

Whether you are using a tripod or hand holding the camera (with or without image stabilization), you must wait until the picture is fully taken before moving it. The best way to ensure that the camera has finished taking the picture is to wait until the picture appears on the display screen. The camera may still be writing the picture to memory card (the light is blinking) but as soon as the picture appears on the display screen, you’re safe to move the camera.

If you are taking a night shot and the shutter remains open for a long time, say 8 seconds, your camera may then enter a phase called “Noise Reduction” (NR) and another 8 seconds may pass before you actually see the picture on the display screen. As soon as the camera enters that NR phase [you'll usually hear the shutter close], you can move the camera, even if the picture is not yet displayed on screen. This is because the picture has already been taken and the camera is just processing it internally.

8. Use A Fast (Enough) Shutter Speed

We said earlier that camera shake causes blurring when the camera moves while it is still taking the picture. In other words, the shutter is still open and recording the picture and you move the camera.

But what if you move the camera after it has finished taking the picture? No camera shake. The picture is already safely taken, so you can move the camera to your heart’s content now.

Therefore, if we can use a fast enough shutter speed, the camera will be able to record the picture so fast that any slight movement on our part always occurs after the picture has been taken. Hence, no camera shake!

But what shutter speed to use?

The rule of thumb that photographers have used for generations is that we can safely hand hold a camera (without introducing camera shake) if we use a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens.

Don’t panic, let me explain what this means.

The lens in your camera has a focal length which you can usually see engraved on its barrel. It will be a number like 6mm or 50mm or, if it is a zoom lens, a number range such as 6-36mm or 80-200mm.

If you can’t see it on the lens barrel or on the camera body, then just look in your User’s Manual under Technical Specifications. Under the Lens or Focal Length or Optical Zoom entry, you’ll see a number or range as we mentioned above. If you have a compact digicam or a DSLR with an image sensor smaller than “full-frame”, you will also see a “35mm equivalent” number (or range). So for the 6-36mm, you could also see mentioned (35-210mm, 35mm equivalent). On this site, we just abbreviate this as (35-210mm equiv.).

As you zoom, the focal length of the lens changes. Say, our camera has a 35-210mm (equiv.) zoom lens. This means that at wide-angle, the focal length is 35mm (equiv.) and at max. zoom, the focal length is 210mm (equiv.). In between there are many possible focal lengths, set as you zoom the lens.

The rule of thumb above simply says to take the focal length you’ve set the lens to and take the reciprocal of the number (which is simply a fancy way of saying, divide 1 by the number).

For example, at the wide-angle of 35mm, our camera can be hand held safely without worrying about camera shake if we use a shutter speed of 1/35 second or faster.

At the max. zoom of 210mm, our camera can be hand held safely without worrying about camera shake if we use a shutter speed of 1/210 second or faster.

In between these two focal lengths, we may zoom to, say 125mm, and our camera can be hand held safely without worrying about camera shake if we use a shutter speed of 1/125 second or faster.

[Faster means the smaller number, e.g. 1/1,000 sec. is faster than 1/210 sec. is faster than 1/125 sec. is faster than 1/35 sec. is faster than 1 sec. is faster than 8 sec.].

Of course, this rule of thumb is general and your hands may be steadier (or not) than that. It’s a good idea to experiment to know where you stand personally.

If there is enough light for you to use a shutter speed fast enough for the focal length you’ve set the camera to, then you may not have to worry about camera shake at all. Use a fast enough shutter speed and camera shake is not an issue anymore.

Unfortunately, using a fast enough shutter speed is usually possible only in brightly lighted situations. For most indoor normal light photography, you will find that there is just not enough light to obtain a correctly exposed picture at the shutter speed that will avoid camera shake.

This is where all the techniques above come into play and where an effective Image Stabilizer can really help.

9. Use The Flash

Most people don’t like using the camera’s onboard flash because the pictures often come out flat and unnatural looking. But, if you own a DSLR, one of the best investment you can make is to buy an external flash with a bounce head.

When you shine the flash straight at your subject, the result is flat and unappealing. However, if you can rotate the flash head and point it toward the ceiling (a white one), then the light from the flash bounces off the ceiling and scatters around the room. The result is a simulation of natural light and the result is a flattering photograph of your subject.

Light from the flash also provides enough illumination so that now you can use a shutter speed fast enough so you don’t have to worry about camera shake. Besides, light travels so fast that it hits your subject and is reflected back to expose the image sensor before any of us can move. Light travels so fast that it seems we are all fixed in place.

Of course, the onboard flash on your compact digicam will also work but the result may just not be as natural looking as with bounced flash.

10. Panning, Or Move With Your Subject

Panning is a technique that, once mastered, can give your pictures that professional look. Sports photographers use this a lot when they want to depict fast motion. The principle itself is quite simple to explain and understand, but the execution requires lots of practice.

Panning is moving your camera in tandem with your subject as you take the picture. In fact, you need to use a slow shutter speed so that camera shake is introduced as you move the camera! However, because you are following your subject’s motion with the camera, the subject is recorded more or less sharp while the background goes blurred.

Let’s say you want to take a picture of cyclists who are going to race by you. You position yourself ahead of the pack, prefocus the camera [using the half-press technique we taught you earlier] at a point where the cyclists will bike through when they pass right in front of you, and then hold the shutter release button half-pressed [you practiced that, right?]. Still holding the shutter release button half-pressed, you then turn back to follow them in the viewfinder or on the display screen.

You smoothly follow their progression and, as they pass at your pre-determined focus point, you fully depress the shutter release button, and [this is important] you keep following them as they swing past you. The tip is to practice following them smoothly from a distance, take the picture at your pre-determined (and pre-focused) point, and continue following them in a smooth arc.

To explain what happens: when you fully depress the shutter release button, the shutter opens to record the cyclists. Because you are using a slow shutter speed, camera shake occurs and as you swing the camere to follow the cyclists biking past you, everything in the scene records blurred.

Everything? Not quite. Because you follow the subjects with your camera, keeping them centered in your viewfinder at all times [preferably a viewfinder, as a display screen will go dark as soon as you press the shutter release button fully], the main subjects will relatively not have moved and thus will record more or less sharp. The effect of a sharp subject(s) with a blurred background suggests fast motion. Any slight blurriness of the subject (especially at the edges) also suggests fast motion (like they draw them in comic books) and can even enhance the desired effect.

There, you now possess the 10 techniques pros use to reduce or eliminate camera shake. Practice them and, after a while, they’ll become automatic and you won’t even think as you use them in your daily photography.

Read more great tutorials:Digital Photography Tutorials.

Lots of you have upgraded from a point-and-shoot digicam to a DSLR lately — and probably still shooting in the Green Heart, Intelligent AUTO, and other Easy modes (we’ll just call them “AUTO” here). Basically, admit it, you’re hesitant to use your DSLR to its full potential — and advance your photography skills up one notch. Don’t worry, we’re all like that when we start out, so you’re in good company.

Fear not, today we will hold your hand and help you switch that Mode Dial to A, the Aperture-Priority AE mode, the mode probably used by most professional photographers.

We promise you won’t mess any settings up on your DSLR and, if you are not convinced by the end of this tutorial, we’ll let you revert back to your trusty AUTO mode. OK? So, if you’re ready, let’s go!

Mode Dial

Mouseover image to rotate Mode Dial to A (picture courtesy of Panasonic)

Here’s a typical Mode Dial on a DSLR, here on a Panasonic Digital Interchangeable Lens (DIL) camera, aka mirrorless DSLR. If you want to know what all the markings are, follow this link to Photoxels on Facebook.

What we are interested in today is the “A” marking on the Mode Dial. Currently the Mode Dial is set to “iA” — see the white dot [on some cameras, it's a white line] besides the “iA”? Turn the Mode Dial counter-clockwise, first so that “P” is aligned against that white dot, then “A”. There, your DSLR is now set to the Aperture-Priority AE mode. That was easy, wasn’t it? Want to go back to “iA”?. Simply turn the Mode Dial clockwise (some Mode Dials turn freely both directions, some don’t) back to iA.

In fact if you own this camera, you may not be afraid at all to turn the Mode Dial because you have to do so to use SCN (Scene Modes) and Movie mode (though there is also a dedicated movie button on this camera). Well, why not give it a go: twist and turn the Mode Dial on your DSLR any which way you want. Get a feel for it, lose your fear. There, now turn it back to “A”.

Aperture-Priority AE Mode

When your camera is on fully AUTO mode, it uses all the fancy technology it has to determine a shutter speed and an aperture to use for a correct exposure.

The Aperture-Priority AE Mode is a semi-automatic mode that allows you, the photographer, to tell the camera which aperture you want it to use — and let it automatically determine the appropriate shutter speed for a correct exposure.

In effect, you have taken control of the aperture setting. Everything else is on automatic, but you decide which aperture you want the camera to use depending on what you want to achieve in your picture.

Command Dials

Main Command Dial (picture courtesy of Nikon)

The way you typically change the aperture when in Aperture-Priority AE mode is by rotating the Command Dial. You use your thumb to rotate the Command Dial and you will see the aperture change on the screen.

Sub-command Dial (picture courtesy of Canon)

Some cameras also have a Sub-command Dial, usually in front of the camera at the top of the handgrip and just below or above the shutter release button.

Check your User’s Manual to see how your camera is set and whether you need to rotate the [Main] Command Dial or the Sub-command Dial to change aperture in Aperture-Priority Mode.

Selecting Aperture (picture courtesy of Nikon)

As you rotate the [Main] Command Dial (or Sub-command Dial, depending on your camera), you can see the aperture changing in the viewfinder. Here, the shutter speed (1/500 sec.) and aperture (f/5.6) are visible below the scene you’re taking.

Command Info (picture courtesy of Nikon)

Some cameras also allow you to view all the settings on a Command Info screen, as above. As you rotate the [Main] Command Dial (or Sub-command Dial, depending on your camera), you can see the aperture changing on the Command Info. Here, the shutter speed (1/320 sec.) and aperture (f/7.1) are displayed on the LCD screen.

Depth of Field

Just what do you want to achieve in your picture by selecting a particular aperture over another?

You want to control the depth of field.

Depth of Field is a fancy word that simply says how much of the picture you want to be sharply in focus.

Lots of Depth of Field - F9.0

Here’s an example of a picture with lots of depth of field using an aperture of F9.0. Notice how everything, from near to far, appears sharp in the picture. When taking landscape photographs, you would usually want this effect. And the way to achieve lots of depth of field using a DSLR is to use a small aperture, e.g. f/16.

It is not always possible to use the smallest aperture available on your camera’s lens, so you have to use the smallest that gives a correctly exposed picture. In the example above, I used F9.0.

Shallow Depth of Field - F5.0

Here’s an example of a picture with shallow depth of field using an aperture of F5.0. Notice how only the main subject is sharply in focus and the background has been nicely thrown out of focus. When taking portraits, you would usually want this effect so your main subject stands out from a [potentially] distracting background. And the way to achieve a shallow depth of field using a DSLR is to use a large aperture, e.g. f/2.8.

It is not always possible to use the largest aperture available on your camera’s lens, so you have to use the largest that gives a correctly exposed picture. In the example above, I used F5.0. The blurring effect of the background would have been even more pronounced were I able to use a larger aperture.

So, if you have been wondering why your landscape pictures did not come out sharp all over or why your main subject did not have the same punch as the examples above, now you know! When set to AUTO, your camera selects both the aperture and shutter speed and does not really know what effect you want to achieve. You tell it from now on, and control how your pictures come out!

Program Shift

Some cameras have a feature called “Program Shift.” Instead of setting the Mode Dial to “A”, set it to “P” instead. “P” (Programmed AUTO) is just like AUTO but allows you to change settings — in other words to override the shutter speed and aperture the camera has selected. With Program Shift, all you do is rotate the [Main] Command Dial to change shutter speed and the Sub-command Dial to change the aperture (again, consult your camera’s User’s Manual on this).

If you don’t do anything, “P” works just like in full “AUTO” mode. Rotate one of the dials and you are suddenly in Shutter-Priority AE mode or Aperture-Priority AE mode. Just like that. Neat!

Scene Modes

If you are still reticent to change the Mode Dial from AUTO to “A”, then you can more or less achieve the same effect by selecting the appropriate Scene Mode.

If you want lots of depth of field, select the Landscape scene mode. If you want shallow depth of field, select the Portrait scene mode.

Show Your Camera Who’s Boss

Show your DSLR who’s boss. Don’t be afraid to experiment and select a different shooting mode. Today we have shown you how selecting the Aperture-Priority AE mode can make a big difference in your pictures by allowing you to control the depth of field. Check out the related links for a more thorough explanation on depth of field and for some great examples of using a large aperture to add beautiful background blur to your pictures.

Related Links:

• Understanding… Depth of Field
• Add Background Blur To Your Pictures

Many beginner photographers consider their cameras to be good if the latter can produce very sharp pictures. But professional photographers appreciate a camera (or more precisely, a camera’s lens) that can take a sharp main subject and an out-of-focus background. By throwing the background out of focus (i.e. blurred), the main subject is isolated and seems to “pop out” of the picture for maximum impact.

How do we add background blur to our pictures? By using a large aperture on a standard or telephoto lens. On a 35mm camera lens, an aperture of f/4 is considered large enough to throw the background nicely out of focus. Unfortunately, on most compact digicams, the focal length of the lens is too small to be able to throw the background out of focus even when you use a relatively large aperture.

Bokeh is the out-of-focus areas -- I like this picture even though the background is distracting

Bokeh (or, bo-ke) is the out-of-focus areas of an image that surround your main subject. It is a Japanese word that means “fuzzy,” “haze,” “blur,” or “blur quality.” Depending on how the “blur quality” is rendered by your camera’s lens, bokeh can be distracting or exquisitely beautiful. Bokeh is a function of the lens and a lens that renders a beautiful bokeh is highly prized by photographers.

photo credit: Amy Dianna

Good bokeh

Bokeh is most visible around, but not limited to, points of light. A beautiful bokeh results when the lens renders the out of focus areas more or less as circular shades of light that blend smoothly with the surrounding area. Bad bokeh is jagged and discordant.

photo credit: nosha

Good bokeh -- background isolates bird

photo credit: nosha

Bad bokeh -- distracting background

Since bokeh is a function of the lens, you just have to buy the right lens, correct? Yes, except that lenses that produce beautiful bokeh tend to also be quite expensive. If you can afford them, go for it. If not, don’t despair because there are other (software based) techniques that you can use to produce pleasing enough bokeh in your pictures.

photo credit: Voxphoto

Good bokeh

Try this. Set your lens to its widest aperture and zoom in (step back if you need to) and take a picture of a main subject close to the lens and a busy background a few metres away from the main subject. Focus on your main subject and let the background go out of focus. Now you can examine the out of focus areas to see if your lens gives good or bad bokeh.

What if you find that your lens does not create good bokeh — or, as is most common on compact digicams, no bokeh at all? You can then create bokeh in software. Image editing software use filters to artificially create blur.

Remember that even if your lens produces bad bokeh, your image may still be overall a keeper. As a photographer learning about bokeh, do not get upset if others point out the bad bokeh in your pictures. As I said, the picture itself may be beautiful overall (whether the bokeh is good or bad). But as you learn to spot the difference, you come to appreciate good bokeh for what it is.

Here are some examples where people confuse good and bad bokeh, and even what bokeh really means — it is the overall effect that wows them:

• 40 Beautiful Examples of Bokeh Photography

It seems that “circles of light” have become a cool thing to have in your pictures these days. It’s all thrown in pêle-mêle under the attribution of “Bokeh”:

• The Bokeh Wednesday Flickr Pool

Graphic designers have latched on to bokeh and have used it ad nauseum in their Web designs. They have zeroed in on the bokeh effects around points of light that produce circles. Here are examples of so-called “bokeh effects” used as backgrounds on Web sites. In these cases, good or bad bokeh loses its meaning and, again, it’s just the overall graphic effect that the designer is after. The pictures are pretty but not examples of good ‘Bokeh’:

• Bokeh Effects in Web Design
• Bokeh Wallpapers
• How to [proudly] create your own [bad] bokeh in Photoshop
• More examples of Pretty Pictures with [Bad] Bokeh

Here are a number of related links that explain the subject of background blur, especially relating to bokeh, in more detail, including a software to produce bokeh and even a Background Blur Calculator for those who love these things. You’ll find examples of good and bad bokeh as well as some lenses that produce especially good bokeh.

Related Links:

• Bob Atkins
• Fast Primes and Background Blur
• Bokeh — the quality of the blur
• Mike Johnston in Luminous Landscape
• Rick Denney
• DSLR Bokeh Tutorial
• Wikipedia
• Alien Skin Software: Bokeh
• Alien Skin Bokeh Software Video Presentation
• Bokeh Filter
• Klaus Shuler
• Image Stabilization and Bokeh
• What the Heck is Bokeh?

To recap, you can capture images with out-of-focus backgrounds with all fast lenses ['fast' here means 'that have a large aperture'], but the quality of the background blur is what determines whether the bokeh is good or bad. If you want good bokeh, save, save, save for those lenses that give good bokeh.

Which lenses should you be concerned with bokeh? Portrait lenses (medium telephoto lenses) need to isolate the main subject from the background, so a good bokeh is important. With macro lenses and long telephoto lenses, we also get short depth of field, so a good bokeh is important. Most wide-angle lenses are used for landscape work where the whole scene, from near to far, need to be in sharp focus, so bokeh is not as important here.

Check this article for a list of lenses that give good bokeh.

(‘’)

We finally build our own:

Macro Lightbox

A few pointers:

• Box should be at least 12″ x 12″ x 12″. If it’s smaller, don’t bother because it’s just too small to accomodate the item to be photographed — and the seamless background. You’ll just end up redoing it. [Speaking from experience here .]
• Mine is 24″W X 13″H x 15″D and, as you can see from the picture above, the width is perfectly sized to accept a sheet of 28″L x 22″W posterboard I got from Staples (for about $1 CAD).
• Use a xacto knife with a sure handle. The last thing you want is for the knife to slip and cut fingers. [No, all my fingers are still intact.]
• Use a metal ruler. I have one with a cork back so it does not slip (too much). If you use a wood ruler, the sharp knife may just slice through it (and limbs).
• You don’t have to measure. On the small sides, I just place the ruler against each edge in turn and draw a line with a dark pencil first as a visual guide and to know where the lines intersect (so where to stop cutting). For the top, I use the sheet of tracing paper (14″ x 17″) as a guide and mark the edges to ensure I am not cutting the window too large for the tracing paper.
• When you make the actual cut, make a number of light straight cuts instead of one deep cut. This lessens the risk of the knife suddenly slipping and cutting fingers.
• Just be careful how you position yourself vis-a-vis the knife. Again you don’t want the knife to slip and stab you.
• The box tends to cave in when you are cutting at the open edge. This makes it easy for the knife to slip or for you to place your fingers too close to the edge and in the knife’s path. Close the lids (you know, one inside the other) so you have sturdier edges to cut through.
• Cut the lids last (so you can do the above). In fact, I left all four lids intact for now.

(Green) Cell Phone

And here’s the first product shot of my (Green, as in made from recycled parts) Cell Phone I took just using the daylight streaming through a window on the right. [I still have to get the lamps.] Not too shabby for a quick first shot, eh?

[ Read the tutorial at: Stobist ]