Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp

Lesson 19 of 118

Cropping for the Subject in Post

Blake Rudis

Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp

Blake Rudis

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Lesson Info

19. Cropping for the Subject in Post

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Class Trailer

Bonus: The Color Range Mask in ACR

04:54

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Lesson Info

Cropping for the Subject in Post

We also have cropping for other things, like cropping for the specific subject matter. So these are instances where you have your camera, you're all set up. This is a perfect one in Chicago. My buddy and I, we had just gotten done eating dinner, we were waiting for the sunset, waiting out the sunset, and it was one of those just pay the check and get out of there because we've got a beautiful sunset coming in. And this, I put on a telephoto lens and I shot specifically for the church. But when I shot for the church, I had to get some of that building in on the outside. Now, I could have just moved my camera over and gotten more of the other side of the image. But there's nothing really there that was really that important for me to get into the image. So I had to make the conscious decision to just cut a little bit into this building because what was the left of it wasn't all sky. It was a bunch of other buildings and such. So, this is where we're specifically cropping, not necessarily...

for composition, but we've made a decision in camera that we now need to correct for in post-production. So, if I click here from my crop tool, cycle for my rule of thirds, I can go ahead and press and hold Shift and keep it within the constraints of that image. Now I say press and hold Shift while you do that because I want to maintain that aspect ratio. I want to maintain the same ratio that I had when I shot the image, so that if I press and hold Shift it automatically makes sure that that happens. Press Enter and now that's what I would say is a much better crop than what we had before. You definitely don't need to see that building there and even losing some of the bottom of the church is fine. I just feel like we're a little higher up now. Here's another example of that. The palm tree, it doesn't feel like it's alone in it's beautiful environment like we would typically want to see a palm tree because we've got all of this clutter of the human world that comes into this that doesn't make it necessarily as attractive. It gives us too much of a time and place. So if I'm cropping this specifically for the subject, I'll just come in and I'll just crop that out. And then maybe move this around, get that rule of thirds and boom, I'm done. So, the idea is not to necessarily just shoot because of the sake of when we photograph that image, it's got to have everything in there. You can shoot whatever it is that you shoot and then come in later and just crop it in post. There's nothing holding you back from cropping it in post and still making a good image. Don't sacrifice a good shot for the fact that you just don't feel like there's something there. Take the shot, more than likely, there's a reason why you're snapping that image and your brain sees it and it's telling you that there's a reason why you're doing this and you don't really know. And you get back to your computer and you're like, "Well, why did I shoot that?" And then it clicks and it triggers. So this is one of those instances. I didn't like all of the junk that was on the bottom. But I really did enjoy that palm tree that was in front of me. Here's nother example of cropping within a wide angle lens. It takes in everything. Cropping specifically for the subject matter, I'm just going to go ahead and crop in with the rule of thirds, press Alt while I Shift-click, get that tree trunk out of there. And get a nice composition that looks more like that timeless feel of being in the palouse with those dilapidated barns. We look at the before, pressing Command or Control Z, pressing Command or Control Z again and we see the after. It's a much better, more powerful crop.

Class Description

Adobe® Photoshop CC® is a valuable tool for photographers, but it can also be intimidating. In this all-inclusive 20 lesson course, you’ll go from opening the program for the first time to creating images that really stand out. Join Blake Rudis, Photoshop expert and founder of f64 Academy, as he shows you how to maximize your use of Photoshop.

Topics covered will include:

Class Introduction & Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw, Setup Interface, Cropping and Layers
Layer Tools, Masks, Selections, Clean-Up Tools and Shapes & Text
Smart Objects, Transforming, Actions, Filters, and Editing Video
Custom Creative Effects, Natural Retouching, Portrait Workflow, Landscape Workflow, and Composite Workflow

Don’t let the many aspects of Photoshop prevent you from maximizing your use of this amazing app. Blake will help you develop the confidence to use your imagination and create the images that you will be proud to share with your clients.

SOFTWARE USED:

Adobe Photoshop CC 2018

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Photoshop Bootcamp Plug-In

Textures

Clouds

Painted Backgrounds

1 – Intro to Photoshop Bootcamp

6 – Intro to Raw Editing.zip

11 – Interface and Setup

16 – Intro to Cropping and Composition.zip

22 – Intro to Layers.zip

26 – Intro to Layer Tools.zip

43 – Intro to Selections.zip

50 – Intro to Cleanup Tools.zip

58 – Intro to Shapes and Text.zip

63 – Intro to Smart Objects.zip

69 – Intro to Image Transforming.zip

74 – Intro to Actions.zip

81 – Filters.zip

88 – Intro to Editing Video.zip

96 – Custom Effects.zip

102 – Natural Retouching.zip

107 – Intro to Portrait Workflow.pdf

110 – Intro to Landscape Workflow.zip

112 – Intro to Compositing.zip

115 – Rothko and Interfaces (Bonus Video).zip

33 – Intro to Masks and Brushes.zip

106 - Frequency Separation.zip

Ratings and Reviews

Student Work

Amazing course, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a beginner's course for photographers. The problem isn't Blake's explanations; they're top. The problem is the vast scope of this course and the order in which the topics are presented. Take layers for example. When I was first learning Photoshop (back when we learned from books), I found I learned little or nothing from, for example, books that covered layers before they covered how to improve/process photographs. These books taught me how to organize, move, and link layers before they showed me what a layer was actually for. Those books tended to teach me everything there is to know about layers (types of layers, how to organize them, how to move them, how to move them two at a time, how to move them two at a time even if there are other layers between the two you're interested in, useful troubleshooting tips, etc. ) all before I even know (from a photographer's point of view) what it is the things actually do. The examples of organizing, linking, and moving mean everything for graphic designers from Day One, but for photographers not so much. Blake does the same thing as those books. Topics he covers extremely early demand a lot of theoretical imagination for a photographer who doesn't already know quite a bit about what he is talking about. Learning about abstract things first and concrete things later only makes PS that much harder to understand. If you AREN'T a beginner, however, this course is amazing. I thought it would be like an Army Bootcamp, taking you from zero and building you into a fit, competent Photoshop grunt. Now I think it's more like Army Bootcamp for high school varsity jocks. It isn't going to take you from the beginning, but the amount you'll get out of it is nonetheless more than your brain can imagine. I've been using PS for years to improve my photographs, and even to create the odd artistic composite or two. The amount I've learned in the first week is amazing, and every day I learn something -- more like many things -- which I immediately implement to improve my productivity and/or widen the horizons of what I can achieve. If you ARE a photographer who's a Photoshop beginner, I'd take very seriously the advice Blake gives in the introduction: Watch one lesson, and practice the skills and principles you learn in that one lesson for two weeks. THEN watch the next lesson. You can't do that of course without buying the course, so it's up to you to decide whether you'd like to learn Photoshop and master Photoshop all from the same course. Learning it first and mastering it later will cost more money, but I think you'll understand everything better and have a much more enjoyable ride in the process. As for me? I'm going to have to find the money to buy this course. There is simply way too much content in each lesson for me to try to take on all at once, but on the other hand I don't want to miss anything at all that he has to share.

Robert Andrews

Blake Rudis is the absolute best in teaching photoshop. His knowledge and how he presents the instruction is clear and concise - there is NO ONE BETTER. Yes, his classes require some basic skills, and maybe I'd organize the order of (or group) the classes in a different order, but, let me be clear - if anyone is to be successful or famous in the Photoshop world, it should be Blake Rudis. I strongly recommend his teaching. I started photography and post processing in 2018, and because of this class, I'm know what Im doing. The energy you get when you create something beautiful is profound, it makes you bounce out of bed (at 4AM) like a 5 year old, to go create. It's a great ride! Thanks Blake, & Thanks Creative live.

Esther Gambrell

WOW!!! I've been purchasing CL classes for several years now and have watched HOURS of "How-To Photoshop" classes, but this is the first one I've actually purchased because of the AWESOME BONUS content!!! SERIOUSLY??!!?!? A PLUG-IN??? But not only that, Blake is SO easy to understand, and he breaks down concepts in different ways to connect with different people's learning styles. I REALLY appreciated this approach because I am a LEFT-BRAINED creative that has an engineering background, so I really connected to what Blake was saying. THANK YOU FOR THAT! There are TONS of Photoshop courses out there, but I found this one to be the most helpful in they way Blake teaches concepts so that you know WHY you're doing what your doing. I feel like he taught me how to fish with Photoshop to feed me for a lifetime instead of just giving me a fish to feed me for one day. This is the BEST overall PS course out there!!! Thank you!!!!

2,000+ classes ranging from fundamentals to advanced techniques.

Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp

Cropping for the Subject in Post

Lesson Info

Lessons

Bootcamp Introduction

The Bridge Interface

Setting up Bridge

Overview of Bridge

Practical Application of Bridge

Introduction to Raw Editing

Setting up ACR Preferences & Interface

Global Tools Part 1

Global Tools Part 2

Local Tools

Introduction to the Photoshop Interface

Toolbars, Menus and Windows

Setup and Interface

Adobe Libraries

Saving Files

Introduction to Cropping

Cropping for Composition in ACR

Cropping for Composition in Photoshop

Cropping for the Subject in Post

Cropping for Print

Perspective Cropping in Photoshop

Introduction to Layers

Vector & Raster Layers Basics

Adjustment Layers in Photoshop

Organizing and Managing Layers

Introduction to Layer Tools and Blend Modes

Screen and Multiply and Overlay

Soft Light Blend Mode

Color and Luminosity Blend Modes

Color Burn and Color Dodge Blend Modes

Introduction to Layer Styles

Practical Application: Layer Tools

Introduction to Masks and Brushes

Brush Basics

Custom Brushes

Brush Mask: Vignettes

Brush Mask: Curves Dodge & Burn

Brush Mask: Hue & Saturation

Mask Groups

Clipping Masks

Masking in Adobe Camera Raw

Practical Applications: Masks

Introduction to Selections

Basic Selection Tools

The Pen Tool

Masks from Selections

Selecting Subjects and Masking

Color Range Mask

Luminosity Masks Basics

Introduction to Cleanup Tools

Adobe Camera Raw

Healing and Spot Healing Brush

The Clone Stamp Tool

The Patch Tool

Content Aware Move Tool

Content Aware Fill

Custom Cleanup Selections

Introduction to Shapes and Text

Text Basics

Shape Basics

Adding Text to Pictures

Custom Water Marks

Introduction to Smart Objects

Smart Object Basics

Smart Objects and Filters

Smart Objects and Image Transformation

Smart Objects and Album Layouts

Smart Objects and Composites

Introduction to Image Transforming

ACR and Lens Correction

Photoshop and Lens Correction

The Warp Tool

Perspective Transformations

Introduction to Actions in Photoshop

Introduction to the Actions Panel Interface