PhotoShop Elements Curves Plugin

V 2.1

Screen Shot Operation Download

Curves Adjustment for Photoshop Elements

(Test entry for Scribefire)

Photoshop Elements offers in opposite to its professional version no curves command. That's a pity, because curves are a valuable tool for image editing.

To remedy this shortcoming this site offers the plugin SmartCurve to upgrade this ability. Of course this plugin can be used from all programs which can integrate Photoshop plugins.

Features:

• Curves adjustment of RGB and gray images.
• Full support of 8 and 16 bits color depth.
• Use of the more common gamma correction.
• Smart-display of the live histogram.
• Auto level correction by setting of shadows and highlights.
• Remove of color casts by setting of multiple midtones.
• Highlighting of clipped colors.
• Different color spaces like RGB, CMK, Lab and others.
• Channel masks to limit curve effects.
• Works as smart filter in PhotoShop CS3.
• Pixel and percentage curve editing and view.
• Batch Mode for applying a curve on multiple images.

Please read the help provided by the program to learn all features and functions of SmartCurve.

This plugin is useful not only for Photoshop Element user, since it offers solid curve adjustment beyond the ability of many other programs.

Picasa Renaming multiple files

Ror years now I have been irritated by two aspects of Picasa when renaming multiple files.

1. If the the name ends with a number it increments this number and does not just add an incremental suffix
   
   Example if there are 3 photos that end with, say nikon_d80, it makes the files name end with d80, d81, d82 whereas what I wanted was d80-0, d8-1, d80-2
   
   
   
   
2. If the name ends with a none-number letter then it adds nothing to the first, and then increases by one thereafter.
   
   Example if 3 files end with tree, it will be named tree, tree-1, tree-2 and to ensure they are displayed in the correct sequence I have to rename the first file as tree-0 after the bulk rename as a separate step.

By chance I realised that you can combine the two deficiencies to acheive what I want. In the d80 example just make sure the name ends with d80-0, and then Picasa will rename the files as d80-0, d80-1 and d80-2

Picasa - effects of rename outside of Picasa

I reckon that if you change the name of a photo which you had previously edited with Picasa, then the edits which I believe are recorded in Picasa.ini for that folder, are lost, i.e. not applied to the new named photo.

However today I noticed this was not the case. I renamed some files both in Windows File Explorer and in another program (FastStone Image Viewer) and Picasa still recognised the and applied the edits to the newly named photo.

Picasas needs to be open when the files are renamed I believe oherwise it does not reconnect the new name to its original edits.

Processing and cataloguing sequence

It's been some time since I made an entry on this blog, mainly because I have been investigating other resources, namely my own web site and Google Docs.

Method

Like many other people I generate a lot of digital images, so I am always looking for ways to reduce time in processing them. Currently I 

1. Take photos in Nikon D90 and Canon G9
2. I set both to record RAW and JPG
3. After downloading to PC I review JPGs through Picasa, using Picasa to make quick improvements. (Note Picasa does not change original)
4. I grade them by adding star onto better ones
5. Star photos I load equivalent RAW into Photo Shop Elements 6 and edit, saving final JPG at maximum quality.
6.  I merge these "RAW" JPGS with original JPG from step(3) and export to a work folder,
   because I want to review them in FastStone Image Viewer which will not process Picasa edits. Exporting them applies the edits before exporting but again does not change original jpg.
7. Use excellent caparison features in FastStone Image Viewer to select best photo (not always the RAW based one) and to choose between similar photos, deleting ones not required
8. Use FastStone Image Viewer rename facility to create names, keeping original camera sequence number and building up name and finally adding date-time stamp to name.
9. Return to Picasa which I use to add keyword tags. 

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Catalog Management

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Catalog Management

I managed to delete my keywords! Did this by selecting all which I assumed would only select the current folder and in fact selected all 15,000+ entries. I then deleted, thankfully only entries and not base photo, and so lost all keyword data. However as I am prone to do this and also worried about depending only upon a program for keyword data I write the keywords into the EXIF data of the file, a command within PSE, although I sometimes forget this. So I was able to recover 95% of my keyword data when I reloaded the photos.

I had to move dozens of keywords around to re-create the original keyword structure, realising in the process that my keyword standards had room for improvement. Anyway at the end of this 4 hours of work I decided to backup what I could of this keyword and catalog information, I always back up the photos in a separate procedure.

First I noticed that in PSE 6 you can export/import catalogue keyword structure t a XML file,(see Adobe Forum ) so I did this. Then I created a new catalogue to act as a copy for my main one. This had no photos so start with. First import Keyword structure created above and then to load photos once more only this time I did not have to rebuild the keyword structure, so it only took about 30 minutes, most of this processing so that I got on writing this log.

I now propose to go through keywords and improve structure, writing outcome to photos EXIF data s I proceed, but I will do this in small intervals during the next month.

I now can select from two catalogs, one which I have called a copy. I intend once the Keyword Structure is improved to have two catalogs and to flip-flop between them so that I have only to recreate the last weeks work if it should fail. I will also copy catalog to a USB Hard Drive every month.

QuickTime Causes PSE 6 Organizer to Fail to Start

QuickTime & PSE 6

5/4/08 08:45

To run PhotoShop Elements 6.0 (PSE 6) I have manually delete QuickTime folder in Program files after each XP Start. Quicktime will not run, or will not uninstall!

Tried CCleaner to clean reg files, and CCleaner Uninstall but this seems to just call standard XP un-install routines Used CCleaner to remove Quicktime from Startup and checked with Windows Defender and indeed Quicktime did not appear in Startup or Running List.

I am now (09:10) following instructions on Apple web site cut and pasted below with my comments in italics

1. Quit QuickTime Player.
2. From the Start menu, click Control Panel.
3. In Control Panel, open Add or Remove Programs.
4. Select QuickTime from the list of currently installed programs, then click Uninstall.
5. When asked if you would like to remove QuickTime, select Yes.
6. After the uninstallation is complete, do not restart if you are prompted to. Again mine did not uninstall
7. If other entries were present for QuickTime remove those as well.
8. Restart your computer.
9. After the computer restarts, open Local Disk (C:) in Computer or whichever disk programs are installed on.
10. Open the Program Files folder.
11. Right-click the QuickTime folder and select Delete and choose Yes when asked to confirm the deletion. Note: This folder may have already been deleted if QuickTime was successfully removed in steps 1-7. I had to delete folders
12. Delete the QuickTime and QuicktimeVR files located in the C:\Windows\system32\ folder. Click Continue if Windows needs confirmation or permission to continue.
13. Right-click on the Recycle Bin and on the shortcut menu, click Empty Recycle Bin. This step took about 5 minutes!
14. Restart your computer.
15. Install the latest version of QuickTime from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download. I plan to do this after a few days to see if removal has any effect

Well achieved first aim as now I do not need to delete a Quicktime folder for PSE Organizer to work.

Nikon D80 Use of ISO Auto in Manual Mode

I bought my D80 nearly two years ago and to my surprise I am still finding new things about it.

Now to me Manual means that I set the Aperture and shutter speed and look at the exposure indication in the viewfinder to judge whether it is correct or not. If not then I can either adjust one or both of these or change the ISO setting.

I realised early that this was not necessary the case when using the flash. If the flash is set to its normal default TTL settings then the D80 will adjust the duration of the flash so that the chosen aperture and speed settings give the correct exposure. Of course with the pop-up flash you cannot go beyond 1/200 of sec although the SB600 flash will allow higher shutter speeds.

For none flash photography I often choose to leave the camera in Program P mode and with ISO Auto set (option 7 in the Custom Settings Menu) and depending on lens I usually have ISO Auto set for maximum of 400 (800 in very poor lighting) and shutter set to 1/60 or greater if using longer focal length.

Following some home investigation into sharpness of image for various f settings for a collection of lenses I proved to myself what is well known by almost every photographer that lenses perform much better when stopped down by two or three stops from their maximum. For example 50 mm f 1.8 works much better at f5.6 then f1.8, the 18-70 Nikkor performs much better at f8 then f4.5 etc.

What I wanted was the capability to set the aperture and shutter and let the ISO vary, within limits, to make the correct exposure, and this is basically exactly what ISO Auto achieves when the camera is set to manual. For some reason I had assumed that ISO Auto would have no effect when in manual.












So now I often use this approach. I have also set the "function" button (option 14 in the Custom Settings Menu) to show ISO value in viewfinder. Now on a clear day with say my 50mm f1.8 lens I will set ISO to 100, camera to Manual, Shutter to 1/125 and aperture to f8 (f5.6 if dull).



When taking photo I check in viewfinder and

1. If meter is in centre then I know exposure is correct.
2. If ISO Auto is flashing I can press the function button to see what it is and decide to accept or make change to shutter and/or aperture.
3. If meter shows under exposure then I know that current max value in "ISO auto" is not enough to give correct exposure, so I can adjust aperture and/or shutter until meter is in centre again.
4. If meter is showing over exposure then I must increase shutter speed and/or higher f-number.

Remember my main emphasis is to achieve a certain shutter/aperture combination. If only one of these is important to a specific shot then choose Shutter or Aperture mode, if neither is important then choose Program mode.

(NOTE: Photos of D80, menus and viewfinder information all taken with Canon Powershot A710 IS. Just think back to pre-digital days and how difficult, if not impossible, for an amateur photographer to take a photo of a small strip of information at the bottom of a viewfinder!)