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Category Archives: Photoshop & Elements

Book Printing: Blurb vs Apple vs Photobox

January 11, 2012 Posted in Photoshop & Elements, Product Reviews

Before Christmas, I promised that I was working on a book printing comparison. Now that the book I had printed has been gifted for Christmas, I can show it to the world! So I’m going to cover all things about the three books like the from the building to the paper to the spine and...

17 comments

Rick - January 11, 2012 - 9:43 am

I printed a couple of books with Apple.

I just love it. Easy to create, easy to send, great results and image quality!

Regards

Caterina Lay - January 11, 2012 - 10:56 am

I don’t think anyone else goes to the lengths of using three different companies and then giving the low-down on their blogs! I’ve used photobox for everything before (I liked the print quality for my personal pictures) but I had really nothing to compare it to. I’m going to try blurb next time. Thank you for your practical insight!

Jill Reid - January 11, 2012 - 1:35 pm

Have you ever used Mypublisher.com?

Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita - January 11, 2012 - 2:14 pm

I really appreciate the comparison. I always wondered how my Blurb stacked up against the others. I use them to do an annual photo album for my family, vacation books, and am now working on a cookbook. One thing, upgrading the paper on Blurb makes it even better. Thanks so much for all your work in comparing these!

katie o. - January 11, 2012 - 2:26 pm

Okay, I actually used Blurb for Christmas gifts and was unimpressed with their customer service. After creating an initial book and duplicating it to tweak into a slightly altered version, I ordered both only to receive the same version twice. I might not be the most tech savvy person on the planet, but ordering books isn’t that difficult. According to customer service at Blurb, I might as well be an idiot. Will most likely try My Publisher next go round as I intend to make books from here on out. However, love the comparisons.

Amanda Hayler - January 11, 2012 - 2:36 pm

A very useful review Elizabeth…I’ve only used Blurb to do photobooks so I was interested in seeing how it compared to Apple and Photobox. I’m not a big fan of Photobox printing (only had prints done with them) so I doubt I’d ever do a book with them, but tempted to try out one with Apple. Thank you!

Carey Penton Vorholt - January 11, 2012 - 3:12 pm

What a wonderful resource for those of us looking to print our books!

Gayle Vehar - January 11, 2012 - 3:20 pm

LOVE the premium paper that Blurb has available! Totally worth the extra cost!

Kyla - January 11, 2012 - 5:06 pm

Thanks for the awesome comparison! I’ve been using Apple because it’s so easy and I’ve loved the quality on everything they’ve done for me, but I love the side by side comparison, and I’m interested to check out Blurb now.

One very minor thing…you don’t have to pay to remove the Apple logo. If you go to “View” and “Project Settings…” there’s a little check box that you can uncheck and it will take off the logo. Like you, I am a lover of all things Apple so I, of course, leave it on… :)

julie - January 11, 2012 - 5:39 pm

Thanks for this post — it’s very timely for me since I’m putting together a photo book for my daughter who’s graduating from high school this year. I was wondering about the different online printing options and you helped in that regard.

Beth - January 11, 2012 - 6:39 pm

Thank you, thank you! Since you mentioned you were going to do this post, I’ve been anxiously waiting to see the results. Really appreciate you being so thorough.

Jessica - January 12, 2012 - 2:57 pm

This is perfect! I was actually looking at albums yesterday and I had definitely stopped at Blurb.
Thanks for the great, honest reviews!

Lloyd Spencer - January 12, 2012 - 6:37 pm

I have used both Blurb and Photobox for many photobooks. Actually they are both pretty easy to use. Comparable in ease-of-use, price and quality. Blurb has the edge in some of its commercial aspects and I like the quality if I am making quite chunky, sizeable books.

You were coming at this with your own style, wanting to achieve a pre-determined look-and-feel. Most people will start off with their templates and images rather than using Photoshopped images to determine the look-and-feel.

Gilliancrow - January 12, 2012 - 7:57 pm

I am a great Blurb fan. However, one thing you did not mention was postage costs. Are they all about the same?

Johnny Bean - January 13, 2012 - 7:51 am

Great post – I’m a blurb user and big fan, love the adaptability of their templates, quality and alround ease of use, love that they don’t stand still, always moving things forward. I even use blurb for my wedding clients, and they love the results! Great blog Elizabeth – I shall be back!

Michael Garrity - January 13, 2012 - 8:33 am

I am new to this whole thing of self-publishing a book, but am going to give it a try, using Blurb. From what I have seen at the Blurb website, I have been impressed and that since you have some experience in this area and you picked Blurb as your new fave, that gives me confidence to go forward with doing my first book with them.

Cameron - January 16, 2012 - 9:57 am

Very good review & comparison, Elizabeth. Your book also looks spectacular! Well done for putting this together.

Choosing a look for editing your photos {video}

October 19, 2011 Posted in Photoshop & Elements, Video Tutorials

Oh my goodness. Most amazing.session.EVER last week. I restrained myself from looking at a set of the photos until I could do it while filming my process for you to show you how I go about filtering through my millions of actions in Photoshop and settling on a direction to take a session in in...

28 comments

Lorna - October 19, 2011 - 9:56 am

I loved this, very insightful and I love florabella too. Beautiful session as always Elizabeth.

Matthew Kunce - October 19, 2011 - 10:27 am

Amazing video. Thank you for sharing your workflow and thought process.

CindyY fm SA - October 19, 2011 - 11:01 am

Thank you so much for allowing us to see inside your work process. Awesome!

Michele Bird - October 19, 2011 - 12:23 pm

Thank you so so so much, I’ve been wanting to see someone do this process for so long. I really appreciate the time and kindness that you put into your sharing. Love your work, love your blog too!!

Shondra Walker - October 19, 2011 - 5:59 pm

Thank you so much for this video! I’m still in the portfolio-building process and continuity is something I’ve struggled with. Now I see where I’m going wrong. Looking forward to my next session where I can implement this.

Thanks again!

Sarah (AKA Mrs. Ruffled Flats) - October 19, 2011 - 8:49 pm

This is so helpful for me! I am new to the photography business and shot my second professional shoot last week and ended up doing my editing just like this, but I’m glad to know someone else does it the same way! The last shoot I did I just edited the RAW files because they were gorgeous straight out of camera and I loved how they looked without actions, but the one I shot last week, my clients wanted a warm, autumn feel which the photos didn’t have because of the overcast that day. I just warmed them up a bit and brought some life back into them which made my clients happy!

Love the video – thank you so much!

Mark Jones - October 19, 2011 - 9:09 pm

Now, I’ve learnt from you for well over a year now and love your tuts. But this one… this one is the best yet! Thank you for kind sharing. I’m off to edit my first new born session! :)

Dan - October 19, 2011 - 10:20 pm

Love IT!!! thank you so much :D

Amieware14 - October 20, 2011 - 12:42 am

Thanks for the video… I have one question. When cropping your photos, what size do you crop them? I get nervous that if I crop them and they decide to order a large print, they will not look good…

Mia - October 20, 2011 - 2:32 am

I had to laugh out loud about at your comment about lying under the sheets at night, not wanting to wake my spouse. I’m so glad to know that I’m in great company. I enjoy your photos and teaching – great style.

Jessica - October 20, 2011 - 4:44 pm

Thank you soooooo much for posting this. Yes, it was long and you definitely needed to have time to do nothing but watch it and learn, but it was so amazingly helpful! It was like getting a free class or free one-on-one time with a photographer. Please do more like this. I LOVED IT!

Rayleigh Leavitt - October 20, 2011 - 6:03 pm

Hi! I really wanted to watch the video, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn the music off on your blog. And the music was too loud for me to be able to hear your voice on the video. Is there a way I’m missing to turn of the music? Thanks!

Anonymous - October 20, 2011 - 6:12 pm

I don’t have music on my blog did you have another website up in the background maybe?

Janie - October 20, 2011 - 6:34 pm

Thank you so so much! Great video,I learned so much.I have a request do you think you could make a video about saving and cropping at the right aspect ratio.Also walk us through how to send prints to the lab…etc I have learned so much from you,I really appreciate all that you do.. :)

Rayleigh Leavitt - October 20, 2011 - 6:58 pm

haha! So sorry. Actually, the music was from a different website. Not yours. But I had closed that other website and I only had yours open and somehow the music from the other website was still playing! spooky!

Stuart Doughty - October 20, 2011 - 9:13 pm

Can’t tell you how good this vid is! Fan-bloody-tastic!

Andie McDonald - October 21, 2011 - 6:06 am

Thanks very much for the video. As an enthusiastic amateur this is one part of the process I haven’t seen much about, so was great to get a feel of how it can be done. I really appreciate you sharing this with us.

Dale - October 21, 2011 - 6:31 am

Thank you so much for posting this. I really enjoyed watching how you go through and edit a set. I think I am going to purchase Florbella now…

Christy - October 24, 2011 - 4:42 pm

Loved the video, thank you so much for posting! It’s great to see your process and the photos are lovely.

Dayna - October 25, 2011 - 4:34 pm

So wonderful!! And thank you for the text….good to know I’m not the only one up late at night, annoying my hubby because I’m watching yet ANOTHER tutorial on my laptop ;)

Wetappocreek - October 26, 2011 - 3:19 pm

I can’t get the link….How I did it – Tuesday -Jan 19

Thanks
Kathy B.

Laura Appling - November 7, 2011 - 4:07 pm

Thank you for this video!

alicia - November 18, 2011 - 1:08 am

Thank you so much for this. I’m starting out with portraits and I find that editing portraits is so much different than landscapes and interiors (I edit real estate photography for a living). It’s nice to get an idea of how to do my portrait editing!

Abra - November 29, 2011 - 1:39 am

Very helpful! Keep these videos coming!

Simpleygrace - November 30, 2011 - 5:56 am

Thank you so much for sharing this video ~ I have just found your site and I love it ! This was so inlighting… I can read all day but when someone actually shows me it helps so much… just listening to your thought process is great… it is nice to know that I’m not crazy when I am trying to edit photos! I am self taught (or I guess you could say “self-teaching” ) so I always appreciate it when others share their knowledge.
Thanks again :)
Donna

Allyson - December 23, 2011 - 5:20 am

This is what I needed. I have been in a stump with started/re starting my business and with every passing day my confidence goes down about my abilities. This video reminded me that I am good at what I do, I just need to invest more time in learning the craft of editing to get the ball rolling again. Thank you for your time, and I think everyone kept listening even whrn you thought they weren’t!

anom - January 3, 2012 - 1:24 am

This was really helpful thank you so much for taking the time to make the video! :)

Jane - January 26, 2012 - 2:03 pm

LOVED it! helpful and yes i watched the WHOLE thing…on headphones…while holding my 10 month old and putting on a movie for my preschooler! lol THANK YOU!!!

Reader Photo Friday {B&A}

August 12, 2011 Posted in Before & Afters, Photoshop & Elements

Another Reader Photo edited with RadLab. I’m loving it! This is a video of me using it on last week’s photo. EVERYONE KEEP THOSE SHOTS COMIN. SEND YOUR {SHARP & WELL EXPOSED} PHOTOS TO EH@ELIZABETHHALFORD.COM If your photo has been featured on Reader Photo Friday and you would like to purchase digital copies for printing yourself,...

no comments

Superman Super Edit in Photoshop {beefing up muscles}

August 8, 2011 Posted in Before & Afters, Photoshop & Elements

I’ve been having a blast with the kids this week. And it was fun to edit this with Elijah by my side reminding me about things like the color of Superman’s eyes. I started by using the patch tool to clean up under his eyes (they’re always so distractingly dark and puffy). Again, used the...

3 comments

Reader Photo Friday {B&A with Video}

August 5, 2011 Posted in Before & Afters, Photoshop & Elements, Video Tutorials

Thank you SO MUCH to Debbie for this totally wonderful specimen of a shot for Reader Photo Friday. This shot was edited using the completely new, hot off the press Photoshop plugin, RadLab from Totally Rad. RadLab is going to completely change the way I do Photoshop. This was the first shot I’ve ever tried editing...

4 comments

Exposure vs. Brightness vs. Fill Light

July 19, 2011 Posted in Lightroom, Photoshop & Elements

Click here to read my recent post on dPS about the difference between exposure, brightness and fill light. Pin It

no comments

Photoshop Edit Start to Finish {Video Tutorial}

March 28, 2011 Posted in Before & Afters, Photoshop & Elements, Video Tutorials

This photo was sent to me back in December and it’s been in my inbox staring me in the face ever since. I had fun playing with it so keep ‘em coming! One of the service I offer to my readers is to take images they send me and, via Skype, talk to them about...

1 comment

ACR {Adobe Camera Raw} – What is it?

March 23, 2011 Posted in Photoshop & Elements, Video Tutorials

You may see the initials ACR thrown around but not know exactly what that means or what it does. ACR is the mechanism by which you open raw files in Photoshop or Elements. When you want to open a raw file, ACR pops up first with a load of options for editing and adjusting your...

6 comments

stef - March 23, 2011 - 11:10 am

AHHHH! I wish you had posted this before Monday past…a friend suggested I try my next photo shoot in RAW and so I did but not looking into whether or not my editing software could support it..which it did not…so I had to convert them but knowing nothing about converting images and RAW there was a lot of tears before thankfully it was figured out!

Your site is so informative and helpful-I am very grateful for the info you share!
Thank you for this post, it was very clear; which is a great blessing to a non techy mind like mine :)

Christina - March 23, 2011 - 1:06 pm

Thanks for this! Even though I only shoot JPEG, I love using ACR! I actually have access to it in Photoshop Elements 8 (I was told it’s only available in PSE8 if you’re on a Mac, which I am). Anyway I just open the jpeg in PSE, open up Bridge, then click the little aperture icon and voila! ACR opens up. Pretty cool :0)

Kassi - March 23, 2011 - 1:07 pm

My problem is that the RAW files from my new Nikon D7000 aren’t supported by my version of ACR in CS4 or my version on LR….so I will have to upgrade one of them….

Margie Duerr - March 24, 2011 - 8:45 pm

I always shoot JPG. I had no idea that ACR was so much like Lightroom! And I really didn’t know about ACR presets. Nice video and thank you very much! :) You have a pretty voice too, makes me sad that mine sucks so bad. Ha!

Kathy B. - March 31, 2011 - 3:33 pm

I’m trying to start shooting JPEG & RAW. I’ve always shot JPEG but seems you have much more editing power in RAW. My problem has been opening up RAW images. And, in addition, I’m @ pre-school level….LOL! I have CS5 and Photoshop Elements 7. Is ACR included as a part of either program or is that something in addition to the programs?

And, when you shoot JPEG and RAW…..is there one pic to open up and edit? Or are there supposed to be 2 different shots to choose from a JPEG and RAW?????

Emma (Oscar and Rose) - April 28, 2011 - 8:09 pm

I initially shot in RAW and jpeg on my Canon 450D, just so I could compare.
And then I mastered editing RAW in PSE7 on a PC with Windows XP.
So then I thought “nah, don’t need jpeg anymore” and only shot in RAW.
And then I found Windows XP does not show RAW files as thumbnails which meant I was faced with having to open each and every shot in PSE just to view it.
So I did some research on the web, and downloaded this software (for free!)
Faststone Image Viewer (http://www.faststone.org/)

Just posting in case any of your readers go through the same process!

« Vintage posts

Elizabeth Halford Photography {the blog} » pho•to•gra•phy {in real.plain.english}

Category Archives: Photoshop & Elements

Book Printing: Blurb vs Apple vs Photobox

Choosing a look for editing your photos {video}

Reader Photo Friday {B&A}

Superman Super Edit in Photoshop {beefing up muscles}

Reader Photo Friday {B&A with Video}

Exposure vs. Brightness vs. Fill Light

Photoshop Edit Start to Finish {Video Tutorial}

ACR {Adobe Camera Raw} – What is it?

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