I enjoyed some much needed down time, but now it’s back to work. Today I’m working on editing some photo retakes for my pottery beads tutorial. The tutorial should be finished in the next day or two. Still need to complete the written instructions and get it all put together. I need to rethink my work space as it is not ideal for taking photos, which means I go back and forth between my work space and photo set-up…..

sneak peak at upcoming tutorial

Tutorials take quite a bit of time and effort. You need to plan out the steps that need to be photographed, take the step by step photos, edit the photos, possibly retake photos that aren’t clear or perhaps a different angle would be better, more editing, format the tutorial, write out a materials and tools list, and write step by step instructions that go with the photos. Then there’s proofreading for typos and to make sure that the instructions are absolutely clear.

Time to get back to work.

Summer is in full swing here, which means that we spend quite a bit of time at my parents pool. I usually swim a while and then sit and visit with whatever family members happen to be there at the time. While this is a great way to spend a summer afternoon, it’s not so great for my productivity. I have photoshop on my desktop, but am looking for a free or at least cheap photo editing software for my laptop so that I can get some work done while on the go.

If you know of any or have any experience with any free or relatively decent priced photo editing software, please leave me a comment…..as I will be at the pool.

Let’s say you want to create a 125 x 125 pixel ad. The first thing you need to do is to crop your image so that it is perfectly square. I am working with Photoshop Elements, which is a lite version and your photo editing software may be different. The easiest way to do this is to make sure the info window is on (has a little check mark beside it).

Click on any of the images to see a full-size version.

When you use the marquee tool to select the area to be cropped, you will see the numbers in the info window change (see the circled area in the image below). You want those numbers to be the same for both width(W) and height(H). Click image –> crop and you will have a square image.

Now you can add text to your ad if you wish.

Now, we need to resize the ad to 125 x 125 pixels. Click on Image –> Resize –> Image Size.

A small window will pop up. Where it says Document Size, change the Resolution to 72 pixels per inch. Then change the width to 1.74 inches and your height should automatically change. The numbers in the top boxes under Pixel Dimensions should now show 125. Click the OK button.

Voila! You now have a 125 x 125 pixel ad.

Here’s my basic cropped image with nothing else done to it.

My photo is still a little dark. I really need to upgrade to higher wattage light bulbs especially in the winter. However, this isn’t a big deal and can easily corrected.

I’m using Photoshop Elements (which is a light version of Photoshop), so you may need to do a search to figure out how to do this on your software. I suggest you look up “adjusting level in photoshop” to get the technical details. I’m just showing the basics of what I do. We are going to adjust lighting –> levels. Click on the photo below to see the full-size version

You will get a pop up histogram box. If you have white and/or black in your photo, you can click on the corresponding eyedropper in the bottom right hand corner of the histogram box then click on the part of the image that is white or black. I don’t usually do this because it tends to over correct.

If you click and hold on the little arrows at the bottom of the histogram, you can slide them over to where the histogram starts to rise. For this photo, I just need to adjust the white to lighten it up. When you are happy with how it looks, click the OK button.

Save your image and you are good to go. Monday, I will share how to crop and resize your image for those who would like to create an ad from a photo.

Using the macro setting is a must for close-up photos. Most cameras have a macro setting, just look for the little tulip symbol.

I highly recommend using a tripod. It is almost impossible to hold completely still while taking a photo. If you find your camera moving when you push the button to take the photo, you may even want to use the timer.

You can get different effects shooting your items from different angles, especially if you are shooting on a clear acrylic stand. The first photo below was shot looking straight down.

This next photo was shot from the front just slightly above eye level of the beads. At this angle the acrylic stand creates a reflection of the beads.

Play around with shooting your beads at different angles and see what you get. I’ll be back Friday with some info on basic editing and resizing.

Jael asked, “What’s the red thing at the top, Chris?”

The red thing at the top is a heavy duty clip that holds the wooden dowel in place, which the lights are clipped to.

Regina commented, ”
Hi Chris,
thanks for sharing this info. Isn’t it amazing what some creative juices can produce?
I use the same type of lights. We picked them up at Lowes. Any of the big-box home improvement stores will have them.

Did you buy the gradated paper or did you print it yourself. I think I could format one with my photo editing program.
Thanks again!”

I’m using the compact fluorescent light bulbs (doing my part to use less energy ) and they are 25 watts, which is equivalent to 100 watts for incandescent bulbs.

I just printed the gradient paper myself. You can easily create one, just make sure it’s saved at a high dpi for printing.

I will find my gradient file sometime this weekend and post it for those who don’t know how to make one.

Here’s a gradient image you can print. Click on the image for the full-size image to print, or right click and click “save target as” to save the image to your computer.

My goal today is to get everything gathered and added up for taxes. I’ve been putting it off, but it’s like a big storm cloud hanging over my head…..

I’ll be back Wednesday with Part 2 of the photo series.

I don’t claim to be an expert by any means. Some days I am much happier with my photos than other days. Anyway, I thought I would share what I have found to work for me. It may take some experimenting to find what will work best for you.

When I started selling online several years ago most of my photos were taken on a piece of white printer paper with a light on either side. Well, that method creates lots of glare on shiny beads. So, I taped a piece of tracing paper over the the light for a filter. That helped, but these were desk lights that I used when working and it wasn’t convenient to move lights around every time I wanted to take a photo.

I started researching light boxes and found several options including hand made versions. At the time, the commercial options were more than I wanted to pay and I wanted it now. The light box that I ended up making and have used for the past 3 years or so is shown below.

The light box itself is a plastic tote. It is see-though, but not completely clear. It has a frosted look, which makes it a great light filter. The lights are what I call shop lights. I found them either near the light bulbs or in the auto department of my local Wal~Mart. The light bulbs are the daylight/natural light ones. It is draped in a piece of light colored fabric. This serves a couple purposes. One, it helps reflect the light back where you want it. Two, it keeps surrounding walls, items, etc. from being reflected on your items to be photographed.

The background I use is a printed black to white gradient, which works well with just about everything. The beads sit on top of the clear acrylic stand. The space between the stand and the background soften the look of the background and creates the illusion that the beads are floating in mid-air.

Next, I’ll talk about taking the photos and editing.