HDR

The Fake HDR Portrait Technique, Revealed

Submitted by deke on 13 October 2008 - 1:41am.

As those of you who know a thing or two about what goes on 'round here know, last week's dekePod was devoted to the topic of faking an HDR portrait. As usual, the technique flew by in the blink of a bug's eye. A really scary, creepy bug's eye. Which is the idea, of course. Few know this, but dekePod won this year's Nobel Prize in Subliminal Anti-Training. (They give out that particular award in a tiny, dimly lit room off the janitor's closet, so it's not widely covered.)

But anti-training doesn't always work. In fact, one study suggests it kills roughly 1 out every of 16 lab rats. (Thankfully, we haven't heard of any human fatalities--yet.) Which is why I offer this traditional step-by-step description, as it applies to my youngest son, Sammy, who quite obviously really enjoys his ice cream.

Sam becomes HDR Read more » 

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Halloween begins at dekePod

Submitted by deke on 8 October 2008 - 4:49am.

Hello dear friend. By which I mean, I really don't know you, but you registered at deke.com with the understanding that you would one day hear from me, and that day (among others) is today.

Just this minute, 1111 of you have commented on my fate and 3456 of you have signed on as registered users. That kind of numerology, although obviously pure coincidence, cannot be wrong.

Which is why, today, I unleash an extra special Halloween episode of dekePod.

It's all about turning any portrait shot into an HDR rendering so scary you could reach out and touch it. And if you can reach out and touch it, it can reach out and touch you! Plus I howl at the moon and squash a squishy skull until its bloody eyes poke out. Please stop by and check it out. Read more » 

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Faking an HDR Portrait

Submitted by deke on 8 October 2008 - 2:39am.
A fake HDR portrait

dekePod Episode 007: Well, friends, it's getting to be Halloween, that bestest of holidays, the one made famous by Linus and Jamie Lee Curtis. And you know what that means: Another traditional early-October Halloween episode of dekePod. (Well, the first one, but you have to start somewhere.) This year, I celebrate the spookiness of the season by showing you how to fake an HDR portrait in Photoshop. Perhaps you've seen others demo fake HDR. Now see me do it. Here's the official marketing description: Read more » 

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Photoshop CS3 Mask box art
Amazon.com

Photoshop CS3 Channels & Masks

Essentially a collection of luminance data that controls the transparency of an image, the modest alpha channel informs just about everything you do in Photoshop. and coming to terms with alpha channels (a.k.a. masks) is the most sure-fire way to boost the quality of your work in Photoshop. But masking isn’t easy. In fact, the elusive alpha channel has been described as the least understood feature in Photoshop’s enormous arsenal. Until now, that is. In Photoshop CS3 Channels and Masks, expert Deke McClelland blows the lid off the topic. Read more » 

List price: $149.95USD