The first in a continuing series published at Big Swing called Zen Photoshop

So, what's the difference between working with an 8-bit image and a 16-bit image? Short answer: a lot of color.

Most articles about 8- and 16-bit imagery begin by explaining what a bit is, what bit depth is, and what you get when you add up all the numbers.

Well, I can hardly keep my eyes open reading the technical stuff. I'm an artist, not a mathematician. Let's leave the mechanics to the engineers, and focus our attention on how a basic understanding of bit depth can enhance your aesthetic vision and potentially speed your workflow. (For a good explanation of the numbers, see http://www.photoshopessentials.com/essentials/16-bit/)

The big difference between working in 8 and 16 bit is how many unique colors and tones your image contains. Think of it this way: 8 bits can hold a gallon's worth of color and 16 bits can hold more than one million gallons!

Why does this matter? Because the more unique colors your image contains, the greater flexibility you have to change the aesthetics of your image. With 8-bit images, even modest contrast and color adjustments can produce unintentional breaks in tone and loss of image quality, whereas working in 16 bit allows you to really push your image around and maintain good detail and smooth transitions between colors and tones.

For example, how many times have you worked for hours on a photograph, making big tonal adjustments, subtle color changes, and retouching only to end up with what look like "stair steps" throughout your image? This "stair stepping" (also called "banding" or less frequently "posterization") is an artifact of your retouching and digital darkroom work, resulting from working in 8 bit. The problem is you're asking your image to express more colors than it contains.

Illustration 1 presents the classic scenario, but certainly not the only one, where working in 8 or 16 bit can really make the difference between a beautiful image and one that is unusable. Notice the color breaks in the sky. These breaks could have been avoided by working in 16 bit.

Illustration 1: An 8 bit image. The sky has been darkened using a series of very soft selections, Curves Adjustment Layers, and Layer Masks. Note the banding apparent in the sky. This banding would be even more apparent when printed. image by Stephen Yadzinski

Detail of Image 1

So, if you had worked in 16 bit, the stair stepping would not have occurred? Yes, that's what I'm saying. But remember, when working in Photoshop the preview on your desktop is 8 bit. Even when you're working in 16 bit, you will still see the banding until you flatten your image. Once you flatten your file, Photoshop re-draws the preview, and your image should appear as smooth as a baby's bottom—check out illustration 2.*

Illustration 2: A 16 bit image. The same image as in Illustration 1. In this version all of the adjustments applied are identical to those in the 8 bit version, but using 16 bit we now have a beautiful smooth sky! image by Stephen Yadzinski

Detail of Image 2

And don't worry, if you've got and image in 8 bit that has banding or other loss of detail issues, your hours of hard labor are not lost. To fix the image, you have (at least) a couple of options:

1. Re-process your original RAW file in 16-bit. Move all your adjustment layers from your original 8-bit file to your new 16-bit file. Remember to hold the shiftkey down while dragging the adjustment layers from one file to another—this will keep the layers in proper registration. Once you flatten the new 16-bit image, any banding issues should disappear.

2. You can also try converting your image from 8 to 16-bit. With your 8-bit image open, go to Image > Mode > 16 bits/Channel. Try flattening your image, and in many instances the image will be smooth, with no apparent banding.

That's pretty much it. The discussion of whether to work in 8 or 16 bit is often more confusing and complicated than necessary. Simply put, always work in 16 bit.

There are a few downsides (files take longer to save, not all filters will work) but considering the substantial increase in image quality, the few limitations are more than worth it. And remember, if you come across a situation where 16 bit is not an option (for example, your favorite filter is unavailable), there is always a workaround.

*An Adobe person at some point told me this. Unfortunately, I was unable to verify that Photoshop creates an 8-bit preview of your image to display on screen. However, it is correct that when working in 16 bit, you will often see banding until you flatten your file.

Mastering Photoshop: Retouching, Compositing, and Masking February 21 - February 27, 2010

For more information or to register by phone, call the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops at (505) 983-1400, ext. 11. → Register online

After: image by workshop participant Hope Ignacio | Imaging by Big Swing

Before: image by workshop participant Hope Ignacio | Imaging by Big Swing

From the Course Catalog:

Designed for photographers and artists who have hands-on experience with Photoshop, this workshop encourages a deeper understanding of composite, enhancement, and simple photo illustration techniques.

Master photo illustrator Stephen Yadzinski shares the Photoshop tricks and techniques he uses every day to inspire participants to advance their professional and personal imaging work. During extensive sessions in the digital lab, we undertake individual and group projects and create fine-art quality prints.

Participants are encouraged to bring several images that present particular problems, or are technically challenging, to be used as examples during the week. Through open critiques and discussions, we explore the aesthetic possibilities of each image and the best Photoshop techniques to achieve that creative vision.

Topics include color correction, layer organization, retouching and composite techniques, digital darkroom techniques, paths, channels, and selection modification. Under Stephen's guidance, participants develop a greater understanding of current imaging possibilities, enhance their creative potential, and improve their productivity.

Who Should Attend: Amateurs and Advanced Amateurs

What You Should Know: Proficient in digital workflow; working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop

Special Notes: Computer workstations are provided in the digital lab

Accommodations Available: On-campus housing available. Click here for pricing information and suggestions for off-campus housing.

Meals: Meal plan required. Breakfast available

Tuition & Fees: Tuition: $1,065.00

Location and Digital Lab Fee: $130.00

For More information please visit the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops site.

My bio

For anyone who may not know my work, here's my bio from the Workshop's course catalog:

Stephen Yadzinski is the founder and creative director of Big Swing, a photo illustration and retouching studio in Santa Fe. Equally skilled in traditional and digital photography, he combines an artistic sensibility with technological sophistication. Stephen studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology while working as an assistant for several local photographers.

After graduation he became a master printmaker for a gelatin silver print house in New York, where he worked with Annie Leibovitz, Flip Schulke, Antonin Kratochvil, Steven Klein, and many others. Shifting his focus to commercial photography, he worked on location around the world as a first assistant, gaffer, and digital consultant for such clients as Chase Mastercard, Continental Airlines, Lincoln Financial Group, and Atlantis.

Since launching Big Swing in 2001, Stephen has created imagery for the Barbados Tourism Authority, Emirates, Forbes magazine, and Kodak, among others. He also works with some of the world's top photographers, including Joel-Peter Witkin and Kristen Ashburn. This is Stephen's third year teaching at the Workshops. His web site is www.bigswing.us.

From the Workshop's course catalog:

My bio

For anyone who may not know my work, here's my bio from the Workshop's course catalog:

Stephen Yadzinski is the founder and creative director of Big Swing, a high-end photo illustration and retouching studio located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Equally skilled in traditional and digital photography, Steve possesses a rare combination of artistic sensibility and technological sophistication. Steve works closely with his clients to refine their images and create winning campaigns.

As an educator and mentor, Steve encourages students to push beyond their preconceived ideas about photography. Photographers are asked to think about their medium as an evolving art, and to examine how changing technologies influence image making. Photographers are encouraged to find their unique vision, while striking the critical balance between artistic expression and technical precision.

Yadzinski's career in photography began when he was nineteen, working his way through school at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an assistant for several local photographers. At 22, he became a master printmaker for a gelatin silver print house in New York City, working with clients including Annie Leibovitz, Flip Schulke, Antonin Kratochvil, and Steven Klein.

In 1998, Steve shifted his focus to commercial photography, working on location around the world as first assistant, gaffer, and digital conultant, building and perfecting images for clients like Chase Mastercard, Continental Airlines, Lincoln Financial Group, and Atlantis.

Since 2001 Big Swing has created arresting imagery for clients including the Barbados Tourism Authority, Emirates, The Learning Channel, and Toyota. And we haven't forgotten our fine art roots. We work with some of the world's top photographers, including Joel-Peter Witkin and Kristen Ashburn.

Tooling around NYC

Once upon a time, the execution would have been daunting. Emirates grounds one of its planes during prime travel hours. The photographer and her entourage fly in for the shoot. A crew of stylists, producers, art directors and airport staff are there on set. Afterward, the photographer and retoucher pore over hundreds of pictures, searching for the right shots to manipulate. Then hours of pixel pushing to get the photos looking exactly right.

ism thought that sounded like kind of a drag. So instead, they called Big Swing.

Our formula was simple: illustrate the windows and doors, then marry them with existing graphic art. Having worked with ism and Emirates before, we understood the aesthetic and could anticipate the look and feel the client had in mind.

First, a call to the print vendor for the wrap template. Once we had the specs, we used references from the client to draw the windows, doors and fuselage. Then we integrated the images into Emirates' graphic art. The client approved, and voila, our bus was ready for takeoff.

Better quality, less expensive, and faster than the other guys. That's Big Swing. Photo illustration with a push.

Airbus A380 airline window

Detail of Airbus A380 airline window

Airbus A380 airline door

Detail of Airbus A380 airline door

Assembled bus wrap

Detail of assembled bus wrap

Detail of assembled bus wrap

Installation view of the Emirates Houston bus wrap

Installation view of the Emirates Houston bus wrap

From the Workshop's course catalog:

My bio

For anyone who may not know my work, here's my bio from the Workshop's course catalogue:

Stephen Yadzinski is the founder and creative director of Big Swing, a high-end photo illustration and retouching studio located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Equally skilled in traditional and digital photography, Steve possesses a rare combination of artistic sensibility and technological sophistication. Steve works closely with his clients to refine their images and create winning campaigns.

As an educator and mentor, Steve encourages students to push beyond their preconceived ideas about photography. Photographers are asked to think about their medium as an evolving art, and to examine how changing technologies influence image making. Photographers are encouraged to find their unique vision, while striking the critical balance between artistic expression and technical precision.

Yadzinski's career in photography began when he was nineteen, working his way through school at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an assistant for several local photographers. After graduating in 1996, he moved to New York City and became a master gelatin silver print maker at MV Labs, working with clients including Annie Leibovitz, Steven Klein, Flip Schulke, and Antonin Kratochvil.

Steve moved to Santa Fe in 1998, and began working with advertising photographer Jamey Stillings, perfecting images for clients like Chase Mastercard Continental Airlines, Lincoln Financial Group, and Atlantis.

Yadzinski launched his own studio in 2001. Today, Big Swing serves ad agencies and photographers nationwide.

When: June 30, 2008. 6:30PM social, seminar from 7:00-8:30PM

Where: Santa Fe Community College, Jemez Room

Open to the public

The Program

Stephen Yadzinski will share the Photoshop tricks and techniques he uses every day in his photo illustration studio. With a focus on portraiture and editorial style imagery, we will explore color correction, layer organization, retouching and composite techniques, selection modification, and converting RGB images to CMYK for publication.

Stephen will present the evolution of two images from start to finish, hitting many of his most used techniques along the way. He will also present some of his favorite Photoshop Plug-Ins.

An image, Before and After

Many of the techniques used to create and enhance this image of a wolf in snow will be presented and discussed at the Some Of My Favorite Things seminar.

Before image | Credit: © Hope Ignacio

After image | Credit: © Hope Ignacio | Imaging by Big Swing

Think making a giant 16' by 65' superboard from low-quality files can't be done? Big Swing says think again. We used the Emirates Airlines' low-quality files to create lush imagery that says luxury to the thousands of people who pass by it each day.

Installation view: Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada (YYZ)

The Assignment

Emirates Airlines wanted to highlight the luxurious first class quarters available on their trans-continental flights. We knew the center photo would just need a little cleaning up. Up-resing that image would be a snap. The challenge? The wooden cabin doors.

Emirates is very sensitive to the quality of craftsmanship on their aircraft. They use beautiful materials and consider every detail. The doors had to look perfect. Using the existing artwork was out of the question. The image lacked the resolution and clarity we needed.

Our solution: Use their files and our ingenuity to create an original photo-realistic illustration. Emirates and the agency were game, and we got to work.

Original image of Emirates Airlines' first class cabin doors

100% enlargement of original image of Emirates Airlines' first class cabin doors

Our approach

We began working on the left side door, using the original artwork and the art director's comp as a template for the composition. Once the client approved the basics, we began adding shape, detail, and flare effects, adding texture to the wood and a delicious polish to the metal frame and door handle.

Then came the fun part: "mucking" everything up. We added film grain and softened the doors so that the finished image would look photo-realistic and mesh with the rest of the board. Then we created the second door from the first, changing the lighting to make each door look truly unique. Finally, we assembled the finished imagery.

The final image was 16'x65' at 75PPI, or 58,500 x 14,625 pixels. The client was thrilled. Another impossible assignment, made possible by Big Swing. Photo illustration with a push.

Finished imagery

Finished Panoramic image

Finished left-side first class door

Finished right-side first class door

Detail: finished left-side first class door

Detail: finished right-side first class door

The event featured photographs by our longtime client and friend, Kristen Ashburn. Kristen's images are simply arresting, and have inspired us to step up Big Swing's involvement in charitable works.

Kristen Ashburn's finished panoramic image made from four consecutive frames. Copyright Kristen Ashburn

Kristen's composite panoramic image of children gathered near a Raising Malawi food distribution center was made from four consecutively shot color negatives. We worked closely to maintain the integrity of the original journalistic subject matter, changing as little as possible as we stitched the panorama together. Her direction, "The image has to look real, like it did when I was there," stayed with me as I worked.

Workers installing the large scale light box at the UN.

The image was recently published in Vanity Fair's Africa issue. Madonna and the organizers requested the panoramic image be reproduced as a six by twenty-two foot light box. That's where Big Swing comes in ...

Find out more about Raising Malawi ... and UNICEF

Some of Joel's new images require basic composite work, and we are frankly honored that he's chosen to work with Big Swing.

Scans are made, computer work is done, and new negatives are produced that Joel then uses to make his beautiful silver halide prints.

Unfortunately, it has been requested that we not publish any of the images we've worked on for Joel until his galleries receive his finished Art. We will post the images here as soon as possible . . .

In the mean time, if you're not familiar with Joel's work, you can check it out here.

Pogue's presentation was great (can't wait to try iKey), and it inspired us to tell you about a little piece of Macro Software Big Swing uses every day: Type It 4 Me!

TypeIt4Me allows users to type as much information as they want with a single, simple keystroke. It's not only fast, but accurate as well.

We use TypeIt4Me to enter repeated HTML markup for posting images, text, and download links to our interactive client web application.

For example, to post an image on the client side of our website, with all the associated style markup, we need to type this:

<div class="image" style="width: 396px;"><div><div><div>
<img src="/media/FOLDERNAME/IMAGENAME"
width="370" height="PIXEL" alt="IMAGE" />
</div></div></div></div>

To get all that, we only type the keys "m-t-p," one at a time, and then hit the escape key. Voilà, all the mark up is entered automatically, quickly, with no mistakes!

At $27.00, we feel TypeIt4Me is one of the best investments we've ever made...

Their question focused specifically on feathering a selection where one or more of its sides end at the edge of frame.

The good 'ole days

In CS2 (and all previous versions of Photoshop), one could create a selection using the rectangular marquee tool, and end up with something looking like this (for illustration purposes all selections are represented as Quick Masks):

A selection made in CS2/CS3 using the rectangular marquee tool.

Using CS2, to soften this selection's transition (or edge), you would have feathered the entire selection. The feather command affected only those selection edges not ending at the edge of frame. Feathering our example's selection in CS2 would have looked like this:

Softening the edge of the selection using the "Feather" command in CS2.

Well, along came CS3 and everything changed. Feathering the same selection exactly the same amount in CS3 looks like this:

Softening the edge of the selection using the "Feather" command in CS3.

So what happened? Now, instead of creating a feathered selection with just a few key strokes, it seemed one needed to create, feather, and modify the selection to obtain the same result.

Why would Adobe change one of Photoshop's most basic tools so fundamentally?

Happy days are here again

The answer is they didn't, they just put the tools that control how a selection is feathered inside their new Refine Edge command. From Adobe:

The Refine Edge option improves the quality of a selection's edges and allows you to view the selection against different backgrounds for easy editing.

1. Create a selection with any selection tool.
2. Click Refine Edge in the selection tool options bar or choose Select > Refine Edge to set options for adjusting the selection:

• Radius:
  Determines the size of the region around the selection boundary in which edge refinement occurs. Increase radius to create a more exact selection boundary in areas with soft transitions or fine detail, such as those in short hair or fur, or blurred boundaries.
• Contrast:
  Sharpens selection edges and removes fuzzy artifacts. Increasing contrast can remove excessive noise near selection edges caused by a high Radius setting.
• Smooth:
  Reduces irregular areas ("hills and valleys") in the selection boundary, creating a smoother outline. Enter a value or move the slider from 0 to 100.
• Feather:
  Creates a soft-edged transition between the selection and its surrounding pixels. Enter a value or move the slider to define the width of the feathered edge from 0 to 250 pixels.
• Contract/Expand:
  Shrinks or enlarges the selection boundary. Enter a value or move the slider to set the amount from 0 to 100% to expand, 0 to 100% to contract. Most useful for making subtle adjustments to soft-edged selections. Shrinking the selection can help remove unwanted background colors from selection edges.

Nothing in Photoshop is perfect, the application is made by committee after all. But the new Refine Edge Dialog box works reasonably well, and all the tools you need to modify a selection are now in one place.

Most importantly, our original question has been answered. Using the Refine Edge Dialog box, you can create a selection where one (or more) side is defined by the edge of frame, and the hardness of that edge is not affected by feathering the selection.

The biggest downside to the Refine Edge Dialog box is that it's slower to interact with than simply using predefined keystrokes. Additionally, the Refine Edge functionality seems to take a fair amount of computing power. It can take a second or so to render my changes, especially on larger files. (And yes, my machine is fast, think Superman on steroids.)

More time to get something done is generally b-a-d around here. Big Swing hopes Adobe will create functionality allowing users to call just one tool in the dialog box with a key stroke.

All things considered, the Refine Edge Dialog box is a good addition to Photoshop.

Kristen's photography is at once powerful, jarring, subtle, and beautiful. It's a true privilege for us to work with a photographer creating such important images. Below are a few examples of Kristen's work, and you can see more of her photographs at her website.

©Kristen Ashburn

©Kristen Ashburn

©Kristen Ashburn

Photoshop: The Next Step will be taught three times throughout 2008. Those dates are: January 14-18, April 14-18, and May 12-16.

Beginning Photoshop with Lightroom for Photographers is scheduled for February 10-16, 2008.

As we get closer, I'll write more specifically about the workshops. In the mean time, here's a little more info:

Course descriptions:

Photoshop: The Next Step (occurs three times on January 14-18, April 14-18, and May 12-16)

Beginning Photoshop with Lightroom for Photographers (February 10-16, 2008)

My bio

For anyone who may not know my work, here's my bio from the Workshop's course catalogue:

Stephen Yadzinski is the founder and creative director of Big Swing, a high-end photo illustration and retouching studio located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Equally skilled in traditional and digital photography, Steve possesses a rare combination of artistic sensibility and technological sophistication. Steve works closely with his clients to refine their images and create winning campaigns.

As an educator and mentor, Steve encourages students to push beyond their preconceived ideas about photography. Photographers are asked to think about their medium as an evolving art, and to examine how changing technologies influence image making. Photographers are encouraged to find their unique vision, while striking the critical balance between artistic expression and technical precision.

Yadzinski's career in photography began when he was nineteen, working his way through school at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an assistant for several local photographers. After graduating in 1996, he moved to New York City and became a master gelatin silver print maker at MV Labs, working with clients including Annie Leibovitz, Steven Klein, Flip Schulke, and Antonin Kratochvil.

Steve moved to Santa Fe in 1998, and began working with advertising photographer Jamey Stillings, perfecting images for clients like Chase Mastercard Continental Airlines, Lincoln Financial Group, and Atlantis.

Yadzinski launched his own studio in 2001. Today, Big Swing serves ad agencies and photographers nationwide.

As mentioned above, I'll write more about the workshops as we get closer . . .

The new machine is very nice, and the OSX migration assistant made set up a snap. We're now running Adobe's CS3 natively, and there seems to be a big speed boost over CS2 on the Power PC. But, with everyone running Intel chips now, I know it's only a matter of time before someone writes a virus for my machine . . .

That's where MacScan comes in. From the company's site:

MacScan is the world's first remote administration software detection title for the Macintosh. Using advanced detection methods MacScan can detect, isolate and remove the program which could allow remote administration and violate security.

Like most things built for the Mac, the application was easy to install, and intuitive to use. And unlike some other virus scanning software I've used, it works quickly. For us, this is among MacScan's most important features. If the application is slow or a pain to use, it won't be used.

At 25 bucks and 15 minutes to purchase and run for the first time, MacScan seems to be a great addition to our security protocols. We highly recommend heading over to MacScan's site to check it out . . .

The assignment: Create an image using the supplied stock elements. The main changes were to the image's color palette and mood, the sunglasses shape and reflection, and add the MGM Grand logo too the side of the sunglasses.

More and more, composite imagery is made completely of stock components, and we think this image is a good example of that approach to image making.

Here's the final:

And here are the original elements:

And a couple before and after enlargements: