Technique PHOTO SCHOOL
31
Camera class
Everyone has to start somewhere, even top pros, and in our regular Photo School feature we look at the core techniques that every beginner needs to know. This month in Camera Class we look at focusing modes, and in Software Skills, we show how to improve sharpness in Lightroom
Words by Kingsley Singleton
Manual focus (M) Best for: still life, macro
Continuous autofocus Best for: sports, action
Single-shot autofocus Best for: portraits, landscapes
This is the traditional and most basic form of focusing. It can also ultimately be the most versatile and accurate, but it takes care and time to get right. Switching the camera’s focus mode to ‘M’, the lens is focused using a ring on its barrel. It’s difficult to focus manually using just your camera’s viewfinder, so the next time you do it, try switching to live view mode and using the magnify mode on your camera’s screen. This displays a live feed from the sensor and shows all parts of the scene, even those not covered by AF points, so it’s possible to see exactly what will be produced when you take the picture.
AI Servo (Canon) or AF-C (Nikon) mode will focus and refocus on the subject for as long as it is activated by half-pressing the shutter button or using the AF-ON button. This makes it useful when the subject is moving, whether it’s across the frame, towards you or away from you. In these situations, single-shot AF would produce a blurred image having focused before the subject moved. The ability of your camera to keep the subject sharp in this mode is dependent on the speed and accuracy of its AF system (and that of the lens it’s twinned with). It also uses more power because the lens servo is in constant use.
One-Shot AF (Canon) or AF-S (Nikon) is the most common form of focusing. You place your selected AF point over the part of the scene where you want focus to fall, then half-press the shutter or use a dedicated AF-ON button. Focus is then locked until you press the shutter or button again and, depending on your settings, the camera may not fire until it has found focus. The advantage is in the speed and precision of putting the focus right where you want it, for example: you can focus on the eye of your subject in a portrait or the foreground of a landscape. But if the subject (or you) is moving, it’s not so suitable.
Software skills Part 12: Increasing sharpness ADOBE LIGHTROOM
and white – the black areas aren’t sharpened. Use a higher setting to avoid sharpening smooth parts, like the clear sky behind the plane in our example, and keep it on the subject. The Detail slider also affects where sharpening takes place: a low level restricts sharpening to only the more prominent edges and a high setting sharpens textures throughout the whole image. n Step 3: Radius and Amount sliders The Radius and Amount sliders control the width and intensity of the sharpening effect respectively. To sharpen only fine details, like the aircraft, or textures in a landscape, use a low Radius setting. The Amount slider controls the increase in contrast that’s applied to the image and therefore how defined edges will become. The higher you push it, the more likely fringing will appear, so use it sparingly.
Almost all digital pics will benefit from some sharpening due to the way they’re recorded, and while Lightroom has various presets for sharpening available when you Export, the level of enhancement is best tailored to individual pics – and that’s where the sliders under the Develop module’s Detail panel come in. Digital sharpening works by increasingmicro-contrast, so it’s important to realise that you can only add to what’s already there, rather than bring blurred areas back into focus. You can get a preview of each slider’s effect by pressing Alt as you move it – and here’s how to use them on your pics. n Step 1: Magnify The Detail panel contains a 100% preview window (click on the left-facing arrow to open it), but it’s useful to see a wider view via the main image area, so first click 1:1 in the Navigator (top left) to get a 100% view. Beneath, you’ll find four sliders which all do something to increase sharpness in your image and they’re best used in reverse order. n Step 2: Masking and Detail sliders The Masking slider controls where sharpening is applied. Hold the Alt key as you move it and you’ll see areas shown in black
NEXTMONTH: More focusing skills and problems solved. Plus how to add sharpness using Lightroom’s Local Adjustment tools.
ABOVE When using the sliders within the Detail panel, it’s best to start with Masking, which broadly decides what will and won’t be sharpened, then move onto the other options.
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Issue 12 | Photography News
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