Photography News 14

Technique PHOTO SCHOOL

Camera class

Everyone has to start somewhere, even top pros, and in our regular Photo School feature we look at the core skills that every beginner needs. This month, more focusing questions answered and discover the importance of Clarity in Lightroom

Words & pictures by Kingsley Singleton

n My camera has an ‘AF-ON’ button at the rear. What is this for? The AF-ON button lets you divorce autofocus activation from the shutter button. So, where you’d normally half-press the shutter button to focus, and keep it half pressed to continue focusing or to lock the focus in place (depending on your AF mode), it can all be done via AF-ON. This is sometimes called back-button focusing. You need to disable AF from the shutter button via the menu, but the advantage is that because focusing is no longer activated by the shutter button you can lock it where you like and shoot without risking the camera trying to focus again. This technique also decouples any image stabilisation from AF activation. If you don’t have an AF-ON button, you can customise another button to do the job, typically the Fn or AEL/AFL buttons. n Can I turn off the beep when the camera has focused? The default setting on most cameras is to issue an audible signal when focus is achieved (as well as a visual indicator). This can be turned off (or the volume reduced) via the main menu, which is useful when you don’t want to disturb the subject or draw attention to yourself.

n In manual focusing (M) mode, how do I know when focus is achieved?

Software skills Part 14: Increasing and decreasing Clarity ADOBE LIGHTROOM You can do this in a couple of ways, either using the viewfinder or the camera’s screen. The first way is restricted to the camera’s AF points. Place one of these over the part of the image you want to be sharp and focus using the ring on the lens. When the image is in focus under that point you’ll see a small dot appear in the viewfinder next to the shooting info, or the AF point may light up. When not in focus you may see arrows instead, telling you to shift the focus. If you’re focusing on-screen, when shooting still life or macro for example, switch to Live View and zoom in on the LCD. You’ll then be able to see exactly where the pic is in focus as you move the focusing ring. n What is the AFL button on my Dfor and when is it needed? The AFL button, which stands for Autofocus Lock, is used to hold the focus on a certain point in the scene before shooting. Many DSLRs have a dedicated AFL button on the body, but on smaller entry-level versions it may need to be mapped to another button, via the Controls section of the main menu. Autofocus Lock is useful when you’re using a low number of AF points or when the AF points don’t cover the exact part of the frame you want to focus on. You focus as normal, then hold the AFL button before reframing and shooting. The AFL button shouldn’t be confused with the AEL button which locks the exposure settings.

NEXTMONTH: How to deal with tricky exposure situations andmake the best of bad exposures in Lightroom.

STEP 1: SOFTEN A SKY Like many settings, Clarity is best added locally rather than indiscriminately to the whole image, so in Lightroom’s Develop module, after making basic adjustments to your image – such as to the exposure and white-balance – pick the Adjustment brush tool (K). Set the Size of the Brush and make sure it has a high Feather and Flow setting. Now double-click Effect to reset any previously used sliders and push Clarity to a very low setting like -100 or -80. Here, we ran the Brush over the sky and distant hills to soften them a little. This has the effect of making the textured foreground seem more detailed in comparison. STEP 2: INCREASE FOREGROUND DETAIL Still within the Adjustment Brush panel, click New to start a fresh Brush and then double-click Effect to reset the sliders. Set the Flow to a lower setting – around 20, so that you’re applying the Clarity slowly with multiple brush sweeps. Next, set the Clarity to about 40, and run the Brush over any parts where you want to increase the sense of detail. In this example, we’ve switched on the Mask Overlay to showwhere – mainly along the lead-in line. It you want more ‘bite’, increase the Clarity slider, or add another Brush and keep painting. If you make a mistake, hit Erase to brush it out, or delete the Brush with Backspace.

contrast, giving more ‘bite’ to the image, or making it look less distinct. Depending on the subject or the part of the picture you’re working on, this can improve the look. For instance, on a feminine portrait a lower clarity setting will soften skin tones, and on a rugged landscape, it can increase the sense of detail.

Following on from the theme of adding sharpness to your pictures, there’s another important setting in Lightroom which can give a sharper or softer look to your shots: Clarity. Found in the Basic panel under the Presence heading, and also via the Local Adjustment tools, Clarity increases or decreases midtone

Photography News | Issue 14