In general, the cardinal rule of operating high powered lasers is: do not to shoot lasers AT people. In the US, laserists are required to keep the lowest laser beams about 3 meters above...
The post basic safety rules for operating a high powered laser appeared first on Laser | LED Lighting Trend.
In general, the cardinal rule of operating high powered lasers is: do not to shoot lasers AT people. In the US, laserists are required to keep the lowest laser beams about 3 meters above...
The post basic safety rules for operating a high powered laser appeared first on Laser | LED Lighting Trend.
Lasers are usually labeled with a safety class number, which identifies how dangerous the laser is: Class 1 is inherently safe, usually because the light is contained in an enclosure, for example in CD...
The post laser classes appeared first on Laser | LED Lighting Trend.
1). Luminous Flux (Ô) The SI unit of luminous flux is the lumen (lm). The luminous flux Ô [lm] indicates all the radiated power emitted by a light source in all directions. 2). Candela...
The post LED Knowledge appeared first on Laser | LED Lighting Trend.
Lasers are usually labeled with a safety class number, which identifies how dangerous the laser is: Class 1 is inherently safe, usually because the light is contained in an enclosure, for example in CD...
The post laser classes appeared first on Laser | LED Lighting Trend.
1). Luminous Flux (Ô) The SI unit of luminous flux is the lumen (lm). The luminous flux Ô [lm] indicates all the radiated power emitted by a light source in all directions. 2). Candela...
The post LED Knowledge appeared first on Laser | LED Lighting Trend.
Although I first visited Laos when I taught in Bangkok, I never spent much time there beyond a few visa runs to Vientiane. This year, on my recent trip through the region, I sought to change that and decided to finally explore the country, jaunting up and down its length.
Overall, I spent about three weeks in Laos. While I left with a laundry list of things I still want to see and do (Plain of Jars, I promise to see you next time!), my time there gave me an excellent insight into how much you need to travel around Laos.
I always had this image of Laos being super cheap, probably stemming from the fact that it's less developed than its neighbors, so I just assumed it would be more affordable — a Cambodia/Vietnam-style cheapo-utopia!
I was wrong though: Laos was more expensive than I thought. Street food and bus rides often double the price than in neighboring Thailand. The only thing that seemed cheap was the beer!
At first I thought I was doing something wrong. Was I missing something? Was I just being oblivious to super cheap Laos? Had I lost my travel ninja mojo? I try to uncover as many inexpensive ways to experience a place as possible, but Laos was leaving me stumped.
But after speaking with some local writers, I realized that I hadn't missed anything. Laos is simply expensive when compared to its neighbors — for good reason.
Laos, a very poor and undeveloped country, is landlocked and so has to import everything, raising prices for all goods, services, and transportation (so remember that when you try to bargain that tuk-tuk driver down 20 cents!). Few things are locally produced. When combined with little domestic food production, high petrol prices, and a stalled commodities sector due to suspended projects with China, you have the recipe for country with higher-than-average prices for the region.
While Laos will never be found on a list of expensive countries, it's not the bargain you might expect given the region of the world it is in.
How much does Laos cost?
I think $20-35 USD a day is a reasonable budget. This will allow you to get your own private room, eat local food, drink, and do what you want. Here are some typical prices in Laos (in Laotian Kip. 8,100 Kip = $1 USD):
Dorm room: 30,000-40,000
Private rooms with ensuite bathroom: 80,000-120,000
Boat from dock to Don Det (4,000 Islands): 15,000
Bungalows on Don Det: 50,000
Overnight buses: 150,000-200,000
Tuk-tuk: 30-50,000
Bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng: 90,000-130,000
Shared tuk tuk to Kuang Si waterfalls (Luang Prabang): 30,000
Entrance fee to attractions: 15,000-25,000
Restaurant prices for Lao food: 20,000
Restaurant prices for Western food: 40,000
Street food: 15,000-20,000 per dish
Bike rentals: 15,000
Public toilets: 2,000-5:,000
Sticky rice: 10,000
Big beer Lao: 10,000
Dark beer Lao: 15,000
Water: 3,000-8,000
Tubing in Vang Vieng: 55,000 (plus 60,000 deposit)
If you stay in dorms, eat local food from markets, drink just a little, and take the local bus between destinations, you can get by on $20 US per day. If you want your own room with A/C and hot water, look to spend closer to $30-35 per day. After that, the sky is really the limit – but it's a low limit!
My friend Kunal visited me and — being on no budget — just spent as if money was going out of style. We worked out that even with his million meals (the guy eats like a hobbit), private rooms in hostels, transportation, activities (like tubing), and constant buying rounds of beer, he still managed to only spend $40-45 a day. If you spent like Kunal but got nice, more boutique accommodation, I would budget about $60 per day.
If you are coming here as a backpacker or moderate budget traveler, you'll be hard pressed to really spend a lot.
How to Save Money in Laos
Though expensive relative to its neighbors, Laos is still a cheap country to visit. You have to try to spend money here.
Besides the normal "stick to the local food/transportation" common sense travel wisdom, one of the most effective ways to save money, though, is to book all your activities and transportation on your own. Don't go through your hostel or a tour company. Most attractions are near cities and don't require you to go with an organized group. You can either rent a motorbike or hire any number of tuk-tuk drivers.
For example, when we went to Kuang Si waterfall in Luang Prabang, most hostels wanted 60-80,000 kip for the trip. You can simply join one of the taxis from the center of town for 30,000 kip, get more time at the waterfalls, and be on your own schedule.
On the opposite side of that, my friends and I got a bus to Vientiane from the company our hostel used – one of those cater to tourists outfits. It was $5 more than the public bus but it was more convenient. However, we left an hour later and there were numerous stops. We would have saved time and money if we organized transportation right from the bus station.
Lastly, there is a lot of cheap accommodation to be found on the website Agoda. You'll even find cheap guesthouses under $10 and hostel dormitory rooms listed on the website. While you can definitely wander around and find accommodation on your own, Agoda has a lot of options if you want to pre-book.
I wish I could tell you some amazing ninja ways to save money in Laos, but honestly, just stick to the local food and transportation, don't overdo it on drinks, avoid tour operators, and use some common sense. You can't overspend here.
Laos may not be as inexpensive as its neighbors but it is still a value country, and the prices and tips here can help you budget on your next trip there.
The post The Cost of Traveling Laos appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
Although I first visited Laos when I taught in Bangkok, I never spent much time there beyond a few visa runs to Vientiane. This year, on my recent trip through the region, I sought to change that and decided to finally explore the country, jaunting up and down its length.
Overall, I spent about three weeks in Laos. While I left with a laundry list of things I still want to see and do (Plain of Jars, I promise to see you next time!), my time there gave me an excellent insight into how much you need to travel around Laos.
I always had this image of Laos being super cheap, probably stemming from the fact that it’s less developed than its neighbors, so I just assumed it would be more affordable — a Cambodia/Vietnam-style cheapo-utopia!
I was wrong though: Laos was more expensive than I thought. Street food and bus rides often double the price than in neighboring Thailand. The only thing that seemed cheap was the beer!
At first I thought I was doing something wrong. Was I missing something? Was I just being oblivious to super cheap Laos? Had I lost my travel ninja mojo? I try to uncover as many inexpensive ways to experience a place as possible, but Laos was leaving me stumped.
But after speaking with some local writers, I realized that I hadn’t missed anything. Laos is simply expensive when compared to its neighbors — for good reason.
Laos, a very poor and undeveloped country, is landlocked and so has to import everything, raising prices for all goods, services, and transportation (so remember that when you try to bargain that tuk-tuk driver down 20 cents!). Few things are locally produced. When combined with little domestic food production, high petrol prices, and a stalled commodities sector due to suspended projects with China, you have the recipe for country with higher-than-average prices for the region.
While Laos will never be found on a list of expensive countries, it’s not the bargain you might expect given the region of the world it is in.
How much does Laos cost?
I think $20-35 USD a day is a reasonable budget. This will allow you to get your own private room, eat local food, drink, and do what you want. Here are some typical prices in Laos (in Laotian Kip. 8,100 Kip = $1 USD):
Dorm room: 30,000-40,000
Private rooms with ensuite bathroom: 80,000-120,000
Boat from dock to Don Det (4,000 Islands): 15,000
Bungalows on Don Det: 50,000
Overnight buses: 150,000-200,000
Tuk-tuk: 30-50,000
Bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng: 90,000-130,000
Shared tuk tuk to Kuang Si waterfalls (Luang Prabang): 30,000
Entrance fee to attractions: 15,000-25,000
Restaurant prices for Lao food: 20,000
Restaurant prices for Western food: 40,000
Street food: 15,000-20,000 per dish
Bike rentals: 15,000
Public toilets: 2,000-5:,000
Sticky rice: 10,000
Big beer Lao: 10,000
Dark beer Lao: 15,000
Water: 3,000-8,000
Tubing in Vang Vieng: 55,000 (plus 60,000 deposit)
If you stay in dorms, eat local food from markets, drink just a little, and take the local bus between destinations, you can get by on $20 US per day. If you want your own room with A/C and hot water, look to spend closer to $30-35 per day. After that, the sky is really the limit – but it’s a low limit!
My friend Kunal visited me and — being on no budget — just spent as if money was going out of style. We worked out that even with his million meals (the guy eats like a hobbit), private rooms in hostels, transportation, activities (like tubing), and constant buying rounds of beer, he still managed to only spend $40-45 a day. If you spent like Kunal but got nice, more boutique accommodation, I would budget about $60 per day.
If you are coming here as a backpacker or moderate budget traveler, you’ll be hard pressed to really spend a lot.
How to Save Money in Laos
Though expensive relative to its neighbors, Laos is still a cheap country to visit. You have to try to spend money here.
Besides the normal “stick to the local food/transportation” common sense travel wisdom, one of the most effective ways to save money, though, is to book all your activities and transportation on your own. Don’t go through your hostel or a tour company. Most attractions are near cities and don’t require you to go with an organized group. You can either rent a motorbike or hire any number of tuk-tuk drivers.
For example, when we went to Kuang Si waterfall in Luang Prabang, most hostels wanted 60-80,000 kip for the trip. You can simply join one of the taxis from the center of town for 30,000 kip, get more time at the waterfalls, and be on your own schedule.
On the opposite side of that, my friends and I got a bus to Vientiane from the company our hostel used – one of those cater to tourists outfits. It was $5 more than the public bus but it was more convenient. However, we left an hour later and there were numerous stops. We would have saved time and money if we organized transportation right from the bus station.
Lastly, there is a lot of cheap accommodation to be found on the website Agoda. You’ll even find cheap guesthouses under $10 and hostel dormitory rooms listed on the website. While you can definitely wander around and find accommodation on your own, Agoda has a lot of options if you want to pre-book.
I wish I could tell you some amazing ninja ways to save money in Laos, but honestly, just stick to the local food and transportation, don’t overdo it on drinks, avoid tour operators, and use some common sense. You can’t overspend here.
Laos may not be as inexpensive as its neighbors but it is still a value country, and the prices and tips here can help you budget on your next trip there.
The post The Cost of Traveling Laos appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
How to open a locked bathroom lock or bedroom lock video Part 1 by Mr. Locksmith. At Mr. Locksmith I get several calls a week from customers locked out of Bathroom or Bedrooms. Most of the bathroom locks are very simple to open. This short video is to help you open the 99 percent of bathroom locks.
The post How to Open a Locked out of Bathroom or Bedroom Video by Mr. Locksmith Part 1 appeared first on Mr Locksmith Calgary.
How to open a locked bathroom lock or bedroom lock video Part 1 by Mr. Locksmith. At Mr. Locksmith I get several calls a week from customers locked out of Bathroom or Bedrooms. Most of the bathroom locks are very simple to open. This short video is to help you open the 99 percent of bathroom locks.
The post How to Open a Locked out of Bathroom or Bedroom Video by Mr. Locksmith Part 1 appeared first on Mr Locksmith Calgary.
I love travel stories — whether entire books, short stories, or blog posts. I can never get enough!
Since I'm on my computer so often, I'm always looking for new blogs to quench my literary thirst. I read hundreds of new blogs each year, and most of them I decide I can live without. But I always find a few gems, and I want to showcase the blogs I started reading often in 2015:
Kiersten's site focuses on the intersection of fashion and travel. She gives tips and advice for women on what wear, pack, and see while overseas and focuses more on higher-end, comfort travel than I do. I think her blog is one of the best for female travelers and, though it's not targeted to me, I find useful information that I share with others. Kiersten and I are friends, and I love seeing her site grow and expand, especially over the last year. She seems to be everywhere!
This popular YouTube channel by Nadine Sykora documents her experiences as she travels around the world. Nadine's zany, nerdy take on travel makes her videos entertaining to watch! She's funny, smart, and a bit awkward, but her filmmaking style really puts you there in the destination with her. There's a reason she's one of the biggest travel channels on YouTube!
Gary Leff is the "OG" of travel hacking. While I read many travel-hacking blogs, I follow Gary because he provides industry analysis and behind-the-scenes information on loyalty programs and airlines. Gary doesn't just provide trip reports or share deals and reward opportunities, he gives you context and greater understanding of how travel hacking and airlines operate.
This is my go-to resource for all travel-related news and industry information. It breaks stories and provides detailed analysis on the latest trends in travel, on both the business and consumer sides of the industry. If you love travel as much as I do and think listening to what CEOs have to say about revenue and consumer tastes is fun, this is the only website that's worth reading.
I'm sure you're surprised to see BuzzFeed listed here, but hear me out: sometimes all you want is a little inspirational list to get you through the day. That's BuzzFeed. Its simple, easily digestible stories and portraits of travelers make me feel good. It may not have long-form writing or loads of practical tips, but it brings inspiration to others, and I'm a fan of its quirky angles and funny stories!
My kindred spirit, Earl is a vagabonding nomad backpacker like myself. We both love budget travel, backpacking, blogging, and everything in between (and yes, we're good friends in real life too). I read Earl's blog because he goes to places few people ever visit (Kurdistan, anyone?) and tells raw, honest travel stories that don't sugarcoat the travel experience. Very few blogs do that, and for that, I think he's one of the best travel websites out there. I've been reading him for years and he deserves a feature! (He's also one of the few other bloggers I know that doesn't accept sponsored content or trips!)
Mark and I go back to the days when I was living in Bangkok. Mark blogs about food, especially Asian food. He's my food guru when it comes to all things Southeast Asian and has detailed information on where to eat and what to order throughout the region. But more than that, he tells the story of the place and its culture through the food he's eating. It's not just about what dishes to order — it's about how food has shaped culture and vice versa.
These seven blogs aren't the only ones I read, and since it's been a year since I've written about my favorite travel blogs, here's a list of some of the classics that shouldn't be forgotten:
There you have it: my current reading list of websites and blogs! I hope you add them to your reading list and enjoy them as much as I do.
P.S. – I'm hosting a meet-up in Bangkok next Sunday, December 27th. If you're in town, come join for a post-Christmas, pre-New Year gathering! Click here for the event information and RSVP!
The post My 7 Favorite Travel Blogs of 2015 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
I love travel stories — whether entire books, short stories, or blog posts. I can never get enough!
Since I’m on my computer so often, I’m always looking for new blogs to quench my literary thirst. I read hundreds of new blogs each year, and most of them I decide I can live without. But I always find a few gems, and I want to showcase the blogs I started reading often in 2015:
Kiersten’s site focuses on the intersection of fashion and travel. She gives tips and advice for women on what wear, pack, and see while overseas and focuses more on higher-end, comfort travel than I do. I think her blog is one of the best for female travelers and, though it’s not targeted to me, I find useful information that I share with others. Kiersten and I are friends, and I love seeing her site grow and expand, especially over the last year. She seems to be everywhere!
This popular YouTube channel by Nadine Sykora documents her experiences as she travels around the world. Nadine’s zany, nerdy take on travel makes her videos entertaining to watch! She’s funny, smart, and a bit awkward, but her filmmaking style really puts you there in the destination with her. There’s a reason she’s one of the biggest travel channels on YouTube!
Gary Leff is the “OG” of travel hacking. While I read many travel-hacking blogs, I follow Gary because he provides industry analysis and behind-the-scenes information on loyalty programs and airlines. Gary doesn’t just provide trip reports or share deals and reward opportunities, he gives you context and greater understanding of how travel hacking and airlines operate.
This is my go-to resource for all travel-related news and industry information. It breaks stories and provides detailed analysis on the latest trends in travel, on both the business and consumer sides of the industry. If you love travel as much as I do and think listening to what CEOs have to say about revenue and consumer tastes is fun, this is the only website that’s worth reading.
I’m sure you’re surprised to see BuzzFeed listed here, but hear me out: sometimes all you want is a little inspirational list to get you through the day. That’s BuzzFeed. Its simple, easily digestible stories and portraits of travelers make me feel good. It may not have long-form writing or loads of practical tips, but it brings inspiration to others, and I’m a fan of its quirky angles and funny stories!
My kindred spirit, Earl is a vagabonding nomad backpacker like myself. We both love budget travel, backpacking, blogging, and everything in between (and yes, we’re good friends in real life too). I read Earl’s blog because he goes to places few people ever visit (Kurdistan, anyone?) and tells raw, honest travel stories that don’t sugarcoat the travel experience. Very few blogs do that, and for that, I think he’s one of the best travel websites out there. I’ve been reading him for years and he deserves a feature! (He’s also one of the few other bloggers I know that doesn’t accept sponsored content or trips!)
Mark and I go back to the days when I was living in Bangkok. Mark blogs about food, especially Asian food. He’s my food guru when it comes to all things Southeast Asian and has detailed information on where to eat and what to order throughout the region. But more than that, he tells the story of the place and its culture through the food he’s eating. It’s not just about what dishes to order — it’s about how food has shaped culture and vice versa.
These seven blogs aren’t the only ones I read, and since it’s been a year since I’ve written about my favorite travel blogs, here’s a list of some of the classics that shouldn’t be forgotten:
There you have it: my current reading list of websites and blogs! I hope you add them to your reading list and enjoy them as much as I do.
P.S. – I’m hosting a meet-up in Bangkok next Sunday, December 27th. If you’re in town, come join for a post-Christmas, pre-New Year gathering! Click here for the event information and RSVP!
The post My 7 Favorite Travel Blogs of 2015 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
Choosing the right type of lock can help make a more secure home for your family. Luckily, there are several basic types of locks to choose from, including: knob locks, multi-point and rim automatic dead latch.
Here are the 3 common types of locks:
One of the most common type of door locks, knob locks are used on all kinds of doors; front door, bedroom door, garage doors or rear patio doors. These locks have knobs on both sides One side has a lock and the other side has a key hole to unlock the door. When replacing a knob lock, be sure to determine which side of the door the lock is on — you’ll need a right-hand knob lock for a doorknob on the right side of the door, a left-hand knob lock for a doorknob on the left side of the door. Because the locking mechanism is inside the knob (instead of the door) it can be easily broken with a hammer, wrench or rock and shouldn’t be the main security lock on a front door. Source: Angieslist
A multi-point locking system has a minimum of three locking points that all lock simultaneously by the turn of a key. These are most common on patio or French doors – typically uPVC doors – and less common for main entrance points. Some properties may use such a lock on the principle point of entry, though, and insurers will assess risk accordingly. Source: GoCompare
Front door type lock that locks when the door is shut, it often looks like a brass metal box on the inside of the door. It is fitted to the inner surface of the door as opposed to being set into the edge of the door like a mortice lock. Most rim locks will not meet the spec though as very few have a locking handle on the inside. This is needed to prevent thieves making an easy exit. Source: MoneySavingExpert
Now that you know the different types of locks, it’s time to choose a good locksmith for you. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please give us a call or contact us here.
Contact:
Mr. Locksmith Calgary
555 Maidstone Drive NE
Calgary, Alberta T2A 4B6
Canada
Phone: (403) 800-9185
The post 3 Common Types of Locks appeared first on Mr Locksmith Calgary.
Choosing the right type of lock can help make a more secure home for your family. Luckily, there are several basic types of locks to choose from, including: knob locks, multi-point and rim automatic dead latch.
Here are the 3 common types of locks:
One of the most common type of door locks, knob locks are used on all kinds of doors; front door, bedroom door, garage doors or rear patio doors. These locks have knobs on both sides One side has a lock and the other side has a key hole to unlock the door. When replacing a knob lock, be sure to determine which side of the door the lock is on — you'll need a right-hand knob lock for a doorknob on the right side of the door, a left-hand knob lock for a doorknob on the left side of the door. Because the locking mechanism is inside the knob (instead of the door) it can be easily broken with a hammer, wrench or rock and shouldn't be the main security lock on a front door. Source: Angieslist
A multi-point locking system has a minimum of three locking points that all lock simultaneously by the turn of a key. These are most common on patio or French doors – typically uPVC doors – and less common for main entrance points. Some properties may use such a lock on the principle point of entry, though, and insurers will assess risk accordingly. Source: GoCompare
Front door type lock that locks when the door is shut, it often looks like a brass metal box on the inside of the door. It is fitted to the inner surface of the door as opposed to being set into the edge of the door like a mortice lock. Most rim locks will not meet the spec though as very few have a locking handle on the inside. This is needed to prevent thieves making an easy exit. Source: MoneySavingExpert
Now that you know the different types of locks, it's time to choose a good locksmith for you. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please give us a call or contact us here.
Contact:
Mr. Locksmith Calgary
555 Maidstone Drive NE
Calgary, Alberta T2A 4B6
Canada
Phone: (403) 800-9185
The post 3 Common Types of Locks appeared first on Mr Locksmith Calgary.
Today, professional photographer Laurence Norah of Finding the Universe, finishes his five part series on taking better travel photos. Photographs are an important part of the travel experience and, with so many of you being budding photographers, Laurence is here to help you improve your photography skills. In part five, Laurence is giving some simple post-processing techniques that you can use to make your travel photos wow your friends and family!
One of the most misunderstood parts of digital photography is what happens after you take the shot: the post-processing. This is where you edit the images you have taken, to create the final product.
Post-processing is the equivalent of the darkroom from the days we shot in film.
In today's post we're going to be covering some ideas for post-processing, from the basics (cropping and leveling), through to more complicated actions like recovering shadow and highlight information.
Before we get into editing, let's start by taking a look at some different file formats and software options for post-processing — on both mobile phones and computers — and then dive into some real-world examples.
Every single photo that is taken is digitally edited in some way. When you press the shutter button, the camera saves the image data onto your memory card. If you're shooting in RAW, the camera records just the image data onto the memory card, meaning that you are going to have to "develop" it yourself. Think of a RAW file as a roll of film — you can get images from it if you develop it, but you can't flick through the images as they are.
If you're shooting in JPG, then the camera will process the image for you, based on pre-defined profiles. Your camera will let you define these profiles — changing things like contrast, saturation, and sharpness, and will apply them to the JPG.
This is why I always recommend shooting in RAW — it's more work after the fact, but it puts you firmly in control of the image editing process, rather than letting your camera make all the decisions for you. RAW files also contain a lot more data about the image, giving you much more control over your finished image.
Here is a list of the best editing tools out there:
Adobe Lightroom (PC or Mac) –Lightroom is the industry standard tool for photography professionals. But this post is not going to focus on Lightroom, nor cover everything you can do in Lightroom, as it's a massively complex tool, covering both photo management and photo editing.
iPhoto (Mac) – I list iPhoto here mainly because it's a commonly used tool among Apple users. However, I personally never recommend using it. While it will let you do everything that I cover in this post and is better than nothing, the way it manages your photos makes it hard to migrate to a more sophisticated system further down the line if you choose to do so.
Picasa (PC or Mac) – Picasa is a free desktop photo editing application from Google. It's very simple, but it allows you to do everything I'm going to cover in today's post. If Lightroom is a bit overwhelming, Picasa is a great, free place to start.
Snapseed (iOS or Android) – Another free Google tool, Snapseed is the best mobile image-editing app for both iOS and Android. It's an incredibly powerful tool that, while simple to start using, has a great many features that take time to fully master. I use it for 95% of my mobile editing needs.
Let's take a look now at what you can and should be using these tools for with your images.
1. Cropping
The crop tool allows you to change the size of your image, and also to change the aspect ratio. For example, you can crop an image from a rectangular shape to a square shape. There are many reasons you would want to crop, including for publishing in different formats and aspect ratios.
Let's take a look at the first photo from this post, a lightning shot I took on a recent trip to the Florida Keys. Here's the original version without cropping:
And the edited version, post-crop:
Compared to the original, I have cropped the image to remove the dark part of pier on the right-hand side of the image, and recomposed using the rule of thirds, so I have one-third land and two-thirds sky. This makes the lightning bolt more the focus of the shot.
You might wonder why I didn't just compose properly when taking the shot. Well, in this case, I was doing a long-exposure shot without a tripod, so had the camera balanced on the edge of the pier for stability. That very much limited my ability to perfectly frame the moment, so I just shot wider, knowing I'd be able to crop the shot appropriately after the fact.
Let's look at what cropping looks inside a couple of the tools available.
Here's an example of cropping in Snapseed:
And the same thing in Lightroom:
In both cases, cropping is very simple: it just involves you selecting the crop tool and then selecting the area you want to keep with your mouse or finger. Then you apply the changes, and voilà, your new cropped image is ready to go.
As you see from this and later examples, the tools look similar across different platforms, so it's easy to apply the learning you have from one tool to another.
2. Leveling
One of my personal petty annoyances in photography is when the horizon line in a photo isn't level. Sometimes when we're caught up in the moment, this basic compositional rule is forgotten — but the good news is that editing a photo to make it level is also very easy.
I'll use the lightning shot as my example again. Balancing the camera on the edge of the pier meant that the shot wasn't level — this is particularly noticeable to the eye when the image has a clearly defined horizon line, such as the sea.
If we look at a zoomed in version of the image in its original form, with a line overlaid near the horizon, we can see that it's not level — the line is closer to the horizon on the right-hand side than the left.
In Lightroom, the level tool is part of the crop tool, and you can just rotate the image to suit. When you use the level tool, a grid will appear to help you get the alignment correct. Here's a screenshot of that in action in Lightroom.
And here's the same procedure in Snapseed, where the level tool is called "Rotate":
Leveling an image is a really simple task that will take just a few seconds of your time, resulting in a much more visually pleasing image.
3. Vignetting
Vignetting is about making parts of the image darker or lighter than other parts, in order to make it clearer what the subject of the shot is.
Some tools restrict your vignette to the corners, but in applications like Snapseed and Lightroom you can selectively darken and lighten areas of the image — you don't need to restrict yourself to the corners.
Taking the lightning shot above, let's load up the vignette tool in Snapseed.
Here we have options for how big to make the "center size," i.e., the area to be edited. Inside this area, everything can be made brighter (inner brightness) and everything outside the area can be made darker (outer brightness). We can also do it in reverse, making the inner darker and the outer brighter.
Let's apply the vignette tool to the lightning bolt, to give you an idea of the effect:
Above are the settings I chose for outer brightness and inner brightness, while below is the size of the vignette itself, which is based on the center size setting.
Vignetting is particularly good for portraits, and anywhere where you really want to make the subject of the image more clearly obvious to the viewer.
4. Shadows and Highlights
Sometimes when we take a photograph, parts of the shot might end up being darker or brighter than we want. We refer to the dark areas of the shot as shadows, and the bright areas of the shot as highlights.
We can fix this by changing the brightness of the shadow and highlight areas specifically, using either the "Shadow" or "Highlight" tool. This is a tool that works particularly well on RAW files as they retain more information on the shadow and highlight areas of an image compared to a compressed JPG, which discards most of this information in order to save file size.
Let's take a quick look at adjusting shadows and highlights using Lightroom. In Snapseed, shadow and highlight adjustment can be found under the "Tune Image" setting.
Here's a shot of a couple enjoying a bonfire and fireworks display in Edinburgh during Hogmanay:
As you can see, the fireworks and bonfire are clearly visible, as are the torches the couple are holding, but the rest of the shot is dark. Let's adjust the settings and see what we can get.
In this version of the image the couple is much more visible, as are the hill the fireworks are on and the surrounding crowd.
To achieve this I increased the overall exposure of the image, making the whole image brighter, including the shadows and the highlights.
Then, as the shadow areas were still a little dark, I increased those a little more.
Finally, as the global exposure adjustment made the fireworks and bonfire too bright, I reduced the highlights a little bit to give the final result.
Shadow and highlight adjustment is useful in a wide range of scenarios to help balance the image out — bringing overexposed areas down in brightness, and helping to boost the shadows. Just be aware that a light touch is recommended — increasing the brightness of the shadows too much can result in a lot of noise being revealed, which might look unnaturally green or purple.
5. Adjust the Contrast
Contrast is about accentuating the difference between the light and dark parts of the image. Increasing the contrast of an image can dramatically improve the visual impact that is has, by making the boundaries between those light and dark parts clearer.
Let's take a look at a shot of people jumping against the sunset in the Sahara, for example, which I'll be editing in Snapseed.
There is nothing too wrong with this shot, but it lacks the visual impact that I wanted. Ideally, I would want the shapes of the people to be in full silhouette against the sun, but as it was shot the camera picked up some skin tones and clothing color.
Using the contrast tool, we can make the dark areas stand out against the bright areas.
And here's the result:
As you can see, this made the jumping figures and the dune more silhouetted against the sky. In most shots, you only want to tweak the contrast a little bit to get the desired effect, normally no more than +20 or so, but in this case the higher number gave the best result.
6. Colors
Color adjustment is another important piece of the editing toolkit. We can adjust image color in all sorts of ways, from changing the overall "warmth" of the image (how blue or yellow it appears), to individually changing the hue and saturation of specific colors inside an image.
For this post, though, I just want to cover some very simple color changes you can use to make your images just a little more visually impactful.
The fastest way to adjust an image's color is with the "Saturation" tool. This changes the appearance of every color in an image to make it more or less saturated. We can use the saturation tool to desaturate an image, eventually resulting in a black-and-white image with no color:
Or we can go all the way to the other end of the spectrum, and make the color incredibly saturated:
As with many edits, the key is to find a good balance — oversaturated images tend to look rather unnatural. Desaturated images can be very effective, and of course black-and-white is an excellent choice for all sorts of situations, in particular, portraits, architecture, and certain landscape scenes. But generally you would want to find a happy midpoint: not too oversaturated and not too undersaturated.
Saturation is adjusted on a sliding scale and is on the basic adjustments panel in Lightroom, or the "Tune Image" option in Snapseed.
7. Blemish correction
The last area I'm going to touch on today is blemish correction, or "image healing." Sometimes there will be something in an image that you really don't want to be there, like an inconvenient pimple on someone's face. This is easy to remove in all the major editing tools.
You can, in theory, remove any object from a scene, but the healing tool works best on distinct, small objects that are surrounded by uniform colors. This is because the heal tool has to replace the area you wish to remove with something else, and this works best when it has an area nearby that looks similar. So for example, a pimple on a face is surrounded by a lot of similarly colored skin, so the heal tool can easily calculate what to replace the pimple with based on the surrounding area.
For this example, I'm going to show how Snapseed can be used to replace an object in a scene. Here's a group of people sitting on a sand dune in the Sahara:
Let's say for some reason I only wanted to have people sitting in my shot, and I need to remove the standing person. She is a good candidate for removal as she is separate from the rest, and the surrounding scenery is not too complicated.
In Snapseed, we load up the healingtool, then we zoom in on the object to be removed with the standard "pinch to zoom" gesture.
Next, we use our finger to draw the area to be removed. It's important to be as precise as possible, because the tool is most accurate with small objects.
Once we have drawn the area, Snapseed will edit it out, replacing it with a best guess of what is behind the object.
As you can see, the result is impressive, with no real evidence that there was anyone standing there at all.
The healing tool is perfect for all manner of fixes, from editing out unwanted background strangers in your shot, to removing skin blemishes in portraits or power lines in landscape shots.
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And we're done! This five-part series has touched on a wide range of photography aspects. Of course, the reality is that photography is a complex and deep subject, and in this series I was only able to touch on some of the basics but this series will give you plenty to think about, and lots of ideas for getting out there and actually improving your photography!
Laurence started his journey in June 2009 after quitting the corporate life and looking for a change of scenery. His blog, Finding the Universe, catalogs his experiences and is a wonderful resource for photography advice! You can also find him on Facebook, and Instagram.
OTHER SECTIONS IN THE SERIES:
Part 1 – How to Take Professional Travel Photos
Part 2 – How to Shoot the Perfect Travel Photograph
Part 3 – Camera Gear: How to Not End Up With the Wrong Equipment
Part 4 – How to Take the Perfect Photo: Advanced Techniques
P.S. – I'm hosting a meet-up in Bangkok next Sunday, December 27th. If you're in town, come join for a post-Christmas, pre-New Year gathering! Click here for the event information and RSVP!
P.P.S.- My print book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day is 37% off on Amazon! If you need a last minute Christmas gift, I hear this is the perfect one for those with a case of wanderlust!
The post 7 Post-Processing Tips to Improve Your Travel Photographs appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
