Canon 400D Hints and Tips

How to fake a tilt-shift photograph effect using photoshop

True Blue — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:07:31 +0000

1. Open the photograph in Adobe Photoshop and click onto “quick mask mode”.

2. Select the gradient tool.

3. Select the “cylindrical gradient reflected gradient”.

4. Draw vertically upwards from where you want the point of focus to be up the screen to the top of the window, and release the mouse button. A red transparent line should appear.

5. Go back into “Standard Mask Mode”.

6. Go to Filter > Blur > Lens Blur (Or if you have Photoshop 7.0 use Gaussian Blur).

7. Then select the amount of blur you’d like. You can experiment with the radius value a bit to see what amount of blur looks best.
(Optional) For a more “plastic” feel you can increase the saturation and contrast in the photo.

There you have it – job done! Its always a good bet to use a photo taken from a high viewpoint.

How to set your camera to shoot in RAW mode

True Blue — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:13:57 +0000

Surprising, not a lot of people know how to get their Canon set to shoot photos in raw mode. This is how it’s done. First put your camera on one of the `creative` settings,Manual or AV, then press the menu button.

In the first `camera` icon go to quality then press set.From here you can adjust from large,medium, small and RAW.You cannot access this setting if the camera is in full auto.

Microsoft ICE panorama at Tatton Park

True Blue — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:11:48 +0000

Took a trip to Tatton Park at the weekend so thought I’d give Microsoft ICE another run for its’ money with an attempt at a hand held panorama with my Canon 400D. The results weren’t bad either, especially on such a grey day.

Incidentally, has anybody got any tips to improve a photograph taken on a dull day. Please le me know!

Setting your canon 400d to shoot in Black and White

True Blue — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:46:20 +0000

For Black and White photos, on your Menu, Select Picture Style – Monochrome.

low light photography – increase ISO when shooting after dark

True Blue — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:19:46 +0000

So you’re out late one evening with your camera and you spot a photo opportunity, but you done have your tripod.

This doesn’t mean you have to accept your shots will be shaky or give up. Instead, use your D-SLR’s ISO range to its fullest and enjoy the freedom of shooting hand-held in low light.

It’s inspiring to see the details and tones that you could capture in the dark. Also, consider that when shooting at ISO1600 or above, the grain can actually enhance the mood.

How to update your Canon software to ensure the best RAW processing results

True Blue — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:16:35 +0000

The newest version of Canon’s DPP (Digital Photo Professional) comes bundled free when you buy their latest D-SLR. However, this updated version is available for download to everyone, whatever model you own. As long as you have a version of DPP on your computer, no matter how old, you can download the update.

To update your version:

visit http://software.canon-europe.com
Choose your camera model by scrolling through the list
Choose your operating system and language from the drop-down menus
Then click of DPP Updater in the list of software
Finally, once downloaded, install the update, following the instructions that appear on screen

Capturing a full moon in the night sky – part 3

True Blue — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:07:12 +0000

Another clear night sky tonight and a full moon, so I camped out in the back garden in an attempt to get a good shot.

After some jiggery pokery, I managed to capture this snap… not as good as the crescent moon earlier in the week!

Experimental panorama photography at Chester’s historic Racecourse

True Blue — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:29:33 +0000

Earlier today I download Microsoft’s ICE (Image Composite Editor) from http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/ice/. This is a great photographic image stitching tool.

Yes, I know you’re probably asking, why not use the Canon software bundled with your camera? Well, I’ve lost the CD! If anyone know’s where or how I can download it from, please let me know.

Itching to give it a try I shot a few angles of Chester Racecourse this lunch time and then loaded them into Microsoft ICE. Here are the results. Not bad, for a quick mess around without a tripod.

Are there any benefits to shooting RAW with your Canon 400D?

True Blue — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:05:52 +0000

As far as I can see, the key benefit of shooting in RAW mode with my Canon 400D is the increased depth of colour it gives you to play around with your photos. Then again, when you convert them to JPG, you’re back to 8-bit colours.

Another benefit of RAW is usage of Digital Photo Professional (DPP), the free software that comes bundled with your Canon camera. This allows you to adjust Exposure Values, White Balance, Colour Tone, Colour Saturation and the amount of sharpening to transform a dull shot in just a few clicks.

You can also switch between picture modes, no matter what style was selected in the camera at the time of shooting.

Be warned, this can be heavily time consuming!

Capturing the moon in the night sky – part 2

True Blue — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:58:55 +0000

I bought a cheap manual focus 500mm lens on ebay about a year ago, but have never been able to really put it through its paces before tonight. Spotted a clear night sky, so I camped out in the back garden and gave it a try. A bit fiddly with the manual focus, but you seem to enjoy greater control in manual mode.

After some jiggery pokery, I managed to capture this snap…

The vital statistics are:

Focal length: 500mm
Exposure: 1/100
ISO level: 1600

Not a bad result for a manual focus!