Recently I am trying out black and white effect and next level or advanced level of B&W will be duotone or tritone.

I have learned some technique how to do duotone and today i would like to share with our pixelraves’ reader how to archive it step by step in Photoshop CS3.

Here is the start photo with color.

Step 1: Go to Image -> Adjustments -> Channel Mixer

Step 2: In Channel Mixer, convert the photo to grayscale mode by select the preset to “Black & White with Orange Filter“, make sure the Output Channel is Gray. Adjust the source channels value for Red, Green and Blue to your like. and click OK.

Now you get a basic Black & White photo.

Step 3: Even you got Black and White photo, but you need to convert to Grayscale mode before you can select the Duotone mode. If you can see the Duotone mode enabled, the reason is you are not in Grayscale mode.

Step 4: After you have converted to Grayscale and Duotone, you will get Duotone Options dialog box. Usually the Ink 1 will be Black, Ink 2 you can whatever color you want. In this tutorial, I have selected light blue from PANTONE 306 C. Hold on, you are not done yet. You can further enhance your duotone effect by changing the value of the curve. Once you have satisfied the adjustment, click OK.

Here is the final Black & White photo with Duotone effect.

We have added a new member to our family (camera), Panasonic Lumix LX2.

The reason I bought this LX2 because of 28mm, 16:9 ratio aspect, Range finder like :D.

Now yAu yAu took over Fujifilm Finepix F31fd.

After I have used LX2 for 1 week, I have identified some Pros and Cons for both cameras.

F31fd’s Pros:

1. Excellent high ISO quality. Used until ISO1600 also no problem.

2. Fast Operation.

3. Vibrant color.

4. Face detection.

5. Fast auto focus.

6. Clearer LCD - 230,000 pixels

7. Easier to find pouch for storage F31fd because the lens is in the body when power off.

F31fd’s Cons:

1. No 28mm wide angle.

2. No Image Stabilizer.

LX2’s Pros:

1. 28mm wide angle.

2. The photo more perspective with 16:9 ratio aspect.

3. Full manual control, similar to DSLR.

4. AE/A Lock.

5. 9 auto focus points - allow selective focus as well.

6. Auto-Bracketing - 3 photos from -2 to +2.

7. Allow capture in RAW format.

8. Flash power compensation.

9. Mega OIS works like a charm. ISO200 is enough to take in door shot without flash.

10. Histrogram

11. Highlight feature to tell you the photo is over exposed.

12. Solid built, and beautiful like Range Finder.

LX2’s Cons:

1. Poor image quality at ISO400 and above. Try to use ISO400 or below.

2. No face detection.

3. Slow auto focus.

4. Due to the lens barrel, quite difficult to find pouch for LX2.

5. RAW file size too huge, about 20MB each.

6. You can’t choose not to take JPG while shooting RAW. (RAW+JPG)

We went to Foto Shangri-La in Lowyat Plaza last weekend and saw a gentlemen was testing a Canon 400D. The way he hold the DSLR was wrong (see the 1st picture below) and still many people out there don’t know how to hold DSLR. Therefore we want to share how to hold DSLR properly in order to get the right grip and you will be free from blur shots, especially at slow shutter speeds.

Using your left hand to hold the side of the lens will be fine for compact point and shoot camera but you should avoid this with DSLR. If you do this, you can’t adjust the zoom and focus controls easily. The most important is this way very difficult to hold the camera steady because of your lens’ weight.

This way also wrong because if you are using heavy lens, you wouldn’t get proper support as well and most slightly your finger will blocked your view.

Below is the correct way to hold your DSLR. Keep your elbows as close to your body as possible. Use your left hand to support the weight of your lens and you will find this is better way to adjust the zoom and focus ring.

If you are using long lens without image stabilizer, tripod or monopod, you can lean your body on a solid object like wall to reduce the camera shake as well.