Advanced Use of Sumo Paint, a Free Alternative to Photoshop

My journey to advanced Sumo Paint usage began when I simply wanted to find a way to adjust the horizon level in beach photographs. I needed something free, good, and usable online (without needing a download.) Through research and talking to others with the same needs, I started using Sumo Paint.  Although I have learned several skills since May (see below), I remember first opening the program and feeling completely lost. I watched several Youtube videos, specifically from HalBe. 
Check out this one on "Working with Layers."



As I began to feel more comfortable with the program, I started to experiment. First, I tried to change the original image by modifying the Curves (Found under ADJUSTMENTS.) 

Here is a Before and After of one of my earliest attempts.



Here are two Afters which I personally think turned out much better than the originals.



One thing that kept escaping me was how to use layers, and use them with a level of confidence and expertise. 
See the reveal below: I can't wait to show you the finished image! I absolutely love it! Finally, I am starting to feel competent, but I had to master several skills first:

1. How to get rid of unwanted parts of an image and turn the remainder into a png file. I needed to do this in order to make sure when I blended the images I did not have white in those areas I erased.

2. How to change the colors of specific layers prior to composing my image (Try using the buttons under the ADJUSTMENT tab, like HUE, CONTRAST, etc. or the Drop Down List under LAYERS on the right-hand margin.) I like to make a copy of the image by right-clicking and duplicating the layer so I still have the original with which to compare it.

3. How to stretch and move images without affecting the other layers. I had to make sure to select the FREE TRANSFORM button under the EDIT tab (There are other ways to access it, but using this button was the easiest way to select the entire image.)

4. How to illuminate a photo using the LIGHT EFFECTS filter.

5. How to erase unwanted parts and/or lighten specific sections (easily done by erasing with a lower FLOW percentage) to add to the layering effect while composing the image.

Drum roll, please!!!! Here is the moment you have been waiting for... 

the big reveal!!!! :)

I took two of my images taken in Daytona Beach, Florida that I thought were "just okay" and combined them using the steps above. You can see the first one in the BEFORE, and the second one was of clouds I really liked. Needless to say, I am excited to try again. Failure definitely leads to success. The key is to never give up! Check out my other attempts here!

I would love to hear about your photographic breakthroughs, whether while shooting or in post-processing. Let's keep the conversation going!

Post questions, comments, and tips below.
Please do me a favor and share this post. :)

Talk to you soon!
 -Elyza

Starting an Online Photography Business in Four Easy Steps

Starting an Online Photography Business in Four Easy Steps

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"Lily Pond" -Image by Elyza Rodriguez Photography

Starting an online Photography Business, especially a Landscape Photography Business, is challenging, especially if you are not tech savvy. Yet, if photography is your passion, like it is for me, and you have the willpower, you can overcome any obstacles. And I am here to help! J As I travel on my journey as a landscape photographer, I invite you to come along with me, so you can learn from my experiences what to do, and what not to do. Please believe me, I will be completely honest about what works, and especially what doesn’t, because I want to give you the advice I would want as a new photographer. 

Step One

This first step is obvious. Take pictures, lots and lots of pictures, of whatever is meaningful to you. For me, it’s the perfect sunrise or sunset at the beach, or anything involving water. So, when I can’t make it to the beach, I head over to one of the many parks with lakes or streams that we have here in Central Florida.

One thing I had to learn, because I am my own worst critic, is to not erase photos. Now after I shoot, the first thing I do is to upload my pictures to my computer, without erasing any of them! Many images have died an untimely death as I delete what at the time does not seem absolutely perfect. Learn from my mistakes, don’t erase anything. I have found that just by waiting a few days to review my camera roll again, many pictures I planned on erasing are actually incredible shots.

Step Two

Get advice. While I don’t know many people in the photography/blogging biz, I did not let that stop me. I started learning by watching videos I found on Youtube which focused on these three areas: photography, starting a photography business, and blogging. I was able to create a blog and a great looking photography business website simply by watching videos. Unfortunately, there was still a major hurdle that I needed to get past which might surprise you. More about that later!

"Sunrise Skies"- Image by Elyza Rodriguez Photography

All of my advice did not come from Youtube however. I enlisted the help of some tech savvy people (aka teenagers I know) to solve a major problem I was having with my photos. Without a solution, I am afraid I would have been stopped in my tracks. Here's why. When I first started taking photos, I discovered how to minimally edit them by adding contrasts, etc. and rotating the horizon as necessary (honestly, no matter how careful I am, I tend to take photos of the horizon at an angle), and also how to completely change a photo by adding cool effects. It sounds incredibly silly now, but I would upload photos to Facebook and then transfer them to Instagram to edit them. After picking up a printing order of over one hundred terrible photos, I discovered my error! The customer service representative explained what I’d done wrong. By moving the photos into Facebook and Instagram, I had reduced the file size. So, when I tried to print them to a regular size, the pictures were pixelated (grainy) and the color did not match the original files. Needless to say, I had to find a way to maintain the quality of my original photos. I knew I could edit them in Photoshop, but I needed a cheaper (or free), but similar alternative. My savvy advisors suggested I try Gimp, a free download, or Sumo Paint (online), which had all of the free features I needed without losing picture quality.

After reading lots of online reviews, I went with Sumo Paint which seems to be very similar to Photoshop. At least, the $4/month version is, but I found I could get by with the free version. Again, I generally use very little editing. Still, it was difficult for me to figure out what I was doing at first, even after turning to Youtube videos (Can you tell I am a big Youtube fan?). Admittedly, I am definitely an editing newbie, so layers, adjustments, and filters are mostly beyond me. Plus, when I started, I kept erasing my photos. Read below for the quick and easy steps to editing with Sumo Paint.

Editing Your Photos- Quick and Easy

1. First, either Google search SumoPaint or type in this URL, http://www.sumoware.com/home/. You can log on easily by clicking either Facebook, Google, or Twitter at the top. 

2. Click on the “Try Sumo Paint” button. If using the free version, you’ll want to minimize the Advertisement, Color Picker, and Swatches boxes on the right toolbar by clicking the arrows. 

3. Find the photo you want to edit using Open from my Computer, found in the File drop down box at the top of the page. I will normally reduce the size of the photo while editing in the Info/Zoom box on the right to about 14%. *On a few occasions, I have saved only part of the image, so my rule of thumb is you’ll save what you can see. 

*At the bottom of the frame, I will grab the right corner to expand the background, so my picture is surrounded by grey (important for the ease of rotating the picture). 

4. Click on the Free Transform tool on the left bar (a square with a dot in the middle); then, place your cursor to the upper left corner of the photo. Hold down the right mouse button as you drag your cursor to the bottom right corner to encompass the entire photo. 

*If you mess up at any time, just click the left arrow at the bottom of the tool bar. 

5. Place the cursor outside of one of the corners until you see a rotate arrow appear (It looks like a backwards letter C). Right click to make your adjustments. It took a lot of trial and error and almost purchasing another editing product to figure this out!

You're Almost Done!

6. Once you have finished rotating your picture, it will be necessary to crop out any white edges that are now showing. Select the cropping tool (on the left bar next to the Free Transform button). Then, like you did to rotate your image, right click and drag to fix your photo. It's easier if you start at an edge where you see the most white showing. Make sure to crop out the white edges from all four sides. Don't worry about cropping too much. If you make a mistake, use the undo arrow at the bottom of the left toolbar (not the back button, which will erase all of your work. I have done this too!) to go back to the previous step.

7. Finally, select Auto Levels in the Adjustment drop down box and then you are done. Obviously, there are a lot of other tools you can use, and Youtube videos to help you, but this works for me.

8. To save your edited photo, go back to file and select Save to My Computer. You’ll want to save it as a JPEG at 100% for the best quality. I always change the name of the file so I don’t erase the original. And that is it! Once you have edited your photos, you are ready for Part Three.

In the next part of the series Starting an Online Photography Business, we will take a look at how to create your photography business website and start selling your work. Until then, please check out my webpage by clicking on the image below and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.

"Harness the Light"- Image by Elyza Rodriguez Photography

Shopify makes it easy to open an online store by providing all the tools and help you need. Click here to try it for free!

It's Okay to Share

It's Okay to Share

Really! It's okay to share. Parents and teachers tell us this all the time, and yet when it comes to sharing my art, whether it be photography or some other project I have just finished, I struggle with putting myself out there. Just recently, I have decided to come out of my shell and share, for better or for worse. What's the worse that can happen, right? I think my biggest fear is the idea of "things once done, cannot be undone." Is this a rational fear? Is this something that other artists have struggled with? I would love to hear from you.

Where do I go from here?

For me, I have decided it is all or nothing. I will follow my passion! This weekend, I have created a Facebook photography page, an Ebay store, a YouTube channel, a Zazzle store, a Flickr account, as well as joining Fine Art America and setting up my sales page. I have also joined several groups on that site so I can pay it forward. I'll admit it. All this work is probably overkill on my part! :) Oh, before I forget, I want to thank another Fine Art America member, Brad Scott, because he paid it forward, as well, through several well-made (and easy to follow) Youtube videos. So, I thank him for getting me this far. My next step is to upload more than two photos to each site, which is all I could manage so far...

If, after reading this, you would like to "LIKE" my Facebook page or leave a comment, here is the link. Though I have just started, my only "LIKE" has come from me. What can I say, you have to start somewhere.