Recommended Software for Editing

We at StreamlineImage.com have been asked on the kinds of tools we use in order to achieve the look we get on our images. For a simple answer... EVERYTHING!

To be more in depth we use everything from MS Word for the simple things, to Photoshop for the ultimate operations.

To get into the gritty details on cleaning up photographs and adding effects we use Adobe Photoshop for 90% of our work which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. But for the more simplistic and quick editing work that needs to get done we use Corel Paint Shop Pro.

Corel Paint Shop Pro has a much less price point than Adobe Photo Shop but don't be fooled by the price or even its popularity. Paint Shop still holds its own when it comes to performance. To be quite honest it actually works faster and better to do all of the simple things from resizing, cropping, and file saving to its beefier counterpart. It also allows much more options for customizing your shortcuts which Photoshop limits you in.

But that is where it pretty much ends the advantages Paint Shop has over Photo Shop. Photo Shop on the other hand has an unlimited amount of filters that cannot be matched by any software out there. One company in particular that has honestly reached the full potential of ease and quality in their filters/plugins is Imagenomic. Their claim to being the "Best Plugins for Photoshop" has honestly been unmatched by anyone in our opinion. Any plugin that Imagenomic creates to be used in Photoshop is amazing! Pay them a visit and you will see what we mean.

Simple tutorials can be searched online in order to pull off an effect that you might have seen somewhere. But most of our work was created by simply toying with the already built in filters that come with Photoshop. By utilizing the filter and editing its settings, you will surprise yourself on what you can pull off. So do not be bias to just one software. Every single one out there always has something to offer so keep yourself versatile!

For video editing, that is another world it itself. We mainly use Sony Vegas & Final Cut, but we will touch on that on another discussion in the future.

Recommendations for Aspiring Models/Actors

To all of the aspiring models and actors out there looking to have professional photographs taken from a photographer, here are Streamline Image's recommendations...

First and foremost the importance of having proper images for your portfolio is essential in order to nail that audition. With each audition in mind you might want to gear the portfolio specifically to that particular audition. With that said, make sure you have your mind set on the look you are going to portray in a photo shoot prior to the shoot taking place. Although spontaneous and improvised photo shoots are welcomed by many, you should also have something planned and set for a particular theme or look instead of just "winging it."

Assuring you have the proper clothing/outfits is one half of the journey, the other half would have to be location. Keep in mind what agencies and talent agents are looking for. Test out clothing prior to the shoot in order to prepare yourself better, perhaps even get your hair changed. If going for simple head shots or close-ups assure that you are wearing the proper amount of make-up, this goes for both men and women. This will help alleviate the editing that will most definitely be done graphically on digital images.

Any good and self respecting photographer today will always examine all of the potential images via computer. If one simply takes the images you ask for and hands over the work agreed on, then there is not enough communication between you and that photographer. You would have to ask yourself "Is this the right photographer for me?" On too many occasions Streamline Image photographers have acquired a client that always had a back story to a prior photographer's experience. When asked if they were happy with the images from that prior experience, they have always said no or not 100% happy.

Simple mistakes that should be the photographers' responsibility should come at no charge to the client to fix the images. As an example; if lighting was the issue on the set whether it was over exposed or not enough lighting, it can be an easily fixed mistake with simple graphics processing on a computer. This is quality checking the work before you are totally satisfied with your portfolio images. All too often do we hear of other "Professional Photographers" having to charge an extra fee for very simple editing that can be done in mere minutes.

In conclusion to these recommendations, we wish all aspiring Models and Actors the best and encourage all to use your brain muscles and be open to all options and possibilities available to you.

-R. Cruz

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