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How to get your images organised using Corel’s AfterShot Pro

Step by step

I absolutely love taking images. But when it comes to filing them for future use, it’s something I know I should do but there are always more interesting things going on! Corel’s new AfterShot Pro software combines an easy to use filing system with a range of editing tools covering most tasks.

Editing in AfterShot works differently to most image editing programs. You can work with a group of images and any changes you make are non-destructive. Instead of changing the original image, AfterShot records the changes and saves them alongside your original. It’s only when you

come to output the picture, for example as a print, that AfterShot applies the edits.

So why do it this way? Well, repeated edits can reduce image quality, especially with JPEG files. Non-destructive editing avoids this. Also you can have lots of versions using the same original image, say a black and white version and a sepia one. AfterShot just keeps these as separate editing recipes, no need to copy the original.

The way you file your images can be as simple or complex as you want. This article looks at using the folder system, which may be all you need.

Organise, edit and catalogue your images with Corel® AfterShot™ Pro software. As Andrew Williams demonstrates, it’s easy when you know how

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ABOVE AfterShot Pro is non-destructive, which means the original file is never touched until you output the image. It also means you can make multiple copies and apply different effects, as we’ve done here.

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Browsing made simple Once you’ve launched AfterShot Pro, choose the File System view from the tabs on the left. You can browse your folders just

like in Explorer or Finder. Opening a folder of images shows thumbnails so you can select the images to work on. Here you can quickly tag your best shots with stars or coloured flags.

Compare and contrast Clicking the multi-view icon at the bottom right of the screen lets you select several images for comparison. If you’re working

with Raw format files, you don’t have to convert them to start editing. With non-destructive editing, the conversion happens when you export or print the image. JPEG or TIFF files can be edited using the same tools.

Let’s get things straight My selected shot needs some work, it’s underexposed and on a tilt. Select the Straightening tool from the bottom of the screen

to display an alignment grid. Find a straight line in the image and line it up against the grid – I used the name printed on the valve. Select the Crop tool; clicking the Fit button removes the white space.

make a new version To create a new Version I right click on the thumbnail and select Version>New Version from Current. Now I can work on this

independently from the original. AfterShot Pro includes ‘Perfectly Clear’ technology. Clicking the tick box makes a good start for correcting the overall exposure and a small increase in Vibrancy completes the job.

Try a black & white version too I also want a monochrome version so I’ve created a third Version. Remember, each Version isn’t a copy of your original;

it’s just an alternative set of editing instructions. Clicking the Plug-ins tab on the right-hand side, shows AfterShot Pro’s Black and White plug-in. Trying the various pre-sets I chose ‘Blue Channel’.

make a contact sheet Finally, let’s print a contact sheet. Select the images you want from the thumbnails. Drag these to the ‘Contact Sheet’ in the

Printing panel. Right clicking ‘Contact Sheet’ lets you chose Settings from the menu where you can set up the page. You can also save your choice for future use. Click the Print button to print.

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Easy ways to organise and edit your images using Corel® AfterShot™ Pro

Step by step

In April’s issue, we took a look at Corel AfterShot Pro’s basic editing features using the File System view. This mode may be all you need, but moving images into the Library opens up many more features for finding and cataloging your images without having to create duplicate original files.

Suppose you took a great landscape shot of Tower Bridge at night on a visit to London. With a filing system you might store it in a folder called ‘London Trip March 2012’. But what happens if you want to find all your bridge shots, or all your London shots, or maybe all your night shots? By

storing your pictures in the Library, these are easy tasks. Just add the keywords ‘London’, ‘Night’ and ‘Bridge’ to the shots and you can find any similar images, wherever they are on your computer.

With the Library you also have the advantage that you can view a set of images even though they are spread about different folders. This is better than the File System view where you only see the selected folder’s pictures.

Remember, the Library does not contain your master images, it just keeps a large thumbnail and a record of where the master is stored.

The Library function on Corel AfterShot Pro enables you to quickly organise and edit your shots, regardless of where they are on your computer. Andrew Williams shows you how...

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ABOVE AfterShot Pro allows photographers to quickly search, find and edit their photographs to produce the best possible result while freeing up more time to get out there and take more images.

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Select a folder To start working with the Library, just right mouse click a folder in File System view and select Import Folder from the menu.

In the dialog box you can add keywords which apply to all the images; I’ve added ‘Chester’ and ‘Landscape’. You could also select any preset development settings like monochrome conversion.

pick your best shots That’s all there is to it. The next job is a quick flick through the images rejecting those which didn’t work. This is easy in

Standard View moving from picture to picture using the arrow keys, marking images as pick (full stop key) or reject (comma key). Using the Magnifier (` key) lets you check focus.

Enhance an image I decided to enhance this butterfly shot using some of the more advanced features. I created a Version to work on and began

with small corrections to Exposure. Selecting the Color tab reveals the Curves panel. Dragging the line downwards darkens the shadow areas, then dragging the right side upwards has restored the highlights.

Use a plug-in Moving to the Plug-ins tab, I darkened the edges using a plug-in called Vigne, free when you register AfterShot. By adjusting

the strength of the effect centred on the butterfly I can darken the vegetation making the subject stand out. I’ve displayed the guides showing the extent of the effect. Turn these off when you’re finished.

Compare your results I’ve some other butterfly shots to compare with this one. In File System mode I’d have to open each folder in turn to find these.

In Library mode, because I added the keyword ‘Butterfly’, I can show them all by selecting the whole Catalog then clicking on the keyword in the Metadata Browser.

Refine your searches You can make complex searches using the Metadata Browser. For example I needed some images of track cycling. Clicking on

the ‘Velodrome’ keyword finds these, there are 477! Clicking the Refine button locks this filter. By selecting the 1600 and 800 ISO values and shots taken with flash I can get down to 13 images to choose from.

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