Picture 1161.jpg
by Travis99

Comment:
I have one last trick for you on this one. Although I really like it this way, and you may too, here is another PS chop that may put a final touch on the result. This one is tricky, cuz there are so many variables to something that 'sharpens' the image.

The Unsharp Mask (a Filter that actually sharpens) can be used to drive a very noticable contrast boost and also seems to 'unhaze' digital pics.

Choose Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask.
Select a sharpen value somewhere in the 10-40% range.
Select a radius from 50 - 200 pixels.
Select a threshold/layers/channels of 0.

Play with this just to get a feel for what it does. Sometime too much is too easy to do, less radius and less sharp often work in conjuction.

Have fun with this one ;-)

Winter
by thatcloudthere

Comment:
Very honest and well thought out critique. You're right, the lighting of the weeds is too dark, but you can overcome that with the fill flash on a very low setting. At the risk of blasphemy, I would also mirror image the one on the right to help balance out the shot.

You have done very well in balancing the weight of each individual frame and that is half the battle. I am not sure I know what you mean by the stem comment as I find the stem size vs main subjects to be very good. More stem might require a much heavier border set to bring it back into perspective.

7 Faces Of W
by gusto

Comment:
Saw this tonite. Wish I had been able to vote on it, but sat Lucky 7 out on all voting.

Background a bit distracting, how about a selective desat of the background and leave the buttons color?

Cowspace
by Remie

Comment:
Reminds me of Pink Floyd :-) That alone puts it high on my list.

Landmark Outtake
by HRoxas

Comment:
Something in the sky coloration vs buildings reminds me of those 1950 World's Fair pictures. Not sure if this is the feel you were going for but it is quite pleasant. I have no critique of this photo. It is very good, but the UFO in the background on the right side is somewhat distracting.

Egg Splash
by Luxvich

Comment:
What an increadibly striking picture! Some may find the splash thing old, but this really fits both Yellow and Yellow leading to impact! A stop or two too high on the exposure as some of the highlights are really blown out and the yolk is just barely on the bleached side, but overall I don't think this *really* hurts the shot. The outer rim reflections are somewhat distracting and I think the lower exposure might have hidden them a bit better. Really like the border's 'finishing touch' to this one. First one I have commented on this round and I think this is solid top ten material.

Cat Scan
by Brad

Comment:
I was unable to vote in this challenge but "Congrats again" Brad. So funny that the top two in this round are a Cat and Mouse game both related to the Mystical Brad ;)

Rage
by SDW

Comment:
I like it a lot, the green streaking in the back against the blue and white of the water is conflicting. A bit less blur in some select areas of the angelhair effect to show the bubbling water (like in the center left area of water) would add to the conflict. Great job with including the texture of the tree! Very artistic.

The Lamp, The Spirit, and the Sword.
by Arcanist

Comment:
I would like to thank all who commented on this image. This challenge has been a revelation to me in many ways and as I saw the common thread of grain and distraction, I had to really re-evaluate this submission and what I thought was important for 'the art.' Thankfully the comments were focused on the major distraction in this image and it made a massive impact on my view of the end result.

So, for three days, I learned more about PScs, grain, noise reduction and even considered reshooting the work. Someday the reshoot will happen, but I already know from the comments that I can do much better with some effort.

... and so: for my own personal notes as I work on this this week:

I can see the link to low tech in the oil lamp, there is no question here. The addition of the books is secondary, but their coloration against the background could be interpreted as them being more important. The largest distration in this is the background fabric's texture and the grain. They directly compete with the detail in teh leather of the forward book. The grain can stay, but it must be muted considerably to achieve the effect and not distract. Either the doily (sp?) or the backdrop need to be removed/changed. The crop is fine as it pulls the whole together, but it just seems too busy.
Using a lantern is a challenge in itself. Notice the fog in the mid-section of the flume. As the glass heats up from being cold, it will fog like that for about an hour. Take your picture after the flume has heated properly and there will be less fog. Makes for a much nicer picture and more even lighting. This would look much more natural on a dark/old wooden desk or stand. Good attempt but too many distracting elements that a bit more polish would have easily overcome.
...stay tuned for (revisited).

Message edited by author 2004-12-07 05:45:06.

Batteries not necessary.
by grandmarginal

Comment:
The subjects inadverdantly frame the screen door bringing a lot of focus to it. I think desaturation here may have detracted from the whole. Would like to see the red of the swiss army knife and the weathering of the hiking boot. The item in the lower right corner is washed out and distracting.