help with processing - DPChallenge Forums

02/08/2007 08:37:46 PM · #1

Those of you that have looked at my profile know that normal processing is not my strong suit. I have been working on it lately and was looking for some advice. here is my original shot

I wanted to edit it to give it a Rockwell feeling so not completely natural but pretty close. I would like to know if I did ok and what should I have done differently feel free to edit my original to show me.
here are my steps

used lens correction and cropped

shadows highlights

levels used auto levels

curves RGB 44-26 99-115 194-231
Red 52-8 150-137 205-228
green 38-32 124-131 200-225
blue 21-33 149-126 253-240

color fill layer filled in black in hue mode set to 48% opacity and 40% fill

photo filter cooling(80) set 43% in hue mode applied only to top part

photo filter warming (85) set to 68% in normal mode applied only to the bottom part

color balance midtones +68 (moved over to red) set to 68% opacity

here is my edit

02/08/2007 09:29:57 PM · #2

nobody?

jenesis

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

02/08/2007 10:20:38 PM · #3

by Rockwell, are you referring to Ken? I've been trying to play with this but, I unfortunately am not the best at natural edits of landscapes. I think you've improved on the image quite a bit. My thoughts are that it's a bit too much on the yellow side. I do like, however, all the hightlights you were able to bring out of it going from what looks like a very dreary overcast day to something much warmer and more vibrant. I don't know if natural would be a word I would use to describe it though.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. :(

02/08/2007 10:36:35 PM · #4

Actually i was thinking of Norman rockwell something you would see on the post(without the families of course) I know it is not exactly natural.

02/08/2007 10:46:19 PM · #5

Probably those that were curious, like me, are kind of trying to figure out what and how. Your edit seems overly harsh & contrast, far more than would be seen in a N. Rockwell piece. I've done a couple edits, tossing everything but my tangled up phone cord at it, and come up with realistic and nice, but certainly not a Saturday Evening Post cover.

Maybe I'll find a bigger phone cord to throw at it, or at least an old one...

02/08/2007 11:22:47 PM · #6

thanks for the thought Brad. one of these days i will figure out when to stop. till then here is something else i should ahve stopped about 5 steps ago:)

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

02/09/2007 12:24:31 AM · #7

I took a snap at it:

jblaylockrayner

Nikon D2Xs

02/09/2007 01:33:51 AM · #8

Here I had a quick go - As someone said before I think your post processing just looked a fraction too yellow if you were going for natural. Plus adding text and borders etc starts to take away from the image - What was it that you were after?
He is my effort.
Cheers
Jeff

02/09/2007 02:42:56 AM · #9

I watered the grass while I was there...

--and poof!-->

Message edited by author 2007-02-09 02:45:31.

02/09/2007 02:53:28 AM · #10

Originally posted by Brad:

I watered the grass while I was there...
--and poof!-->

HOLY CRAP!!!

eta: you are my new hero!! :)

Message edited by author 2007-02-09 02:55:01.

02/09/2007 02:57:49 AM · #11

his picture just needed a little water.
OK, a LOT of water.

02/09/2007 03:03:38 AM · #12

Originally posted by Brad:

his picture just needed a little water.
OK, a LOT of water.

HOW did you do that?? Wait... aren't you working on a "repair" tut??

02/09/2007 03:04:48 AM · #13

I wouldn't exactly call this Norman Rockwell (he didn't do soft focus) but it's kind of pleasant...

And do NOT water the grass; that's a slippery slope leading to a life of servitude...

R.

02/09/2007 03:06:05 AM · #14

Originally posted by TCGuru:

Originally posted by Brad:
his picture just needed a little water.
OK, a LOT of water.

HOW did you do that?? Wait... aren't you working on a "repair" tut??

Just select the grass and throw a color shift into it...

R.

Kinda like this :-) Except I have better fertilizer so my grass is greener...

Message edited by author 2007-02-09 03:12:35.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

02/09/2007 03:11:52 AM · #15

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by TCGuru:

Originally posted by Brad:
his picture just needed a little water.
OK, a LOT of water.

HOW did you do that?? Wait... aren't you working on a "repair" tut??

Just select the grass and throw a color shift into it...

R.

Really? I will have to go try that... RIGHT NOW! :) thx

jblaylockrayner

Nikon D2Xs

02/09/2007 03:13:54 AM · #16

Now thats amazing - There is always something to learn on this site!
Finally I can get that pic of the Grinch I shot in Black and White to work out!

02/09/2007 03:13:59 AM · #17

The tutorial is done, and was a complete makeover one, not a repair.
Something like 36 700x500 px printscreens, and simple, beginner-level step-by-step instructions. Should be fun. Langdon was going to try and get it online last night, but with his schedule around these parts, it wouldn't surprise me to see it a week from now. I had the before & after shots in my WS folder, but had to dump 'em cuz' I'm out of space.
:(

This edit?
Slow, adjustments in a new layer, erase back what I didn't want changed, flatten, and repeat about 30 times, each with a different area getting the attention. Sponge tool to desat the house, dodging to brighten, some white painting in overlay mode.
(the grass is easy - shift the whole area yellow, then hue/sat adjustment in the yellow over to green, drop saturation and brightness down, then selective adjustments in the green and yellow)

02/09/2007 03:14:24 AM · #18

Originally posted by TCGuru:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by TCGuru:

Originally posted by Brad:
his picture just needed a little water.
OK, a LOT of water.

HOW did you do that?? Wait... aren't you working on a "repair" tut??

Just select the grass and throw a color shift into it...

R.

Really? I will have to go try that... RIGHT NOW! :) thx

See my green version below: you will select the grass, then play with hue, saturation, and lightness all at the same time to get what you want. Probably oversaturate and then darken. Did mine all in the master channel. You could experiment with using the red and the yellow channels instead.

R.

02/09/2007 03:20:20 AM · #19

Just seeing if I could change it :) yayyyy!

I will be waiting for that tut to come online Brad!

eta: this is KENTUCKY blue grass :) lol

Message edited by author 2007-02-09 03:21:51.

02/09/2007 03:25:06 AM · #20

Originally posted by TCGuru:

Just seeing if I could change it :) yayyyy!

I will be waiting for that tut to come online Brad!

eta: this is KENTUCKY blue grass :) lol

jejejeâ�¢ We have created another monster :-)

R.

02/09/2007 03:30:40 AM · #21

What I did to get mine the way it was, is to make a new layer via copy, then using the rectangular marquee tool, selected just above the grass level and dragged the box all the way down. Then I went to Image, Adjustments, Color Balance, and jacked the Highlights, Midtones and Shadows all to the Yellow side (looks pretty ugly), then in the Hue/Saturation adjustments, dropped the saturation of the Yellow, then hue shifted it green. Selective adjustments to the Yellow and Green channels, adding black and adjusting the yellow amounts, then back to hue/saturation for final tweaking and brightness adjustments.
Then while still in the layer, zoomed in, and grabbed a small, soft-edged brush eraser tool, set to 100% opacity & flow, and went and erased back areas I didn't want affected, such as the trees and horizontal division. When done, flattened, and did a little shadow burning to finalize the look.. Took longer to type it out than it did to do it.

02/09/2007 03:32:39 AM · #22

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

jejejeâ�¢ We have created another monster :-)

Yup - but at least she's a WHOLE lot better looking monster than us old ones.
:P

I see you narrowly missed getting the

with your horsie.

Message edited by author 2007-02-09 03:34:23.

02/09/2007 03:42:18 AM · #23

Originally posted by Brad:

I see you narrowly missed getting the with your horsie.

Yeah? I didn't see that. I'm off to look :-)

R.

02/09/2007 03:44:08 AM · #24

Originally posted by Brad:

Thanks! Copied and pasted this into a word doc :)