HELP! I need help with challenge rules...

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

07/30/2008 08:04:11 PM · #1

Hi everyone... I just recently bought Photoshop CS3 Extended... I need a little help with the rules for basic editing. I just took a picture for one of the challenges and opened the RAW file in Photoshop Camera RAW via Adobe Bridge. Am I allowed to do ANYTHING I WANT to the entire RAW file in this window? i.e. exposure, temperature, sharpening, colour balance, saturation, ect...? Can I do anything MORE than that to my file?

Please let me know if that is allowed.

I also just took a picture for the "Fallen" advanced editing challenge. Can I Do all that stuff when I open it in Camera RAW too? Can I also make coppies of my background layer, change the levels/curves of those new layers and erase through parts of them? Then make adjustments with the dodge and Burn tool?

Also, for the advanced editing, can I take two pics, each with two different parts of my scene in focus, and them combine them in photoshop? (in order to gain a broad depth of field)

Let me know... thanks... I entered three pictures in three challenges so far but I was afraid to touch them so I just re-sized them and subitted them as-is out of the camera. I know that it hurt my score, but I was afraid of being disqualified...

Please help me with the rules so that I can submit better Quality pics =)

Thanks everyone =P

.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

07/30/2008 08:37:30 PM · #2

For basic editing, in Camera Raw, you can do almost everything it makes possible. The most notable exception that comes to mind is the use of the vignette tool, which is not allowed in basic editing. There may be other exceptions, but I'm not the arbiter of this of course.

Anything you can do in Camera Raw is legal in advanced editing.

Combining different exposures in advanced editing was designed to allow extended dynamic range. Others have pointed out that you can use the same approach to attain extended DOF. I know it's been discussed at length, and I *think* it was stated by SC that this would be acceptable, but it seems to me it's a gray area and you should talk directly with SC on this question.

R.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

07/30/2008 08:55:49 PM · #3

In Advanced, you can stack/combine multiple exposures of the same scene to improve dynamic range or depth of field, or to reduce noise (as in astrophotography), but not to add/remove objects or features. If your new image looks "the same" as any one of the source source files only "better" then you should be OK.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

07/30/2008 08:56:00 PM · #4

Thanks VERY Much!!!

Can someone else please Doubble Check the Basic Editing for me just as a Backup... Can I do anything I want in Camera Raw for Basic Editing? (Except adding A vegnette)

thanks

Lydia

Canon EOS-6D

07/30/2008 09:33:43 PM · #5

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

and erase through parts of them?

In basic editing, anything that is done has to be done to the entire image.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120 f/4 S

07/30/2008 09:46:14 PM · #6

sorry, read my original post again... i was referring to Advanced editing...

But I would still like someone to doubble check to rules for camera raw in basic editing... I read teh rules many times, but i'm still not sure...

Can someone re-clarify Bear_Music's response for me... I just want to be really sure about this before I submit an edited picture,

Thanks again everyone, I LOVE these challenges... they are taking up all my free time... which is good... and bad... because I am spending more and more time on them.. hehehe oh well, I'm hooked, thats all I can say... I don't care if I win, I just love having a little directing in my photography, rather than shooting random things, now I have a new goal each week, I LOVE IT!!!

bassbone

Nikon Z8

07/30/2008 09:57:11 PM · #7

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

Thanks again everyone, I LOVE these challenges... they are taking up all my free time... which is good... and bad... because I am spending more and more time on them.. hehehe oh well, I'm hooked, thats all I can say... I don't care if I win, I just love having a little directing in my photography, rather than shooting random things, now I have a new goal each week, I LOVE IT!!!

Glad you are excited about this place - and I can understand the enthusiasm, but I gotta be honest here...how much do you love DPC if you vote so incredibly low in challenges?

07/30/2008 10:40:13 PM · #8

hahaha, you can see my voting score eh? The score is low because three of the five challenges I have voted in are still in my voting process... There are like 250 pics in the still life alone... I usually go through them and vote on them to get a good picture of the entries, then I go through them again more carefully... I'm very harsh at first, but they go up during the second round... hahaha, you picked the worst time to check my voting score

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

07/30/2008 11:15:20 PM · #9

I have had to go over my voting several times to think things over... I think that the more challenges you enter, the more accurate your voting becomes... I always try to be as fair as possible...

Judi

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

07/30/2008 11:19:05 PM · #10

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

I have had to go over my voting several times to think things over... I think that the more challenges you enter, the more accurate your voting becomes... I always try to be as fair as possible...

What is your voting range?

07/30/2008 11:27:04 PM · #11

well, if something looks really good, i give it a 10 if something is almost there it gets 7-9, if there is a good effort, but a lack in technical skills I go for 5-7 and leave a comment if I know what went wrong. If I feel that it's a poor effort and that they just fired it off just to make it into the contest then about 3. for anything below 3 i don't know if i should vote or just skip it...

What do you think? help me out...

EstimatedEyes

Fujifilm GFX 50R

Fujifilm GF 45mm f/2.8

07/30/2008 11:28:38 PM · #12

Hey Eric, welcome to DPC! Be careful, it will suck up all your time. I think Bear answered your questions about Camera RAW. Personally, I think its a little early for folks to start callnig you out on your voting patterns .... you've only been a member for 10 days! Give it time, you'll find your way. But above all, vote honestly with what you think a picture deserves. As long as your scoring is consistent, you've got nothing to apologize for. Like most, my guess is the longer you hang around the more your average vote cast will rise ... but that will be totally up to you. From what I see from your posts, you're on the right track.

07/30/2008 11:29:40 PM · #13

BTW my current voting average is not a good representation of my voting because I have only voted in 5 challenges... the sample is too small to get an accurate average...

07/30/2008 11:30:44 PM · #14

Thanks =) I totally agree =)

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/31/2008 12:34:42 AM · #15

ONE more question... My July free study entry is of something with a sky... I increased teh saturation on the blue... but that made the sky too blue... can I make another copy of the original background (that is NOT too blue) and erase through it so that my final image is two layers of the same pic combined... just that the top layer is jsut the black sky from the original image layered over the background which has a bluer sky (which is now hidden behind the second layer... is this ok?

Then I flattened it, cropped it, resized it and lowered teh quality...

Am I safe to do this??? help me ASAP, thanks

Message edited by author 2008-07-31 00:56:24.

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

07/31/2008 12:38:53 AM · #16

You need to edit that post to remove the references which might identify your shot - shouldn't discuss entries that are in challenges, or going to be in challenges.

You can make additional copies of your original and use parts of those in ADVANCED editing, yes.

The basics about Basic - any adjustment you make must affect the whole picture - no selections, no erasing, no layering of copies. In basic, use only adjustment layers, no duplicate layers. Hope this helps!

Judi

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

07/31/2008 12:39:57 AM · #17

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

ONE more question... My July free study entry is of a (edited)I increased teh saturation on the blue... but that made the sky too blue... can I make another copy of the original background (that is NOT too blue) and erase through it so that my final image is two layers of the same pic combined... just that the top layer is jsut the black sky from the original image layered over the background which has a bluer sky (which is now hidden behind the second layer... is this ok?

Then I flattened it, cropped it, resized it and lowered teh quality...

Am I safe to do this??? help me ASAP, thanks

That should be okay....but I am not SC...you are better off sending them a ticket and requesting them to look at the before and after images prior to the challenge. Preferrably not on the last day. Also...please edit your text so as not to reveal what your entry is prior to the challenge. I know you are new here, so I am just telling you this to help you. Good Luck!

Message edited by author 2008-07-31 00:40:22.