Free study question - DPChallenge Forums

Pentax D-FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW

02/14/2009 08:58:20 AM · #1

I have a photo that I probably should have selected for a challenge that I was thinking of entering in the free study challenge. The question is: do photos that were obviously shot for a different challenge do poorly in free study? "hmmm, postit notes--tired of seeing those... 1"

K3Master

Pentax K-3

02/14/2009 09:06:50 AM · #2

I think any time you submit something that falls into the realm of a challenge that was recently done runs the risk of getting the "Tired of seeing that" vote.

Then again, because of the over-saturation of just about everything now, it runs the risk of the "Tired of seeing that" vote.

So just enter what you like, and realize that Free Studies will almost always end up with either A) A hyper-realistic landscape or B) A hyper-realistic portraiture or C) A hyper-realistic set-up studio shot as the usual suspects in the Top 10. (At least, in the months that I've been here.)

Message edited by author 2009-02-14 09:07:39.

Nobody

Pentax K-S2

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Pentax

02/14/2009 09:12:25 AM · #3

Originally posted by K10DGuy:

And don't you dare enter anything with water.....

(sorry, couldn't resist) :)

K3Master

Pentax K-3

Pentax D-FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW

02/14/2009 09:16:42 AM · #4

Originally posted by Nobody:

Originally posted by K10DGuy:
I think any time you submit something that falls into the realm of a challenge that was recently done runs the risk of getting the "Tired of seeing that" vote.

Then again, because of the over-saturation of just about everything now, it runs the risk of the "Tired of seeing that" vote.

So just enter what you like, and realize that Free Studies will almost always end up with either A) A hyper-realistic landscape or B) A hyper-realistic portraiture or C) A hyper-realistic set-up studio shot as the usual suspects in the Top 10. (At least, in the months that I've been here.)

And don't you dare enter anything with water.....

(sorry, couldn't resist) :)

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED

02/14/2009 09:36:47 AM · #5

I'm not foolish enough to think I'm going to get anywhere in the free study challenge. I'm curious as to people's reactions to it. Though I think free studies are judged harsher... I'm not sure I want to know...

bother.

ErikV

Nikon D7000

02/14/2009 11:50:49 AM · #6

Also depends on the topic of the specific challenge. For example a post-it note will fail miserably in the free study, whereas a good looking tree with some nice landscape in the background that was taken for the tree challenge may be OK for the FS.

02/14/2009 12:23:04 PM · #7

Originally posted by vawendy:

If it's what I think it is, go for it! Process it to perfection (you have two weeks to do that) and let 'er rip. The antecedent image isn't gonna be anywhere NEAR the front page, and hardly anyone is gonna make the connection IMO, during FS voting, nor care if they do.

R.

Message edited by author 2009-02-14 12:23:21.

02/14/2009 01:22:50 PM · #8

Problem is, I don't know how to process it much more than I already have. I'd probably do some dodging and burning, but levels, saturation, dodging and burning and unsharp mask are the only things I know what to do with. That's also why the postit challenge is bothering me--with the processing that I did, it could have gone in a basic editing challenge. I'm afraid I'm going to do a lot worse in member challenges because I don't know what to do in the advanced editing.

FireBird

02/14/2009 02:00:32 PM · #9

Originally posted by K10DGuy:

Or a hyper-realistic portrait of an ugly bug.

People will vote for it without hesitation because, deep down inside, they love ugly bugs.

02/14/2009 02:02:44 PM · #10

Originally posted by vawendy:

Well, that's how you LEARN isn't it? Remind me what program you're using?

R.

02/14/2009 02:27:42 PM · #11

Originally posted by fir3bird:

Originally posted by K10DGuy:
I think any time you submit something that falls into the realm of a challenge that was recently done runs the risk of getting the "Tired of seeing that" vote.

Then again, because of the over-saturation of just about everything now, it runs the risk of the "Tired of seeing that" vote.

So just enter what you like, and realize that Free Studies will almost always end up with either A) A hyper-realistic landscape or B) A hyper-realistic portraiture or C) A hyper-realistic set-up studio shot as the usual suspects in the Top 10. (At least, in the months that I've been here.)

Or a hyper-realistic portrait of an ugly bug.

People will vote for it without hesitation because, deep down inside, they love ugly bugs.

Wow! my 100mm macro isn't enough, now I want a 180mm! My bugs aren't nearly as ugly through my 100mm

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

02/14/2009 02:28:07 PM · #12

I'm using elements

I'm more than happy to learn--I've been going through challenge winners that have obviously been adjusted, and looking at the comments the photographers have made. I didn't know that HDR existed. So I downloaded the trial full photoshop, and have been playing with that. Also looked up how to approximate it in elements using layers. can't be used very easily on complex things, but it pretty cool with sunsets, etc.

Doesn't seem to be a curves equivalent in elements, and I notice that people are using that a lot.

I'm curious why people are doing multiple unsharp masks in the row, and I have yet to play with that. I'm just not sure how to go about the rest of it. The elements books that I've seen are more into special effects like putting my face on my dog's head.

Message edited by author 2009-02-14 14:53:31.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

02/14/2009 03:23:10 PM · #13

Originally posted by vawendy:

Doesn't seem to be a curves equivalent in elements, and I notice that people are using that a lot.

I'm curious why people are doing multiple unsharp masks in the row, and I have yet to play with that. I'm just not sure how to go about the rest of it. The elements books that I've seen are more into special effects like putting my face on my dog's head.

Some versions of Elements have had 3rd-party plugins which add Curves -- otherwise, it's one of the best arguments for springing for Photoshop itself.

I often apply less-extreme USM to help prevent the development of halos at the high-contrast edges. You can experiment by taking an image with a lot of edge detail and trying the following settings:
(A)
100%/diameter 1.0/Threshold = 5 (apply once)
(B)
50%/diameter 0.5/Threshold = 5 (apply twice)

Compare the results at 100% and 200% magnification. USM settings are extremely image-dependent ... there's no one setting which works for everything. More examples here ...

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

02/14/2009 03:32:33 PM · #14

I appreciate the information very much--I'll play around with it. I have a tendency to play with only the diameter as well, so I do need to learn more about the feature.

Is photoshop really worth the money, or can I limp through with elements? Even with the educational discount, it's pretty pricey for us... I guess, in other words, what features does photoshop have that elements doesn't that makes it worth spending the money on? Even at the educational price, it's still a lot of money...

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

02/14/2009 04:00:45 PM · #15

Curves is really the one feature which -- to me -- makes a significant difference. I'm really not familiar with Elements, so I don't know what else is lacking, but this one can make a difference, but probably not enough to spend big bucks on. It performs the same functions as Levels but with far superior control and flexibility. See more examples here and look at the site Tutorials (under the Help menu) to learn more about them.

Curves are a very old feature -- you may be able to find an old, legal (sealed) copy of Photoshop you can use to try it out -- PS often came bundled with scanners (sometimes in a Lite Edition), often bought by people/businesses who already had the full version. For example, I do almost all of my DPC/photo editing using Photoshop 5.0; though I have the latest version available at work, I rarely need any of its later features.

Pentax D-FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW

02/14/2009 04:11:59 PM · #16

If Elements doesn't have Shadow/Highlight adjustment, that's arguably the best reason to spring for Photoshop. Incredibly powerful tool.

R.

K3Master

Pentax K-3

02/14/2009 04:15:35 PM · #17

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

If Elements doesn't have Shadow/Highlight adjustment, that's arguably the best reason to spring for Photoshop. Incredibly powerful tool.

R.

Too powerful. It is dangerous to let it fall into the wrong hands!

02/14/2009 04:30:23 PM · #18

Elements has a stripped down version. three slides--lighten shadows, darken highlights and midtone contrast. Looks like photoshop has a few more options on this.

02/14/2009 04:38:53 PM · #19

Originally posted by vawendy:

Elements has a stripped down version. three slides--lighten shadows, darken highlights and midtone contrast. Looks like photoshop has a few more options on this.

Oh yeah, big time. I'm working with it right now, actually, on a shot. Killa...

R.