Green Phase reasons - DPChallenge Forums

03/14/2012 04:48:53 PM · #1

So, I was thrilled to get the score I did. However I did not like the PP result much and there were numerous comments about the blurred background and the contrast and the USM and so on.

I have one simple answer; that is I have no flipping idea how to process an image.

Everything looks good to me until someone points it out, then it is like a dagger in my eye and I don't see anything but the problem, but it is too late at that point.

The problem I had with this shot was it was on a very overcast day. I masked the sky and added a blue filter and added green for the grass (since it was dead and brown). After all of that I didn't like the way the edges of the blue and green met... So I did what any newbie does... I blurred the crap out of it.

I only had a few minutes to take this shot, I used a fill flash on the camera and set it to Shutter priority to 1/200 to freeze the motion, well that put it at f/13 which had everything in focus. I would've liked to naturally blur the BG, but it was what it was.

Live and learn, luckily this one was interesting enough to get a great score.

I will willingly accept any suggestions as it will only make me better at this. Thanks in advance!

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

03/14/2012 04:55:38 PM · #2

An outtake, just for comparison

Spork99

OM System OM-1

03/14/2012 05:06:32 PM · #3

FWIW, I figured that it was blurred out for security reasons. I still got a big kick out of it.

Processing an image is like working on a car and the sofware is your toolbox. Only everyone will use different tools to do similar things... If you want, I'll take a swipe at one of your originals and give you the steps that I would use in Lightroom. Just looking at it, I'd have created a mask for the sky, one for the grass, another for the recruits and maybe one for the buildings. Then I'd be free to tweak each area independently. I'm just a hack though, someone with more editing skills would take a different, more sophisticated approach.

cowboy221977

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

03/14/2012 05:16:46 PM · #4

Good way to use some new recruits

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

03/14/2012 07:09:44 PM · #5

I think the biggest thing is that you were rather heavy with the blur. Blurring the BG somewhat was certainly called for, but it's a fine line between enough and too much.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

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

03/14/2012 07:48:14 PM · #6

Originally posted by sinistral_leo:

So, I was thrilled to get the score I did. However I did not like the PP result much and there were numerous comments about the blurred background and the contrast and the USM and so on.

To quote former presidential candidate Pat Paulson, "Picky, picky, picky ..." I don't know why anybody is even bothering to look at the background.

It's a great idea, well-executed -- the formation, expression, etc. are just about perfect. The rest of the background is just that -- background; better with as little distracting detail as possible, and I don't think any of the other post-processing takes away anything.

Perhaps the only thing any less-than perfect to me is that it was my understanding of the challenge that it was a specialized form of self-portrait; are you in the picture?

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

03/14/2012 08:45:04 PM · #7

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Perhaps the only thing any less-than perfect to me is that it was my understanding of the challenge that it was a specialized form of self-portrait; are you in the picture?

I was in spirit ;-)

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

03/14/2012 08:53:35 PM · #8

Originally posted by sinistral_leo:

Originally posted by GeneralE:
Perhaps the only thing any less-than perfect to me is that it was my understanding of the challenge that it was a specialized form of self-portrait; are you in the picture?

I was in spirit ;-)

Indeed! But, I can just picture you facing (and maybe yelling at) the guy with the flag ... a wireless remote in your right hand (hidden by your leg) might do the trick. My first thought when I saw this was that I knew DARPA had some high-tech research going, but those levitation combat boots are really something, like walking on air ...

You could make a motivational poster from this ... I think "When I say jump, you say how high" would be the appropriate clichÃ© caption ... ;-)

Congratulations on a well-deserved ribbon.

03/14/2012 09:04:09 PM · #9

Thank you Sir,

That reminds me of a real jerk of a Drill Instructor I once had. He used to say "When I say jump, you say what?" Of course we would say "How High?" He would reply "NO! You just jump! I'll tell you when to come down!"

snaffles

Nikon D7100