Picture manipulation-it really has to look so bad?

03/16/2005 02:19:10 AM · #1

Could you please tell me what do you think about this picture. I need a picture for my website (website not connected with photgraphy in any way). I have a picture of mine which optimized version you can find here: Original

The person that is customizing my webpage, extracted it from the background and placed into a flash banner, but I'm not happy with the results. See for yourself: flash banner

The person says, nothing else can be done about it, and even the original won't help. It's hard for me to believe.

If I could only extract it myself, it would be great, but this blue background is always there in my hair :(

so:

1. What do you think? Is it really impossible to make it look better?
2. Any tips on simple picture extraction, so I can get rid of the blue background in my hair (I have PS7, I tried playing with channels, but no succes)? - Than I could extract it myself and lighten it the way I like. This guy simply sharpened the image, and now it looks burned.

Or maybe it's just me? My screen is not the best.

I will appreciate any help.

Thak you
rennie

sfboatright

Canon EOS-20D

03/16/2005 02:24:16 AM · #2

I'm going to play with it and see if I can get a better extraction....If I come up with something, I'll send you a PSD file with layers.

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

03/16/2005 02:25:17 AM · #3

You are sooo kind. Thanks a million in advance.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

03/16/2005 02:28:44 AM · #4

It seems to me your complaint is not with the quality of the "extraction" itself (the outline in other words) but the tones rendered in the flash banner, where your facial highlights are all bleached out. Is this correct?

If the actual flash banner is a gif I can understand how this happened. If it's a jpg, which is what you've posted (and maybe it's just a jpg u made for posting purposes) then there's no excuse for it. There's no reason for the bleached highlights except incompetence or laziness, in a jpg.

Robt.

sfboatright

Canon EOS-20D

03/16/2005 02:42:04 AM · #5

I'm not coming up with an extraction that's substantially better than the one the designer did (the background is really too dark to do a quality chromakey). Like Robt said though, if the color and highlights are the problem, that can be fixed simply enough.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

03/16/2005 02:45:28 AM · #6

I don't complain about extraction. I think he did it great. You are right - I don't like the bleach.

I told him, I have the original file form the camera, which I can send, but I've got the answer, taht it won't help and nothing can be done about it. He said, that the picture was taken with bad lightening and the only thing he could do is to sharpen it. That's why I guess, he didn't even try. I'm playing with pictures sometimes and I know there are thousands of ways to lighten the picture without bleaching it. I just can't extract it properly - otherwise, I would've done it myself.

Thank you for your comment

PS This jpg with flash banner is untouched by me. That is his job.

David.C

03/16/2005 02:52:09 AM · #7

Why not just take another picture? -- the image in the deviant bio showes you as much more photogenic than the one posted above. Just take another picture with better lighting and a more appropriate background for what you are wanting to do. I'm sure you can come up with something that will work.

David

03/16/2005 03:00:52 AM · #8

Thank you :)
I'will some time in the future. Now I'm running out of time, and I need to use what I have.

At first I was worried that nothing can be done with it, but after short while I remembered all the tutorials on how to make somebody look like a million dollar, so lightening picture shouldn't be such a big problem.

Now, thanks to dpc people I'm pretty sure, something can be done about it.

PS. Next time, I will do it the way I want, not the way the photographer wants. Sometimes, I'm just not at all assertive :)

bdobe

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

03/16/2005 03:04:57 AM · #9

I can tell you pretty definitively that the developer/designer is outright lying to you. Even if we grant that the original image is not optimally lit, the developer/designer should be able to process the image and import to Flash without blowing the highlights -- also, note that all detail is lost on the blouse. The developer/designer is simply over processing the image. As the client you have the right to demand another pass, and another, until you're satisfied -- within reason, of course.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

03/16/2005 03:10:11 AM · #10

Originally posted by bdobe:

As the client you have the right to demand another pass, and another, until you're satisfied -- within reason, of course.

When the hell will I learn that? The problem was the guy simply said: "It is a lousy picture - nothing can be done". So, I thought "Why should I asked for another pass, if nothing can be done?". That's why I wanted to confirm it here, not to look like a complete idiot in front of him.

Now, after your comments I'm getting mad at him and if something actually can be done, I may resign from him finally.

That was the first thing he has done in terms of website customization and he blew it.

Thank you for your support.

Edited: some typos

Message edited by author 2005-03-16 03:11:08.

TechnoShroom

Canon EOS-30D

03/16/2005 03:41:37 AM · #11

He said you couldn't do something like this?

x

EDIT: BTW, it was like 10 minutes of work to separate you from the background. It's rough but with another 20 minutes it would be good. Seems like your guy just doesn't want to work with you.

x

Message edited by author 2005-03-17 19:58:44.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

03/16/2005 03:56:11 AM · #12

OMG, so it was so easy?

The guy wants to work, since he wants money for his job. I'll resign definately.

That's madness.

Thank you for showing me it could be done.

TechnoShroom

Canon EOS-30D

03/16/2005 04:06:49 AM · #13

Originally posted by rennie:

OMG, so it was so easy?
The guy wants to work, since he wants money for his job. I'll resign definately.
That's madness.
Thank you for showing me it could be done.

PM me your email address and I'll send you the psd. You can take it into photoshop and play with it some more yourself.

03/17/2005 04:05:38 AM · #14

Originally posted by TechnoShroom:

PM me your email address and I'll send you the psd. You can take it into photoshop and play with it some more yourself.

I would like to thank TechnoStorm for help. You did a marvelous job.

PS. Thanks to DPC people support I just fired the webmaster :)

jonpink

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

03/17/2005 05:07:12 AM · #15

Yeah fire him :D

Or you could have been nice and said look it can be done like this (show picture) so either do it like this or get fired.

Then he will either feel stupid that he can't do it, or look stupid because he didn't do it in the first place :D

For what it's worth, for anyone trying to cut out stuff, just learn to use the beizer tools (The Pen) number one for precise cutting out.

jonpink

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

03/17/2005 05:09:16 AM · #16

Also may I add, that if you look his cutting out wasn't bad in the first place, it was just the qulaity of the photo had gone sour that is the problem. His cutting out looks acceptable.

Now you may find that he did that to reduce the filesize of the flash header for you...? Just an idea.

BobsterLobster

Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro