Learning to do post editing - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR

06/17/2005 11:49:55 PM · #1

Here is a photo I took up in KC a few weeks ago. It seemed a little soft, I used Paint Shop Pro and tweeked the levels, decreased the lightness, resized, and applied a small amount of USM.

Tell me what you think and what I may do different
Thanks in Advance.

jenesis

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

06/17/2005 11:54:09 PM · #2

Wow, I think you did a great job on your edit! It looks like a completely different photo. I don't know that I'd change anything. Good Job!

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

06/18/2005 12:28:35 AM · #3

Editing for lightness and color saturation looks good. Straighten your horizon just a tad and you're there!

faidoi

Pentax K10D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

06/18/2005 12:31:53 AM · #4

I wonder what the originals EXIF was? Huge difference and looks much superior to the orginal. Can you come over and fix the 1,000's of shots I've taken in the past couple months? :P

kyebosh

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 80-200mm f/2.8L

06/18/2005 12:32:52 AM · #5

quite an amazing difference! I probably woulda chucked a picture that looked like that original but you saved it! The only thing I don't like is the sky and how the color looks unnatural.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR

06/18/2005 12:38:59 AM · #6

Thanks guys, I really liked the picture wasn't for sure what to do with it. My problem right now is that I keep getting hit in the challenges with comments that I need to add contrast, less USM, more USM. So I am doing trial and error to learn how to perfect my post editing abilities.

bfox2

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/18/2005 12:44:32 AM · #7

One other thing, you might crop the top another quarter inch to just get rid of that little bit of sky. Its kindof distracting and makes a weird bit of glow.

I'd also like to see the same image with maybe 3/4 or 1/2 of the USM that you used on that one just to tell the difference. For me at least its almost too much as you have it, but it still works since you haven't got any of the outline glow or anything like that.

peecee

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

06/18/2005 12:44:32 AM · #8

Lovely colours, much better contrast.I would say a little oversharpened but a great improvement on the original.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR

06/18/2005 01:00:50 AM · #9

Thanks guys. Let me try some of your comments. Give me a minute and I'll post it.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR

06/18/2005 01:05:10 AM · #10

Here it is... With less USM and cropped.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/18/2005 07:11:33 AM · #11

Much better with less USM. Here's a slightly richer, more luminous take on it:

Robt.

suemack

Canon EOS-20D

06/18/2005 07:24:20 AM · #12

How did you do that Robt?

SDW

Canon EOS-60D

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

06/18/2005 07:32:22 AM · #13

Also cloned out a lot of the specks in the water.

Message edited by author 2005-06-18 07:33:24.

06/18/2005 07:41:47 AM · #14

Originally posted by suemack:

How did you do that Robt?

Messing around with Gaussian Blur in different amounts on multiply and screen layers combined with USM ditto; 4 additional layers used.

It's a home-brew version of Feivel's Gothic Glow, a little less extreme.

Robt.

addendum: of course there's levels, hue/sat and selective color work in there also. Most significantly, bumping up sat in yellow and green and shifting the green channel a little more yellow as well. Selective color ro make the shadows richer primarily, and to remove cyan from the mid-tones.

Message edited by author 2005-06-18 07:43:56.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR

06/18/2005 08:48:05 AM · #15

Thanks, bear, Man you made my picture pop. I tried to use the clone brush to take the specks out, but it didn't look right. Do you zoom way in to do that? I wasn't doing that and wondered if that would work.

Also how did you do the multi-layered guassan blur thing. I used only three layers, on layered was used for sat/hue/lightness, another was for levels, and the last was for USM.

suemack

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/18/2005 10:22:21 AM · #16

Originally posted by bear_music:

Originally posted by suemack:
How did you do that Robt?

Messing around with Gaussian Blur in different amounts on multiply and screen layers combined with USM ditto; 4 additional layers used.

It's a home-brew version of Feivel's Gothic Glow, a little less extreme.

Robt.

addendum: of course there's levels, hue/sat and selective color work in there also. Most significantly, bumping up sat in yellow and green and shifting the green channel a little more yellow as well. Selective color ro make the shadows richer primarily, and to remove cyan from the mid-tones.

It's lovely!

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

06/19/2005 11:59:33 AM · #17

Originally posted by JeremyFleury:

Make new layer from BG, apply gaussian blur (amount will vary, you need to mess with it)

Make new layer from that one, apply USM (again, mess with it) and run it in "darken" layer mode.

Make new layer form THAT one, apply Gaussian blur, run in lighten mode.

etc etc etc

I have no specfific amounts or workflow, I experiment with all different layer modes and various degrees of transparency, frequently taking an image through "flatten image" halfway through and starting over with that as a baseline.

You can get Fievel's Gothic Glow (google it) and use that in a faded layer to get pretty mucht he same result. I like doing it by hand, though.

Robt.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

06/19/2005 12:03:08 PM · #18

Originally posted by bear_music:

Are you keeping all of those layers visible with varying transparency, or only using the top layer with successively-applied effects?

rinski

Kodak DX6490

06/20/2005 10:27:09 AM · #19

I am new to these challenges. How do I donwsize the picture to submit for the challenges?

Originally posted by JeremyFleury:

Matthew

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Peleng 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye MC In M42 Mount

06/20/2005 10:36:20 AM · #20

Have a look at this!

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

06/20/2005 12:48:11 PM · #21

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by bear_music:
Make new layer from BG, apply gaussian blur (amount will vary, you need to mess with it)

Make new layer from that one, apply USM (again, mess with it) and run it in "darken" layer mode.

Make new layer form THAT one, apply Gaussian blur, run in lighten mode.

etc etc etc

Robt.

Are you keeping all of those layers visible with varying transparency, or only using the top layer with successively-applied effects?

It varies. At some point, several points actually, in the workflow I flatten image and start over again from that basepoint. I wish I could be more specific but I'm still feeling my way around here in this process. My starting point was Feivel's Gothic Glow, but it tends to overcook a lot of images so I was looking to figure out the steps involved in doing it so I can isolate them and vary the effect.

Robt.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

06/20/2005 01:37:50 PM · #22

If you duplicate a layer, and leave it at 100% opacity, the effect should be the same as working on the flattened (to that point) image.

But I get it that you use all the variations : )