My DragonFly Step 2 - DPChallenge Forums

09/30/2005 01:26:51 PM · #1

Hi. I am really appreciating the assistance available on this site. I have had one picture that appears to have stood out from the rest of the pack as being actually good.

My dragonfly pic. Unfortunately, I believe it needs a couple more steps of work. Curves and USM. I would like to see if anyone could help me with some suggestions on these. I am quite new to using PS and mostly desire to really understand how to make certain decisions about USM.

The curves thing is more "Should I or shouldn't I" try to put the black spots at the wingtips to full black? I really love how the black border sets them off.

My goal with this pic is to get it good enough to print in a LARGE size and see if my parents or grandparents are interested in this as a gift for their home. (more about it suiting a room really) If I can get it to this stage, I would be happy. I doubt it's anywhere near the kind of quality that could be a sellable print and it would probably be presumptuous to even try to present it as that.

Thanks again. Here is the pic.

After my terrible results in the current challenge. I am really second guessing my abilities and eye.

Edit: don't know what happened to that thumbnail link. I was sure I put it in there originally. Thanks Faidoi

Message edited by author 2005-10-01 07:45:58.

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

10/01/2005 12:50:25 AM · #2

bump

faidoi

Pentax K10D

10/01/2005 12:56:39 AM · #3

Originally posted by eschelar:

Thanks again. Here is the pic.

riot

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Helios 40-1 85mm f/1.5

10/01/2005 07:24:36 AM · #4

I had a go at the shot, not sure i've improved it much though.

My edits are listed in the description.

Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 200-400mm f/4.0G IF-ED

10/01/2005 07:42:01 AM · #5

Thanks riot. I am not able to see an orange cast on my monitor. My screen is calibrated. Perhaps that is my own inability to see reds? I have the most minor level of colour blindness according to the driver's license test.

Could you please let me know what settings you used for USM? When I do it, I always end up with artifacting and weird stuff in the images or it doesn't seem to do anything.

I noticed that you did actually adjust to bring the black spots in the wingtips to full black via a contrast setting. Was this something you were unsure about as an improvement or something you felt was necessary?

Does anyone else have a take on this?

riot

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Helios 40-1 85mm f/1.5

10/01/2005 08:02:21 AM · #6

Originally posted by eschelar:

It's not a strong colour cast by any means, just the green looked a little brownish to me before i fiddled it. I just think having colder greens brings out the magenta of the dragonfly a bit better by contrast.

Originally posted by eschelar:

Could you please let me know what settings you used for USM? When I do it, I always end up with artifacting and weird stuff in the images or it doesn't seem to do anything.

I actually used "adaptive sharpen" in corel photopaint, which only has a percentage setting (i used 100%). I went back and tried to achieve the same effect using just USM - i managed to get pretty much the same effect by using USM twice, first with 100%, radius 1, threshold 0, and second pass the same but only 50% instead. I'm not really happy with the sharpening i've done though, there's a bit of visible haloing, especially around the head. It might perhaps be better to selectively sharpen just the wings and body.

Originally posted by eschelar:

I noticed that you did actually adjust to bring the black spots in the wingtips to full black via a contrast setting. Was this something you were unsure about as an improvement or something you felt was necessary?

Actually i didn't really alter the low end of the histogram, i think the blackness of the spots is due to the way i removed the orange/red cast - the only thing stopping them being black is a little tinge of red, at least on my monitor.

spydr

Nikon D850

10/01/2005 08:27:52 AM · #7

Here is my version. I like to add this style of border to prints that are going to be framed.