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DPChallenge Forums >> Out and About >> DPC Mentorship - Post Processing II
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08/01/2005 11:27:30 PM · #1
Ok new post processing group
I dont know how it will turn out but I was thinking it will be like we all share some tricks and tips we use so we all can learn from each other
Ok some people have sent me photos and asked me to make them look good in photoshop and some of the photos have been really bad
So the first thing you need is a good photo, you cant make a good picture out of a bad one, photoshop is supposed to improve your picture not make it, so you need a picture that is correctly exposed, has a good composition and not anything that is not supposed to be there, like some stuff in the background or something, watch out to have nothing overexposed unless thats what youre after.
Ok I use photoshop cs2 and I know nothing about other programs but I guess its mostly the same stuff in it all.
Ok I was wondering you wanna post a photo that you like and you feel that it needs something extra or you know what I mean and we could all give comments, and try to do some ps work to them to improve them thats a great way to learn, I used to copy some pics from the web and try to make them better in ps and then just throw them away but I learned a lot from it, so dont put your picture in here if you dont want other people to mess with them

And the rules in this thread are simple, you have to comment on the photos that are posted in this thread , and try to work on some in ps you learn a lot from looking at other pics looking very deeply at them and see what it is that you like in it or what it is that you dont like
and try to fix it in ps :)

So post a picture that you like and wanna make it better and please when someone comments on your picture Never say but...! Just say thanks for the comment :D and dont take comments personally you wanna get your pictures smashed so you can learn!

I have had a couple of pm´s asking me about my fairyland picture so I will try to make a step by step on how I did it, I am not very organized though I just mess around with a picture a lot do some of that and maybe some of this.. I always work in adjustment layers so its easier to go back. Never be afraid to do too much! many people are holding back cause they are afraid to do too much, just do too much!, work in layers and then you can always go back :D
And a very good thing is to listen to great music while you do it :D and just go crazy!

Ok post a picture or question or something and have fun !
any suggestions to this thread would be fine too :)

ps it´s an open thread

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 00:40:23.
08/01/2005 11:43:35 PM · #2


This is one I am fond of...and I feel has potential but needs more vibrancy! Or so some of the feedback I received on it would lead me to believe.

I did think it capture a nice pose with a good capture of on the stopping of the shirt movement. I like the cloudy background...can it be distinguished more. I can really do too much about the port structure in the lower-background, one of the disadvantages of shooting in the city.

Some might take issue with it being too centered but I believe the strong diangle line formed from the body leaning and the hand reaching out breaks it out.

But I did receive several comments on the images needing more vibrancy.

- The Saj

PS - Heida...I just installed PS/CS2 a couple of weeks ago and have not familiarized myself with layers. I'll endeavor to do so...but if you've got any pointers for those just starting out with layers - i'm open ears.


Message edited by author 2005-08-01 23:50:32.
08/01/2005 11:59:53 PM · #3
This is an open forum, I believe? My apologies in advance if I've misinterpreted.

That said, theSaj, you have a great photo there. I think maybe what it needs is a "Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer". Quick intro:

1. Open photo
2. Go to Layers window (F7)
3. On the bottom find the "Yin/Yang" circle. Click and hold.
4. Scroll up to "Hue/Saturation" and release.
5. Tell it to add the new layer, then play with your hue and saturation levels.
6. Cool thing about adjustment layers is you can adjust it again later on. Just double click the layer icon.

Cheers.
08/02/2005 12:18:23 AM · #4
And here's the result:

<-- Before
<-- After (sorry it looks a little dirty, the double JPEG-compression created lots of noise that I didn't bother to NI out).

Hue Sat:
Master: 0, +25, 0
Reds: 0, +12, 0
Yellows: +8, 0, 0

Levels:
Input Levels: 0, 0.89, 249

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 00:20:28.
08/02/2005 12:31:20 AM · #5
Originally posted by theSaj:



This is one I am fond of...and I feel has potential but needs more vibrancy! Or so some of the feedback I received on it would lead me to believe.

I did think it capture a nice pose with a good capture of on the stopping of the shirt movement. I like the cloudy background...can it be distinguished more. I can really do too much about the port structure in the lower-background, one of the disadvantages of shooting in the city.

Some might take issue with it being too centered but I believe the strong diangle line formed from the body leaning and the hand reaching out breaks it out.

But I did receive several comments on the images needing more vibrancy.

- The Saj

PS - Heida...I just installed PS/CS2 a couple of weeks ago and have not familiarized myself with layers. I'll endeavor to do so...but if you've got any pointers for those just starting out with layers - i'm open ears.


Hi Saj, very nice image. Nice pose which is well captured.

I have tried to play around with your image to give it more vibrancy. Here is my go at it. Very rapid so I'm afraid it's not too sophisticated but may form a good basis for discussion



This is what I've done:

1. Created levels layer and color adjusted image using droppers
2. New layer (as described by aboutimage) and increased saturation
3. Selected sky using magic wand and created 2 layers (i) used channel mixer to increase blue channel (ii) increased saturation
4. Selected blue parts of sky only and further increased saturation
5. Selected orange shirt using magic wand. Created new layer via cut and then used USM to create increased color and contrast NOT to sharpen. This is done by pushing the radius very high (to about 160 in this case) with the Amount down to 15.

That's it. But I have questions.

1. I find it difficult to select things accurately to create masks. How can this be done better.
2. I find the railing a little distracting in this photo. What options are there to minimise its impact? I have often tried to use a gaussian blur layer and then erase through it but it never works for me as I can never erase accurately enough and the borders become very visible.
08/02/2005 12:35:25 AM · #6


Ok here is my try
before

after

First I did some burning on the background then I clicked levels adjustment layer and clicked options there and clicked the top box (enchance monochromatic contrast)
then I used selective color adjustment layer which is btw my favorite adjustment layer :) I decided to put more blue color in the grey areas so in neutrals I took yellow to -7 and in blacks I put black to +2 to make the black blacker
and in reds for the skin tone I put magenta to -6 and black to -1
then I used brightness/contrast adjustment layer and put the brightness to -1 and contrast to +10
And then I did a little extra I used gradient map adjustment layer and put it to b/w and set its opicaty at 41% and mode to soft light
then I did sharpen
08/02/2005 12:36:08 AM · #7
Is this an open thread? I don't want to jump in if not. Please let me know. Thanks!
08/02/2005 12:36:39 AM · #8
Originally posted by aboutimage:

And here's the result:

<-- After (sorry it looks a little dirty, the double JPEG-compression created lots of noise that I didn't bother to NI out).

Hue Sat:
Master: 0, +25, 0
Reds: 0, +12, 0
Yellows: +8, 0, 0

Levels:
Input Levels: 0, 0.89, 249


I like how the orange shirt was brought out, and the clouds more highlighted. However, is there a way to do that without turning the face pinkish. One of the things I liked was the realistic flesh tone I captured with the shot.

:)

- Saj

PS - Thanks for including the settings, helps let me recreate it. Joezl's go a little too far on the color vibrancy - actually replacing the over-cast dreary sky with a blue one. And I think this causes the photo to lose that "somber hope in the midst of seeming dreariness". However, the realistic flesh tones I liked were maintained in Joezl's.

:)

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 00:44:13.
08/02/2005 12:38:57 AM · #9
This is an open thread
08/02/2005 12:43:41 AM · #10
Originally posted by heida:

Ok here is my try

after


Wow... (who took that awesome shot??? couldn't be me???) *lol*

Very nice....the sky is emboldened. The shirt brightened. The fact retains a natural coloring (not overtly pink) and the overall feel is a sharper image with more clarity making the original feel as if it had been blurred.

This is good, and hopeful for me because one thing I had missed about my Olympus E-20N was the vibrancy and sharpness it had. And I've found it harder to catch such with my 20D. (Though I've found I succeed at capturing more shots now with faster shutter and higher ISO.)

Here I see that such is still possible. Thanks Heida!

- The Saj

PS - One favor, with each of the procedures can we denote whether such a procedure is an "Advanced" rule or accepted in "Basic" with either an (A) or (B)?

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 00:44:05.
08/02/2005 12:44:44 AM · #11
Originally posted by theSaj:

I like how the orange shirt was brought out, and the clouds more highlighted. However, is there a way to do that without turning the face pinkish. One of the things I liked was the realistic flesh tone I captured with the shot.

Yes, very easy. Just don't do the +8 on the Reds. I did that to up the red tone on the hat and didn't notice what it did to the face. Really, all you need to do is fool with the Yellow hue and you should be pretty much done.
08/02/2005 12:46:22 AM · #12
<-Original
<-Rework

I like your original it has great composition and color. An all around good photograph. I wanted to see what it would look like with a little more contrast and some layering dodge and burn. I may have went to far.

I did my dodge and burn by going to duplicate layer and setting in to 50% gray and use the brush, white 30% for dodge and Black 30% for burn. Did not use the dodge or burn tool.

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 01:00:16.
08/02/2005 12:56:18 AM · #13
For curiosity's sake I'll post an experiment I did with this one originally. It came out wicked cool, but I'd no longer deem it a photograph and more so digital art. I was using CorelPhoto Paint and I what was various extreme, I was using their tone curve and a few other adjustments.



As I recall I had used a combination of "Threshold" adjustments and "Tone Curve" and I think some saturation adjustments.

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 01:02:47.
08/02/2005 12:57:36 AM · #14
Originally posted by theSaj:

For curiosity's sake I'll post an experiment I did with this one originally. It came out wicked cool, but I'd no longer deem it a photograph and more so digital art. I was using CorelPhoto Paint and I what was various extreme, I was using their tone curve and a few other adjustments.



Almost looks like acid washed jeans..remember those back in the 80's. Does look neat.
08/02/2005 01:05:53 AM · #15


might be oversharpened, and my dodge and burn on the background is cr*p. But here's the quadtoned version.



This one also shows cr*p d&b, but i went for a slightly bumped up contrast. I do like how the shirt appears more blown.

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 01:16:36.
08/02/2005 01:09:47 AM · #16
Here is my take on the image. I liked a more contrasty version with a subdued background to make the model stand out.



Here were my steps:
- Dupe layer, overlay 40%
- Curves
- Levels
- Dodge/burn
- Bumped up saturation
- Bumped up Brightness/contrast
- Channel Mixer (monochrome) / mask
- Flatten
- Veru light Noise Ninja
- Sharpen using High Pass method
08/02/2005 01:25:09 AM · #17
Is what Heida did possible in PS7? I can't find the enhance monchromatic contrast;)

Ok I found it;)

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 01:52:49.
08/02/2005 01:53:47 AM · #18

Before

After

Here is my effort.
I use the same method of dodging and burning as SDW65, except I set the brush at 15% because it gives me a little more control. Using this method, the pixels are not distorted.

I felt that the shirt needed to be a little more vibrant and also the folds of the material could be enhanced. The background was darkened and the white of the tee shirt made a little lighter.
I also added a curve adjustment layer and altered the contrast very slightly.
I have overdone the dodging on the right arm, which has bled into the sky, however, with more time I would have been more careful.

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 01:56:22.
08/02/2005 02:04:16 AM · #19
Never mind... :)

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 02:04:58.
08/02/2005 02:08:54 AM · #20
Well, I just have PS Element and I'm beginner :)
Question to the group: Can many of these techniques be replicated to almost similar levels using non-CS tools? Is an upgrade a must?

In any case, here's my 10 minute try
-Dodging shirt and T-shirt and parts of sky
-Burning parts of sky and post
-Roughly done bluring of background (looks a bit messy...)

The bluring does look weird. What tool works best to blur backgrounds? Is it better to work on an extra layer and 'erase' parts of it...or is it better to use blur tool and work on a single layer? Thanks!

...great photo by the way. I like the composition and the contrast between the yellow shirt and the sky.

08/02/2005 02:55:58 AM · #21
here are a couple edits using a lot of the same exact steps as heida but different %s.



08/02/2005 03:59:49 AM · #22
I really like your version there Mr. Tee...

/= *thumbs up*

So anyone else have a photo for us all to explore?

Message edited by author 2005-08-02 04:00:13.
08/02/2005 05:16:04 AM · #23
High pass method for sharpening? Can you explain? I've seen some different sharpening methods like the luminosity channel method but I never saw them explained.
08/02/2005 05:22:21 AM · #24
WOW - previously my idea of post processing was limited to levels and saturation. Some of these are fantastic. Heida, thanks for including the steps you took, I've often wondered how you get the effects in your photos.
08/02/2005 05:29:07 AM · #25
I found very hard to do dodge and burning withought beeing noticed the marks of the brush. Can you explain how you do it?

I know this in not a great example, because it is too obvious the diference in the bench and the surroundings. But this is a technic similar to dodge and burning that I saw in a book one of these days, and this was my first try (exagerated try of course).

It was done in PS, hand selecting roughly the bench, set the feather to 100 pixels (in the original file - nº of pixels may vary acordingly to the needs). Thn I played with the brightness/contrat of each selection separatly. I'm liking this one because I can't use properly the dodge and burning one.
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