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08/01/2013 11:57:08 AM · #1 |
As I said in my notes on my challenge entry, I tried something different with my post processing, and thought I would share what I learned. May be old news to some of you, but I thought I would share for those of you who this might be looking for some tips on processing portraits.
I actually processed this image a lot cooler than I normally would. Here is the original image as shot in camera no post processing, no adjustments in RAW, as you can see it is much warmer than my entry a bit too warm, but not too far off of what I usually process at:
I converted the raw image at a much cooler tone, the reason for this was because I originally planned on converting this to black and white and I had heard using cooler tones on the color image makes a better black and white image when processing. So I wanted to give it a try. Here is what I converted it to. Again no post processing other than adjusting the white balance to cooler tones:
I went ahead and processed it like I normally do for a black and white photo, using a combination of NIK silver efex software and color efex software. It turned out nice:
When I saw there was a red challenge going on at DPC, I thought I would see what I could do with the color image. Being lazy and not wanting to start over from scratch, I simply converted the Silver efex layer to luminosity blending mode to let the color come through and really like what I got. My entry:
I especially like the colors I got out of the eyes using a cooler tone. I know that this technique would not work in all situations and generally a warmer tone is desired. But it also made me realize that sometimes just playing with the white balance of an image can make all the difference. Don't be afraid to play and experiment, it is how we learn. I always get excited when I stumble onto something like this. I hope you don't mind me sharing.
I know I was pretty general in my processing details. So if any of you want more specifics let me know. Really I just wanted to share how I got the tones in her eyes but if you want more details on what settings I used in silver efex and color efex I'm always happy to share. |
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08/01/2013 12:02:40 PM · #2 |
| I use this technique a lot, but my results have never ribbonned :-) Thanks for sharing. |
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08/01/2013 12:10:13 PM · #3 |
the cooler tone definitely makes it a better image.
don't go spreading word that you can actually improve an image with processing, you might get burned at the stake. |
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08/01/2013 07:46:21 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by Mike:
the cooler tone definitely makes it a better image.
don't go spreading word that you can actually improve an image with processing, you might get burned at the stake. |
LOL! true I really don't think any amount of PPing can make a really bad image good. Of course that doesn't mean I can't try, and have on several occasions :) |
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08/01/2013 08:33:46 PM · #5 |
Congratulations on your ribbon. That is a nice tip! I liked the picture, but definitely noticed the cooler tones, which seemed unconventional. I still would have liked a darker background on this one, obtainable with some burning. The hue adjustment on the red cloak was great! You really made it a deep red which worked well on the brownish background.
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08/01/2013 11:41:10 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by sjhuls:
LOL! true I really don't think any amount of PPing can make a really bad image good. Of course that doesn't mean I can't try ... |
Me too ... some of these started out pretty bad ... :-)
Thanks for posting your processing notes ... and congrats on the ribbon -- how appropriate it's the red one! |
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08/02/2013 06:45:10 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by sjhuls:
Originally posted by Mike:
the cooler tone definitely makes it a better image.
don't go spreading word that you can actually improve an image with processing, you might get burned at the stake. |
LOL! true I really don't think any amount of PPing can make a really bad image good. Of course that doesn't mean I can't try, and have on several occasions :) |
we arent talking about making bad images good, we are talking about making good images great.
by the way i was going to enter a similar image but my daughter wasn't playing nice that day. yours turned out better though (she looked like she was miserable and mad at the world in mine) and ironically the headress was very similar. |
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08/02/2013 06:53:04 AM · #8 |
Thanks for the tips and how you came about your entry.
Always nice to have the process. |
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08/02/2013 08:32:25 AM · #9 |
| Thanks Jen for posting this it's truly appreciated. |
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