I'm currently in the process of learning curves, and I can see how much power is in them. I watched various videos, and I think i'm starting to get a hang of it. A good starting point is learning the typical S-curve. I have used various tools to give a photo contrast, but nothing does it quite as well as curves. Plus, I just recently found out that you can Brush in/out curves in Aperture, which means I get super amazing micro adjustments. I bet you could do similar to this in Photoshop using a curves adjustment layer and then masking the layer.
I would also recommend looking into the Topaz line of plugins. I just recently started using them, and they have turned some hum-drum photos into something I'm proud to show other people. Obviously you must get things right in camera beforehand, but Topaz can take that image and really make it stand out.
Also, since I don't see it in the list of things you normally do, learn the Straightening tool as well. A tilted horizon is a sure fire way to generate low votes. |
