Hey all. I have been experimenting with editing and tying to learn more and more but I feel like my editing can vastly improve. For example this image.
Full size original
I am happy with this shot but I know it has more potential but I am not real sure how to push it over the edge.
What do you think? What suggestions do you have. Feel free to edit if you like, I can post a larger file or the original if you like but mainly I am looking for any tips or ideas or maybe tutorials that you have found useful.
It is an ancient thread (2005 is ancient on the net, right?) but the post processing mentorship thread Heida did was one of the best learning experiences I had here. Many of the images are gone, but the steps are still there and there is a good deal of back and forth. Check it out
Hey all. I have been experimenting with editing and tying to learn more and more but I feel like my editing can vastly improve. For example this image.
I am happy with this shot but I know it has more potential but I am not real sure how to push it over the edge.
What do you think? What suggestions do you have. Feel free to edit if you like, I can post a larger file or the original if you like but mainly I am looking for any tips or ideas or maybe tutorials that you have found useful.
We can't play with it unless you either post it in your workshop (with a link, of course) or post full size in your portfolio. ;D
To be honest, I like your processing from the original to the submitted entry. The two main things that jump out to me are the lighting and contrast which all seem "flat". I think it's a subtle change in the composition and lighting more than editing that would take this to the next level.
I was gonna Topaz the crap out of it, but I see Bear's already been here.
Not one smidgen of Topaz was used in the maiming of that image. It was all accomplished with Nik Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro, the new tools of the truly sophisticated image annihilators amongst us.
It was all accomplished with Nik Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro, the new tools of the truly sophisticated image annihilators amongst us.
Oh, that's different. As long as I destroy it without copying your technique, look and feel. How about Topaz Adjust 5 and Topaz B/W Effects?
I like what this combination of editors did. I'm surprised to see adjust being used with B&W effects just because of the adjust like controls. Btw, is that a new border style in an upcoming version of B&W effects?
My quick bash:
Mostly applied the Dragan editing effects to it. Vignette also applied and masked out for smoke top left. Contrast applied to midtones. Kept it dark and moody with not much colour to go with the general sombre feel of the photo.
Thanks everyone. I guess a big question is, since all of you pretty much took different routes, is when you look at a photo what is your thought process on the editing? Why did you choose the steps you did? Often times I find myself doing the basics (levels, curves, exposure, etc...) but after that I usually know the feel I want but I generally just start playing with techniques and plug ins. Often I find myself doing something and not liking it so I delete that layer and try something different. I seem to be mostly shooting in the dark, like I will say lets see what this does and see if I like it where I would rather say I want it to look like this and make the appropriate steps. Is it just a matter of better learning the software and what it all does or do I just keep playing around and erasing mistakes as I figure it all out?
I can't help you there. When I look at a shot, I generally have an idea of how I'd like it to look and then start playing around to acheive it. I don't always get there though. Other shots I have no clue what I want it to look like until I've played a bit. But then, I just do it for fun.
Thankfully I got back to that point. I just want to make my shots stand out more, not just here but in general. I think I did a much better job re editing my shot, I think it now has more of the feel and emotion I was originally shooting for. I tend to rush my editing and then look back and think I should of done this or that etc...
I am a horrible PP-er and I played around with your photo last night but just with auto settings in PSE9. I got a cool cross-processed look like kelli's and liked it. But I can't claim any skill in getting there.
I think the key to making your photo look like your vision in post would be to have the steps for your vision defined in a process. So to start you could categorize several processing looks such as...
Then take each look you have categorized and write your own tutorial for each one, make actions, templates, etc... Shoot and process until you have mastered the look for each and then invent more. I think this will help you define your look and your own personal style as well.
Of course to get to the final image, you need to shoot for it from the start. I don't think you can shoot a high key image then expect to process it into a film-noir style portrait. Anyway, what I said might be too basic, but I think it is a start in the thought process.
Then take each look you have categorized and write your own tutorial for each one, make actions, templates, etc... Shoot and process until you have mastered the look for each and then invent more. I think this will help you define your look and your own personal style as well.
Of course to get to the final image, you need to shoot for it from the start. I don't think you can shoot a high key image then expect to process it into a film-noir style portrait. Anyway, what I said might be too basic, but I think it is a start in the thought process.
I like that idea. May be basic but I think it is practical and will be beneficial. As for shooting from the start I completely agree. I knew the style and mood I wanted and setup for it from the go but I wasn't completely happy with my editing. For me it just was missing something. I believe I got more of what I was initially aiming for on that last edit I did. I need to learn to not rush post.
Btw, is that a new border style in an upcoming version of B&W effects?
No, it's a frame that comes with PaintShop Pro X2
Originally posted by Kelli:
Hey Yo! When is 5 coming out to the masses?
I've been beta testing it for about a week now and they are saying the beta 5 is being considered to be the release candidate. Topaz usually has very short beta cycles, so I would expect this week or early next.
I've only found two minor issues and they are both probably related to my using the plugin within PaintShop Pro:
1) The function to create the adjustments as a new layer does not work for me. PSP and Photoshop handle layers and masks differently, so that's not a surprise.
2)When I use the undo feature in the local adjustments section, I get black blotches in the undone area, instead of it reverting to the original appearance.
