Ove Sentlig
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Welcome to the new forums! Please read this first. For known issues we are working to resolve, click here.
Quik, easy, and effective PP techniques...
- Thread starter Glenn W.
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Check out the example photo and technique I recently posted, of one type of common problem I often have while trying to take candid photos of my daughter... It's not a exposure problem I'm trying to fix... it's baiscly trying to add some fill lighting to a photo, or trying to blend a couple parts of a image that have drasiticl differnt contrast, etc...
Now, sure you could carry around flashes and/or reflectors and such trying to eliminate the shadows... but quite frankly I don't have time for that... I'm not a Pro... I don't get paid, don't have that much money, and don't have time to try and follow my daughter around will a ton of equipment trying to have it all in place when she does something cute...
Alot of time I just wind up with less then ideal images and have to make the best of what I get...
I'm not asking how to be the worlds greatest photographer, just trying to learn some simple techniques to help improve the images I manage to take with what I have to work with.
Now, sure you could carry around flashes and/or reflectors and such trying to eliminate the shadows... but quite frankly I don't have time for that... I'm not a Pro... I don't get paid, don't have that much money, and don't have time to try and follow my daughter around will a ton of equipment trying to have it all in place when she does something cute...
Alot of time I just wind up with less then ideal images and have to make the best of what I get...
I'm not asking how to be the worlds greatest photographer, just trying to learn some simple techniques to help improve the images I manage to take with what I have to work with.
Boo
Veteran Member
[snip]
It's certainly an improvement, but for me, that's just the type of shot where hand painting the improvement would really come into its own - if I were using your technique, I think I'd work with a lightened copy and the original and hand mask just where required - keep the light areas as they are, just show the lighter areas in the deepest shadows.
Could I have a go at your photo with my soft light painted technique outlined earlier - it's a perfect candidate for the technique and I think it would work well?
--
So many photos, so little time . . .
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio & tutorials
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music portfolio
http://imageevent.com/boophotos/ - most recent images
Please do not amend and re-post my images unless specifically requested or given permission to do so.
Ove Sentlig
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Tom44999
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Thanks for the Picasa tip. I thought it was only an "organizer", so I never really looked at it (I tend to drag and drop into existing folders from PSE3).
I just downloaded it at work and played with it for 5 minutes and it looks like it does about everything I do in PSE3, but faster and free, and much "better" auto settings than PSE3 seems to have. Just wish it had a good noise reduction button, PSE3 or Noiseware does well at that. Although most XT shots don't need NR. I'll give it a good test when I get home (after I go shoot some pictures with my new 70-300-IS).
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Tom
http://www.pbase.com/photoman
I just downloaded it at work and played with it for 5 minutes and it looks like it does about everything I do in PSE3, but faster and free, and much "better" auto settings than PSE3 seems to have. Just wish it had a good noise reduction button, PSE3 or Noiseware does well at that. Although most XT shots don't need NR. I'll give it a good test when I get home (after I go shoot some pictures with my new 70-300-IS).
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Tom
http://www.pbase.com/photoman
sysadam
Senior Member
Get over yourself. You didn't answer the question, and then you offer useless advice...no wonder people give you these kinds of responses..
Sometimes you post useful things, but usually people just end up taking offense to things you say because you don't bother to take the extra two seconds to type a real reply.
Go ahead and flame me for that one if you like, but frankly I'm sick of seeing it - it's like you haven't got anything better to do!
You are the sole reason I'd wish (nt) replies were disallowed.
A
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Sometimes you post useful things, but usually people just end up taking offense to things you say because you don't bother to take the extra two seconds to type a real reply.
Go ahead and flame me for that one if you like, but frankly I'm sick of seeing it - it's like you haven't got anything better to do!
You are the sole reason I'd wish (nt) replies were disallowed.
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dciobota
Leading Member
He shoots moving objects, as he's already mentioned.
Daniel
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Daniel
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http://www.pbase.com/dciobota
Sure I don't mind if you try your hand at improving this...
http://www.dynomohum.com/images/CRW_8659.CRW
I'm still uploading it, so if you seen this too quickly, it might not be there...
I'm sure that you can do better... I probably could as well if I took enough time. I just wish there were a easy way to do it... To some degree it's a pretty straight forward problem, I just keep thinking there's got to be some way to automate the process significantly... I think the process I've just outlined is not bad... I think it could be significantly improved with just a bit of hand painting...
But sure It'll be interesting to see what you can do.
(since I'm on a dialup right now, it could take another 30 minutes to uplad that RAW file)
http://www.dynomohum.com/images/CRW_8659.CRW
I'm still uploading it, so if you seen this too quickly, it might not be there...
I'm sure that you can do better... I probably could as well if I took enough time. I just wish there were a easy way to do it... To some degree it's a pretty straight forward problem, I just keep thinking there's got to be some way to automate the process significantly... I think the process I've just outlined is not bad... I think it could be significantly improved with just a bit of hand painting...
But sure It'll be interesting to see what you can do.
(since I'm on a dialup right now, it could take another 30 minutes to uplad that RAW file)
Boo
Veteran Member
I was just going to have a quick go with the posted JPEG - it's good enough to illustrate the point.
Don't upload the RAW on my account if you're on dial up - I won't work from that - the JPEG posted was large enough to demonstrate the technique, so save your phone bill, I don't need the RAW.
--
So many photos, so little time . . .
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio & tutorials
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music portfolio
http://imageevent.com/boophotos/ - most recent images
Please do not amend and re-post my images unless specifically requested or given permission to do so.
Jim Lanyon
Leading Member
Ove,
No I don't, but he has got to be a relative, how many Lanyons does anyone know?
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Jim Lanyon
http://www.pbase.com/jim_lanyon
No I don't, but he has got to be a relative, how many Lanyons does anyone know?
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Jim Lanyon
http://www.pbase.com/jim_lanyon
Boo
Veteran Member
I've just done a quickie as it's gone midnight and I need my bed.
I created a new clear raster layer (i.e. did not duplicated the image) and made the blend mode soft light. I painted onto the new layer with a relevant light colour at about 15% opaque - you can't go much higher than that - less is better and gradually built up. For her skin I went with a very pale pink and her hair, a pale orange. The colour needs to be nearly white, but white does tend to make it look a bit milky and washed out, so I find I get better results with a very light and quite bright version of a colour picked locally from the appropriate area you're adjusting. When I'm hapy with the painting, which can be done pretty roughly because you're working gently - I gaussian blur it with a 2 or 3 radius to soften any possible edges. You can then adjust the transparency of the layer as well for an even more subtle blend if needed, I didn't here as the alteration needed to be quite strong.
Your original:
My version, where I've just lightened shadow areas - the vast majority of it is untouched - I just lightened some of the deep shadows on her clothes, her neck, dark areas of her face and the ear side of her hair. It's taken longer to upload the photos and create the post than to do the work on the image - it's that easy to do.
--
So many photos, so little time . . .
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio & tutorials
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music portfolio
http://imageevent.com/boophotos/ - most recent images
Please do not amend and re-post my images unless specifically requested or given permission to do so.
jshetley
Senior Member
Boo - these were just great. I had used softlight and screen before - but never dodge and not in combination like that. Wow - on some fall leaves - just made the pop off the screen!
And the clear raster layer and paint over technique - very neat. Can't wait to try these out some more tomorrow.
Every time you post, we all learn something new and different. Thanks for sharing those really cool tricks.
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jshetley
http://ImageEvent.com/jshetley
And the clear raster layer and paint over technique - very neat. Can't wait to try these out some more tomorrow.
Every time you post, we all learn something new and different. Thanks for sharing those really cool tricks.
--
jshetley
http://ImageEvent.com/jshetley
Ove Sentlig
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Ove Sentlig
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Get over yourself. You didn't answer the question, and then you
offer useless advice...no wonder people give you these kinds of
responses..
Sometimes you post useful things, but usually people just end up
taking offense to things you say because you don't bother to take
the extra two seconds to type a real reply.
Go ahead and flame me for that one if you like, but frankly I'm
sick of seeing it - it's like you haven't got anything better to do!
You are the sole reason I'd wish (nt) replies were disallowed.
A
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Ove Sentlig
Veteran Member
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Get over yourself. You didn't answer the question, and then you
offer useless advice...no wonder people give you these kinds of
responses..
Sometimes you post useful things, but usually people just end up
taking offense to things you say because you don't bother to take
the extra two seconds to type a real reply.
Go ahead and flame me for that one if you like, but frankly I'm
sick of seeing it - it's like you haven't got anything better to do!
You are the sole reason I'd wish (nt) replies were disallowed.
A
--
Ove Sentlig
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Ahh.... I had been trying to do your method using 'overlay' and my results were not very good... I just tried it with 'softlight'....
Now that is easy... and effective. Doesn't take much artistic skill at all... and my first attempt using 'softlight' were really quite nice.
Thanks for sharing.
Now that is easy... and effective. Doesn't take much artistic skill at all... and my first attempt using 'softlight' were really quite nice.
Thanks for sharing.
I've just done a quickie as it's gone midnight and I need my bed.
As outlined in the post above with the subject line: A quick and
I created a new clear raster layer (i.e. did not duplicated the
image) and made the blend mode soft light. I painted onto the new
layer with a relevant light colour at about 15% opaque - you can't
go much higher than that - less is better and gradually built up.
For her skin I went with a very pale pink and her hair, a pale
orange. The colour needs to be nearly white, but white does tend
to make it look a bit milky and washed out, so I find I get better
results with a very light and quite bright version of a colour
picked locally from the appropriate area you're adjusting. When
I'm hapy with the painting, which can be done pretty roughly
because you're working gently - I gaussian blur it with a 2 or 3
radius to soften any possible edges. You can then adjust the
transparency of the layer as well for an even more subtle blend if
needed, I didn't here as the alteration needed to be quite strong.
Your original:
My version, where I've just lightened shadow areas - the vast
majority of it is untouched - I just lightened some of the deep
shadows on her clothes, her neck, dark areas of her face and the
ear side of her hair. It's taken longer to upload the photos and
create the post than to do the work on the image - it's that easy
to do.
--
So many photos, so little time . . .
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio & tutorials
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music portfolio
http://imageevent.com/boophotos/ - most recent images
Please do not amend and re-post my images unless specifically
requested or given permission to do so.
Even this doesn't always work very well. and it can be a significant amount of work. What I'm finding with some really basicly/easy techniques with Photoshop Elements(or simmilar), you can get just as good a result with less work.
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