Improving my editing

Major Jack · Dec 23, 2023

steve_z said:
Major Jack said:

D Saul said:

Major Jack said:

One more try, if you don't mind.

Using her as a background this time. Just for play.

Click to expand...

Way, way off base.

Click to expand...

I have always respected PERSONAL Opinions, I really have, and I respect yours. I get a lot of people in my work that love this technique, and that is why I do it. But, everyone has their own personal views, and that is fine, it really is.

It was something I just wanted to try for him. Clearly he did not like it either, and that is OK. Some will, some won't, I understand that completely. At least I tried to give him an option.

I have another one that he may like better here. In this one, I did not change too much, just made a few adjustments. I created leaves out of the green blotches, but left them blurred also. I removed one of them and used Generative Fill to create a hand that had been basically cut off from the photo. I left the color saturation back to normal that he had, and added some "shine" to her necklace. I still removed a couple blemishes, as experience tells me that girls want blemishes removed. They are temporary, and can ruin an image.

Maybe this one will be more to his and your taste. Again, never meant to insult the man, just give him another "option". As I said in my original post, this was just my personal opinion. I am sorry if he did not like it, but he should at least remember, that when people try to offer him suggestions, he should at least acknowledge the effort and give his own personal opinions back to those who indeed try.

Click to expand...

What on earth are you on about?

Matt did not ask at all for anyone to try to "improve" any of the images he posted, especially since he posted he actually liked his Affinity Photo version.

You are right, he did not ask for anyone to improve his images, but he posted in the retouching forum describing what he tried, what he accomplished and what he thought he needed to work on. My comment was to give him MY PERSONAL OPINION, and I stated that upfront, and on purpose. So did several others who gave him opinions. I simply decided to try to SHOW with an example.

steve_z said:
He just described in general terms how he needs to improve his post prpcessing workflow.

You posted unsolicited edits to an image he previously posted he was actually happy with.

What you call "unsolicited edits", I view as example of what I was trying to show him.

Unsolicited Edits are when members go into other forums, take photographs and then edit them without permission just to show what they can do. I never do that. The only time I edit someones photo, is when I think they are asking for advice or help. If he did not want help, or advice, he probably should have posted those photos in a different forum where DPreview.com does not allowed the alteration of those photos without permission. Here, it is commonly expected, and MOSTLY appreciated.

steve_z said:
He clearly disagrees with your opinion about removing the green blotches.

But YOU DID ALSO Steve, in your final comment below!!!! That is an OPINION also.

It is Obvious he likes them, and I disagree with keeping them, but he is the boss in this case, and that is 100% is right. I have never questioned that at any time. As you can see, in this very thread, the reactions are mixed to those green distractions. But, I am entitled to my own personal opinion, just as YOU are. I respect everyone's personal opinions. Whether I agree or not.

steve_z said:
Posting unsolicited edits to help illustrate an opinion is fine

Thank you, especially in this forum, the RETOUCHING FORUM. I have seen some of your work also. I just like to post VISUAL examples, and let them see what I am suggesting. It is always up to the OP to make all final decisions, and I will always respect that. Again, my opinions are just mine, and NOT meant to ever be the only one. I am clearly NOT trying to influence anybody, only to offer suggestions. I am guilty of that, as charged.

steve_z said:
but does not entitle anyone an acknowledgement or feedback since the edits were never asked for.

This is where I somewhat disagree. He posted a long thread, looking for something, accolades, or advise, and most people did indeed offer advise. Some of it not well accepted by him, but advice none the less. Trust me, 30 years ago, I took all the advice I could get when I was learning the trade, and I have never forgot that, and I do my best to give back whenever I can. Sometimes it is appreciated, and other times, obviously, it is not. Makes one wonder if helping is ever worth it to be honest. But I at least try.

steve_z said:
Expecting an acknowledgement or feedback like you are here smacks of "look at me, look at me" and a need of some sort of praise from other people.

if you need help and feedback to.improve your editing skills then perhaps consider using your own images in your own threads instead of using other people's images.

That is exactly how I took his post to be honest. Look at what I have accomplished, but do not offer advice, or touch my work.

I post in these forums anonymously Steve, so if you think I need accolades myself, what purpose would it serve, since not a single one of you know who I am, not one. I do not need accolades Steve, I like to offer help, and simply give back what I have learned over the years. And I enjoy learning from others as well. That is why I am here.

Matt shares his website, and photographs, and we can see his name. You will never see that with me, unless I want to tell you who I am. I do not care if you know me or not, I only want to offer help, and if is it unappreciated, or some people take offense to my offering, then I simply move on from them, and help those who want and appreciate the help. I do not fret over issues like that, I just don't. I try to be polite, courteous, and respectful.

steve_z said:
steve_z said:

Many people offer their opinions, but never give it an effort themselves to even try to help.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Here is my last try for him.

Click to expand...

This one looks too unnatural because either all of the blotches should be replaced with realistic looking leaves or none of them.

That is interesting Steve, because the OP wants them there, as they were. So, you just made my point.

Anyway, I did not want to get into all of this, nor did I expect this type of reaction when you just try to offer up PERSONAL OPINIONS. I guess I need to move on from this thread.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

--
Major Jack
"You are welcome to retouch any photograph I post in these forums without prior consent from me, just please respect my copyright."

lacogada · Dec 23, 2023

matttelz said:
Here's what I delivered to a client (unpaid) using a preset:

I'm surprised clients would be happy with those distracting green blotches.

An easy fix.

grsnovi · Dec 23, 2023

matttelz said:
One thing I notice right away is the Affinity Photo 2 file is twice the size of the C1 file.

For grins, I downloaded your AP2 example which showed as being 50,162 kb in size on my system.

I ran it through Neat Image denoise in my version of Affinity Photo (2.3.0) and the resulting jpg was 5,151 kb.

I've browsed your site and you're obviously good at what you do.

I do think there could be some benefit to you in asking (selective) clients if they prefer your "A" edit v. your "B" edit.

As this thread has shown there are any number of ideas on how to improve on the edits you offered as examples.

You may find that "your style" is whatever allows you to gain the most business.

- Gary

steve_z · Dec 23, 2023

Major Jack said:
You are right, he did not ask for anyone to improve his images,

Thank you.

Hence me posting my opinions on why anyone expecting an acknowledgement or feedback, like you did, after posting unsolicited edits comes across to me as "look at me, look at me" and/or a need for praise from others.

Major Jack said:
but he posted in the retouching forum describing what he tried, what he accomplished and what he thought he needed to work on. My comment was to give him MY PERSONAL OPINION, and I stated that upfront,

Yes, you did and no-one is disputing that so that is redundant.

Major Jack said:
and on purpose. So did several others who gave him opinions. I simply decided to try to SHOW with an example.

I posted earlier that posting unsolicited edits is fine to help illustrate an opinion so that is redundant.

The point I am making is that for anyone to then expect an acknowledgement or feedback, like you did, after posting unsolicited edits comes across to me as "look at me, look at me" and/or a need for praise from others.

steve_z · Dec 23, 2023

lacogada said:
matttelz said:

Here's what I delivered to a client (unpaid) using a preset:

Click to expand...

I'm surprised clients would be happy with those distracting green blotches.

An easy fix.

That's a great idea for this image.

However, in my experience there will be "portraitees" who would appreciate that edit and some who would be uncomfortable with it because every time they look at the photo they know the grass wasn't actually there when the portrait shot was taken.

steve_z · Dec 23, 2023

grsnovi said:
matttelz said:

One thing I notice right away is the Affinity Photo 2 file is twice the size of the C1 file.

Click to expand...

For grins, I downloaded your AP2 example which showed as being 50,162 kb in size on my system.

I ran it through Neat Image denoise in my version of Affinity Photo (2.3.0) and the resulting jpg was 5,151 kb.

I've browsed your site and you're obviously good at what you do.

I do think there could be some benefit to you in asking (selective) clients if they prefer your "A" edit v. your "B" edit.

As this thread has shown there are any number of ideas on how to improve on the edits you offered as examples.

You may find that "your style" is whatever allows you to gain the most business.

- Gary

Could not agree with you more

In my first post in this thread:

"If you are charging a fee then in my experience to eliminate client disappointment you really should discuss their requirements and your deliverables well before you press the shutter button on the shoot."

MimiVivi · Dec 23, 2023

matttelz said:
Hi all,

Thought I'd share a little tid bit here.

Thanks for sharing--these were GREAT portraits!

For what it's worth, I like both your originial C1 and Affinity Photo treatments (and framing and overall product) better than any of the alternate takes various forum members have attempted here (though all of them are fine). The first take--your take--is the right one.

Also, conversion color & retouch editing aside, I think the portrait has strong foundations, period. (As in: I bet it looked great as a back-of-camera preview, the second after you clicked your shutter.) I like your natural short light approach, I like the overall color scheme, and I love how you situate your subject deliberately in the focal plane--just a little "dirty frame" blur in the foreground is very of-the-moment, stylistically.

Which gets me to something important: you've photographed these in a way that speaks to the moment--and I don't just mean to the moment of the image, itself; I mean that you are responsive to the style of the time, which injects a strong dose of photojournalistic authenticity into moments photographers and subjects of the past would've preferred to show more deliberate staging. Natural light, deliberate focal plane situation, subject toward center, a little off-the-cuff energy = how people your subject's age want to see themselves in portraits in 2023.

matttelz said:
I've recently come to the realization that I need to deliver LESS photos to a client...yes that's right. I've concentrated on delivering photos faster after the shoot rather than really taking the time and going slow on my editing... I've also relied heavily on presets to deliver the maximum amount of photos in the quickest amount of time. This hasn't always been better for me...

YES.

Like you and so many other photographers, I find that the central challenge of the craft, in 2023, is the time constraint: from clients, quality expectations have never been higher, and the demand for swift-or-near-instant delivery has never been stronger.

And I've concluded the same thing you have about the solution: Less is More.

I've tried to take the philosophy as far as I can, working from things I have (sometimes reluctantly) noticed over a dozen years of wrestling with the problem, professionally.

The big issue is this: clients just don't understand post production. Worse, they don't want to understand it. In other words, this isn't a nut you can crack, a dilemma you can solve. The client is always going to believe that your "job" is entirely in the moment you have camera in-hand. Their idea of what goes on is that you do work making the shoot happen--arranging, lighting, coaching, etc.--but that when photograph pops up on the back of the camera you're done, and what they see is essentially what you deliver. You will never succeed in changing that idea, in persuading them that there could be or should be more to a finished result. Even sophisticated, tech-savvy, smart commercial customers will never be fully convinced of it. Even the customers who ask you for the RAW files don't appreciate what you actually do with a RAW file.

Honestly: it's a hard pill to swallow. I resisted doing so for years and years. Because I liked developing RAW photos and retouching; it was clear to me that color work and tonal adjustments and so many other things (dodge-burn, frequency separation, the list is limitless) can do so much to further develop the best ideas you have while shooting! I understand the creative power and value! And I kept telling myself, for years, that if I hit the edit just right, finally clients would get it, too.

But honestly friend, it was a fool's errand. There was no "just right."

So I resolved to swallow the pill and, basically, get over myself. It seem silly to have to "realize" this rather than just know it, but I did: maybe the clients are, actually, so much more right than I'd been giving them credit for being. If you shoot as carefully as you can, really take your time to get-it-right in the moment . . . I mean, what's so wrong about that? And since your customers already think your job is to get it right in the moment, they'll help you. They'll go with it. You don't have to convince them to work with you; they're already with you in that way.

So for me, less is more has come to mean . . .

Leaning into the "authentic" photojournalistic style and approach of the present during the shoot: environmental portraits rather than studio setup; natural light; center framing; wide apertures; shorter+wider focal lengths than photographers of the past would've chosen for any given scenario (35 rather than 50, 50 rather than 85, 85 rather than 105 or 135).
Delivering 20-something finished portraits rather than 75 or 100. (25 is plenty.)
Did the client express particular joy over the back-of-camera JPEGs? Your job is done, DELIVER THEM. Client liking photos = photos are good! It isn't more complicated than that.
If working RAW: then it's a speed-round of minimal edits toward a neutral, contrasty result--namely, Lightroom > Default Adobe Color profile > Default lens corrections > straighten / crop > correct exposure > adjust RGB Tone Curve for contrast and the saturation that naturally comes with it > Export. 15 seconds per frame MAX. I do the work in Lightroom out of habit, but this simple exposure-curve regimen could happen just as efficiently with with the free Canon DPP software that came with my camera. So whatever I got at 15 seconds of editing, that's what the final result is gonna be. (Which is a huge productivity-boosting idea to keep in mind when you're shooting, in the first place. Whatever you shoot can't be more than 15-seconds-away-in-post from being finished product.)
Styled presets? Film presets? A riff on your favorite photographer's "signature" look? C1's "Nordic style"? Nah. Customers won't understand it or appreciate it. Even your sophisticated DPReview peers won't get it (as this thread proves). They just won't. Trying to post-process a "look" or a "style" into your photography probably won't result in communicating anything meaningful to anyone; more likely, you're just playing with yourself. (!!!)
Photoshop (or Affinity) post-conversion work? Almost never. It's just too slow. Spot retouch if you absolutely have to with your RAW converter (Lightroom and C1 can both do this very well, and will keep you focused on limited alterations). Because whatever you do, customers are unlikely to notice or appreciate it. They'd like the un-photoshoped-version of whatever you're producing just as much or better if they saw it side-by-side with whatever you plan to do in photoshop.

At first I really had to push myself into internalizing these thoughts, trying this approach. It was pulling teeth. Like, there were scenes of my right hand deliberately pulling my left hand away from the command-E "send to photoshop" keystroke. If you were to visit my studio, you'd hear me shouting to myself as my right-hand furtively shuffled the mouse pointer toward the Lightroom HSL panel "Em, so help me GOD, don't you !#&% DARE touch that effing slider!"

Letting go of editing, for the most part, was SO HARD. It was easily--EASILY--the hardest thing I have worked on in photography, vastly harder than learning the editing techniques in the first place. Knowing everything you could do, but not doing it? Pure torture at first.

But some years and change later, it's also clearly the most important change I've ever made in my photography. Now my turnaround is usually same-day; the clients are just-as-happy or happier; even >I< now like my results better (and now see gratuitous "over-editing" in photography everywhere I look--which, I cringe to think, must be how our clients have seen the photographic universe all along).

Side bonus: it's an inexpensive philosophy! I find I'm no longer caught up in looking for efficiencies on the "new-camera-new-lens-new-software-new-preset" G-A-S treadmill. People fawn over whatever "game-changing" new capability is being breathlessly marketed by Tony Fro Influencer, and I'm like "whatever dude, this changes bupkis about photography for me." Capture One and Luminar send me thirsty e.mails about "new AI features," mine for only $$$/month-in-perpetuity-to-the-ends-of-the-universe, and I thank them for an opportunity to roll my eyes before I hit the "trash" icon.

Overall I'm just having a hell of a lot more fun with the craft. Wouldn't go back to "the workflow" for a second, now.

I'm only one person with one experience, but it's food for thought, anyway.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

steve_z · Dec 23, 2023

MimiVivi said:
The big issue is this: clients just don't understand post production. Worse, they don't want to understand it.

In my experience that is true for most clients but certainly not all.

MimiVivi said:
In other words, this isn't a nut you can crack, a dilemma you can solve. The client is always going to believe that your "job" is entirely in the moment you have camera in-hand. Their idea of what goes on is that you do work making the shoot happen--arranging, lighting, coaching, etc.--but that when photograph pops up on the back of the camera you're done, and what they see is essentially what you deliver.

Certainly not in my experience.

This goes back to my very first sentence in my first post in this thread.

"If you are charging a fee then in my experience to eliminate client disappointment you really should discuss their requirements and your deliverables well before you press the shutter button on the shoot."

MimiVivi said:
You will never succeed in changing that idea, in persuading them that there could be or should be more to a finished result.

No, certainly not true in my experience.

After being informed of the options for deliverables they, at least my clients, have always so far been happy to have been given options for deliverables that best suit their needs.

MimiVivi said:
Even sophisticated, tech-savvy, smart commercial customers will never be fully convinced of it.

In my experience that is nonsense because it is nowhere near my experience with sophisticated, tech-savvy, smart commercial customers.

MimiVivi said:
Even the customers who ask you for the RAW files don't appreciate what you actually do with a RAW file.

Again, not in my experience.

MimiVivi said:
Honestly: it's a hard pill to swallow. I resisted doing so for years and years. Because I liked developing RAW photos and retouching; it was clear to me that color work and tonal adjustments and so many other things (dodge-burn, frequency separation, the list is limitless) can do so much to further develop the best ideas you have while shooting! I understand the creative power and value! And I kept telling myself, for years, that if I hit the edit just right, finally clients would get it, too.

In my experience when I show people/clients options they also then understand the possibilities.

steve_z · Dec 23, 2023

matttelz said:
All the commentary above from everyone else has definitely been helpful and well received.

You're welcome and with this thread you have plenty of food for thought to consider from several members.

matttelz · Dec 24, 2023

Seems like this thread is getting a bit off topic from my original post.

1) Yes, I understood posting here the image is public and people can edit to their taste. I welcome the creativity, fully recognizing that my own creativity continually requires refinement and direction. I appreciate everyone's touch here and what they find pleasing. Helps center my own work.

2) The noise in the image was probably my bad with the edit from AF2. I had 0 Luminance denoise which is probably leading to the grain. I personally didn't find it distracting but it's interesting how that might effect the image file size... I'll have to experiment.

3) Whether I mentioned it or not, people taking my photo and editing it to their taste is fine by me. Similar to point 1, I appreciate everyone's edits, even if they are a little humorous @Major jack, lol!

4) I've been spending ALOT of time browsing flickr... probably not the best place, esp with safe search on..geesh. I'm noticing alot of portraits having this real glossy/smooth look. The images are super tack sharp but somehow display a pixel-less quality to them. I'm working on achieving this look. Julia Trotti has great work that I think also highlights the sharpness but lack of grain/pixelation. I haven't quite figured it out yet but I'm definitely taking steps in the right direction I think and It's something I'm striving for in my editing.

This time of year is definitely a time to reflect back on the year of work I've done but also look forward to the future. I couldn't be where I'm at without all the constructive feedback from the forum as I find it such a valuable resource.

Annie Ng · Dec 24, 2023

matttelz said:
This time of year is definitely a time to reflect back on the year of work I've done but also look forward to the future. I couldn't be where I'm at without all the constructive feedback from the forum as I find it such a valuable resource.

I actually thought you have done great work considering that it is unplanned shooting. Your skill on Affinity Photo 2 is great too. I hope you can share more with us in the future.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas.

pdqgp · Dec 24, 2023

steve_z said:
Major Jack said:

You are right, he did not ask for anyone to improve his images,

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Hence me posting my opinions on why anyone expecting an acknowledgement or feedback, like you did, after posting unsolicited edits comes across to me as "look at me, look at me" and/or a need for praise from others.

steve_z said:

but he posted in the retouching forum describing what he tried, what he accomplished and what he thought he needed to work on. My comment was to give him MY PERSONAL OPINION, and I stated that upfront,

Click to expand...

Yes, you did and no-one is disputing that so that is redundant.

steve_z said:

and on purpose. So did several others who gave him opinions. I simply decided to try to SHOW with an example.

Click to expand...

I posted earlier that posting unsolicited edits is fine to help illustrate an opinion so that is redundant.

The point I am making is that for anyone to then expect an acknowledgement or feedback, like you did, after posting unsolicited edits comes across to me as "look at me, look at me" and/or a need for praise from others.

I'm shutting down the hostile negative banter here in efforts to keep our forums peaceful and constructive. This isn't facebook or redit where going off the rails is the norm.
Now, back to helping the OP'er with his image please. This forum is about editing and being creative. Let's stick to that.

If the OP'er doesn't want that then he will speak up and let the group know.

pdqgp · Dec 24, 2023

matttelz said:
Seems like this thread is getting a bit off topic from my original post.

Addressed that as it seems lately we've had a few threads whereby this happens. I've been around too long to let the place become a dumpster fire.

matttelz said:
1) Yes, I understood posting here the image is public and people can edit to their taste. I welcome the creativity, fully recognizing that my own creativity continually requires refinement and direction. I appreciate everyone's touch here and what they find pleasing. Helps center my own work.

Glad it's helped. Many here that have replied are long timers too.

matttelz said:
2) The noise in the image was probably my bad with the edit from AF2. I had 0 Luminance denoise which is probably leading to the grain. I personally didn't find it distracting but it's interesting how that might effect the image file size... I'll have to experiment.

3) Whether I mentioned it or not, people taking my photo and editing it to their taste is fine by me. Similar to point 1, I appreciate everyone's edits, even if they are a little humorous @Major jack, lol!

Good to hear. Major Jack is great and long timer here too.

s_grins · Dec 24, 2023

grsnovi said:
matttelz said:

One thing I notice right away is the Affinity Photo 2 file is twice the size of the C1 file.

Click to expand...

For grins, I downloaded your AP2 example which showed as being 50,162 kb in size on my system.

I ran it through Neat Image denoise in my version of Affinity Photo (2.3.0) and the resulting jpg was 5,151 kb.

I've browsed your site and you're obviously good at what you do.

I have cleaned up my gallery the days followed by the announcement about shutting down DPR website.

grsnovi said:
I do think there could be some benefit to you in asking (selective) clients if they prefer your "A" edit v. your "B" edit.

As this thread has shown there are any number of ideas on how to improve on the edits you offered as examples.

You may find that "your style" is whatever allows you to gain the most business.

- Gary

Major Jack · Dec 24, 2023

matttelz said:
Seems like this thread is getting a bit off topic from my original post.

1) Yes, I understood posting here the image is public and people can edit to their taste. I welcome the creativity, fully recognizing that my own creativity continually requires refinement and direction. I appreciate everyone's touch here and what they find pleasing. Helps center my own work.

2) The noise in the image was probably my bad with the edit from AF2. I had 0 Luminance denoise which is probably leading to the grain. I personally didn't find it distracting but it's interesting how that might effect the image file size... I'll have to experiment.

3) Whether I mentioned it or not, people taking my photo and editing it to their taste is fine by me. Similar to point 1, I appreciate everyone's edits, even if they are a little humorous @Major jack, lol!

4) I've been spending ALOT of time browsing flickr... probably not the best place, esp with safe search on..geesh. I'm noticing alot of portraits having this real glossy/smooth look. The images are super tack sharp but somehow display a pixel-less quality to them. I'm working on achieving this look. Julia Trotti has great work that I think also highlights the sharpness but lack of grain/pixelation. I haven't quite figured it out yet but I'm definitely taking steps in the right direction I think and It's something I'm striving for in my editing.

This time of year is definitely a time to reflect back on the year of work I've done but also look forward to the future. I couldn't be where I'm at without all the constructive feedback from the forum as I find it such a valuable resource.

Major Jack · Dec 24, 2023

pdqgp said:
pdqgp wrote:

matttelz said:

Seems like this thread is getting a bit off topic from my original post.

Click to expand...

Addressed that as it seems lately we've had a few threads whereby this happens. I've been around too long to let the place become a dumpster fire.

pdqgp said:

1) Yes, I understood posting here the image is public and people can edit to their taste. I welcome the creativity, fully recognizing that my own creativity continually requires refinement and direction. I appreciate everyone's touch here and what they find pleasing. Helps center my own work.

Click to expand...

Glad it's helped. Many here that have replied are long timers too.

pdqgp said:

2) The noise in the image was probably my bad with the edit from AF2. I had 0 Luminance denoise which is probably leading to the grain. I personally didn't find it distracting but it's interesting how that might effect the image file size... I'll have to experiment.

3) Whether I mentioned it or not, people taking my photo and editing it to their taste is fine by me. Similar to point 1, I appreciate everyone's edits, even if they are a little humorous @Major jack, lol!

Click to expand...

Good to hear. Major Jack is great and long timer here too.

Thanks so much Pdqgp! That means a lot to me! And yes, I go all the way back to when Phil created this great website. Thankfully, it survived this year!

Merry Christmas!

pdqgp · Dec 24, 2023

Major Jack said:
Major Jack said:

pdqgp wrote:

matttelz said:

Seems like this thread is getting a bit off topic from my original post.

Click to expand...

Addressed that as it seems lately we've had a few threads whereby this happens. I've been around too long to let the place become a dumpster fire.

Major Jack said:

1) Yes, I understood posting here the image is public and people can edit to their taste. I welcome the creativity, fully recognizing that my own creativity continually requires refinement and direction. I appreciate everyone's touch here and what they find pleasing. Helps center my own work.

Click to expand...

Glad it's helped. Many here that have replied are long timers too.

Major Jack said:

2) The noise in the image was probably my bad with the edit from AF2. I had 0 Luminance denoise which is probably leading to the grain. I personally didn't find it distracting but it's interesting how that might effect the image file size... I'll have to experiment.

3) Whether I mentioned it or not, people taking my photo and editing it to their taste is fine by me. Similar to point 1, I appreciate everyone's edits, even if they are a little humorous @Major jack, lol!

Click to expand...

Good to hear. Major Jack is great and long timer here too.

Click to expand...

Thanks so much Pdqgp! That means a lot to me! And yes, I go all the way back to when Phil created this great website. Thankfully, it survived this year!

Merry Christmas!

I remember. Many of us long-timers have had to re-do their accounts, change names, etc. but the core group of originals remembers who is who

Major Jack · Dec 24, 2023

pdqgp said:
Major Jack said:

pdqgp said:

pdqgp wrote:

matttelz said:

Seems like this thread is getting a bit off topic from my original post.

Click to expand...

Addressed that as it seems lately we've had a few threads whereby this happens. I've been around too long to let the place become a dumpster fire.

pdqgp said:

1) Yes, I understood posting here the image is public and people can edit to their taste. I welcome the creativity, fully recognizing that my own creativity continually requires refinement and direction. I appreciate everyone's touch here and what they find pleasing. Helps center my own work.

Click to expand...

Glad it's helped. Many here that have replied are long timers too.

pdqgp said:

2) The noise in the image was probably my bad with the edit from AF2. I had 0 Luminance denoise which is probably leading to the grain. I personally didn't find it distracting but it's interesting how that might effect the image file size... I'll have to experiment.

3) Whether I mentioned it or not, people taking my photo and editing it to their taste is fine by me. Similar to point 1, I appreciate everyone's edits, even if they are a little humorous @Major jack, lol!

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Good to hear. Major Jack is great and long timer here too.

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Thanks so much Pdqgp! That means a lot to me! And yes, I go all the way back to when Phil created this great website. Thankfully, it survived this year!

Merry Christmas!

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I remember. Many of us long-timers have had to re-do their accounts, change names, etc. but the core group of originals remembers who is who

Just goes to show, how good this place is. I learned so much from Feivel. He was “the Goat” here! The list of great members included Katrin Eismann, and even Scott Kelby! Both briefly contributed.

Thanks again!

A-Marc · Dec 24, 2023

if you like to improve your edit, it may be very interesting how your workflow is. so what are your basic steps when you edit your raw, and if you go further what are the edits you consider ?

i ve been thru this process several times, maybe i can help.

Ernie Misner · Dec 24, 2023

Major Jack said:
s_grins said:

and great result in my humble opinion

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Thanks my Friend.

Merry Christmas.

Indeed, your edits were so clean and professional looking. Really a big improvement over the original, oversaturated, and cluttered version.

Improving my editing

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