People Tonight's editing progress/How to finish editing?

Gregory_51 · 09-14-2012, 11:16 PM

Hello
It seems to me that's it's more of a salvage operation than a retouch. Don't mean to be harsh but with such an image as this you will never get a "good" end result. The subject out in the field with the setting sun is fine. As mentioned the hot spots on the forehead and nose are harsh. Having repositioned the subject by slightly turning the head and/or you moving to the right would fix that. The colour cast is warm on the sun side and cool from the sky on the shadow side. The contrast is too high to get a full range of tones in one shot, HDR isn't really an option here. A warm fill reflector on the shadow side would balance things up. Trying to recover a good balance from an underexposed image is difficult. You can lighten things up and push and pull but you still won't end up with what a good image would give with little effort. I've done a quick edit to remove the hot spots and made it a b&w which hides some of the flaws. A reshoot is the best option. We learn from our mistakes and get better with practice. Again don't want to offend just offering my thoughts on it.
Regards
Greg

Attached Images

Buschmaster · 09-15-2012, 06:34 AM

Thanks Gregory, that makes a lot of sense!

**Schraubstock** · 09-16-2012, 05:11 AM

Hi

I really do not exactly know what the OP wanted to achieve. It is always extremely difficult to do this. So all one can only ever do is try to think what is desired and then put your own spin on it.

There are now a number of variations and I would like to add to the possibilities and hope it will strike a cord.

Generally I am not overly fond (I try to choose my words carefully) of the colour, to me they look a bit "thin" and lifeless, but then again maybe this is what was desired, I don't know. But if the OP wanted to emulate the old film prints as the came back from the chemist in your street then perhaps it is only something the OP got used to seeing. I am saying this because I grew up in the old film days and know, therefore, that prints most of the time looked like this when the operator did not change the chemicals often enough as was required to maximise returns. And when you were unlucky to have them printed at the very end of the chemicals life, when they were spent, well they would look thin and flat. On the other hand with luck your pics were done with fresh chemicals and you would see a huge difference.

I have taken your image and put it through the mill with the help of NICK Viveza by applying control points here and there. (Without going into details) I particularly did not like the the "cold shoulder"

and warmed this up a wee bit. I also toned down the bright areas of the nose a bit, maybe hardly noticeable because it is such a small image.

I would dearly like to know what you think (all of you) because this is a forum to exchange ideas, is it not ?

Greetings

wildman · 09-16-2012, 03:12 PM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

I would dearly like to know what you think (all of you) because this is a forum to exchange ideas, is it not ?

For me it's too warm, saturated and dark.
Not to say it's awful or anything just not to my taste.

My best shot at it given the limitations of the file:

Last edited by wildman; 11-08-2012 at 12:28 AM.

Buschmaster · 09-16-2012, 05:25 PM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

Hi

I really do not exactly know what the OP wanted to achieve. It is always extremely difficult to do this. So all one can only ever do is try to think what is desired and then put your own spin on it.

There are now a number of variations and I would like to add to the possibilities and hope it will strike a cord.

Generally I am not overly fond (I try to choose my words carefully) of the colour, to me they look a bit "thin" and lifeless, but then again maybe this is what was desired, I don't know. But if the OP wanted to emulate the old film prints as the came back from the chemist in your street then perhaps it is only something the OP got used to seeing. I am saying this because I grew up in the old film days and know, therefore, that prints most of the time looked like this when the operator did not change the chemicals often enough as was required to maximise returns. And when you were unlucky to have them printed at the very end of the chemicals life, when they were spent, well they would look thin and flat. On the other hand with luck your pics were done with fresh chemicals and you would see a huge difference.

I have taken your image and put it through the mill with the help of NICK Viveza by applying control points here and there. (Without going into details) I particularly did not like the the "cold shoulder"

and warmed this up a wee bit. I also toned down the bright areas of the nose a bit, maybe hardly noticeable because it is such a small image.

I would dearly like to know what you think (all of you) because this is a forum to exchange ideas, is it not ?

Greetings

I like the warmth of it. A lot actually!

Originally posted by wildman

For me it's too warm, saturated and dark.
Not to say it's awful or anything just not to my taste.

My best shot at it given the limitations of the file:

Thanks! Sorry about limiting you so much

Perhaps I should ask the model what she thinks of the different pictures!

Edit:

Just asked her! Her favorite is the most recently post by Wildman. She likes the feel of it a lot. Hopefully she'll be my model again soon and give me another shot!

telly0050 · 10-09-2012, 09:05 PM

I actually think the file isn't so bad.
if the harsh light on nose is a bit of problem, how about just blur it a bit?
i use healing brush to fill in the nose hard light, then blur it out in a new layer.
after the hard light is fixed, you can pretty much do anything with it.

but then again, the file is a bit small to work with.

Buschmaster · 10-09-2012, 09:14 PM

I'll pass this along to my model and see how she likes it. But I must say, I really like it! It's a lot of what I was going for!

I've uploaded the original jpeg here:
http://www.mintbusch.com/fullimage.JPG

Thanks!

Jessesdad · 10-10-2012, 09:05 PM

Yet another try. Or three.
Telly's is great.

Julie · 10-13-2012, 08:06 AM

Hi Eric, seems like everyone is taking a go at it; so why not?

I don't do many portraits,but here is how I would treat it...

I have Elements 8 on my computer at home and here is what I did:

Adjust Lighting ---> Shadows/Highlights ---> lighten the shadows so we can see her pretty face more clearly, darken the highlights a little bit so we don't have super light/blown-out areas, and up the contrast a tiny bit
Apply a Soft Omni lighting effect to the right of her face ---> go back into Shadows/Highlights and darken the highlights so the little less extreme and make it look a bit more natural
Adjust Lighting ---> Levels, (sorry, I don't know the proper terms when using levels, but I moved left slider and made it about 10pts to the right, middle slider about 10pts to the right, and the last one, about 35pts to the left, to get the lighting to look like how I wanted)- I left just enough darkness and shadows to make her look a little mysterious.
Lastly, I made a new sepia layer on top, about 15% opacity, to give it just a little tint and then merged the two layers together into a final image

I also went and removed the fly-away hairs on the right.

Just my $.02.
Nice photo of a pretty girl.

Buschmaster · 10-13-2012, 09:26 AM

All of these edits are so great! She is very happy that so many people are taking interest in her picture

boone · 10-13-2012, 10:26 PM

oh boy.

Buschmaster · 10-13-2012, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by boone

oh boy.

??

boone · 10-13-2012, 10:37 PM

Sorry for not completing my post. Don't want sound like a jerk. But some of the edits are too much.

Buschmaster · 10-13-2012, 10:47 PM

Originally posted by boone

Sorry for not completing my post. Don't want sound like a jerk. But some of the edits are too much.

Sometimes we need to push the limits of what is good to see what works. Just throw edits at the wall and see what sticks.

I just appreciate people spending time to help me out.

Rupert · 10-14-2012, 09:26 AM

I like the one by Wildman....if you can provide him a larger file....maybe Raw...I bet he can work wonders! She is a lovely young lady, keep shooting her and you will get the results you desire sooner than later, she is gorgeous! This is a process of learning.....I'm still a newbie and I've been at it several years now.....but I don't give up easily.....when you get one that meets your expectations, it make it all worthwhile! You're on the right track, the composition is great......just keep at it!
Regards!

09-16-2012, 05:11 AM	#18
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Hi I really do not exactly know what the OP wanted to achieve. It is always extremely difficult to do this. So all one can only ever do is try to think what is desired and then put your own spin on it. There are now a number of variations and I would like to add to the possibilities and hope it will strike a cord. Generally I am not overly fond (I try to choose my words carefully) of the colour, to me they look a bit "thin" and lifeless, but then again maybe this is what was desired, I don't know. But if the OP wanted to emulate the old film prints as the came back from the chemist in your street then perhaps it is only something the OP got used to seeing. I am saying this because I grew up in the old film days and know, therefore, that prints most of the time looked like this when the operator did not change the chemicals often enough as was required to maximise returns. And when you were unlucky to have them printed at the very end of the chemicals life, when they were spent, well they would look thin and flat. On the other hand with luck your pics were done with fresh chemicals and you would see a huge difference. I have taken your image and put it through the mill with the help of NICK Viveza by applying control points here and there. (Without going into details) I particularly did not like the the "cold shoulder" and warmed this up a wee bit. I also toned down the bright areas of the nose a bit, maybe hardly noticeable because it is such a small image. I would dearly like to know what you think (all of you) because this is a forum to exchange ideas, is it not ? Greetings Last edited by Schraubstock; 02-16-2013 at 01:50 AM.

10-10-2012, 09:05 PM	#23
Jessesdad Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Blackwood Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 359	Yet another try. Or three. Telly's is great. Attached Images Last edited by Jessesdad; 10-11-2012 at 12:27 AM.

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09-14-2012, 11:16 PM	#16
Gregory_51 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: London, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 343	Hello It seems to me that's it's more of a salvage operation than a retouch. Don't mean to be harsh but with such an image as this you will never get a "good" end result. The subject out in the field with the setting sun is fine. As mentioned the hot spots on the forehead and nose are harsh. Having repositioned the subject by slightly turning the head and/or you moving to the right would fix that. The colour cast is warm on the sun side and cool from the sky on the shadow side. The contrast is too high to get a full range of tones in one shot, HDR isn't really an option here. A warm fill reflector on the shadow side would balance things up. Trying to recover a good balance from an underexposed image is difficult. You can lighten things up and push and pull but you still won't end up with what a good image would give with little effort. I've done a quick edit to remove the hot spots and made it a b&w which hides some of the flaws. A reshoot is the best option. We learn from our mistakes and get better with practice. Again don't want to offend just offering my thoughts on it. Regards Greg Attached Images

09-15-2012, 06:34 AM	#17
Buschmaster Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 806 Original Poster	Thanks Gregory, that makes a lot of sense!

09-16-2012, 03:12 PM	#19
wildman Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Flyover America Posts: 4,469	Originally posted by Schraubstock I would dearly like to know what you think (all of you) because this is a forum to exchange ideas, is it not ? For me it's too warm, saturated and dark. Not to say it's awful or anything just not to my taste. My best shot at it given the limitations of the file: Last edited by wildman; 11-08-2012 at 12:28 AM.

09-16-2012, 05:25 PM	#20
Buschmaster Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 806 Original Poster	Originally posted by Schraubstock Hi I really do not exactly know what the OP wanted to achieve. It is always extremely difficult to do this. So all one can only ever do is try to think what is desired and then put your own spin on it. There are now a number of variations and I would like to add to the possibilities and hope it will strike a cord. Generally I am not overly fond (I try to choose my words carefully) of the colour, to me they look a bit "thin" and lifeless, but then again maybe this is what was desired, I don't know. But if the OP wanted to emulate the old film prints as the came back from the chemist in your street then perhaps it is only something the OP got used to seeing. I am saying this because I grew up in the old film days and know, therefore, that prints most of the time looked like this when the operator did not change the chemicals often enough as was required to maximise returns. And when you were unlucky to have them printed at the very end of the chemicals life, when they were spent, well they would look thin and flat. On the other hand with luck your pics were done with fresh chemicals and you would see a huge difference. I have taken your image and put it through the mill with the help of NICK Viveza by applying control points here and there. (Without going into details) I particularly did not like the the "cold shoulder" and warmed this up a wee bit. I also toned down the bright areas of the nose a bit, maybe hardly noticeable because it is such a small image. I would dearly like to know what you think (all of you) because this is a forum to exchange ideas, is it not ? Greetings I like the warmth of it. A lot actually! Originally posted by wildman For me it's too warm, saturated and dark. Not to say it's awful or anything just not to my taste. My best shot at it given the limitations of the file: Thanks! Sorry about limiting you so much Perhaps I should ask the model what she thinks of the different pictures! Edit: Just asked her! Her favorite is the most recently post by Wildman. She likes the feel of it a lot. Hopefully she'll be my model again soon and give me another shot!

10-09-2012, 09:05 PM	#21
telly0050 Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 233	I actually think the file isn't so bad. if the harsh light on nose is a bit of problem, how about just blur it a bit? i use healing brush to fill in the nose hard light, then blur it out in a new layer. after the hard light is fixed, you can pretty much do anything with it. but then again, the file is a bit small to work with.

10-09-2012, 09:14 PM	#22
Buschmaster Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 806 Original Poster	I'll pass this along to my model and see how she likes it. But I must say, I really like it! It's a lot of what I was going for! I've uploaded the original jpeg here: http://www.mintbusch.com/fullimage.JPG Thanks!

10-13-2012, 08:06 AM	#24
Julie Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,069	Hi Eric, seems like everyone is taking a go at it; so why not? I don't do many portraits,but here is how I would treat it... I have Elements 8 on my computer at home and here is what I did: Adjust Lighting ---> Shadows/Highlights ---> lighten the shadows so we can see her pretty face more clearly, darken the highlights a little bit so we don't have super light/blown-out areas, and up the contrast a tiny bit Apply a Soft Omni lighting effect to the right of her face ---> go back into Shadows/Highlights and darken the highlights so the little less extreme and make it look a bit more natural Adjust Lighting ---> Levels, (sorry, I don't know the proper terms when using levels, but I moved left slider and made it about 10pts to the right, middle slider about 10pts to the right, and the last one, about 35pts to the left, to get the lighting to look like how I wanted)- I left just enough darkness and shadows to make her look a little mysterious. Lastly, I made a new sepia layer on top, about 15% opacity, to give it just a little tint and then merged the two layers together into a final image I also went and removed the fly-away hairs on the right. Just my $.02. Nice photo of a pretty girl.

10-13-2012, 09:26 AM	#25
Buschmaster Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 806 Original Poster	All of these edits are so great! She is very happy that so many people are taking interest in her picture

10-13-2012, 10:26 PM	#26
boone Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Vientiane Photos: Albums Posts: 100	oh boy.

10-13-2012, 10:28 PM	#27
Buschmaster Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 806 Original Poster	Originally posted by boone oh boy. ??

10-13-2012, 10:37 PM	#28
boone Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Vientiane Photos: Albums Posts: 100	Sorry for not completing my post. Don't want sound like a jerk. But some of the edits are too much.

10-13-2012, 10:47 PM	#29
Buschmaster Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 806 Original Poster	Originally posted by boone Sorry for not completing my post. Don't want sound like a jerk. But some of the edits are too much. Sometimes we need to push the limits of what is good to see what works. Just throw edits at the wall and see what sticks. I just appreciate people spending time to help me out.

10-14-2012, 09:26 AM	#30
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	I like the one by Wildman....if you can provide him a larger file....maybe Raw...I bet he can work wonders! She is a lovely young lady, keep shooting her and you will get the results you desire sooner than later, she is gorgeous! This is a process of learning.....I'm still a newbie and I've been at it several years now.....but I don't give up easily.....when you get one that meets your expectations, it make it all worthwhile! You're on the right track, the composition is great......just keep at it! Regards!