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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Photo editing ideas?
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05/10/2016 09:54:10 AM · #1
So if anyone wants to give me any better ideas ...
My on-board flash came back on for some unknown reason during this shoot. My brain was too fragged to figure it out as I had a line of people waiting and I KNEW I had turned it off an my first shots were fine.
Anyway, now I have several dozen shots where I need to fix this (with a harsh shadow immediately behind the subject). Most of the shots i will crop so that I don't need to deal with the legs and the stool -
But my method so far is either using the magic wand of drawing an outline around the body - then cloning in -- it works but is time-consuming ...
any other ideas????
05/10/2016 11:08:17 AM · #2
I'm afraid you're in for "time-consuming". Have you tried the clone tool set to "lighten"? You many not have to select anything, or perhaps just the dark shadow areas. Then just lighten the small sliver of shadow.
05/10/2016 11:12:33 AM · #3
Johanna's right, you're in for time-consuming. Setting tool to "lighten will work for a lot of it, as she says. In the future, be sure you have black photographer's tape in your kit: the quick fix is to tape off the flash lens until you can backtrack to the controls :-)
05/10/2016 11:17:02 AM · #4
Yeah -
it's funny … I was waiting in line at the rental counter and I looked at all the gaffer's tape they had - I thought "hmm that might come in handy" ...
but I didn't grab any.
I could have done what you are suggesting (HUGE DUUUH! :( . I could have taped down the cord that the little girl tripped over ...
I could have probably even taped a few other things while I was at it ...
who would have thought ... tape ... apparently many ppl! LOL

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Johanna's right, you're in for time-consuming. Setting tool to "lighten will work for a lot of it, as she says. In the future, be sure you have black photographer's tape in your kit: the quick fix is to tape off the flash lens until you can backtrack to the controls :-)
05/10/2016 01:50:41 PM · #5
you might check out some online retouchers/clipping path services, I could not find one that I used 2 or 3 years ago but prices can be very reasonable considering the time and potential reputation they could save.
a quick look brought up Tucia and fotofix though a service like Clipping Path India might be more in line ,I have no experience with any of those so I can't recommend them but do a little research send 1 image see
how they do then send the rest and use a service like paypal to be safe. I would go with a basic selection and then use an image you already have (did you take a shot of just the background?) and insert that myself.
05/10/2016 01:58:53 PM · #6
Originally posted by VisualDecay:

you might check out some online retouchers/clipping path services, I could not find one that I used 2 or 3 years ago but prices can be very reasonable considering the time and potential reputation they could save.
a quick look brought up Tucia and fotofix though a service like Clipping Path India might be more in line ,I have no experience with any of those so I can't recommend them but do a little research send 1 image see
how they do then send the rest and use a service like paypal to be safe. I would go with a basic selection and then use an image you already have (did you take a shot of just the background?) and insert that myself.


That would actually be the fastest way to do it. If you have a shot of just the background, make it the background layer, and mask out the shadow portions of the portrait layer.
05/10/2016 06:26:36 PM · #7
if you have photoshop, try a quick selection around the subject, set it to feather a pixel or two, and clone in a new area from the surrounding backdrop. of course that shadow might give the selection tool fits..



Message edited by author 2016-05-10 18:27:22.
05/10/2016 06:50:01 PM · #8
Originally posted by Mike:

if you have photoshop, try a quick selection around the subject, set it to feather a pixel or two, and clone in a new area from the surrounding backdrop. of course that shadow might give the selection tool fits..

Try looking at the individual color channels and make your selection on the channel with the most contrast between your subject and the shadow -- by varying the tolerance of the magic wand tool you can often get a pretty accurate selection.
05/11/2016 01:30:35 AM · #9
Try using Topaz Remask. That particular example isn't easy, but you can make a pretty good mask in a couple of minutes. Then just clone the shadow.
05/11/2016 02:18:49 PM · #10
THanks for the advice :)
All good tips. And I hadn't even considered hiring someone to edit online!
Anyway, I'm working my way pretty quickly though this using a combination of techniques - another bunch of my images have a monstrous shadow lurking behind due my improvising after having numerous issues.
A decent set of exposures with horrible shadows =[
05/11/2016 02:27:54 PM · #11
have you considered the fact that the people may not even notice it or have an issue?
the shadows are not that bad, and if you do not point them out, unless the people are actually graphic editors or photographers, they may not even notice, they will only be looking at the pictures of themselves.
05/11/2016 02:29:42 PM · #12
I did consider that.
I used my wife as the litmus test ... she insisted I fix it :/
Maybe I'm just rubbing off on here ;)

ETA: I did charge them over 1k to do this job. And I was embarrassed. It is really tough for me to give people something i am bothered by - especially if I am getting paid.

Originally posted by RyanW:

have you considered the fact that the people may not even notice it or have an issue?
the shadows are not that bad, and if you do not point them out, unless the people are actually graphic editors or photographers, they may not even notice, they will only be looking at the pictures of themselves.


Message edited by author 2016-05-11 14:31:10.
05/11/2016 03:33:36 PM · #13
yeah, that kind of a price tag you should try to deliver "perfect" imagery then.
tbh I don't find the shadows "glaringly bad".
they're noticeable, but not so much so that it detracts from the image as a whole.
I know when we got shots done with my wife/son/myself, at first I was studying the setup in the room, anticipating what issues may need retouching, and then when we got the proofs back you could tell that she had used some tools - not excessively or in a bad way - but getting a polished product was a nice feeling.
05/11/2016 07:40:50 PM · #14
in the future, put a light on the backdrop to get rid of those shadows.
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