DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Challenge Results >> Some editing advice please
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 25 of 25, (reverse)
AuthorThread
10/08/2010 08:51:19 AM · #1
Here is my FS image for the month as well as the original. Any tips on how I could have done this better. Please be as specific as possible. I use CS4 and NI. Thanks!

10/08/2010 09:00:42 AM · #2
I think the edited version is a bit oversaturated, and the crop makes it look like it was stretched out. Try a more rectangular crop rather than the squareish crop that you have on it right now.
The sky on the original is more pink than red, try to keep it like that, it looks really nice.
10/08/2010 02:41:35 PM · #3
I think you know what I would recommend.
10/08/2010 03:15:47 PM · #4
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

I think you know what I would recommend.


We do but where would he get the pictures of the peanut butter and the squeegee?
10/08/2010 03:26:39 PM · #5
I think he'd edit it like this:
10/08/2010 03:39:12 PM · #6
Originally posted by Citadel:

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

I think you know what I would recommend.


We do but where would he get the pictures of the peanut butter and the squeegee?

You could probably cut them out of this photo.
10/08/2010 04:48:59 PM · #7
Originally posted by kleski:

Here is my FS image for the month as well as the original. Any tips on how I could have done this better. Please be as specific as possible. I use CS4 and NI. Thanks!



Don't try to make the image into something it's not. By oversaturating the sky you're saying the rest of the image has little going for it so just look at the pretty colors, except in this case your heavy-handedness makes the colors ugly, tacky and cheap, IMO. If that was my image I would first ask myself why did I take the picture in the first place? The answer should dictate how and where you edit. Nobody else can answer that for you. Besides why would you want someone else to tell you how to specifically edit a photo? Why not just ask them to come along and take the photo for you? Not trying to be harsh or anything just generally curious why you want to outsource the creation of your own images.

Message edited by author 2010-10-08 16:50:07.
10/08/2010 04:53:15 PM · #8
He asked for feedback. You gave it. Then you ripped him for asking. Time well spent I suppose.
10/08/2010 05:25:30 PM · #9
Originally posted by bohemka:

He asked for feedback. You gave it. Then you ripped him for asking. Time well spent I suppose.


If he's as delicate as a flower then I suppose he might feel ripped. That of course wasn't my intent. I gave an honest response to what I saw and thought the direction he's taking to learning might not prove to be the best in the long run. It's not like he must accept my advice or anything. He can always ignore it and move on to one of those 5 minute edit jobs people post in these threads.

Message edited by author 2010-10-08 17:26:36.
10/08/2010 05:30:31 PM · #10
Originally posted by yanko:

He can always ignore it and move on to one of those 5 minute edit jobs people post in these threads.

I actually spent 7 minutes on mine. I think you owe me an apology. :P
10/08/2010 05:32:03 PM · #11
Originally posted by yanko:

. Besides why would you want someone else to tell you how to specifically edit a photo? Why not just ask them to come along and take the photo for you? Not trying to be harsh or anything just generally curious why you want to outsource the creation of your own images.


I don't think he wants us to edit his photo for him just so he can have a finished product, I believe he is looking to learn... after all isn't that what this community is about? I have learned tips and tricks and whatnot that have really helped my photography come a long way, I suppose I could have kept fumbling along and finally got it right but why not tap into the massive knowledge base that is DPC? I think it is great to ask for help or ideas... it kick starts creativity, well it does mine anyway. I love learning a new technique or tip and running with it to see what I can do. I love that about this site and I hope that those with more knowledge and experience will continue to offer their insight.
10/08/2010 05:59:39 PM · #12
Originally posted by jminso:

Originally posted by yanko:

. Besides why would you want someone else to tell you how to specifically edit a photo? Why not just ask them to come along and take the photo for you? Not trying to be harsh or anything just generally curious why you want to outsource the creation of your own images.


I don't think he wants us to edit his photo for him just so he can have a finished product, I believe he is looking to learn... after all isn't that what this community is about? I have learned tips and tricks and whatnot that have really helped my photography come a long way, I suppose I could have kept fumbling along and finally got it right but why not tap into the massive knowledge base that is DPC? I think it is great to ask for help or ideas... it kick starts creativity, well it does mine anyway. I love learning a new technique or tip and running with it to see what I can do. I love that about this site and I hope that those with more knowledge and experience will continue to offer their insight.


And there's nothing wrong with that if you're trying to learn some new tricks and that's probably all he wants. My point was you'll learn more by first developing your own eye and then figuring out how best to make your images match your vision. Had he said, how do you do such and such, my response would have been totally different. Instead he asked for "any tips" and to be as "specific as possible" which to me came across as wanting someone else to drive which is fine I suppose but without a destination in mind it'll make for a long trip.
10/08/2010 06:02:49 PM · #13
Originally posted by yanko:

. My point was you'll learn more by first developing your own eye and then figuring out how best to make your images match your vision. Had he said, how do you do such and such, my response would have been totally different. Instead he asked for "any tips" and to be as "specific as possible" which to me came across as wanting someone else to drive which is fine I suppose but without a destination in mind it'll make for a long trip.


I can see where you are coming from.
10/08/2010 06:03:02 PM · #14
Originally posted by yanko:

Originally posted by bohemka:

He asked for feedback. You gave it. Then you ripped him for asking. Time well spent I suppose.


If he's as delicate as a flower then I suppose he might feel ripped. That of course wasn't my intent. I gave an honest response to what I saw and thought the direction he's taking to learning might not prove to be the best in the long run. It's not like he must accept my advice or anything. He can always ignore it and move on to one of those 5 minute edit jobs people post in these threads.


Well you've missed my point. You can call his photo crap, you can point out the details of his photo that are crap. That's completely fine. Same goes for my photos. I welcome it. Because I'm here to learn a few tricks; get better. And that's why he's asking.

"Besides why would you want someone else to tell you how to specifically edit a photo? Why not just ask them to come along and take the photo for you?"

That's not giving feedback on a photo.
10/08/2010 06:09:17 PM · #15
Originally posted by bohemka:

Originally posted by yanko:

Originally posted by bohemka:

He asked for feedback. You gave it. Then you ripped him for asking. Time well spent I suppose.


If he's as delicate as a flower then I suppose he might feel ripped. That of course wasn't my intent. I gave an honest response to what I saw and thought the direction he's taking to learning might not prove to be the best in the long run. It's not like he must accept my advice or anything. He can always ignore it and move on to one of those 5 minute edit jobs people post in these threads.


Well you've missed my point. You can call his photo crap, you can point out the details of his photo that are crap. That's completely fine. Same goes for my photos. I welcome it. Because I'm here to learn a few tricks; get better. And that's why he's asking.

"Besides why would you want someone else to tell you how to specifically edit a photo? Why not just ask them to come along and take the photo for you?"

That's not giving feedback on a photo.


If you're so worried about him not receiving adequate feedback then offer him some or be quiet. Pick one.
10/08/2010 06:16:02 PM · #16
actually his question was:

"Any tips on how I could have done this better"

that doesn't sound like he's asking anyone to do anything, he's asking what the more experienced users here would do.

10/08/2010 06:16:53 PM · #17
I also don't like the oversaturated sky.

However, I do like the silhouette of that windmill a lot.

How about cropping it in portrait orientation, making the windmill the real subject with the sky as the bonus?
10/08/2010 06:17:00 PM · #18
Originally posted by yanko:

Originally posted by bohemka:

Originally posted by yanko:

Originally posted by bohemka:

He asked for feedback. You gave it. Then you ripped him for asking. Time well spent I suppose.


If he's as delicate as a flower then I suppose he might feel ripped. That of course wasn't my intent. I gave an honest response to what I saw and thought the direction he's taking to learning might not prove to be the best in the long run. It's not like he must accept my advice or anything. He can always ignore it and move on to one of those 5 minute edit jobs people post in these threads.


Well you've missed my point. You can call his photo crap, you can point out the details of his photo that are crap. That's completely fine. Same goes for my photos. I welcome it. Because I'm here to learn a few tricks; get better. And that's why he's asking.

"Besides why would you want someone else to tell you how to specifically edit a photo? Why not just ask them to come along and take the photo for you?"

That's not giving feedback on a photo.


If you're so worried about him not receiving adequate feedback then offer him some or be quiet. Pick one.


I'm giving you advice.
10/08/2010 06:28:47 PM · #19
i actually went the opposite way as you, i desaturated the sky a little to put the focus back on the windmill.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1167618/untitled-913507-2.jpg

Message edited by Manic - please keep images under 500px and 30kb, or post links or thumbs instead.
10/08/2010 06:33:46 PM · #20
Ok, everybody relax in here... yanko's comment was not taken as a bash IMO. I understand it completely. My original intent was to get a bit of help in the post processing of the image which is why I posted my before and then my two editing programs. Several people have offered good advice and I appreciate it. Ken, I think your editing was the best...Anyway, no offense taken here. I have very tough skin unless there are bullets involved.
10/08/2010 06:35:32 PM · #21
Originally posted by kleski:

. Ken, I think your editing was the best..


yeah but i dont have tough skin...
10/08/2010 06:46:41 PM · #22
I see Mike beat me to it while I was editing, but I too would have gone the other way with the color. Honestly in this particular shot the over saturated colors didn't work for me so I went for more muted color.

Since I wasn't working with the RAW file I tried a manual adjust on the original jpeg in CS4, but nothing changed much. I tried auto tone, auto contrast and auto color and the one that looked the most natural was auto color. Using that as a starting point I basically warmed the photo up a little and adjusted the saturation with a little bump. I switched the mode from RGB to LAB and in the channel panel only selected the Lightness layer. I did a select all and copy and then converted the mode back from LAB to RGB. Then I pasted the layer into the layer palette and adjusted it's opacity until the colors were muted and where I liked them.

That's basically it except for a straightening of the windmill and a little crop off the bottom and left side. Oh, I also added a hue/saturation layer and used the grab tool and selected one of the red/pink bands in the big cloud bank on the left and just increased the reds slightly. I also did just a basic sharpen edges to give a little more definition the windmill.

Not saying it's an earth shattering edit, but honestly it's more appealing to me this way. BTW in full disclosure I gave your image a 4. I liked the idea you were going for and the silhouette of the windmill etc., but overall the color just didn't make it work for me.



Dave

Message edited by author 2010-10-08 18:47:34.
10/08/2010 06:59:53 PM · #23
Well I edit the photo but then realized I can't upload it at DPC. If you like I can post it to my flickr account or I can just tell you what I did, which was to convert it to b/w and extend the canvas a bit from the bottom giving the tree areas more space and making the composition more square. What I liked about the image was the shapes and not the color hence those decisions.

ETA: I also added a slight glow and tint for mood.

Message edited by author 2010-10-08 19:01:39.
10/08/2010 07:31:13 PM · #24
Originally posted by yanko:

Well I edit the photo but then realized I can't upload it at DPC. If you like I can post it to my flickr account or I can just tell you what I did, which was to convert it to b/w and extend the canvas a bit from the bottom giving the tree areas more space and making the composition more square. What I liked about the image was the shapes and not the color hence those decisions.

ETA: I also added a slight glow and tint for mood.


I also considered it as a B&W because I love that genre, but it just didn't seem to do it for me. I'll have to look at your edit on your Flickr page as I know you're a contact of mine.
10/08/2010 11:17:27 PM · #25
Originally posted by DCNUTTER:

I see Mike beat me to it while I was editing, but I too would have gone the other way with the color. Honestly in this particular shot the over saturated colors didn't work for me so I went for more muted color.

Since I wasn't working with the RAW file I tried a manual adjust on the original jpeg in CS4, but nothing changed much. I tried auto tone, auto contrast and auto color and the one that looked the most natural was auto color. Using that as a starting point I basically warmed the photo up a little and adjusted the saturation with a little bump. I switched the mode from RGB to LAB and in the channel panel only selected the Lightness layer. I did a select all and copy and then converted the mode back from LAB to RGB. Then I pasted the layer into the layer palette and adjusted it's opacity until the colors were muted and where I liked them.

That's basically it except for a straightening of the windmill and a little crop off the bottom and left side. Oh, I also added a hue/saturation layer and used the grab tool and selected one of the red/pink bands in the big cloud bank on the left and just increased the reds slightly. I also did just a basic sharpen edges to give a little more definition the windmill.

Not saying it's an earth shattering edit, but honestly it's more appealing to me this way. BTW in full disclosure I gave your image a 4. I liked the idea you were going for and the silhouette of the windmill etc., but overall the color just didn't make it work for me.



Dave


I do like the muted colors. I was attempting to do that earlier but I couldn't get the clouds how I wanted them so I gave up. I do think muted colors or B&W is the way to go with this one.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 02:29:29 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 02:29:29 PM EDT.