Editing Progress for digital shots

[Tinalera]

A while ago I came on trying to get some answers with editing photos and posted some pics. By request some wanted to see how I had been progressing (I didn't know where else to post this-but seeing as this is post-production, and we're using digital (still) photography, it was applicable

Pics shot with Canon 930zr: this "before" is the first: Original "edit" done on Premiere Elements:

This "after" edited on GIMP:

I note it's not the "same" pose, but you can spot the differences (though there are some errors even in this one)

This was my first "GIMP" edited photo-I ended up doing a series of 4 "sisters" photos. If anyone wants to see other pics, PM me and I'll give you my Flickr name.


More to follow, but this is for starters

 

[Tinalera]

Here's a quick correction in Apple's built in document viewer "Preview"...

That's great! Thanks Knightly!

 

[knightly]

I showed the settings so you can try to replicate it with whatever software you're choosing to use. Learn them by reproducing the results... then figure out why it works by overdoing each slider

 

[Tinalera]

I showed the settings so you can try to replicate it with whatever software you're choosing to use. Learn them by reproducing the results... then figure out why it works by overdoing each slider

That's pretty much me...very much "So what does this if I do this" experimentation.....


Usually when Iget the blue screen of death, it means I've gone to far....

 

[Tinalera]

NOTE: this is a work in progress-so yes it's choppy


My latest project-it's actually 3rd in a series of photos-all three have the same foreground, but the story is in the mirror-1st has their "reflection", 2nd has comforting, 3rd has what you see here-it's all about in the mirror-symbolism of sister bonds.
Should I play around with the brightness of the "reflection", or should I just not do too much: IE if I were showing these pics as part of an exhibit(just stretch your imagination that these would be be GOOD enough to be part of an exhibit lol)-do I hand "hand hold" the viewer(direct them to it), or do I let them see it on their own sort of as an "AHA-that's what's been done"? Suggestions?

Incidently, I've already have a couple of people who have seen the rough shots want prints(when they are done)! One wants just one of them, the other wants all three

A question I've had lately-why masked females? Why not masked males? It's a complicated answer- short answer masked males, it's hard to explain other than I can't "see" masked males as I can masked females if that makes any sense; maybe its because females(stereotype alert!)tend to be more associated with that "mystery" of masks.

Long answer: you have to understand "me" to understand it

 

[Ernest Worthing]

if I were showing these pics as part of an exhibit(just stretch your imagination that these would be be GOOD enough to be part of an exhibit lol)-do I hand "hand hold" the viewer(direct them to it), or do I let them see it on their own sort of as an "AHA-that's what's been done"? Suggestions?

Congrats on the orders!

And i wouldn't dare answer your question. Decisions like those are what will make the style your own personal style which is up to you to discover. Have you done both versions and tried to see which feels "right" to you?

 

[knightly]

Image looks much less washed out and the color density richer. well done!

 

[Tinalera]

Image looks much less washed out and the color density richer. well done!

Playing with the colours, contrast, hues ect, like you suggested You deserve credit for pushing me to experiment


Ernest-I've always been the type who's appreciated it more when it's discovered yourself personally. I've played around, and while brightening the mirror catches the eye, it distracts a bit from the foreground, which is just as important. It seems (so far) to work with the "somethings different here, what is it?" type of thing, the "secondary" revelation I think helps.

What's interesting is that the pics do work as stand alones, but "connecting the dots" really brings it out.

 

[Tinalera]

I also wanted to add a couple of reasons I've had more success with this one:

I actually attempted to get a decent lighting set up done-instead of relying on just home lights, daylight, ect.

I really took to heart what you said Knightly about the brightening/adjusting of sections of the picture, instead of just a general adjustment of the whole-I'm starting to see the "pieces" of a different picture now-IE While the sister on the left didn't need to get touched much, the one on the right I did adjusting so she would look like she was "part" of the picture-and not just feathering-I took into account she looked too "bright" so I played around with the adjustment so I could get her on the same "level" brightness wise as her sister.

Even then there's things I'm cleaning up on the pics, but it does help to know these things now

 

[Tinalera]

For you Knightly

Went and played with levels on "Hope", the earlier pic-remarkable the difference setting the curve/level to 0.

You probably have a nice flatscreen monitor, so the "darkness" should be even more pronounced


Just one more toy for me to play with lol-Thanks again to you!

 

[knightly]

That's the stuff! For the larger scenes you're doing, you may want to try controlling how much light is hitting the background. Reducing that a bit will change the apparent brightness of the characters and draw more attention to them. A famous DoP once said, "I'm going to continue shooting dark subjects against light backgrounds." Here's the technical on that (the inverse works as well):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenebrism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sfumato
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangiante

Enjoy the pictoral examples in these links, they're "Enlightening" hehe... I humor me!

 

[Tinalera]

That's the stuff! For the larger scenes you're doing, you may want to try controlling how much light is hitting the background. Reducing that a bit will change the apparent brightness of the characters and draw more attention to them. A famous DoP once said, "I'm going to continue shooting dark subjects against light backgrounds." Here's the technical on that (the inverse works as well):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenebrism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sfumato
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangiante

Enjoy the pictoral examples in these links, they're "Enlightening" hehe... I humor me!

I am doing just that actually at the moment. I'm tinkering with the mirrors picture I posted earlier, playing with bringing the colours out more while toning down the background Once you start playing with it-it's easy to get obsessive! LOL.

Thanks for the links (and the groan worthy humor )-I shall check them out!