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What do you think of this conversion?

Sydney Rester

New member
First of all, I am a total noob to PS and my pp skills are terrible. But I loved the emotion in this shot (and several others from the same time frame) so I am determined to figure out how to enhance it. The first version is basically SOOC, the second after I messed around with it in LR and PS. Am I on the right track?

And how could I have gotten a better shot in the first place? The light was waning, I was shooting the 135L wide open and not very close to my subjects. If anyone feels inclined to comment on how I could have lit this better, much appreciated!




 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
First of all, I am a total noob to PS and my pp skills are terrible. But I loved the emotion in this shot (and several others from the same time frame) so I am determined to figure out how to enhance it. The first version is basically SOOC, the second after I messed around with it in LR and PS. Am I on the right track?

And how could I have gotten a better shot in the first place? The light was waning, I was shooting the 135L wide open and not very close to my subjects. If anyone feels inclined to comment on how I could have lit this better, much appreciated!






Sydney,

You did very well. Here f you had some help, a reflector might open up the shadows for you before takng the shot, else you can use fill flash. The other thing to mention is the importance of the file the image is stored in. It should be 16 BIT Adobe RGB and RAW to have the most latitude in being able to recover highlights and shadow detail. Here you have done remarkably well and I wouldn't be surprised if you had used a RAW file!


The other thing to do is follow through with more shots from angles such that you can get all 3 faces. Now that's no rule a sometimes it might of course be better for the meaning not to know the face of everyone! For your happy love pictures, it's an idea to lean towards.

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,

The other thing to mention is the importance of the file the image is stored in. It should be 16 BIT Adobe RGB and RAW . . .
What does that mean? "16 bit Adobe RGB" is not a file format.

And how does "16 bit Adobe RGB" relate to a "raw" file?

Perhaps you meant to recommend that the image developed from the raw file:

• be held in memory in the image processing software in 16 bit RGB form in the Adobe RGB color space (that image in memory is not a file), and then
• written in 16-bit RGB form in the Adobe RGB color space to an accommodating file format, perhaps TIFF.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Sydney Rester

New member
Asher, I really have to work on using fill flash. I simply forget I have it as a tool. I did just purchase a reflector and I've told my husband his new job is to come along on shoots and hold it.

Yes, I did use a RAW file. I've been shooting RAW only since October. I really like what I can do in LightRoom or DPP. Those programs are easier for me than Photoshop but seem very limited in what they can do with a JPEG. However I need to learn more PS, much more!

I'm glad this conversion doesn't look terrible. I found quite a few from that part of the shoot I had marked as unusable but kept the files anyway. Here's another one, where again, I'm not sure about the conversion, but I sure love the moment.




 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Frankly, for this last picture, if it was processed from RAw, the shadows could be opened and the highlights held back and it would be darn close to perfect. If not I'd develop one copy for the well lit baby and the other for her and join them by masking in photoshop.

Are you shooting in RAW? You use the word "conversion", so perhaps the answer is yes?

Asher
 

Bard Azima

New member
Basically, your conversions look good to - if not a tad overexposed - and you've lost a little too much shadow detailing that would be nice. Otherwise, it's cool.
 

Sydney Rester

New member
Frankly, for this last picture, if it was processed from RAw, the shadows could be opened and the highlights held back and it would be darn close to perfect. If not I'd develop one copy for the well lit baby and the other for her and join them by masking in photoshop.

Are you shooting in RAW? You use the word "conversion", so perhaps the answer is yes?

Asher

Yes, shooting in RAW only and struggling to learn post processing. I barely know what you mean by "join them by masking in photoshop". I vaguely understand the concept of masking in PS, but I am *terrible* at it.

The only way I figure I will get better is to try some things and throw them up for critique. Now I will look into a tutorial on masking and see if I can adjust the photo that way.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Simple masking method in photoshop

Simple. Make two layers in photoshop. The top one is a dark version, for example so the infant is fine. The bottom one is the mother and friend done for htem.

Now drag the top layer to the mask symbol on the bottom of the layers palette. It's a square with a circle in the center.

Now a white square will appear to the right of the that level in the layers panel/ Just make sure it's selected by clicking on it and now use a black brush and paint black over the woman in the picture and they will shoe through from the layer below. If you make a mistake, switch to white and then you will hide the bottom layer where you paint. So black makes the bottom layer shine through and white brings back the top layer. You can use a 30% black paint brush in the top bar of photoshop to decrease the degree to which the bottom layer shows through.

"Here endeth the lesson"

Asher
 
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