PS (Photoshop) the POW (Photo of the Week)--Go!--2/7/11

<p>This week's image for Photoshopping was submitted by Marc Williams--thank you.<br /><br />You may post one reworked image, so make it your best effort. Any explanations about why and how you did what you did are encouraged and appreciated. Any critique is also welcome. Please remember to make your image 700 pixels wide and post a caption.<br /><br />For those of you wondering what this thread is about, this is part two of an exercise called Photo of the Week, in which an image is chosen from submissions to be critiqued, or, in this case, 'photoshopped' by others. You may find the thread with image submissions by looking for the most recent one with a similar title.<br /><br />Have fun!</p>

<p><strong>Marc's Notes:</strong> Sony A900, ISO 100, 1/200th shutter ... Zeiss 24-70/2.8 @ f/4.5, on-camera fill flash. This is pretty much as shot.</p>

<p><br />I'd be particularly interested in how you would separate the bride's hair from the background ... had I the time, a rim light behind her would have helped ... coulda, woulda, shoulda ... but can it be done in post, and should it be done?</p>

<p><br />Also, how would you make this a B&W or toned image as an alternative given the close color hues between her hair and background?</p>

<p>Oops...the image. Sorry. :^)</p><div></div>

<p>A few tweaks to give a the illusion of shallower DOF. Let me know what you think.<br>

RS</p><div></div>

<p>Bit more mid-contrast.</p><div></div>

I used layers to soften the background. Not satisfied with BG color but aim was to soften BG to bring bride out<div></div>

<p>Here's a version using a nik-pro paper toner filter to knock down the background colors while erasing the effect on the bride and her bouquet. Also knocked down some of the hot spots in the background as well.</p><div></div>

<p>These are all pretty nifty versions. </p>

<p>Dick, did you try something just a bit less on the background? She stands out nicely, but the BKG got a bit odd ... maybe even vignetted edges?</p>

<p>Like this ... </p><div></div>

It was a quick effort. I made two layers. One where I cut out the bride and made the background plain yellow(I would probably make it more green) and the original photo and then I blended the two layers allowing some of the original background to show through. I did not consciously vignette but I somehow may have. I could have also varied the blending through a range of options. It's pretty easy to do in CS5 using paste special.

I could have made her background white even and then just varied the intensity of the background. Using the Paste special gives a great number of options. I did not do any enhancements after I merged the image. Were I to do it again I would make it more like your version Marc.

<p>I have never posted in this POW forum, so bear with me!<br>

I first cleaned up the background, white leaves, white light streaks on trees...<br>

Then, with OnOne: dynamic light round at 50% around her head, erased effect on her face and hair, selective focus gaussian and black vignette.</p><div></div>

The photo as it is is simply excellent.I hope the couple orders a huge wall print. Every photographer, based on the training and years of working in the field may change things ever so slightly. My idea doesn't mean it is better or it can be worse. It's an artists view. It's that simple.

 

When I show clients vignettes most of them really love them; modern brides. This also goes along with double exposures if you do it classy. A lot of photographers feel this is old school and yes it is. Beethovan is old school, but his music is performed somewhere everyday.

 

Here is my take of Marc's photo. The first thing I always want to do in bridge is make digital look like film. I still prefer film over digital, but I sure enjoy working with both.

 

In bridge I added a very limited black vignette, changed the contrast to minus 6, standard is plus 25. I also changed the clarity as well to soften the brides face. Lenses are often too sharp and show every little mark. The last think I did was change the color in her face, just ever so slightly. For close up work I use a German filter called a Softar 1. It is fantastic. It makes skin tones on faces smooth with little or no retouching in photoshop to soften the hard age marks in post.

 

Kindly let me know what everyone thinks. Including Marc.

 

As far as the pose the shoulders are faced perfectly as the tilt of her head. The only thing I may change is the location of the flowers. In this case I would prefer the flowers to be lowered, moved slightly to the front of her, perhaps almost over her hip, but not getting an unnatural stratch and the flowers slightly pointed at the photographer. Why??? I would like to see more of her chest and the bead work on the dress.

 

The train is set perfectly and the filled lighting really accents the beautiful background<div></div>

hehe, I posted the origional! Lets see what happens now. My monitor looks great, but often when I post something on the board the colors look too candy, for a lack of words.

I need to chage it to a jpeg<div></div>

<p>I made the following adjustments:</p>

<ul>

<li>Changed to colors here and there to make the color palette more consistent. </li>

<li>Made the dark areas brighter, again for a more consistent look.</li>

<li>Cloned some of the grass and background to minimize distractions.</li>

<li>Made the background more out of focus to isolate the subject.</li>

<li>Added some selective sharpening and local contrast to further put focus on the subject.</li>

<li>Some curves and some minor touch ups</li>

</ul>

<div></div>

<p><strong>David S,</strong> I forgot to mention that I really liked the antique quality of your version. I'd probably offer that as an alternative large print.</p>

<p><strong>Bob B.</strong>, thanks for the kind words. I think the vignette got a little heavy for my taste, but a lot of clients do like that look for sure. </p>

<p><strong>Dick,</strong> the layers notion is excellent and allows any number of experiments with the background/foreground relationship. Wish you could post the step-by-step of using the newer tools to easily accomplish that. Perhaps a separate thread sometime because it is such a great post technique for wedding shooters if it can be done quickly.</p>

<p><strong>Pete S</strong>. ... pretty nice ... the only thing I don't favor when softening backgrounds is the wholesale effect as opposed to how depth of field works with a lens ... how it falls OOF gradually front to back. </p>

<p><strong>Anne L,</strong> NICE! I'd probably open up the grass just a bit and print it!</p>

<p><em>Anyone try an untoned B&W? Even though it's a nice color shot with the Fall colors and all ... quite often large wall prints take on a timeless quality when printed B&W.</em></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Marc, I actually did use the lens blur with a gradient for the distance so you get a gradual OOF effect on the background.<br /> I just didn't put too much time in it with such a low rez image so that's probably why it looks like a regular gaussian blur.<br /> Here is how you do it: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/photoshop/articles/phs8pplensblur.html</p>

<p>BTW, why did you clone the original on the right?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>B&W comin' up :) Did a quick and dirty channel mix. Dodged the leaves behind her head ever so slightly. PSD available if you like</p><div></div>

<p>A bit of gaussian blur on the background, slightly boosted curves, I cleaned up the foreground slightly. Oh I forgot, I also desaturated the dress as the cold tones didn't match the warmth of the background and added a vignette</p><div></div>

Marc. Quick steps in CS5.

 

Load original in PS.

 

Use Quick Selection to isolate bride.

 

Go to Inverse under Selection

 

Select foreground fill color you want. I used yellow. Could be anything you want.

 

Use Edit, Fill and select foreground color.

 

You now have the bride with a yellow background with marching ants preserving the bride. I actually did a light pink background and I think the bride looked better than with the trees.

 

Use refine edge to soften brides outline (a whole nother subject)

 

Load original again. You now have two versions of the picture in PS

 

Select the unretouched original under Selection, All. It will be bordered with marching ants.

 

Go to Edit, copy the unmanipulated original

 

Select the image with the yellow background and marching ants around the bride in PS.

 

Go to Edit and select Paste Special

 

Select paste in place. Make sure you retain the marching ants on the picture you manipulated because that masks the bride.

 

You now have two layers that you whose intensity you can vary with the layers sliders on layer One. I have used this to take pictures of clouds and use them as background in aviation pictures. Disclaimer I am no photoshop expert so there is probably a better way to present this. This is a hell of a lot quicker than it appears in print once you do it a few times. I think I got it down all right. Please if I missed something correct me. I have messed around a lot with refine edge and am still not quite satisfied with my competence in this area.

I have experimented with this picture some more using surface blur for the background, changing background colors and varying intensity etc.and actually learning more about it myself. It is really easy to slip any background in you want. PS did a good thing with this in 5. The flaw in this process for weddings is getting the refine edge right so the bride looks natural. I just did another one and it took me less than three minutes. If I start playing with it, it could take a lot more time. I don't know how to do it in lightroom (if you even can) but if you could do it in sync it could be very productive.

<p>Dick, you might want to look into layer masks.That's even quicker and more flexible as well.<br>

There is a tutorial here: http://www.photo.net/learn/digital-photography-workflow/advanced-photoshop-tutorials/layer-masks/</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Bride in color with a desaturated, sepia background</p><div></div>

<p>Here is mine..</p>

<div></div>

<p>One more cleaner tweak with more emphasis on the greens and with a sloppy border for fun.....</p><div></div>

<p>Lots of good ideas here. In my treatrment I duplicated the background layer and applied a gradient then a layer mask to reduce the effects of the gradient then duplicated the background layer again and made it a smart object. Went to filters then blur, chose motion blur and about 10 pixels of blur. Used a layer mask to remove the affects in selected areas. It might not be the way I would do it but it is something I have been playing with and wanted to try.</p><div></div>