Looking for feedback

[andrew_hull]

Looking for feedback on picture and on scanning. Am still struggling to learn to do in PS

what I already know how to do int he good old darkroom.<div></div>

[andrew_hull]

Okay, so the dodging was a little heavy handed now that i upload it, so consider that

advice already taken ;-)

[andrew_hull]

Tried to undo the dodging, now I have learned to save files with their histories...

[andrew_hull]

Not any better, sorry folks...

[andrew_hull]

Last try...

[Sandeha Lynch]

This could be a nice pic, but sometimes you just have to re-scan. No worries, just be prepared to spend months working on your PS skills. Nobody ever learned it all in one day, but it's worth the effort. Try using Curves or Levels on a selected area with some edge feathering, just as much as the dodge or burn tools. This is a useful aid to learning the jargon: http://members.aol.com/crhfoto/knowhowlist.htm

[tracy_storer1]

I always save a "virgin" layer, and do all my adjustments on stacked copy

layers, that way I can look at with and without changes by turning layers on

and off. Also it can be grreat to make gross changes to a layer and "erase

through" only certain parts of the image.

[michaelging]

Andrew , you have a pretty good photo going there.I would open up the midtones in levels.You go toImage, Adjust, Levels, then slide the middle arrow on the line to the left. This will open up the shadows with out blowing out the highlights. I don't know what you are looking for in the photo,I open up the midtones in this version of your last photo.<div></div>

[smieglitz]

Andrew,

 

One trick to control burning and dodging is to create a layer in PS that acts like a mask over your original image. Go to the Layers menu and create a new layer. When the dialog box pops up choose to use soft-light for the blending mode and check the box that says to fill the layer with 50% soft-light neutral color. Now, with this neutral layer over your original image, you can paint on it using the black and white tones (or grays I suppose if you wanted to be more subtle) and these will now burn & dodge areas underneath for you automatically. (This is something I originally picked up years ago during one of Dan Burkholder's seminars in Chicago. He has more tips online at his website although I think he is charging a small fee for access to them now.) Don't like the effect...just paint over it with the opposite tone to correct it until you have it the way you want. You can also adjust the opacity of the painting tools, use gradients or clone tones within the layer to give you a lot of control. Once completed, you can also adjust the contrast or brightness of the overall layer if you wanted by using the layer slider controls.

 

One thing I've found that helps is once I've lightened and darkened with the painting/gradient tools, I generally apply a guassian blur effect on the layer to make the transitions even smoother and eliminate the "tool marks" which are so apparent on your first example. I wouldn't attempt to burn/dodge without using this layer control and I've found it easier to do than making a standard PS "adjustment layer".

[sjmurray]

Andrew, if you are using CS, try the "shadow lightening" option to open up shadows. Its new to CS but can work quite well for certain images, and there are several controls for modification. I can't remember what the option is really called, but its something like that.