Project 52 Christina S

[Brownbear]

Hi Geoff,

Here is my edit, following all of your instructions, almost... I could not work with the magnetic lasso (it was crazy and all over the place) but I selected and sharpened the deer, inverted the selection to blur the background a little and warmed it up a little... I also could not get back to the space between the deers legs to match the background...

[captivating]

I like the 2nd one but I am no pro I just know what looks good to me and it is amazing how you have no blur at all as he flies, wonderful shot!!

[Brownbear]

Hi Denise,
Thank you. I too, am just learning. I like the way I caught the deer in action and trying to learn how to edit to improve my photos.
Christina

[Geoff F]

Something else to consider now, Christina.

Using alternative selection options. From the Top toolbar Options bar.

Here is a link to my version of your deer photo https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...7&d=1353791197

Firstly the simple bits. Used a Curves Adjustment Layer to brighten the deer (ignore the background). Mostly worked on the midtones. Inverted the layer mask. Adjustments now hidden.

Used a low opacity soft 'white' brush to paint over the deer and gradually expose the adjustment effects. Also did a slight curves adjustment to the entire image.

Used the normal Lasso tool (not magnetic or polygon options) to draw around just outside of the deer edges. The area between the legs needs to be excluded from this selection. So try this method:

On the top toolbar Options bar there are 4 alternative selection method symbols. 1, Normal use. 2, Add to Selection. 3, Subtract from Selection. 4, Intersect, but forget about this one for now.

Choose Subtract from selection (third symbol) and draw around the area between the legs. This area is now removed from the selection. Feather the selection, I used 10 pixels (Select menu and Modify - Feather).

Then I added a bit of sharpening. Unsharp Mask at 120% 1 pixel and 2 threshold levels. Sharpening only applied to selected area.

The Add to Selection option (second symbol) is often useful for extending a selection and can save the day when magnetic selection misses a little bit. After completing the selection just go over the bad area again and enclose the missing parts.

Subtract can be used in much the same manner.

Always reset the tool to normal after use otherwise you can select incorrectly next time you use the selection tool.

It needs a bit of practice and experimentation to fully understand these optional settings but they aren't difficult once you become aware of the basics.

[Brownbear]

Hi Geoff,

Thank you. I am always learning something new from your instructions and I love your edit.

I am not quite sure what you mean by this statement..


Used a low opacity soft 'white' brush to paint over the deer and gradually expose the adjustment effects

When you paint with the brush does it mean that the edits you applied to the whole photo will only show up on the deer?


Your selection advise/tool tips are very helpful and new to me... thank you

Why did you apply the un-sharp mask to the deer that you sharpened?

Christina

[Brownbear]

A Night Shot (one of my goals is to improve my night photography) of my friends mischievous cat. Flash used.

[FrankMi]

Made me smile! Thank you Christina!

[Brownbear]

My pleasure You made me smile, too.

[Geoff F]

Yes that has worked well. Flash in those conditions can be tricky and easily gives a 'washed out' look; which you have avoided.

[Dave Humphries]

Yes that has worked well. Flash in those conditions can be tricky and easily gives a 'washed out' look; which you have avoided.

Geoff,

Did you see the earlier questions for you?

Cheers,

[Brownbear]

Thank you Geoff...

[Geoff F]

Returning to layers and masks. This series about layers mentions all the relevant details, although it does go into a lot of 'depth'.

http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/l...1/layers-1.htm

But very simply. If you add a Hide All mask to a duplicate layer (or an adjustment layer) everything on that layer becomes hidden and none of the effects applied to the layer are visible.

Painting with an appropriate 'white' brush on the layer when the mask is active will remove the 'cloak of invisibility' from anywhere underneath the brush. Using a low opacity brush allows you to gradually build up the effect which often overcomes any hard edge problems.

So if a whole layer is sharpened, for example, then a hide all mask is applied; it is possible to paint over the required area (with the white brush) and just reveal what is desired.

A Reveal All mask does the same thing except all the effects are initially visible; but painting with a 'black' brush when the mask is active will gradually hide the effects from view.

But deciding which type of mask is best does take a little bit of experience. But if you get it wrong, it is so easy to just delete a layer and start again.

A 'white brush' changes a 'black mask' (hide all) while a 'black brush' changes a 'white mask' (reveal all). You can even change brush 'colours' to go back over previous work and correct any mistakes. But, perhaps this is getting a bit complicated for now.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Geoff. Great explanation... very helpful.

I will study the link, and one day I'll surprise you with an edited photo

[Brownbear]

Today I would like to learn more about B&W photography...

Following is a photo of a dog, that I rather like


I converted it to B&W using the raw file first, removing the colour and playing with shadows and contrast, and then in elements, I converted it to B&W portrait, but it just does not look good..



the photo has okay tone (I think), lines and texture... Is it a poor choice for B&W photo or is it that I just need to learn how to edit photos to convert to B&W?

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I guess if you think about it, your primary tones in here are green, white, and black. There isn't a lot of contrasting colour ad light in the photo - actual shadows so to speak so it might be a challenge to turn this particular photo into one with a of impact.

I think one thing you could try would be to crop a bit tighter and remove the areas of the photo that are out of focus as it's a distraction that takes away from the textures of the plants.

[Brownbear]

You're right I did not think about the photo in terms of having just 3 primary colors. Very helpful for future B&W decisions. And yes, the blurred grass takes away from the photo.

Thank you

[Brownbear]

Continuing working on my selection and editing skills. Geoff, I did these using the smart brush and a duplicate layer which I'm finding easier (still using my mouse)



Converted to B&W, before lightening and sharpening just the duck, and then I inversed the selection and blurred the background. I also feathered the edges but I can see a distinct line... Still not perfect but I think my selection skills are improving, and maybe my editing skills, too or at least my understanding of using layers to edit?







All feedback is welcome and appreciated. (I know that my edits are not great, but I'm just learning)

Thank you.

[Geoff F]

That one problem image Christina appears to be showing the feathering area.

Possibly due to inverting the selection the feather is now working 'in the wrong direction'?

Zooming in and going over the apparent edge with a Healing Brush (or Clone Tool) may overcome the effect. It may be necessary to set the brush hardness and opacity carefully.

And with some images it is better to work with an actual duplicate layer image plus a mask then carefully edit the mask with suitable brushes.

I sometimes find that very soft edged brushes effect both the required area and background when I get too close to an edge. In which case using a slightly harder brush and/or the Clone Tool allows me to get closer.

With my week 52 photos I had a problem when creating a merge from two bird photos so my only answer was to use the magnetic lasso tool with a 2 pixel feather. After temporarily using a Curves Adjustment Layer set to Hardlight Blend Mode to exaggerate the image edges.

Even then, I had to do a little manual adjustment with the selection edges to get them perfect.

Your exposure and focusing are good on these shots.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Geoff,

Yes, when I inverted the selection, I did not realize that I should also change the direction of the feathering.

Good to know. I think I will try this one again, with a mask, and then try the healing brush.

How does one know when it is suitable to use a soft brush or hard brush, or which brush out of the many brushes available in Elements? Is it just something one learns or is there an obvious way to know or figure it out?

Great to know. I think learning to edit with layers and masks is something that is going to take me a little while to do, and I will make it my personal goal for 2013. Thank you for all your help and advice. I have learned a lot from you on editing, even though it is not obvious from my attempted edits, I now understand the concept and use of layers, masks, selections, etc.

Thank you. I'm working on improving both.

[Geoff F]

Excellent Christmas Card there Christina.

You are certainly learning about image manipulation. I mentioned in my last Project 52 entry that working with clipart images to chop them about and rearrange is a good way of learning many of the selection and erasing methods plus the use of layers.

It all comes with practice; although the basics are relatively easy.

When one method isn't giving the desired effects, or unexpected difficulties occur, just stop and have a little think; then try a variation of the available options.

As I said in another post 'I've learned more from all my failures than from my few successes'!