Queen Anne's Lace

[Katy Noelle]

I think that I just pulled the photographic rug out from under myself. I've just gotten Lightroom and everything is topsy-turvy. Here's the first edited image.



I don't even know what to think of it! C&C appreciated!

(oh, but, it is definitely fun!)

[rob marshall]

I love the shot, but it looks very bright on my monitor (I need to recalibrate it though). Have a look at the histogram.

[Katy Noelle]

Uh, oh! I don't know what to think about that. (oh, don't we have a worried, biting my lip smiley?) I did want it to be a bit evening-sun 'washed' and pushed the brightness slider... not good? Hurting your eyes? (I'm off to go check something out about the histogram on iphoto vs. LR.)

(My screen is not only not calibrated - it's about to fall off. It's kind of pitiful.)

[Steve S]

The brightness isn't too bad. Pull up the blacks a little and add some contrast and clarity(small scale contrast).

[Steve S]

Uh, oh! I don't know what to think about that. (oh, don't we have a worried, biting my lip smiley?) I did want it to be a bit evening-sun 'washed' and pushed the brightness slider... not good? Hurting your eyes? (I'm off to go check something out about the histogram on iphoto vs. LR.)

(My screen is not only not calibrated - it's about to fall off. It's kind of pitiful.)

Katy , you have a way with words..................you crack me up

[Katy Noelle]

Katy , you have a way with words..................you crack me up

Steve, and those were timely and kind words! I was just considering hiding in the corner till whatever 'it' is passes. I think my confidence is a bit shaken. tanks!

[Steve S]

Light room is very user friendly. All your image needs is a few tweeks of the sliders. If you look at the top right you will see the colored histogram.............notice the left edge of your image histogram isn't very close to the left side of the histogram box. Move the blacks slider to the right untill the left side of the histogram is almost touching the left side of the histogram window . You should see a huge improvement just with this one tweek. Now move the recovery slider a little to the right, set the contrast to about 10, the clarity to about 25,the vibrance up a tad and sharpen. Easy peasy......

[ilovelucydog]

Lightroom is easy and fun! Take snapshots of your edits so you can see what you've done and which you like more. There's a lot to the program, but is is very user friendly like Steve said.

[Katy Noelle]

Thanks, Steve and Mary! Yes, you are right, it is very user friendly. It's just completely novel, in a way. Things are just slightly enough different to feel a little off balance. I'll try it again in the morning.

[ktuli]

Katy taking spider photos? Now it's on...

- Bill

[rob marshall]

Katy

I put your shot into my CS5 RAW edit. The whites are not blown (which I thought they might be). I think it's as Steve said, it just needs some more blacks in it. I pushed the blacks up using the tone curve settings, and I think it gives it much more definition. The mean figure on the histogram is now 144 instead of 178. If you compare the web in the original and my edit, you can see that it's much more defined in the edit.

[wilgk]

I am excited for you Katy - a new program is a fun challenge...however I must ask you all to cease and desist from this spider photographing folly immediately as it will only end in tears (mine )

so out you all go back to the cows and sheep even a nice pony if the mood strikes you and definitely puppies and deer but not those scary beasts!

[ilovelucydog]

I am excited for you Katy - a new program is a fun challenge...however I must ask you all to cease and desist from this spider photographing folly immediately as it will only end in tears (mine )

so out you all go back to the cows and sheep even a nice pony if the mood strikes you and definitely puppies and deer but not those scary beasts!

I'm right there with you, Kay. I do not like spiders.

[wilgk]

I'm right there with you, Kay. I do not like spiders.

That confirms it - 2 equals a majority we are now officially a spider free zone
Katy more golden retrievers please

[ktuli]

Wait - you are condoning bovine photography of Rob's variety? Then again... I guess I have no room to talk as I've had a double whammy post with spider sex shots

- Bill

[FrankMi]

You know what's more fun than taking picture? Reading these posts. They are hilarious! Better than TV and no commercials!

[Katy Noelle]

Well, thanks all. At least I was chuckling while I was pulling out my hair.

Actually, it really is getting easier to figure things out. But, still....

Here's what I've come up with



I want it soft and not every single detail showing. Is this 'okay' to do? Also, I found the nifty-difty arrow above the histogram that highlights what parts of the photo are blown (and there's an arrow for shadow, too). There's only a little tiny bit blown but I did that on purpose.

Is it really still too bright?

and, I like it in B&W, too. There's nothing blown on this one.



Better?

Also, I was looking for a way in LR to find out the statistics. How does one find those?

It's just going to take a moment to get back into any sort of "stride". Fun, though.

edit: oh, whoops! Dang! I just realized something but I'll see what you guys think, first, and will come back and confess, tomorrow.

[ScoutR]

Katy, I really like the B&W especially when viewed in the Lytebox. I like your edit on the colour, but it is still a little bright to me.

Wendy

[Katy Noelle]

Thanks, Wendy!

Alright, it's 10:50 - close enough to tomorrow to confess that, when I worked on the color version, although I was looking at the histogram, I was also looking at the picture and kept pushing the brightness. It wasn't until I downloaded to flickr that (of course, you know it already) I realized the screen brightness was turned down.

[ScoutR]

Ahhh, that happens.

In the previous post when you asked about statistics, what are you referring to? Metadata or editing history? or something else. I will help if I can

Wendy