Hummingbird

[Rita]

Hi everyone. I captured what I thought was a pretty good hummingbird in flight this afternoon on a really ugly background. I played with it and came up with the version I am posting here. When I started with it I was really just playing to see where it went, didn't have a final result in my head. Really looking for comments on the PP or any other aspect of the image. Did I go to far? Does this idea work or should I go back to the drawing board?

The image was shot at 60mm f4 SS2000

All comments, critiques, etc are most welcomed.


1. The Original



2. The Edit

[FrankMi]

Hi Rita! Based on what you've been able to do I suspect that your post processing software doesn't do selections, masks, and layers.

When doing a background replacement, usually you would use a selection to cleanly outline the subject, then create a mask from the selection (masks and selections are interchangeable, that is, you can use either one to create the other), then merge the selected object, hummingbird in this case, with the replacement background that is on a separate layer.

So, what software are you using? I'm sure that there will be someone at CiC that can help you with that. Meanwhile, here is a video tutorial on how to use masks and layers to replace a background.

[Shadowman]

The original looks fine, the edit looks ok. I see nothing wrong with the original background. Sure your timing might have been a bit off but it's a moment in time, we can't capture all of them.

[Rita]

Frank, appreciate your feedback. I am brand spanking new to photoshop and working on learning it. As I don't know a lot about it yet I did what I knew to do. Just starting to get the idea of masks but not quit there yet. I have just watched the video tutorial and it is most helpful, will play with this next chance I get.

[Rita]

Thank you John. I have found that hummers are really tough to get but I keep trying. This one turned out better than any so far.

[Nicks Pics]

In my opinion, maybe the edit was too much different from the original for a regular bird photo, but if you're treating it as art, that might be different.
That shot froze the bird faster than a lot of humingbird photos you see. It's in a nice position. A flash could be an experiment to try in that situation.

[IzzieK]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the first shot ... you just need to work on it. like straighten the golden metal thingie hanging the feeder, cropping out the dark wood underneath...go from there as to how far more you can crop at the right side.

Do not forget to sharpen (Filter/Sharpen/Unsharp Mask) before doing anything to the image. When you are satisfied with the editing, Ctrl/Alt+I for cropping, then repeat the sharpening.

Quick Mask is the easiest...Google Quick Mask and you can choose the tutorial that will suit your learning curve better. If you have two monitor screens (I always assume most people do...) you can move the tutorial on either side to follow it. If not, Alt + Tab will show you the selection you are working on and vice versa.

Cheers...
Izzie

[FrankMi]

Frank, appreciate your feedback. I am brand spanking new to photoshop and working on learning it. As I don't know a lot about it yet I did what I knew to do. Just starting to get the idea of masks but not quit there yet. I have just watched the video tutorial and it is most helpful, will play with this next chance I get.

In that case you'll do fine Rita. There are quite a number of free video tutorials for Photoshop but it will take time to get a handle on it. For now, if your goal is to learn background replacement, practicing with a more static image, like flowers might be an easier approach.

For the hummingbirds, it might be easier to position either the camera, feeder, or both, so that you can shoot with a more pleasing background. You won't need to be a concerned about background replacement as capturing the hummingbird just the way you want it.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Rita . I like the original. Why not improving it with PP

[chauncey]

Rita, get rid of that ugly feeder and make your own using a tube like this
http://www.amazon.com/Hummingbird-Fe...rd+feeder+kits
and attach a silk flower to the end for photogenic purposes. Pre-focus your tripod mounted camera on
the flower with a remote shutter ready to fire...grab your cuppa and wait "for they will come".

[Rita]

Thank you all for your feedback. I will revisit the image and see what happens using the suggestions here.

Izzie, I will look up quick mask. Can't believe it, I did not sharpen this image either before, during, or after. I always sharpen, sure had a brain dead moment there

Frank, thank you for your help. As it is a nice day here today I will try and get some shots in with a better background. I will practice the bg replacement too

Binnur, I will work on it

Chauncey, the only issue with replacing the feeder and making my own is that this feeder is at my friends house. I will relocate it slightly today and see what happens. For the rest I did exactly what you said, the camera was prefocused on a tripod and I used a remote shutter. Just got the remote a couple of days ago so this was a good test for it.

[Brownbear]

Hi Rita,

Just to say that is a beautiful capture of a hummingbird in flight. I was going to suggest buying a lavender plant (or some other type of pretty flowering plant that attracts these birds) for yourself, but I see it would have to be a gift for your friend.

I have one of these plants set in the afternoon sun which a hummingbird visits every day for a few seconds. I have yet to capture a single shot because every time I lift my camera he/she flies away... Nevertheless I'm hopeful that one of these days I will. Much easier than replacing a background... Or maybe not.

[Rita]

Thank you Christina. Buying a plant might be easier than replacing a background but I am having a lot of fun trying to do it well. I have tried many times to capture a humming bird and to no avail. Either very blurred or a pic of the feeder because the bird was gone. I found that by setting up the camera and then moving a distance away with the remote shutter release seemed to help my success rate. The hummers seemed to hang around and hover more than if I was closer to the feeder. I still want to improve and at the end of the week my friends will be home so, in the next few days it will be practice, practice, practice

[Rita]

I had no luck on new hummer pics this afternoon but I did play with the edit of the original. Figured out how to get a section of the original background, combined it with the original, and masked out the part I didn't want. A little vibrance, saturation, and sharpening and here is the re-touched version.

Interested to hear the verdict on this version, good, bad, and....it's not perfect but I think it is better than what I did before.

[FrankMi]

Cheers! A well earned and decidedly marked improvement Rita! You certainly are a fast learner!

[Loose Canon]

....it's not perfect but I think it is better than what I did before.

Much!

Hi Rita,

I hope you don’t mind me saying but its been cool seeing you doing your extraction. I have an interest in this because I do a lot of it.

Interesting advice you’ve gotten as well!

If I may say, and if you don’t mind, this is, and only in my opinion, a much better background choice.

As for that? Above the wing do you see defined horizontal lines in an otherwise undefined background? And below the wing do you see curved/vertical defined lines?

I think you have done an admirable job here. I often do my masking/extractions at 300% magnification. And mostly that for the fine detail work where I have to get close to the subject with the brush. Sometimes down to individual pixels where its critical.

Do you notice a little divot taken out of the bill that is not there in the original? And as far as that goes without the original for comparison I would have never noticed!

Easy to get “brush happy”! A term I use for when I “color out of the lines”! No worries, I just reverse the color of my brush (white to black or black to white) and color it back in. Then reverse back and continue my extraction. One of the many beauties of masking!

Very detailed, very tedious and mind-numbing sometimes, but worth it!

Very cool you are having fun with it. You’re getting it going on!

Well done Rita!

[Shadowman]

Much better, simplistic (BG) yet vibrant (the bird).

[Rita]

Thanks Frank. I sometimes have an idea in my head but don't quit know how to go about it so I do something, post it here, and learn from the feedback

Terry, thank you, feedback is much appreciated. Now that you mention the horizontal and curved lines I do see them. I am guessing that they are there because I missed painting over those spots on the mask?
The divot out of the beak I totally didn't see that. Good spotting.
Now that I have my feet good and wet with the masking I can really see that I will be using this more often from here on. Don't know why I found it so hard to grasp up to now.

John, thank you.

[Loose Canon]

Now that you mention the horizontal and curved lines I do see them. I am guessing that they are there because I missed painting over those spots on the mask?

Could be. Depending on where you are at in your workflow it might be easier to use the clone stamp or maybe even the healing brush if you are too far along to re-brush the mask. Easy fix either way though.

Now that I have my feet good and wet with the masking I can really see that I will be using this more often from here on. Don't know why I found it so hard to grasp up to now.

It is a huge arrow in the quiver Rita! To paraphrase Gregg Allman: "hard to handle but easier to hold"!

A bit tricky to get a handle on but makes more than great sense once you do and then it all comes together and you wonder how you did without it! Hardly a shot goes by that don't I use the technique myself on even the simplest of snappers!

A great thread Rita and I hope folks come here to see how it can be done.

[Rita]

A great thread Rita and I hope folks come here to see how it can be done.

I hope so too. We all learn from each other