What is wrong with this picture?

[crisscross]

For optimizing purposes the software wich come with your camera, Digital Photo Professional (DPP),
will do a very good job. For me it was the missing link to reach the finishing touch.
For reasons unknown to me DPP shows significant better results then other photo-editing software like for example Lightzone and the Gimp.
I have never worked with Adobe photoshop software so i can not compare it.
But in case you have never tryed DPP you could be very surprised and satisfied with it.

D3debian

DPP is indeed good to learn on and fine for eg flowers and well-lit landscapes, but I would say NOT ideal, for portraits. As I said in previous post, you usually need the eyes more sharp and bright than the rest, and ability to fine-tune skin tones. For that you MUST have an editing programme that allows work on a selection from the image only. Have a look at
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tuto...harpening.html
It isn't lesson 1, but it shows the process a professional goes through to get the results you observed in the borrowed picture next to yours.

Make sure you have latest version of DPP (3.4?) by following links from your camera on Canon site. Make absolutely sure you keep your original; if working on Canon .CR2 you will find DPP does this for you with option to revert to original or last saved at any time. I used to use it when I had a Canon 350D (Xs?) and it won't convert on mac OS10.5, so I now convert old .CR2 using Photoshop elements with all settings neutral> open> save as .tif then proceed as normal. I use Nikon Capture NX2, but you will get far more advice staying with PSE.

[Alis]

Thanks a lot, Crisscross, d3debian, and hedonist81. Great suggestions.

When I posted that question, I was really new to SLR and digital photography. Since then, amazingly in a short period of time, I have learned a lot more, yet I find your comments very useful. I will try them and get back to you guys if I have any questions.

Sedali

[TC_Photo]

Hi Sedali,
The photograph you have taken is a beautiful picture. However any photograph can be processed to convey the emotion, light and environment that the photographer intends. So there is nothing wrong with the picture you have taken. The second picture that you have attached has different light. If you wish to you can use filters during shooting or in photoshop. I have attached your photograph with a crop and using a warming filter in Photoshop. Its just a small change to demonstrate that each photograph can and will usually be interpreted differently by each photographer or viewer.
Kind Regards,
TC.