"School of Portraiture" - Lesson 04 - Initial post-processing - Part 2

[Loose Canon]

Well then?

I am still taking this class!

Still have yet to get the materials required, like a 1D series shooter and a huge collection of L-glass (I have one L-series piece and can’t eat for a year). I am totally sick and tired of color management (since I can’t make it happen) and am going to take definitive steps. I am tired of being disappointed and wrong all the time so “Its On!” My Retirement is most likely “off” if I carry out this threat!

As it turns out? That won’t make me any good on its own.

So in that Spirit, I offer this up to my fellow classmates and Instructor for your consideration if anybody would care to consider it.

This most recent of my feeble attempts were shot with a honkin’ gray card right in the big middle of things, and I’ll be darned if it didn’t happen as instructed! Right down to every shot in the series. Now if it still isn’t right, that’s on me. At least the process was right on! I’m doing my very best to pay attention here!

I am personally involved with this subject matter (and please don’t tell my Lovely and Charming Wife I am referring to her as “subject matter”!) and I probably don’t see the technical aspects very well (or in a color managed environment).

Please don’t hesitate to say what could be better and to accept my most sincere thanks for doing so!



PS: If I fail this Class, and everything goes right down the...



I’m taking it again next year!

[wilgk]

Terry - Thanks for keeping us onto this & you are not alone - I am still practicing, so will share soon
The skin tones and eyes are just gorgeous and so sharp it looks fantastic!
- the only thing I can see is the sun has just caught where maybe we don't want it on the right top corner ???
- I don't know if a vignette might take the eyes away from that area or maybe a slightly fraction tighter crop???

And you are doing so well - you should get to upgrade the facilities! - (that is why I don't do camping )

I am currently processing (trying) 1 of my Mum, so I will post that when I stop playing with scenic shote from my trip to their home.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Terry,

It looks great to me. Only thing you light like to consider is a subtle vignette to gently draw the eye in towards the face.

Well done

[timo2]

It’s a little too sharp for the subject matter. The hair and lovely eyes are fine but some gentle smoothing/blurring of the skin around the mouth area would most likely get the subject’s approval. Women prefer to look good in photos, not totally photo-realistic.

[Dave Humphries]

Oh Terry!

Please tell me that isn't where you had her sit to reduce the harsh light?
That isn't the same green background, is it?

Another oddity:
The filenames that TinyPic use are random numbers and letters, so in another bizarre coincidence, one might ask "why is the second picture's filename i51.tinypic.com/6poo4o.jpg?"

Enough with the lavatorial humour, I'm supposed to keep an eye on such things, not promote them

More seriously, nice portrait, I can't really add anything helpful that Colin and Kay haven't suggested.

Cheers,

[Loose Canon]

- the only thing I can see is the sun has just caught where maybe we don't want it on the right top corner ???
- I don't know if a vignette might take the eyes away from that area or maybe a slightly fraction tighter crop???

I think you and Colin are right, Kay! I do like this much better...


Oh, wait! I guess you meant this!


Just a touch of vignetting.
Looking forward to seeing Dear Sainted Mother, Kay.

Tim, I agree with you. However the subject matter didn't! I did do some skin softening but was told in no uncertain terms that I was not to go overboard. She was looking over my shoulder to make sure her orders were carried out to the letter! I was a little nervous with her behind me where I couldn't see any sudden movements (like the blur of a swinging tennis racket!). I was told that she earned every one of those beauty lines and by golly she was keeping them!

Dave, you're right, man. I really do need up upgrade my "studio" a notch or two! Very unflattering of me to post that with such a beautiful creature.

I am such a total wash sometimes!

In all seriousness though, thank you all for taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me that you would. And Colin, thank you again, sir, for taking time to do this for the entire Forum.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Terry,

I must confess that when I said it looked good yesterday I was actually working on a non-profiled monitor ... taking a 2nd look this morning on my profiled screen at home, I think the skin tones may be a little washed out. Does this look any better for you?

[wilgk]

Hi Terry as promised you are not alone, so here is my pic of my Mum.
Colin I think I get bonus points for taking the grey card & reflector with me across the ditch - but I lose them again quickly on the post processing techniques.....a real lot to learn there still, as I would like to lower the redness but without making her look unrealistic - she is 73...ssh I told her I wouldn't tell you that.
Also I had the same problem with the sun peeking into my 'in the shade spot'...& I would have preferred her further from the background.
But as you have said - being able to recognise the things for improvement/correction is a step onto the right path.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Kay,

Quick question ... why is the background so dark?

[wilgk]

hmm not sure to be honest - she was in front of a very dark painted fence - which was in an L- shape around her (where they shield the BBQ from the Canterbury winds) maybe the reflector added to that as she was so close - although it even looks darker at the bottom ..maybe I can blame Dad's paintwork.
But more likely I've botched something in pp methinks

[Colin Southern]

Hi Kay,

Hmmm - strange. At first I thought it looked like a "black fill". I've just had a quick tweak of the levels ... there's a lot of noise in the shadows so I've only lifted then slightly; I've also knocked the brightness back a bit to stop the skintones from washing out as much - what do you think?

[wilgk]

cheers - better, but I think this is 1 where I didn't pay attention to the first step!
the background lesson 1 from memory - but that's ok
will have plenty of time to try again during October Fest (or PAD mk 2)

[timo2]

Tim, I agree with you. However the subject matter didn't!

Yes, but you and I are blokes Terry; as a matter of principle, women never agree with blokes

[Loose Canon]

Hey Colin,

Thank you sir. I have a little confession that is going to get me in trouble here. Your version of my attempt looks great, naturally. But not knowing what you did and just by looking, it looks to me that you just lowered either the overall brightness, or maybe reduced the fill, and possibly warmed a bit, or well, like I mentioned, I don’t know what.

What I am saying is it doesn’t look too much different other than that. I don’t really see any difference in the actual tones as they relate to each other. Just the overall shot looks a little toned down.

Which tells me that since you see a difference here, and I can’t, I need to get on with the Never Ending see if I can get a handle on this color management/monitor thing! Either that or I’ll just shoot myself in the leg and have done with it!

From my screen, as an example Colin, your version of her arm wearing the sweater lacks the detail of the vertical ridges. Mine has it, but probably at the price of the skin tones? Guessing my black point is off? And I am looking at a Mac and a putz laptop which are both in for a big surprise!

As an aside? And I never mentioned this, but I was told that the makeup wasn’t right!

Tim, we are blokes and we (I) don’t know about this! I should have seen it because I have to be hair, makeup, costume, lighting, everything, and make everybody feel good about all that and getting their photo shot at the same time. Guess I missed!

So, just as an exercise, I took my “finished” shot and took it another step and tried to add some blush in post by request (a makeup thing as I found out, Tim!). I got a lesson on that and how it is applied and made the addition digitally. Jeez! Next I’ll be adding mascara, brow, liner, god only knows what, and I don’t know what any of this stuff is! Its all I can do to get up in the morning and shave my ugly face without cutting my own throat for crying out loud! But this is the version I posted.

But you are totally right, Tim! And if blokes and women ever agreed? What would be the point!

Kay? I just want to go on record as saying the only thing missing from your shot of Dear Sainted Mum is the Halo over her! What an Angel!

I am obviously not qualified to make a technical assessment, but this much I can say for sure! She is beautiful and I love your shot of her.!

[Colin Southern]

Hey Colin,

Thank you sir. I have a little confession that is going to get me in trouble here. Your version of my attempt looks great, naturally. But not knowing what you did and just by looking, it looks to me that you just lowered either the overall brightness, or maybe reduced the fill, and possibly warmed a bit, or well, like I mentioned, I don’t know what.

What I am saying is it doesn’t look too much different other than that. I don’t really see any difference in the actual tones as they relate to each other. Just the overall shot looks a little toned down.

Hi Terry,

Essentially, all I did (off memory) was lower the mid-tones ("brightness") a little, although as a "double-check" I've just had a look on my work screen and I must admit that my retouch is looking a bit dark now, which probably means it's time for me to take my colorimeter home and check the home screen again! ... I suspect that the kids sometimes play with the buttons to make things "brighter"

As a test though, grab your burn tool - set it to shadows & around 5%, and just wipe it across the face a couple of times, and observe what it does to the skin ... you should find that it adds a bit of clarity and saturation to it.

[Colin Southern]

Lesson 5 continues here.

I'm closing off the earlier lessons now so that we don't have too many to keep an eye on all at once ... you'll always be able to join in on the latest lesson (and we hope that you do!).