Where do I start....

[Nomadr]

it reminds me of when i did evening classes at college, all we seemed to do was learn how to manipulate pictures in PS, its only after a while that you start to understand the importance of "turning the photo into something you imagined rather than what the camera actually recorded",
originally everyone was muttering "came here for a digital camera course not a photoshop course",those that stayed were extremely glad they did, cheers martyn ps i am in Nottingham so a bit far away,

[jiro]

Well I would just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone on here that has opened my eyes and guided me, I have found all the information very very usefull, both posts and PM's, Thank you.

I am now shooting in RAW mode and will also be looking at learning packages regarding photoshop elements, Jiro, I would be gratefull for some info in how you achived that result and what programme do you use ? Paul

Paul, Right now, I basically use ACDSEE Pro 3 before tweaking anything on photoshop. Most of the time I find it hard to document all that I did on an image since I base my adjustments on an idea. What I meant is that I always ask myself "OK, so how will I interpret this image?" If the image is mine, it's much easier because I already know why I took that shot and what adjustments will I make later.

On your shot, I think it goes like this:

1. Inside ACDSEE pro, I took a white balance reading on the body of water on the lower right side.
2. Then, I increased your exposure by about +1.
3. Inside ACDSEE Pro, it has 3 lighting sliders called "Shadow, midtones, and Highlights". I adjusted it based on what I think is OK for me.
4. Increased Vibrance (or sometimes called color saturation) to about 33%.
5. Increased Contrast by about 12 steps (out of 100 possible steps).
6. Increased sharpness by about 62%
7. Added some noise reduction to it.
8. I did a selective color adjustments on the green, blue, orange levels to add some color punch.
9. I then imported the finished image to photoshop for some selective dodging and burning.
10. Added a white border and then attached your copyright name into it.
I think that's how far I went for it.

I think you can do all that I did inside ACDSEE pro 3 with Adobe Lightroom. The reason why I did not use lightroom is that our computer at home can't handle the requirements of lightroom. Besides, I've been a user of ACDSEE software for many years and I can fairly use the software to my advantage during the editing process.

I like your atiitude. You want to learn and you are not afraid to make mistakes. That is a very good trait of individuals who succeed in their pursuit whether it's photography or other hobby. I hope that you will keep that attitude even if you encounter some bumps along the way. I am quite sure the good fellas here at CiC will always give you a hand to help you out. Just dont forget to post your images so they can advice you better... and give them thanks when they give their comments. Good luck!

[rpcrowe]

Ruffy stated... "I mainly shoot JPEG though because I have not come to the stage where I need to edit my images.....or have I !!!!!!"

Anyone wanting good imagery needs some post production editing. Shooting without post production (I don't care if you use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements or any oher reasonably adequate program) is akin to shooting black and white film and using the negative as your final product.

[Peter Ryan]

Great to see you stick it out and come through the maze Paul.

They say that you should never wear a striped shirt on TV, as it will flare. Well in simple terms all digital cameras have a low- pass filter that sits in front of the sensor and stops this happening to your images. The result is it reduces contrast and sharpness in the image, which can make colours to look dull.

All digital images need some adjustment to counteract this affect and re-instate what you saw with your eye.

Understanding how your cameras light meter works (which is the first thing to understand) will help you get correct exposures and some simple post production techniques will help you draw out the colours in the scene as you saw it.

Enjoy the journey.

[barrydoig]

Perhaps Paul you and I need to step back and ask, not 'what do I see?' but 'what do I feel'. Good photography like good art is not just seeing a pretty picture and 'taking' it. I think it has to do with the heart. To get beyond techniques and receiving from your subject what it has to offer you. This means that the less there is of me in the picture the more likely I will allow the subject to speak for itself. The subject then becomes our prime focus and we are free to be creative. This takes time and practice. Have a look at how Dianne Stuart has turned commonplace subjects into art that touches the emotions at http://photographyasart.net/index.html
Barry