Square cropped portraits (SCPs) - Archive

[Antonio Correia]

Alis this post is for you. And for me as well.
I could remember you when I read this, and

I quote a bit:

"...You can duplicate your smart object (using ctrl/cmd + J), creating two independent versions of your RAW file in your image.
...
You can then edit each file differently in ACR, such as tweaking one for good exposure on the subject and adjusting the other to desaturate the background. Then you can apply a mask to the layers to blend the two together. Layer masks will work without having to convert your Smart Object into a Rasterized Layer, so you can continue to tweak your RAW files in ACR until you get it perfect..."

[Alis]

Alis this post is for you. And for me as well.
I could remember you when I read this, and

I quote a bit:

"...You can duplicate your smart object (using ctrl/cmd + J), creating two independent versions of your RAW file in your image.
...
You can then edit each file differently in ACR, such as tweaking one for good exposure on the subject and adjusting the other to desaturate the background. Then you can apply a mask to the layers to blend the two together. Layer masks will work without having to convert your Smart Object into a Rasterized Layer, so you can continue to tweak your RAW files in ACR until you get it perfect..."

Thanks, Antonio! This is great. I thought smart object is used to link the working file in PS to the original RAW image. Not sure how you can have two versions of the RAW file as separate smart objects and edit them in ACR. I mean how do you work on them in ACR separately? Wouldn't ACR write the setting on a single XMP file? I am sure this works but I have to start trying and find out how to do this. I am just thinking aloud here...

[Alis]

[Colin Southern]

Hi Ali,

Who is this fine looking young person?

[Alis]

Hi Ali,

Who is this fine looking young person?

Hi Colin,

Her name is Leila! She is cute

[Colin Southern]

Hi Colin,

Her name is Leila! She is cute

I just realized it is a SCP not nSCP! Oops, Antionio is going to kill me when the sun rises in Setubal!

Hi Ali,

Is she your little girl?

[Alis]

Hi Ali,

Is she your little girl?

Would you like me to move the post to the other thread for you?

Oh, no, a friend's daughter.

[peterb533]

[Antonio Correia]

... I just realized it is a SCP not nSCP! Oops, Antionio is going to kill me when the sun rises in Setubal!

The Sun is high in the sky now and I didn't either kill you or made anything bad to someone As usual.
-
The little girl Leila is very cute indeed and the photo is nice, as usual.

But, also as usual, my small critic
I am only sorry that the Sun is so present on her face on our left side.
You used the 70-200 as you often do. Good.

Alis, if you can and you are willing, repeat the shot with the Sun just behind her and some fill flash from the camera or away from it (with the ST-E2).
I mean: Manual flash with HSS because you are - I guess - in an ambient with much light, a park.
EFC (-) 1 or even (-) 2. You have to try. That depends also from the distance you are shooting from.

Try again in an open area, with her in a shaded area (shadows from the trees are very good) and having that open area behind you.

Remember to increase your shutter speed to darken the background and make her pop.

I want to see that ! Please.

[Antonio Correia]

Hello Peter, how are you ?
Nice you have posted again here. Thank you.
This thread is indeed a great success with many visits but little active participation.
OK. But let's go on.

Two pictures of the same child.
I like the first one but not so much the second. This one is a bit blurred and the background is poor, too bright.

But the first image is OK. It looks like needing a bit of Unsharp mask or similar stuff and some kind of balance on her face.
I was a good idea to place the child near a window but I am sorry if there is so little light from the other side of her face. May be you could simulate a reflector with a white towel on a chair to enhance her face on that side.
And she is drawing with that large pencil. But we can't see it.

Please, re shoot placing the young girl under the same light and drawing. Really drawing.
Then, place your camera on a tripod where you can frame her.
Focus on her, precisely, with care. Switch off that auto-focusing from your camera.
Use the central point.
Check the aperture and the speed. Choose a small aperture like f/8 and a convenient speed like 1/80, 1/100 or even 1/200.
Just change the ISO if you must to get those values. I think you have the new 5D so...
Did you place the white towel or whatever ? OK. So far so good.
Now change from Single shot to the other mode where you shoot a lot of pictures in a row. (I can't remember now the name).
Tell the young little girl to look at you and shoot away. A lot of pictures. Many.
One of them will be nice I hope.
Remember however two actions: return your auto focusing to ON again at the end and place her with a nice and homogeneous background.

Do you have a flash ? My wife used to say and she still does, that I am a flash maniac.
Huuummm you could use it with benefits. She has blue eyes and you must enhance that quality.
I have played a little with your picture. You don't mind, do you ?

Regards

Now that I see it on the site it looks to me like a bit too magenta, doesn't it ?

[Alis]

The Sun is high in the sky now and I didn't either kill you or made anything bad to someone As usual.
-
The little girl Leila is very cute indeed and the photo is nice, as usual.

But, also as usual, my small critic
I am only sorry that the Sun is so present on her face on our left side.
You used the 70-200 as you often do. Good.

Alis, if you can and you are willing, repeat the shot with the Sun just behind her and some fill flash from the camera or away from it (with the ST-E2).
I mean: Manual flash with HSS because you are - I guess - in an ambient with much light, a park.
EFC (-) 1 or even (-) 2. You have to try. That depends also from the distance you are shooting from.


Try again in an open area, with her in a shaded area (shadows from the trees are very good) and having that open area behind you.

Remember to increase your shutter speed to darken the background and make her pop.

I want to see that ! Please.

Hi Antonio! Thanks for the comments. Absolutely agree with the over exposed left corner but she was being held by her mom and that angle was the only angle available to me at the moment

About repeating it, this was done at my son's birthday party and she was one of the guests, now the party is over, she is gone, the sun is gone, even the park is gone I keep those instructions in mind (not that I have not been trying them before) for next time when the moment is right! Man I have to find a stable model

As for the 70-200 lens, you know I have the f2.8 version which is my Teddy Bear. I take it everywhere with me, can't go to sleep without it

[Antonio Correia]

... About repeating it, this was done at my son's birthday party and she was one of the guests, now the party is over, she is gone, the sun is gone, even the park is gone I keep those instructions in mind (not that I have not been trying them before) for next time when the moment is right!...

Unique moments of a life time.
Take care.

[Antonio Correia]

Gentlemen, your comments please

[Alis]

Gentlemen, your comments please

It's a nice shot; nothing wrong with the foreground, the background though is a little bit "dirty" if you know what I mean (the blurring is not helping). The lighting is as always very well done!

[Dave Humphries]

It's a nice shot; nothing wrong with the foreground, the background though is a little bit "dirty" if you know what I mean (the blurring is not helping). The lighting is as always very well done!

Well done Alis, you've gripped what I was thinking but couldn't express (when I tried - but didn't post - the other night).

Not enough separation between subject and background.
Blurring more in PP just wouldn't help.

Of course, he is no doubt there to get out of all tha awful sunshine Antonio has to put up with

PS I think Antonio posts these less than ideal pics as lessons for us all (for which I am grateful), I think he knew what was wrong with it and just likes to encourage discussion, which is GREAT news for us

Cheers,

[Antonio Correia]

It's a nice shot; nothing wrong with the foreground, the background though is a little bit "dirty" if you know what I mean (the blurring is not helping). The lighting is as always very well done!

... I think Antonio posts these less than ideal pics as lessons for us all (for which I am grateful), I think he knew what was wrong with it and just likes to encourage discussion, which is GREAT news for us Cheers,

Well, Alis and Dave...
I am not very happy with this portrait indeed.
As I said before all the photos are not a success.
Some are even pure garbage but these, I will not show you
Second thought: why not if we are here to learn ?

I will try again soon.
Thank you for the comments.

[KentDub]

Thanks, Antonio! This is great. I thought smart object is used to link the working file in PS to the original RAW image. Not sure how you can have two versions of the RAW file as separate smart objects and edit them in ACR. I mean how do you work on them in ACR separately? Wouldn't ACR write the setting on a single XMP file? I am sure this works but I have to start trying and find out how to do this. I am just thinking aloud here...

You opened the processed RAW image in photoshop but managed to keep it as a smart object? How did you manage that? I've always been annoyed from having to bake my raw settings when I open files up in photoshop to do some retouching.

[KentDub]

Here's my first image post. A shot of my buddy in my backyard - testing out the new camera. C&C encouraged. Thanks


Canon 5d MkII, F/16, 1/60sec ISO 100, EF24-105mm @ 70mm, 580EX-II; Basic retouching; EXIF embedded.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Kent,

I am certainly no expert at this, but that rarely stops me commenting, so as Antonio is busy elsewhere this evening, here goes ..

First off; I appreciate you're learning on a new camera, so I'm just going to say it as I see it - don't take my comments as criticism.

Flash looks a little over bright, by a stop or so, particularly as the subject is quite pale and so is his shirt, and 'full frontal', if you know what I mean, off camera flash gives a little more modelling to the face - but I'm swimming way beyond my depth here.

I like the sky exposure and clouds in the background, good for this kind of thing.

The trees would be OK if they were not quite so fragmented and sort of poking out in little tufts all over behind the shoulders.

I'd also have avoided, or cloned out, that roof line in bottom left corner, it's hard outline is "at odds" with everything else.

Hope that helps, and no doubt others more skilled than I will dip in on anything I have missed (or put me right).

Cheers,

[KentDub]

Thanks Dave - I think you hit it right on the money about the 'something(s)' thats been bothering me about this shot. I still havn't found a good way to figure out how to set the FEC. I might try to do some more agressive retouching as a photoshop refresher, and see if this shot can be salvaged