hi guys, this is the original image i took of my brother a few months ago. i know it's not that great of a picture, but it's very special to me.

i've made several versions and would like some feedback on how to improve it. I appreciate all your help and suggestions!!! :)

Message edited on: 10/12/2005 20:18

you may recognize this image. i did some postwork on my laptop when we were on vacation and put it in my gallery.

this was the gallery version! OMG, i HATE trying to view & work with images our laptop!!! when we got home and i saw this on my flat-screen LCD monitor, i couldn't believe that it looked like this!!!

edit: oh...i wanted to ask you guys if you like it better cropped?

Message edited on: 10/12/2005 20:23

ok, now here's a version i worked on recently. i know there's a lot of contrast but for some strange reason, i kinda like it.

in some ways, i like the original color version too.

ya'all know i really dig b/w photography, but for some reason, i didn't care for it with this one. dunno why.

the other thing i wanted to ask you guys...My brother doesn't like how his bald spots show in the original, so i cloned in hair for him in both versions. do you have a preference which looks better? does it look realistic?

your honest feedback is so much appreciated! i'm just at a loss at where to go with this one.

thanks so much for all your help guys!!!! :)

Message edited on: 10/12/2005 20:35

With the heavier contrast, it seems to lose some of the emotional content. Do you want to use the entire image? (had a thought)

My thought was to focus closer to the emotion and reduce the contrast.

Just my .02 I started with the color version and blended in the hair....I have the same spot... :)

Message edited on: 10/12/2005 20:59

Ok first thing in this image, you want to FOCUS more on your brother and the dog, so the background here is really not needed and kinda distracting (IMO). I think you did a good job of cloning the hair. I took THE LAST IMAGE and used the magnetic selection tool Photo-shop to surround your brother and dog! Then I inverted the selection and applied a RADIAL blur, (ZOOM selected) and set the amount of blur to 100%....then I applied it again! This was quick, but ya get the idea!

what a FANTASTIC idea, Rod!!!! nah...there's nothing else in the image that's important to me. i chopped off the dog's legs, got the timing wrong (see its blurry tail), and compo & DOF suck...LOL! yeah...i felt like i was losing something with the higher contrast, but i couldn't put my finger on it. i kept thinking maybe it was losing a bit of detail in his mouth but when i looked at the original i changed my mind. What a TERRIFIC idea to do it that way, Rod!!!! Let me work with the high resolution image and see what i can do!!! THANKS A BUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crossed with you, Joe. OMG, i LOVE it this way too!!!! You're right about the background, Joe! That postwork you did is AWESOME! i don't have Photoshop though. Maybe i can do something similar!!! I hate how my brother's poor feet look though. :( Mine look almost exactly like that! Except just a little smaller but probably a bit uglier! LOL! Sssssshhhhh....don't tell my brother PLEASE!!!! Can we clone him new feet?????? LOL!!!!!! :) ok, i'm gonna go play and see what i can do!!!!!! Thank you both BUNCHES and BUNCHES!!!! You guys are the best!!!! :)

It's a nice image Sheila.... Had a few seconds... here's my take on it. This took me all of 2 minutes in PS, and it can be done in PSP if that's what you're using. I happen to like this toned version the best, but I like the crop of the gallery version.... and the wagging tail looks fine! Happy dogs wag their tails.... it looks natural.... although it would be even better if his feet weren't cut off. I duplicated the layer.... did a guassian blur.... erased out the blur from your brother's body with the eraser. Then on the same blurred layer I created a black to white gradient mask, to create the appearance of a more shallow dof. What I like about this technique is that the blur fades gradually from blurred in the background to sharp in the foreground, *almost* as if it was done in camera. (I can usually spot a *created in PS* dof a mile away, because the blur falls off too sharply, or is too strong.) The layer opacity can then be adjusted to taste, although I left this at 100% for this image so you could see it better, I might were it my image take it down to about 80%.

Rod, i tried it your way, but even working with the full resolution image, there's just not enough detail for it to look good. sigh. But i totally LOVE the way you did that!! i think it's the best way to go, but i don't know how to bring out detail that's not there. sigh Joe...i've been trying to do a point-to-point selection with PSP, but i keep messing up and having to start over. i'm shaking too much. i dunno how ya'all do selections so fast. takes me FOREVER! Anyway, i'll have to try this maybe tomorrow. maybe i won't be as shaky! Michelle, i really like what you did!!!!!!! the background looks very beautiful like that! kinda looks almost like a foggy morning!!! Let me go try it and see!!!!!! :) Thanks so much for your help and feedback!!!! :)

Michelle, i made a gradient blurred background and cropped it. Took me a LONG time. whatcha think. i wasn't sure how much of a guasian blur to apply. i think i set it on 2. Rod, i also worked on the brightness/contrast/shadows a bit, keeping in mind what you said. Joe, i also wanna make one with that cool background! i like it a lot & i know my brother will too! what do ya'all think of this version?

really do like this final one Sheila!!^^^

You did a great job on this Sheila... looks good!

Yes!! I really like the final one too!! The best IMHO! Even though I do prefer ICM's crop. A beautifully emotional capture Sheila! That 'lil dog is totally adorable!!

Thanks so much guys!!!!! This image means the world to me!!!!! Thanks so much for helping me make it better!!!! :) Pascale, Yeah, i prefer the way Rod cropped it too! i LOVE it like that!!! But even working with the high resolution image, there's just not much detail in his and Crystal's faces. here, i'll show you. Of course, it's not cropped exactly the same, but you get the idea.

That's really strange!! Ur cam is an 8M pixels one right!? So even cropped that much, it should still look good!! O_o I don't get it!

Well, I got here late and see you've already been given some very good versions of this image. I like the one in post 11 the best and I do like him with the extra hair. :) Sweet image. --Kort

Pascale...yeah...it's an 8 megapixel cam. i may have shot it on 5 megapixel though. we were on vacation, and i was a bit concerned we might run out of room to store our images on our laptop. yeah, i know we could have made back-up CD, but i think 5 megapixel images look just as good as 8 megapixel. Actually Pascale, i think the reason it looks so bad cropped even at high resolution is because i took such a crappy photo. why else would it look so bad? i can't think of any other reason really. Kort...thanks! :)

U can't see a real difference between a 5M and a 8M indeed unless u crop ur image a lot!! I know that when I cropped quite a lot the images that I took with my Sony, it's was just awful!!! But now, with the Canon, I can crop like mad, and it still looks fabulous!! Maybe it's cos I shoot in RAW?? Do u shoot Raw?? Cos really, it's weird!

no, i don't shoot RAW, Pascale, for a number a reasons. You may remember me talking about this before. yeah, kemal has the Sony 717 like you. i don't see much difference in the quality of his 5 megapixel images and my 8 megapixel ones. Glad you're enjoying your Canon!!!!! :)

Ah! That might be why then!! yep! If u shoot JPEG u lose lots of datas right there in cam! It makes sense now! ;)

i can see if i ever get a DSLR, or really i should say, when i do get one.. i'll need a bigger PC too! ;/