Eye shadow

[soupdragon]

I could use some help here.
Because I was not paying much attention to what I was doing I am now struggling to get rid of or reduce shadows under eyes.
Can anyone list some actions I can use to correct this (i messed up the skin tones too)

[tim]

Try the dodge and burn tools. It's a nice photo, but the colors are kinda wrong, and the image lacks contrast.

[PacAce]

Try the dodge and burn tools. It's a nice photo, but the colors are kinda wrong, and the image lacks contrast.
That's because the color profile is Wide Gamut RGB instead of sRGB.

[soupdragon]

PaceAce:

Can I do anything about that or am I stuck with it?

[soupdragon]

More to the point, how can you tell it's wide gamut?

[gpocock]

You can tell it's wide gamut RGB by downloading it and opening it in photoshop and looking at file info.

If it's converted to sRGB and saved to web, the colours look much better that if it saved to web with a wide gamut profile.

Colours can also be improved by a touch of velvia boost. Shadows gently removed by dodging.

Best wishes

Geoffrey Pocock

[soupdragon]

Ta! I'll give that a go then.

[PhotosGuy]

Dupe the layer & use curves or levels to lighten it. Then Layer> Add Layer Mask / Hide All. (Depends on your version of PS). Click on the mask so you see a double line around it, select the paintbrush at about 20% with a white color, & paint over the shadows 'till it looks right.

[PacAce]

PaceAce:

Can I do anything about that or am I stuck with it?
The next time you process your raw files, take a look at the color space that has been set for it (see the next paragraph if you're not sure how to do this). If you didn't set it to Wide Gamul RGB yourself on purpose, then it must have been set for you as a default (or maybe it changed accidently). You should go and change the color space setting so that future raw files you convert are in the color space that you really want.

If you are using PSCS, the color space is specified in the lower left hand corner of the ACR window. If you are using DPP, it is set in Preferences. Other converters should have similar options for settig your color space.

[soupdragon]

Thanks guys, lucky I have a printer, I'd never remember all that techno-babble otherwise.

[mgbeach]

I use the clone tool on a low flow and opacity on a duplicate layer. Set it to "lighten" mode and use an area of the cheek as the source. Go over the area under the eyes with individual clicks instead of strokes. Go a little overboard and then reduce the opacity of that top layer until the result looks natural.

[TimSewell]

Didn't bother with trying to correct the colour and contrast - that needs to be done by re-converting - the forehead highlights are just too close to clipping to muck around with and there just isn't quite enough information there to work on the colour and keep them looking like human beings. The shadows under the eyes were easy. Duplicate layer, clone tool set to around 35% opacity; a light touch (don't forget, everyone who hasn't undergone surgery has a little shadow under their eyes!), working in from the skin around their eyes and finally setting layer opacity to about 70% and flattening. I think it still looks reasonably natural.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4349/caraguscrop3ed.jpg
Got the RAW?

[PacAce]

Didn't bother with trying to correct the colour and contrast - that needs to be done by re-converting - the forehead highlights are just too close to clipping to muck around with and there just isn't quite enough information there to work on the colour and keep them looking like human beings. The shadows under the eyes were easy. Duplicate layer, clone tool set to around 35% opacity; a light touch (don't forget, everyone who hasn't undergone surgery has a little shadow under their eyes!), working in from the skin around their eyes and finally setting layer opacity to about 70% and flattening. I think it still looks reasonably natural.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4349/caraguscrop3ed.jpg
Got the RAW?
Why couldn't you have just converted the image to Adobe RGB or sRGB when you opened it. That would have taken care of the colors for you without you needing to go out of your way to "fix" the colors?

[PacAce]

What I would do:

1. Besides removing the eye shadows, I also wanted to make the bags under the eyes, which are accentuated by the shadows under the eyes, a little less conspicuous.

So, I created duplicate layer of the original image and selected the eye shadow area.

Feathered the edges and applied a 4 pixel Gaussian blur.

Set the opacity of this layer to 42% which is just enough show a little bit of the "eye bag" wrinkle (under Cara's left eye).

2. The dark shadow is still there under the eyes so to fix that, with the eye shadow area still selected, I used a Levels adjustment layer to set the highlight, mid-tone, and shadow colors (by clicking on the Options button. I basically made them all the same color color by touching the eyedropper to a part of Cara's face. Fortunately, Cara and Gus have similar skin tones so I didn't need to make two separate passes for them. I then adjusted the opacity of this layer to 79%.

[Edit: BTW, you don't want to totally remove the shadows under the eyes. Otherwise, you'll lose the contour between the lower part of the eye and the checks.]

[soupdragon]

You blokes make it sound so easy.
I take my hat off to you, two days I struggled with that and only made it worse.
I have got to get a book on this.

Big thanks for your efforts.

[TimSewell]

"Why couldn't you have just converted the image to Adobe RGB or sRGB when you opened it. That would have taken care of the colors for you without you needing to go out of your way to "fix" the colors?"

Good point - was late!

[soupdragon]

"Why couldn't you have just converted the image to Adobe RGB or sRGB when you opened it. That would have taken care of the colors for you without you needing to go out of your way to "fix" the colors?"

Good point - was late!

That would assume I have some understanding of the various input/output formats.

[PhotosGuy]

Take a look at this: (http://www.computer-darkroom.com/home.htm)
Go down to the "Photoshop 8 Colour Management" link for a step-by-step tut. ;)

[Hellashot]

I could use some help here.
Because I was not paying much attention to what I was doing I am now struggling to get rid of or reduce shadows under eyes.
Can anyone list some actions I can use to correct this (i messed up the skin tones too)

Eye shadow could have been ALOT worse - I wouldn't mess with it. Taking away ALL face shadow might make it look too clean and fake.

Plus your colors are drab - need to spruce up your levels and increase contrast.

[PacAce]

Eye shadow could have been ALOT worse - I wouldn't mess with it. Taking away ALL face shadow might make it look too clean and fake.

Plus your colors are drab - need to spruce up your levels and increase contrast.
I guess you didn't bother to read the rest of the posts in this thread, huh? :confused: