What's the most overdone Post Processing trick?

[BigBlueDodge]

As I try to increase my knowledge of PhotoShop and how best to use it to enhance my photoes I look at what others are using it for. Since I've been around I've seen some pretty horrendous PhotoShop jobs and some just downright gorgeous PhotoShop jobs. Since I've been visiting this site, I've seen some recurring PhotoShop mis-uses. I thought I'd like to post my list of the most overdone/overused Photo Shop/Post Processing techniquest that keeps popping up on this site.

1. Selective Coloring - This seems to be everyone's first "big" step in to post processing, and inevitably everyone does it wrong. The prime target is generally the eyes, and they are inevitably WAY over saturated in most every picture I've seen.

2. HDR / Tone Mapping - This new phenomenom is rapidly catching on. Most HDR pictures i've seen are way over the top and look more like something out of a cartoon/illustration book than a picture.

3. Skin Softening - We all want nice smooth skin, but age sometimes doens't agree. So we try and soften it, but most of the time the subject just turns out looking like a mannequin.

4. Excessive Sharpening - Everyone wants sharp pictures, but most don't know when to stop.

3/5/07 : Updated based on input below

5. Noise Reduction
6. Diffuse Glow

Just curious to see what you think is generally overdone/overused.

[steveathome]

Since discovery yesterday definetly OOB (out of bounds)

[NoLight]

Selective coloring seems overdone to me...

[cosworth]

Skin smoothing by far.

[justisnmnz]

selective coloring, and plastic skin smoothing are both incredibly overdone.


But when done right either of those can still produce incredible results.

[Reminisce]

Dont forget Diffuse Glow.

[liza]

Dont forget Diffuse Glow.

Damn! You beat me to it. :lol:

[Reminisce]

Damn! You beat me to it. :lol:

hehehe

[kram]

OK, that's a good list of things that I need to learn first ;)

[René Damkot]

Noise reduction.

[galahad]

noise reduction and sharpening for me.

[R_Metzel]

Skin smoothing! I hate seeing that done on every single shot. Portrait to candids. I am waiting for someone to start posting cat pictures with smooth skin! I have to agree with the entire OP's list though. Noise reduction, but only when over used.

[ssim]

All of the above....:D

If I had to pick one or two it would probably be over sharpening and skin smoothing. Sometimes I think that the posters end up using an image that they had sharpened for printing for web display and they just look horrid. I tend to over sharpen my images for printing and they come out fine. I would never use the same end result for web display.

If I was to go into the wedding forum I would have a totally different answer. It would probably be selective coloring. That seems to be a big thing for wedding shots and if done right it can be attractive but in most of the ones I have seen it is just overkill.

[Saralonde]

As I read the list, I thought,"Yeah, that one irks me. You're right, I've seen too much of that. If I see that again it will be too soon." So I guess I have to say "all of the above." Funny thing though, I've been guilty of most of them at one time or another :o .

[psy4fun]

Excessive saturation and excessive contrast. This habit to give more impressive (and unrealistic) colors to sky and clouds, for example.

[justisnmnz]

Skin smoothing! I hate seeing that done on every single shot. Portrait to candids. I am waiting for someone to start posting cat pictures with smooth skin! I have to agree with the entire OP's list though. Noise reduction, but only when over used.
:) I agree, infact I try to acheive quite to opposite in my portraits, I try to bring out as much grime and grit as I can.

just because. :lol:

And I happen to be a big fan of over saturation. :D

[Gordeez]

For me, personally, its over sharpening. I want a super sharp image, im getting better
though at realizing when enough is enough.

[R_Metzel]

1. Selective coloring- check!
2. Tone mapping- check!
3. Skin smoothed- check!
4. Sharpened just a smidge- check!

Does this look good? Is it over processed, or will it be ok to print a 30"x40" for my wall?:lol: :lol:

http://www.pngdesignz.com/photos/_MG_4790%20copy%20copy.jpg

[NoLight]

LOL Rob I know thats on your wall!!!! :)

[BigBlueDodge]

ha ha, R_Metzel, that is just too funny.

[Lord_Malone]

One thing to keep in mind, guys, is that what seems "overdone" to us, does not hold true for Joe Public. Yeah, we're bombarded with all types of photoshop jobs from every Tom, Dick and Joe on POTN, and other photography forums, and we all have an understanding of the process involved and what to look for. The general public, who really doesn't have a clue, just goes "Wow! Your camera takes really good pictures!" when they see your work, and they lack a basic understanding of how we process and manipulate images to create that effect.

Often times, we just see copycat over-processed images over and over again. It happens. I suppose if the internet was as big back in the film glory days as it is in the modern digital age, we'd all be complaining about seeing overdone photography techniques and darkroom effects. "I think the use of polarized filters is overdone." for example. :lol:

I often take a break from the forums once in a while, or visit less often, to explore new possibilities for inspiration. I think I'm going to revisit some of my archived work and start laying the groundwork for some themes and effects I haven't seen too much of yet. I'm still trying to master photoshop myself, so it'll be fun to just experiment through good old fashioned trial and error.

[R_Metzel]

One thing to keep in mind, guys, is that what seems "overdone" to us, does not hold true for Joe Public. Yeah, we're bombarded with all types of photoshop jobs from every Tom, Dick and Joe on POTN, and other photography forums, and we all have an understanding of the process involved and what to look for. The general public, who really doesn't have a clue, just goes "Wow! Your camera takes really good pictures!" when they see your work, and they lack a basic understanding of how we process and manipulate images to create that effect.

Often times, we just see copycat over-processed images over and over again. It happens. I suppose if the internet was as big back in the film glory days as it is in the modern digital age, we'd all be complaining about seeing overdone photography techniques and darkroom effects. "I think the use of polarized filters is overdone." for example. :lol:

I often take a break from the forums once in a while, or visit less often, to explore new possibilities for inspiration. I think I'm going to revisit some of my archived work and start laying the groundwork for some themes and effects I haven't seen too much of yet. I'm still trying to master photoshop myself, so it'll be fun to just experiment through good old fashioned trial and error.
That is a good point Ed.;)

[bacchanal]

how about fake vignetting

[Lord_Malone]

how about fake vignetting

Like this?

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/8302/img0563a1aucopygx8.jpg

For me, going over the top with the effect seems to work well for some shots. ;)

[calicokat]

1. Selective coloring- check!
2. Tone mapping- check!
3. Skin smoothed- check!
4. Sharpened just a smidge- check!

Does this look good? Is it over processed, or will it be ok to print a 30"x40" for my wall?:lol: :lol:

http://www.pngdesignz.com/photos/_MG_4790%20copy%20copy.jpg

:lol: :lol: OMG, I am laughing so hard :lol: :lol:

[calicokat]

I like to re-create the shot as I saw it in person. Sometimes PP makes a photo better, but I like to limit my need for PP as much as possible

[bacchanal]

Like this?

For me, going over the top with the effect seems to work well for some shots. ;)

Malone, if you do it, that basically makes it awesome by default. :cool:

I was kind of getting at the hipsters that try to make their 12mp cams into holgas with pp. It's like adding lots of distortion to a guitar riff...turns boring into "woah, gnarly!".

[wu_wei0]

One thing to keep in mind, guys, is that what seems "overdone" to us, does not hold true for Joe Public. Yeah, we're bombarded with all types of photoshop jobs from every Tom, Dick and Joe on POTN, and other photography forums, and we all have an understanding of the process involved and what to look for. The general public, who really doesn't have a clue, just goes "Wow! Your camera takes really good pictures!" when they see your work, and they lack a basic understanding of how we process and manipulate images to create that effect.

Often times, we just see copycat over-processed images over and over again. It happens. I suppose if the internet was as big back in the film glory days as it is in the modern digital age, we'd all be complaining about seeing overdone photography techniques and darkroom effects. "I think the use of polarized filters is overdone." for example. :lol:

I often take a break from the forums once in a while, or visit less often, to explore new possibilities for inspiration. I think I'm going to revisit some of my archived work and start laying the groundwork for some themes and effects I haven't seen too much of yet. I'm still trying to master photoshop myself, so it'll be fun to just experiment through good old fashioned trial and error.

Ed- always the voice of reason. :)

You are quite correct about film glory days and the same basic complaints. I collect old photography mags. . . I get a huge laugh out of the articles, reviews, and editorials I find. The discussions are basicaly the same' just the technology is different.

One of my favorites is from the advent of the 35 mm --some heated debate on whether one could take a real picture, especially a portrait, with a 35mm rather than MF. In that issue there's also a roaring argument over whether darkroom processing and effects consitutes real photography or is it "just art."

[R_Metzel]

For most pictures, like landscape, I try to recreate the picture I saw. For other types, like candids and urban, I try to create how I see it (mentally) , not exactly what I saw. I think it all depends on the PP used and the message you are trying to get across with your photo's. I like to bring a little art into my photo's that I feel warranty such a touch. Some photo's can go from plain old snap shots to something that might create a certain emotion or response in the viewer you hoped to capture.

Like Ed's picture; the PP done on that helps the viewer relate to that brief moment in time, and helps focus the viewer on the subject, not background distractions. I don't people, I see a connection between two loved ones. I look at the photo and feel love, honor, feelings of being proud of our service people; it makes me more thankful for what I have, and where I am. PP is more powerful then most give it credit for. But when over used, it just ruins everything. I guess it comes down to personal tastes, and the story you are trying to tell.

[cgratti]

1. Selective coloring- check!
2. Tone mapping- check!
3. Skin smoothed- check!
4. Sharpened just a smidge- check!

Does this look good? Is it over processed, or will it be ok to print a 30"x40" for my wall?:lol: :lol:

http://www.pngdesignz.com/photos/_MG_4790%20copy%20copy.jpg
could use some skin smoothing, sharpening, and a shot through the high pass filter. Other than that, its Perfect!

[elTwitcho]

I don't think post processing can be overdone, it's whether it's used as a gimmick or not.

If it looks like something you would call a "trick", it most likely is, and it most likely adds little to the image. I've seen alot of shots processed by people who didn't really "get" what they were doing with their processing and it didn't complement the photo, but then again I've also seen the people those guys immitate who know exactly why they use the techniques they do and how to apply them correctly. It's the same technique, but one person may chose to use it as a gimmick, and the other may understand how it applies to their image and use it effectively.

So I think bad processing is the most overdone, not any particular technique though. Frank Doorhorf (sp?) skin smoothes the hell out of his models, but he has an aesthetic he understands and it works for him. Another person may attempt to replicate that and have it look like an overdone gimmick, the difference isn't the technique, it's the application.

[R_Metzel]

could use some skin smoothing, sharpening, and a shot through the high pass filter. Other than that, its Perfect!
Thanks! I'll work on it!:lol::lol::lol:

[bacchanal]

I don't think post processing can be overdone, it's whether it's used as a gimmick or not.

If it looks like something you would call a "trick", it most likely is, and it most likely adds little to the image. I've seen alot of shots processed by people who didn't really "get" what they were doing with their processing and it didn't complement the photo, but then again I've also seen the people those guys immitate who know exactly why they use the techniques they do and how to apply them correctly. It's the same technique, but one person may chose to use it as a gimmick, and the other may understand how it applies to their image and use it effectively.

So I think bad processing is the most overdone, not any particular technique though. Frank Doorhorf (sp?) skin smoothes the hell out of his models, but he has an aesthetic he understands and it works for him. Another person may attempt to replicate that and have it look like an overdone gimmick, the difference isn't the technique, it's the application.

Good point, but whether something is overdone or not is a matter of opinion and taste and has nothing to do with the skill with which whatever was done...well, in my opinion.
For example, "Shakespeare was a brilliant playwright, but his works were a little overdone in my opinion", is a perfectly valid statement. Of course, his plays were specifically written for a particular audience, which one may or may not care to take into consideration.
There are plenty of other examples...like the cover of my wife's copy of Glamour for instance...

[PhotosGuy]

Most B&W conversions.

[whakojacko]

how about fake vignetting
I hate most pp vignetting, but its certainly not the most overdone PP trick.
I vote selective coloring. Like the OP mentioned, most people doing this stuff have absolutly no clue what they are doing, and I have not seen more than a handful of these shots out of hundreds that I have actually liked.