Pict Editing Help Please

[arkansasbowhunter]

Well I have been busy with the bee's lately. I have only had my camera about a month now and took this pict a few afternoons ago. I would like to see how you guys could help me make it look better. I would also like to know the details of what you do please. This pict was after I edited it. Hope this works and is in the right forum.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/arkansasbowhunter/_MG_2044copy.jpg

[PixelMagic]

the posted image has the Adobe RGB color profile embedded so it looks washed on when viewed in a browser. I think if you'd like to see what others could possibly do with the photo it would be preferable to post or provide a link to the full-size original.

[Mike]

Just going slightly off topic - did you shoot handheld or mounted on a tripod? Only I notice that your shutter speed at 100mm was 1/60s and there looks to be just the faintest touch of blur due to camera shake. If handheld, boost your iso to get your shutter speed above 1/100s which will help to eliminate the camera shake.

It's very nicely composed though and as Fedka said above, Adobe RGB colour profiles can cause display issues so my advice is to keep to sRGB.

[Mike]

I've had a quick go to see if I can help it pop a bit. Slight adjustment in levels, curves, added a bit of contrast and saturation and sharpened and run through noise ninja. (Sharpening has made it a bit artefacty around the edges tho but it's always tricky with little file sizes!)

[PixelMagic]

As is the norm, it depends on what story you're trying to tell with this image. Are you emphasizing the flowers or the bee? Any retouching approach will hinge on the answer to that question.

Here's my attempt and a description of the steps I took

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/BigDave30/_MG_2044copycopy.jpg

1. Opened image in Photoshop and duplicated background layer.
2. Converted the duplicate layer for use with Smart Filters, then ran Shadows/Highlights as a Smart Filter. Inverted the Smart Object mask to Hide All, then used a soft white brush to reveal the bee.
3. Created a composite layer by using the Stamp Vislble command (CTRL+ALT+Shift+E)
4. Used the Color Range command to select the flowers, and with the selection active created a Curves adjustment layer in Luminosity mode to reduce the brightness of the flower.
5. Added another Curves adjustment layer and used a slight S-curve to boost contrast.
6. Created another composite layer with the Stamp visible command, then added some High Pass sharpening in Soft Light mode. Loaded the mask created in the Smart Filter as a selection (the bee) then added a Layer Mask. This has the effect of only applying the sharpening to the bee.
7 Converted profile to sRGB and saved.

What I essentially did was shift the viewers' focus from the flowers to the bee...if you compare the before and after you should see this clearly. Additional steps that could be done include slightly desaturating the flowers and adding a blur to the flowers to emphasize the bee even more.

Here's the layer stack showing what I detailed above:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/BigDave30/layersstack.gif

[arkansasbowhunter]

WOW thanks for the quick response. I use photobucket so I will try to post this link to the album. never done this so hope it works.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v179/arkansasbowhunter/

sorry I forgot but yes I handheld the camera b/c my backyard is a swamp with all the rains here LOL. I was told to always shoot in iso 100 is why I didn't bump the iso. I shot this using a 2.8 macro 100 lens borrowed from a friend. thanks for the c/c.

fedka, I am new to cs3 so bear with me. I got my layers started looking like yours but couldn't figure out how to invert the layer and reveal the bee with the white brush. i wish I knew how to get my layer picture up here like you guys so you could see what I have.

[arkansasbowhunter]

fedka, I was able to replicate what you did except couldn't do the , well actually step 6 LOL " Loaded the mask created in the Smart Filter as a selection (the bee) then added a Layer Mask" part. can you tell me how to do that?

[Mike]

sorry I forgot but yes I handheld the camera b/c my backyard is a swamp with all the rains here LOL. I was told to always shoot in iso 100 is why I didn't bump the iso.

Always shoot in ISO 100 when the light is good enough, sure, but if your shutter speed falls below your focal length when hand-holding you need to bump up your ISO to get the shutter speed up. You won't really notice too much noise till you get above ISO 400 - I very often shoot above that for sports and weddings etc so don't be scared of pushing it up. The general rule of thumb is that your focal length needs to be matched or bettered by your shutter speed to avoid camera shake i.e. 100mm = 1/100s or faster.

[Dave_PM]

Corel paint Shop Pro Photo X2
Adjusted the shadow, highlights and the colour



http://triumphtalk.smugmug.com/photos/278038955_d4YwU-L.jpg

[PixelMagic]

fedka, I am new to cs3 so bear with me. I got my layers started looking like yours but couldn't figure out how to invert the layer and reveal the bee with the white brush. i wish I knew how to get my layer picture up here like you guys so you could see what I have.

To invert the layer, first make sure its selected the press the Invert command (CTRL+I) to change it from a Reveal All (White) to Hide All (Black) mask.

Then select the Brush tool from the Tool palette, press D to return the background and foreground colors to the default. If the foreground color is black, press X to change it to white. Then paint with white on the black mask to reveal the bee beneath the mask. Make sure the Mask Thumbnail is selected by clicking on it..you will see a frame around the thumbnail indicating that its now selected.

[PixelMagic]

fedka, I was able to replicate what you did except couldn't do the , well actually step 6 LOL " Loaded the mask created in the Smart Filter as a selection (the bee) then added a Layer Mask" part. can you tell me how to do that?

Step 6 was "6. Created another composite layer with the Stamp visible command, then added some High Pass sharpening in Soft Light mode. Loaded the mask created in the Smart Filter as a selection (the bee) then added a Layer Mask. This has the effect of only applying the sharpening to the bee."

To do that, press the Stamp Visible command (CTRL+ALT+Shift+E) to create a new layer that combines all the existing layers. To load the mask as a selection, hold down the CTRL key then click on the mask thumbnail associated with the Smart Filter layer. You will see "marching ants" appear indicating that its now a selection. With this selection still active, simply click on the "Add Layer Mask" icon (third from left at the bottom of the Layers palette) and the layer mask will be created with the bee revealed.

[arkansasbowhunter]

thanks will give it another whirl this weekend. I broke out my photoshop handbook and from your instructions and rereading the book this makes more sense now to me. I will see if I can replicate it again.

[arkansasbowhunter]

what is the purpose for composite layer and how did you get your work flow on the post?

[arkansasbowhunter]

thanks for your help. With that last tidbit of knowledge I was able to recreate your workflow. This has helped me immensely. Thanks thanks thanks. I don't quite understand some reasons for parts of the process though.

p.s loved the other edits also. thanks for contributing all.

here is my attempt at an edited picture.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/arkansasbowhunter/PurpleFlowerwithBee4_11_08006_.jpg

[PixelMagic]

Awesome edit; the bee really stands out now.

In this particular retouch the composite layer wasn't needed but I tend to create them out of habit because they make it easier to back track if you make an error. Also, some features do not work on Smart Layers so creating the composite layer allows you to use the full range of tools on an image.

To post the work flow I use SnagIt (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp) to make a screen capture of the Layers Palette.

[rw2]

Here is my try. Levels, shadows highlights, brightness contrast, noise ninja, adjust sharpness.

[arkansasbowhunter]

noise ninja looks to done a good job. I don't have that program. I was thinking of entering this picture in an amateur photo contest here locally. Thanks for the help. great edit too rw2. where did you get the noise ninja and what was the cost.

[rw2]

I got it here http://www.picturecode.com/. It was about $30.

[arkansasbowhunter]

Thanks.

[rw2]

I do my editing with Photoshop elements 5 and use the plug-in for Noise ninja. I forgot to mention one step in my editing. Noise ninja can be used with sharpening during the noise reduction. I turned this to 0 and did my sharpening with in PS5. Before I sharpened ( which is my last step) I created a duplicate layer. Sharpen the top layer and then use a masking layer on that. I have found that sharpening the back ground can make it look grainy. I masked out the sharpened background to allow the softer (less grainy) background of the layer below show.

[arkansasbowhunter]

at what point do you use the noise reduction in the workflow.

[rw2]

at what point do you use the noise reduction in the workflow.
My first step is to use a levels adjustment. Then usually noise reduction. For some reason here I used it after I adjusted the highlights and contrast.