Post Processing attempts

[scraggles]

I'm looking to improve my post processing skills a bit. The picture was taken with a little canon A80. Comments highly requested.

Here is the original copy unedited other than a quick resize.
http://img131.exs.cx/img131/133/img47905xc.th.jpg (http://img131.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img131&image=img47905xc.jpg)

Here's my attempt at a little bit of post processing. Blurred the background, desaturated all but the eyes and bell around her neck.
http://i154.exs.cx/img154/8108/img4790semibw5sr.th.jpg (http://img154.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img154&image=img4790semibw5sr.jpg)

[delhi]

the wavy couch pillow is distracting the cat which i believe is the focus. You can try a shallow DOF with a low f-stop to blur out the background...instead of post-processing.

[juneappal]

I actually prefer the first. With the DOF as wide as it is, the color helps the cat stand out from the pillow. If you took delhi's suggestion, maybe that color information wouldn't be as necessary?

[scraggles]

the wavy couch pillow is distracting the cat which i believe is the focus. You can try a shallow DOF with a low f-stop to blur out the background...instead of post-processing.

That was the lowest I could go with my camera. Canon A80.

What is DOF? I'm new to photography.

[Titus213]

Depth of Field - a low f-stop will tend to make the DOF more shallow, throwing the background and foreground out of focus. I like the first image. Perhaps desaturate the couch and leave the whole cat in color? If I was any good in PS I'd give it a try.

[juneappal]

There are many explanations on the web that are much better and more thorough than this, but basically:
DOF stands for depth of field. It refers to the range in which photographed objects are in focus. If the hole that lets the light into the camera (called aperture, AV or f-stop) is very large then only the object at the focus distance will be sharp.
On the other hand, if the hole that lets the light in is tiny, then much more will be in focus.

For instance, if I am using my 50 mm lens, I focus in on an object that is 15 feet away and set my aperture to a very large f/1.4 then (roughly)things between 14 and 16 feet away will be in focus.
If it is super bright out, and I want a slow shutter speed, I might make the hole tiny, to let less light in - say f/22. Aha - I am still focusing on an object 15 feet away, but once that hole closes up so small, anything from 7 feet to infinity will be in focus and we say that my settings have a large D.O.F

DOF is a good thing to pay attention to - it is one of the essential points where the photographer has control over his or her composition.


Hope this helps - play around with the online calculator at http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html and check out the tape measure photos at http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/950/depth-of-field.html There is also some decent reading at http://www.ephotozine.com/techniques/viewtechnique.cfm?recid=63 .

[rcusick]

nice pic, i like what you are trying to do with the photoshop, thats a technique that i really like to use sometimes but i dont think there is quite enough color to pull it off in this pic, its very subtle in this case, but thats just my opinon.

here is an example of a time i used that technique
this is the origional (http://filebox.vt.edu/users/rcusick/DSCN0610SMALL.jpg)

PShoped version (http://filebox.vt.edu/users/rcusick/DSCN061022-CROPPED%20copy.jpg)
also, that couch looks so comfortable, im jelous of that cat, is that suede? because it looks like it.

but back to the point, nice photo.

EDITED: to add the photoshoped version of photo....

[scraggles]

It's not suede, but it is extremely comfortable.

[scraggles]

Alright. Here are a few more attempts. Personally I like the wrinkles. But then again. It's my couch. :)

http://img235.exs.cx/img235/4491/maggie018aa.th.jpg (http://img235.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img235&image=maggie018aa.jpg)

Here it is with a quick amature ironing job on the couch.

http://img235.exs.cx/img235/1580/maggiesmoothcouch4kl.th.jpg (http://img235.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img235&image=maggiesmoothcouch4kl.jpg)

[delhi]

^ 2nd pic is much better.

[scraggles]

Same pic, back and foreground blurred a bit.

http://img194.exs.cx/img194/3880/maggiesmoothcouchblur2rl.th.jpg (http://img194.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img194&image=maggiesmoothcouchblur2rl.jpg)

[colliewalker1]

Same pic, back and foreground blurred a bit.

I like the picture - and the cat: personally I would like to see MORE of the cat and LESS of the sofa by cropping the picture as tightly as possible.If you don't mind trying that I would be interested to see the result.

[4nR]

i like the color version better. the cat's patchy fur is very interesting, and the fact that its sitting against a mainly monochromatic background helps bring more attention to it. i agree with trying to blur the background a little, and maybe increase the saturation and contrast on the cat. nice photo overall.