Can anyone enchance my photo and edit it please?

[ILoveChildren]

I want this photo of my niece to be special as I want to frame it and give it to her as a present. I am not good at enchancing or retouching photo's. Could anyone be kind enough to do it for me. I don't really mind how you do it. Here is the photo if anyone is up for the job. Thank you. I have been learning on how to use photoshop, but it dissapeared from my computer:(
http://i46.tinypic.com/5p1oq0.jpg

[suecassidy]

OMG. That ribbon on her head is quite the thing. What part of this picture do you want to keep? Do you want it to stay in color? I'm pretty good with photoshop but not great in figuring out how to post or edit images on this forum. I'll play with it and see if i can figure out how to edit someone else's photos from here....

[suecassidy]

oh, yeah, i do know this much, you have to enable "image editing" or nobody can help you.

[thebishopp]

I want this photo of my niece to be special as I want to frame it and give it to her as a present. I am not good at enchancing or retouching photo's. Could anyone be kind enough to do it for me. I don't really mind how you do it. Here is the photo if anyone is up for the job. Thank you. I have been learning on how to use photoshop, but it dissapeared from my computer:(


Sue's right, you need to turn image editing on.

Wish I could have kept more detail in the ribbon but there was hardly any there to begin with. The original raw file (if you shot in raw) probably has it but the one you posted did not.

Since you asked here are 4 edits (and don't fgorget to turn image editing on). Edit 1 and 2 - color and tritone. Edit 3 & 4 - the same but I didn't like the sort of frown on the original shot so I turned up the corners of her mouth just a touch to soften it a bit, it's very slight but I find it noticealbly more friendly looking.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4620141890_6a87fe769d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3346/4619528505_eceb76ed20.jpg

Softer expression edits: redoing them to thin out the bow... it just kept bugging me. brb.
My flickr has right click disabled (that overlay thing they put on it so you can't copy the photo with a rickclick) so if you want any of the edits just let me know and I'll email them to you. I'm sure there will also be some more good edits coming from other users.

[suecassidy]

how do you access her pics to edit??????????? I'm on a Mac and right clicking does nothing. I must be the only person on this forum who doesn't know how to do this. Duh....

[suecassidy]

Well shut my mouth! I just figured it out. on a Mac, it is control click. I'm too stupid for my gear. Seriously, good gear, totally wasted on The Me. Anyhoo, now I'll try and take a crack at editing your pic. It will be the reposting that will be hilarious. stay tuned.

[suecassidy]

I cropped it, converted to bw, sharpened and added definition to eyes, smoothed skin. I don't know if it was the little girl's idea to use the red bow, or the Mom's idea, but it was not a good idea. Sometimes less is more. She is a cute little girl and the bow is way too overTheTop and distracting. She was ALSO wearing a wreath of flowers in her hair, so keeping it simple is often a good idea.

I like dude's edit with the plain background and the flowers on each side.

[thebishopp]

Well shut my mouth! I just figured it out. on a Mac, it is control click. I'm too stupid for my gear. Seriously, good gear, totally wasted on The Me. Anyhoo, now I'll try and take a crack at editing your pic. It will be the reposting that will be hilarious. stay tuned.

lol.

[thebishopp]

I cropped it, converted to bw, sharpened and added definition to eyes, smoothed skin. I don't know if it was the little girl's idea to use the red bow, or the Mom's idea, but it was not a good idea. Sometimes less is more. She is a cute little girl and the bow is way too overTheTop and distracting. She was ALSO wearing a wreath of flowers in her hair, so keeping it simple is often a good idea.

I like dude's edit with the plain background and the flowers on each side.

Thanks, I agree with you about the bow, especially that thick piece on her left, our right, side. I left it pretty much uncropped as I wasn't sure what size print the op was going for.

[thebishopp]

Ok, here are the thinned out bow edits.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4619825335_de85fe8350_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4619825507_628f24e469_b.jpg

[ILoveChildren]

Thank you guys so much. I love the effects. I think I will just merged the pictures then all these effects will be shown. I could just buy a longer frame ;).

[FlyingPhotog]

So far, everyone has amputated the girl's left arm (which is visible below the ribbon in the original...)

[ILoveChildren]

I cropped it, converted to bw, sharpened and added definition to eyes, smoothed skin. I don't know if it was the little girl's idea to use the red bow, or the Mom's idea, but it was not a good idea. Sometimes less is more. She is a cute little girl and the bow is way too overTheTop and distracting. She was ALSO wearing a wreath of flowers in her hair, so keeping it simple is often a good idea.

I like dude's edit with the plain background and the flowers on each side.

Hahaha you speak my mind. I also thought the bow was too much, but she insisted she has it on. She kept calling herself mickey mouse with that bow. I will show you a picture without the bow taken outside :)

[ILoveChildren]

This is what I did using Picassa http://i50.tinypic.com/2enngw2.jpg

[pinoyplaya]

So far, everyone has amputated the girl's left arm (which is visible below the ribbon in the original...)

LOL

[thebishopp]

So far, everyone has amputated the girl's left arm (which is visible below the ribbon in the original...)

Lol, I didn't notice that till you pointed it out. It is a very little piece and I didn't cut it out in my first edit... but when I thinned out the ribbon I cut the 1//4" off. Perhaps we could build her an arm lol (the wide ribbon covered it all except for a small 1/4" portion at the very bottom).

[ILoveChildren]

Hahaha you ampuateted mt niece's arm lol. But still a lovely photo it is :). The ribbon was actually wrapped to her present, but she came up with this genius idea to put it on her head. :)

[ILoveChildren]

SueCassidy, I promised to post a different picture of her, so here it is. It is hard to take photo's of children especially because they are not too keen on smiling and posing nicely. My niece always has to have a silly photo.
http://i50.tinypic.com/ojl9o8.jpg

[ILoveChildren]

I like the way her eyes are more enchanced with your amazing editing. I wish I could enchance her eyes make them stand out. :) Thanx guys again.

[suecassidy]

Hahaha you speak my mind. I also thought the bow was too much, but she insisted she has it on. She kept calling herself mickey mouse with that bow. I will show you a picture without the bow taken outside :) That certainly leads me a to an interesting question for new photographers. A "teachable moment" so to speak: What do you do when someone insists on wearing (or doing) something in a photo that you KNOW by all standards, is going to kill the shot? Just being aware that it can happen and being ready with a plan is the first step. Personally, as I've been in this game a long time, I know how I handle it, evaluate each situation differently as to how to handle it, BUT I rarely allow people to direct my sittings in that way. If it is a kid, usually telling them, "Great idea, we'll take some shots with it and some without it." (That also works when they insist on doing goofy faces.) These types of photo won't see the light of day, not in public anyway. Why? Because MY name is all over them, and I won't be there to say, "They insisted...." Viewers will just assume that I was okay with it or heaven forbid, I suggested it. Just remember that the next time someone asks you to take a photo doing or wearing something so hideous or silly or that you wouldn't want your name attached to. If you think about it and decide to let them have their way for whatever reason, ok, go for it. But at least THINK about it and don't just mindlessly go along with it. They are paying for YOUR artistic vision as a photographer. Give it to them.

[Unanswered]

So far, everyone has amputated the girl's left arm (which is visible below the ribbon in the original...)

can not unsee... what have you done!?!?!

[ILoveChildren]

can not unsee... what have you done!?!?!

On the side her arm has been cut off.

[ILoveChildren]

I think her arm is there. I mean even with the original photo you see the ribbon, but not the arm. Maybe her arm is just really thin.

[thebishopp]

I think her arm is there. I mean even with the original photo you see the ribbon, but not the arm. Maybe her arm is just really thin.


The way she was standing combined with how wide the ribbon is makes it looks like her arm is gone. Thining the ribbon down in my edit emphasized this a bit more. Only way around it is to crop it tight or try and "build" her a piece of arm on the outer edge of the ribbon so it doesn't look like she is "one armed". Would only take about 1/4" of simulated arm to fix it. I suppose I could take a what at it again.

[ILoveChildren]

I don't really feel like her arm is missing. I asked my friends and they had no clue what I was on about, it took them a while to realise that her hand looks chopped off lol.

[thebishopp]

I don't really feel like her arm is missing. I asked my friends and they had no clue what I was on about, it took them a while to realise that her hand looks chopped off lol.

sounds good then :-)

[asysin2leads]

oh, yeah, i do know this much, you have to enable "image editing" or nobody can help you.

I think the fact that she specifically asked for help negates the "image editing" switch. Perhaps she just wants this photo edited and not the rest. However, if she's ok with people editing her images on a regular basis, then she needs to turn it on.

[vjrocha]

I cropped it, converted to bw, sharpened and added definition to eyes, smoothed skin. I don't know if it was the little girl's idea to use the red bow, or the Mom's idea, but it was not a good idea. Sometimes less is more. She is a cute little girl and the bow is way too overTheTop and distracting. She was ALSO wearing a wreath of flowers in her hair, so keeping it simple is often a good idea.

I like dude's edit with the plain background and the flowers on each side.

WOW! You did great on smoothing the skin tones!

[agresbach]

2 very quick edits for you (i know the background is distracting but i didnt have a lot of time to work on that but just to give you an idea if you're interested in this kind of edit i'd be happy to help ya out too.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4666595581_35c4b26900.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1303/4666595613_8809643497.jpg

[ILoveChildren]

2 very quick edits for you (i know the background is distracting but i didnt have a lot of time to work on that but just to give you an idea if you're interested in this kind of edit i'd be happy to help ya out too.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4666595581_35c4b26900.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1303/4666595613_8809643497.jpg

OMG.. thank you so much for beautifuly editing the picture. I love it!

[agresbach]

OMG.. thank you so much for beautifuly editing the picture. I love it!

you're welcome! if you're interested and you have the high resolution version to send me i can do it again on that if you wanted and clean up the background for you to get rid of that distraction

[ILoveChildren]

2 very quick edits for you (i know the background is distracting but i didnt have a lot of time to work on that but just to give you an idea if you're interested in this kind of edit i'd be happy to help ya out too.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4666595581_35c4b26900.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1303/4666595613_8809643497.jpg

OMG.. thank you so much for beautifuly editing the picture. I love it!

[agresbach]

OMG.. thank you so much for beautifuly editing the picture. I love it!

you know you just posted the same thing twice, right? :)

[ILoveChildren]

What I am mostly concetrating on is enchancing the eyes. I can't help but wonder how beautiful childrens eyes look on photos, they glow and they stand out. I never knew whever they use photoshop or complicated settings on their camera.

[agresbach]

What I am mostly concetrating on is enchancing the eyes. I can't help but wonder how beautiful childrens eyes look on photos, they glow and they stand out. I never knew whever they use photoshop or complicated settings on their camera.

well it really can be a combination of both. it all starts w/ getting the shot focused properly. if its not in focus theres ways you can mask it a bit afterwards but its never going to have that "pop" you're referring too. If you get the focus right, theres lots of ways to enhance (w/out looking like they were worked on) depending on the program you're using.

is this the kind of crop you were looking for or did you want something closer to a head/shoulder kinda shot? did you want me to take a crack at the high-resolution version (the you linked to is only 640kb in size....typically when you upload to a web album they shrink it way down. i can help ya get the full sized one sent if you liked my edit. otherwise if you preferred one of the others that totally cool too)