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Thread started 05 Jul 2015 (Sunday) 20:46
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Before and After - The Weekly Editing Challenge

 
Stiga
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Post edited over 1 year ago by Stiga.
     
Nov 28, 2021 04:35 |  #3766

Peano wrote in post #19311758 (external link)
='Peano;19311758]If the suitable threads are inactive, it's because the 50+ replies evaluating and testing various pieces of software were posted here rather than in one of those threads. You can make the appropriate thread or forum active simply by using if for these exchanges.

"The image" refers to whatever image you edited and submitted to the contest. Details about how you went about editing are appropriate and most welcome, with some leeway for technical matters related to that editing.

When we have more than 50 posts that compare software using images that were uploaded for that purpose, the thread has clearly ceased to be about Before and After - The Weekly Editing Challenge.

I have no objection whatsoever to you guys exchanging views on these topics until the cows come home -- if you do it in a thread or forum intended for that purpose. This thread isn't intended for software tests and reviews.

Look, I'm not trying to be snarky, nor am I appointing myself deputy moderator, but the following technical comments (and it's just a small sample of what was posted) had nothing to do with techniques that were used to edit the challenge images. But if everyone agrees that these exchanges are appropriate and sufficiently relevant to the specific editing challenge, please tell me in your replies. If the majority so rules, I will quietly bow out. [Footnote and mini rant: It's a shame a moderator hasn't already settled this. If I were a moderator, I would have asked those interested in software testing to please do it in an appropriate thread or forum ... not here.]

"Thin clean hair lines are my preference which I don’t see with the DXO file on my 5K screen. Again this is just what I like. Nothing wrong with either software. I’m also not a fan of DXO the company."

"Joe (Bianchi) has kindly uploaded a noisy image for me to work on and do some comparisons."

"These crops are from your images. DeepPRIME is on the left. DeepPRIME's significantly greater amount of fine detail in the noise is pretty obvious. The Denoise version is softer and loses that detail. It is not just a matter of contrast. Most of the fine detail is simply missing from the denoise version. You may prefer that version, and that's fine. As I said Denoise is an excellent product."

"The default setting in Topaz also provides sharpening which DeePRIME by itself does not. What you are missing in both Topaz versions is fine detail, especially the second one which has the beginnings of that smooth plastic look of over applied noise reduction. It is unfortunate you do not like the interface. If you are both used to and comfortable with a different UI paradigm, that is understandable."

"I don't see Topaz as being crisper, but if you prefer its rendition that is all that matters."

"Yes sometimes Topaz can create a those artifacts. Interesting. DeepPrime has noise but a shows more detail than Light Sharpen that has no noise."

"Yes, detail retention is one of the areas in which DeepPRIME excels. We beta tested it for 8 months during which those parameters were continually refined."

"Has anyone seen this. I just found it today. In LrC I typically right click and select Edit In DeNoise. You have to select either TIFF, PSD or Jpeg. If you drag the file directly into DeNoise it opens as a RAW file."

"On the matter of the auto-cropping Topaz Ai when invoked as a plug-in: I received an update to Topaz Sharpen a couple of days ago and the cropping phenomenon seems to have gone away, coming from Aurora HDR. No cropping."

"Haven't researched DXO products, can Deep Prime be bought as a standalone plugin for PS, or does it come in DXO PhotoLab.. I'd like to take a trial test ride. I'll be glad to supply you with a low light high Iso 12,800 image, and run it through both Topaz Denoise AI & DeepPRIME"

I beg to differ. We often have conversations about technique in this thread which I personally learn from. Agreed the recent denoise discussion was long but the next exchange of similar length may not happen for 5 years or so. I can live with that.


Martin
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Stiga
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Nov 28, 2021 08:22 |  #3767

Well, someone has to stat the ball rolling

1. Lens correction and denoise in DxO PL4 > exports as DNG
2. Aurora using Warm Landscape preset
3. Reformat in Photoshop using Crop and Context Aware Fill > resize and save as JPEG

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Martin
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Nov 28, 2021 08:52 |  #3768

Stiga wrote in post #19312228 (external link)
Well, someone has to stat the ball rolling

1. Lens correction and denoise in DxO PL4 > exports as DNG
2. Aurora using Warm Landscape preset
3. Reformat in Photoshop using Crop and Context Aware Fill > resize and save as JPEG
Hosted photo: posted by Stiga in
./showthread.php?p=193​12228&i=i71949832
forum: Competitions

Very nice Martin.


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NigelD
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Post edited over 1 year ago by NigelD.
     
Nov 28, 2021 10:02 |  #3769

Here's my take on one of them.
Straightened image and cropped to just under left arm.
Selected subject, inverted and darkened and blurred background.
Selected iris colour and painted on in divide mode to "electrify" the eyes then reduced opacity to an acceptable level.
Spot healing brush for skin blemishes then Topaz sharpen AI. I'd normally use high pass sharpening but wanted to try Topaz out - it's new to me.
Gaussian blur on skin to smooth it out with a mask for eyes, nose and hair.

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'Peano
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Post edited over 1 year ago by 'Peano.
     
Nov 28, 2021 10:42 |  #3770

Stiga wrote in post #19312153 (external link)
I beg to differ. We often have conversations about technique in this thread which I personally learn from.

I'm not sure what I posted that you differ with. I didn't suggest that we don't have conversations about technique in this thread. We obviously do. In fact that's why I come here. I recently posted at some length about techniques I use for a day-to-night conversions. I'm only suggesting that we keep primarily to editing techniques in this thread, and do the software tests and comparisons in a different thread.

Agreed the recent denoise discussion was long but the next exchange of similar length may not happen for 5 years or so. I can live with that.

It isn't a question of the length or frequency of such discussions. It's a question of place. I can live with you having similar discussions that are twice as long and as often as you like. I'm just asking that you please have them in a software thread, not a technique thread.

Not to belabor this, but I'll give you a sad example of what happens when a forum doesn't maintain integrity of topic. Check out the Retouching (external link) forum at dpreview. Almost every post is about Retouching software:

  • Topaz Labs Black Friday Once a Year Super Deal
  • DxO PhotoLab 5 on sale
  • DxO elite & filmpack - will I still need SilverEfexPro?
  • Adobe Creative Cloud 20GB - UK Deal…
  • Using DXO Photolab with Adobe Bridge
  • Is it still possible to download Nik collection ver2

Compare those topics with these from more than a decade ago, same forum:
  • Changing dark nail polish to no nail polish
  • How to deal with a distracting background
  • correcting old photos ... methodology
  • Help me with background for this portrait !
  • Night Skyline - How Dark?
  • share your skin-smoothing technique...
  • whiten yellow teeth ?

Back then almost every post was about some retouching technique, with only an occasional post about software. Today it's the reverse. Almost every post is about software, as in the first sample group, with only an occasional post about editing techniques. I used to be very active there and posted many tutorials. But when they drifted into software and left technique behind, I left dpreview behind.

You've got a good thing here. Don't screw it up by losing sight of the topic.

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Post edited over 1 year ago by 'Peano. (2 edits in all)
     
Nov 28, 2021 11:13 |  #3771

Not competing, just practicing . . .

Converted raw file in Camera Raw and exported as a smart object to PS CS6. I don't have the latest greatest software with the world's most fantastic filters and absolutely astounding algorithms, so I do it the old-fashioned way with only a few global curves adjustments initially, followed by local edits on many layers (using a Wacom tablet), some of which were:

  • blank layer in overlay mode; paint with black to enlarge pupils
  • blank layer in normal mode, paint with white to enhance catchlights
  • blank layer in overlay mode; paint lightly with color to enhance irises
  • blank layer in soft light mode; paint with light skin tone to brighten bridge of nose; paint with darker skin tone to sculpt cheek
  • photo filter to tint lips; paint with white on blank layer to enhance highlights on lips
  • photo filter to add blush to cheek
  • spot healing for skin blemishes
  • blank layers in overlay mode; paint with lightened hair color to add highlight streaks, then blur and adjust layer opacity.
  • selective sharpening of eyes and mouth using high pass filter
  • fill layer in normal mode using sample of hair color, then paint with a soft brush on layer mask to reveal subject while blending into the fill color
  • paint in vignette on another blank layer

EDIT (second image): Hair on camera-right side of her head looked a bit flat, like she'd slept on it, so I pulled that side out a little.

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Stiga
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Nov 29, 2021 06:38 |  #3772

Landscape 2 - not an easy one and I fiddled with it for over 1 hour; so long that I have forgotten all the steps!

1. DxO PL4 - lens correction and denoise
2. Aurorora
3. Luminar AI replace sky
4. Photoshop lots of dodge, burn and colour adjustment locally

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Still not happy with t6he result -?

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Nov 29, 2021 07:42 |  #3773

Bit dark around the nose last time so just lightened it up

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Nov 29, 2021 09:39 |  #3774

Lr basic adjustments to Ps for some manipulation, then into L AI for sky replacement back to Ps for color grading and curve adjustments

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Nov 29, 2021 11:34 as a reply to  @ 'Peano's post |  #3775

In addition to the edit of "puffing" the hair out on the camera-right side, I've been experimenting with adding highlights and shadows in the hair to give it more texture and depth. I mostly just painted streaks on blank layers (in either normal or overlay mode), blurred, and reduced layer opacity. But, as I say, this is experimental for me. I'd be grateful for any pointers from those who have more experience with portrait/glamour editing.

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Nov 29, 2021 12:31 |  #3776

a cut out.
overlay on bridge.
match colors.
a litle exposure on here.
a bit off popup on the eyes and lips
thats all.

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Post edited over 1 year ago by RDWP.
     
Dec 01, 2021 12:04 |  #3777

Don't get many chances to work on portraits, so experimenting with treatments. In Luminar Ai: cropped, flipped and rotated R slightly for a "looking in" look. Adjusted face, lips, eyes, skin, lighting sliders. Bokeh sliders, just a bit, but not a great help with this image. Then Lum4: adjustment layers on the background, other masking/dodging/burnin​g; removed buttons. Topaz Sharpen: just on the eyes and lips. Wee bit of lightening and resize in Photo.

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Dec 01, 2021 23:29 |  #3778

Two variations on a theme.
1. Luminar Ai: tried several new skies and settled on this - one of my photos, possibly clouds over some part of Russia, from far western Alaska; relighting sliders; toning; glow; lens correction; contrast; details enhancement; light temperature and light texture for that Sony camera; erased and cloned out mound of gravel in lower left of frame.

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2. As above, but then processed through Aurora HDR (usually do that first in my workflow). Used van Duinen Looks as the base after sorting through a few different ones - I usually just use the basic presets, or none, as a starting point. Some other sliders, and this.
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... and, from the good old days, Canon F-1n, FTb, Mamiya 645 (m1000s), etc. -- Rob

  
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Dec 02, 2021 17:28 |  #3779

Peano wrote in post #19312672 (external link)
='Peano;19312672]In addition to the edit of "puffing" the hair out on the camera-right side, I've been experimenting with adding highlights and shadows in the hair to give it more texture and depth. I mostly just painted streaks on blank layers (in either normal or overlay mode), blurred, and reduced layer opacity. But, as I say, this is experimental for me. I'd be grateful for any pointers from those who have more experience with portrait/glamour editing.
Hosted photo: posted by 'Peano in
./showthread.php?p=193​12672&i=i192371715
forum: Competitions

Hosted photo: posted by 'Peano in
./showthread.php?p=193​12672&i=i32594235
forum: Competitions

They look very good to me - like fine 18th C pastel portraits.


... and, from the good old days, Canon F-1n, FTb, Mamiya 645 (m1000s), etc. -- Rob

  
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Dec 02, 2021 18:57 |  #3780

RDWP wrote in post #19313904 (external link)
They look very good to me - like fine 18th C pastel portraits.

Many thanks. I had something painterly/pastelish in the back of my mind, though I don't put words to whatever I'm driving toward in editing until after I arrive. With me it's very much a "right-brain" exercise.


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