help

most of my shots I play around with the same techniques. (sharpness, colors, clarify, hue/sat/lightness, levels) Just need some advice on taking my shots up a notch or two. I know about the trash can in #1. If someone could play with #2 by dropping in a sky or even just getting the church out of the back. I need a tutorial on how to do that btw if anyone knows where one is.

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The first one is probably a lost cause just due to all the junk in the photo. Unless you're resigned to cutting the car totally out of the image and using it somewhere else, that is. Sometimes you don't have a choice as that is the image you can get but then there isn't much else you can do besides try and re-frame while you're there.

The second is much better as it simpler and cleaner. It would be pretty easy to mask out the sky and the church and just leave the car and the wall. The problem is that the church is visible through the windows and you'll never get it to look like glass again if you try and edit the church out.

Bottom line, there isn't much to do with these I think but they are good as learning tools for what to do next. If you do want a tutorial to practice the cutting, Google "photoshop mask tutorial".

yeah the location for #1 wasnt the best. I just took that one cause it seemed to be a good angle for it. Practicing for a shoot with two other guys for Mopar Power mag

Torque, do you usa a CPL? That would do wonders for darkenning the sky nicely. Create that "in camera" properly and you won't have to make it up in PS .

yes, its just a little qray though

btw this is all using Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 trial lol. It just expired the other day too Is there something that you would recommend? CS3 or cheaper alternative. I heard that Elements is pretty good too....

Elements is quite good, and if you can get hold of the latest ACR that would be excellent also. The highlight recovery tool is greatly improved over prior capabilities. That could probably bring back part of your sky.

TorqueJunkie wrote in post #5835126
btw this is all using Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 trial lol. It just expired the other day too Is there something that you would recommend? CS3 or cheaper alternative. I heard that Elements is pretty good too....

excuse the newb question but what is ACR

Sorry, np . ACR = Adobe Camera RAW

TorqueJunkie wrote in post #5835252
excuse the newb question but what is ACR

I think remembering to fill your frame with your subject is the most helpful advice to be offered here. As much magic as photoshop includes, it can't get a great picture out of a bad picture, only a fantastic picture out of a great picture. When you look through the viewfinder, you should be looking at the ENTIRE viewfinder. Your subject that you're looking at is in your viewfinder, but so is everything else that will be in the frame. Look at it before you press the shutter button.

In the first image, I would clone out the fluid stains on the pavement, as it makes it look like that big badass motor has blown a head gasket.

thats dripping water from the ice bags

Ah..... wondered what those white things were . OK, noob question for me about performance cars: why were they icing down the engine?

TorqueJunkie wrote in post #5838678
thats dripping water from the ice bags

it has a MASSIVE Novi centri. s/c on it. They just drive it from the shop (30 min away) to the track lol. Use it to cool down the s/c so the air is cooler, cooler air means fsater times. Runs on 110 octane with a TH400 chevy 3 speed trans, dont even ask about how much fabwork that took.

Ouch - sounds like it's a bit peppier than my Sable Station Wagon . Mine is a tad slower, but at least I can roll my camera case into the back of it pretty easily and only need to buy 87 octane. I can't even imagine what 110 must run .

Still, darn sharp looking ride.

TorqueJunkie wrote in post #5840770
it has a MASSIVE Novi centri. s/c on it. They just drive it from the shop (30 min away) to the track lol. Use it to cool down the s/c so the air is cooler, cooler air means fsater times. Runs on 110 octane with a TH400 chevy 3 speed trans, dont even ask about how much fabwork that took.