Post Processing Question

Ok, would like to get some feed back on what you all think this particular photographer is doing in her post processing work to get such brilliant colors?

http://www.bethjansenp​hotography.com/blog/

I guess my question is does she touch just pieces of the photo and turn up the color brilliance or maybe use a preset that turns it up on the entire photo, or probably both?

My guess is its both, depends on the shot etc...just like in every PP job. I'm still not good at PP nor do I have a workflow, I'm studying what others are doing and trying to become more aware so I can create my own.

I need to get better at culling and just getting down to the really good stuff and then PP that really good stuff to great stuff.

Yeah the saturation is over cranked you can tell by the color casts in the skin...not something you want to emulate.
A good levels adjustment with proper black point and contrast adjusment...assuming the photo was taken in good light will give you vibrant colors without artificially boosting the saturation.

Shockey wrote in post #11639206
Yeah the saturation is over cranked you can tell by the color casts in the skin...not something you want to emulate.
A good levels adjustment with proper black point and contrast adjusment...assuming the photo was taken in good light will give you vibrant colors without artificially boosting the saturation.

I guess thats just a tastes thing, I actually like it a lot, and she's very popular and makes some good money with her photos...so there must be some people who really like her stuff and are willing to pay for the over saturation? So sounds like, technically she's not doing a normal type of PP job, its out of the normal range for technically sound photographers? But rather a bit more artsy fartsy...?

You can like it....doesn't make it any less over saturated. There are markets for all kinds of different styles....especially these days.
Bad photography is so prevalent it has actually become a style.

Shockey wrote in post #11639554
You can like it....doesn't make it any less over saturated. There are markets for all kinds of different styles....especially these days.
Bad photography is so prevalent it has actually become a style.

lol. So you think she's a bad photographer?

No the photos she has on her site are very good....except the colors are oversaturated on several of them....not on all of them. tone that down and she is very good other wise.
I would hire her.

Not referencing her when I said bad photography has become a style.

I really like all her stuff, even the oversaturate stuff. I'd hire her too, but her prices hurt me! lol...
Anyway, I'm just trying to figure out how work like this is done, physically with Ps or Lr or whatever, like does she "paint" the color saturation, or is it done over the entire photo, or what?

I cant deal with the over saturated photos either. I didnt even bother to dig for the " good ones". I was turned off.

Nothing special. Having a nice bright exposure and a sharp photo to begin with, then levels adjustment with properly set white and black points and proper contrast adjustment provide rich vibrant colors.
She pumps them up after that, that is where the skin tones go bad. I think she is adding to much vibrance and maybe a bit of highlight adjustment also on some of them.

I said I would hire her but with express instruction than she not crank the saturation and vibrance.

No it is not painted, it is just a slider adjustment in Lightroom over the entire photo. Takes 2 seconds.

Angry Dad wrote in post #11639725
I cant deal with the over saturated photos either. I didnt even bother to dig for the " good ones". I was turned off.

To each his own. Thats the way the world turns. She's found herself a niche' market of people willing to pay big bucks for her non-technically sound pictures, and sells lots of them. So she's doing something right. She's talented enough to make the PhotoVision DVD list as well, telling me she's still doing something right and people want her in their prodcuts. But its like any photography in the world, or any art in the world for that matter...its beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Shockey wrote in post #11639885
I said I would hire her but with express instruction than she not crank the saturation and vibrance.

Then why even hire her? If you can't let her use her own expressions in her own art, there is no reason to hire her, if you're just going to have her not be herself. Doesn't make any sense. I don't think you'd want to be hired if your client was going to tell you how to do your work? Lets not pretend you would with her. I would hire her and let her work her magic. If you don't see the magic in her stuff, then you find a different photographer, right?

Anyways the point of the thread was the color stuff, so now I must see if I can do what you all are saying and find a similar way to get some color pop like hers. She's very heavily influenced by designers, I can tell, her use of colors and textures is amazing. She is my favorite kind of photographer, finds ways to use her photography with some designer influences. She knows more than just photography and it shows. That to me is unique and talented. Color is Life, people who are afraid of color are afraid of life, as she quotes from a designer on her blog...I can't agree more. Minimalism is a bummer. Agreed.

I can tell you guys are a bit more traditionalist, technical aspects are more important to you than bending the norm...and thats fine if thats how you want to live life. I don't, so I'm drawn more to her art than the traditional and technically sound stuff you all like.

Its all good.

"She is my favorite kind of photographer"
So, just push the saturation and vibrance sliders.

James Salenger wrote in post #11640985
"She is my favorite kind of photographer"
So, just push the saturation and vibrance sliders.

I'll see where it gets me, I have a feeling my SOOC shots are not as good as she gets, so just throwing that on top of my stuff might not give me the desired looks that she is getting. I will probably learn I need more experience with the camera as well. lol...
That and some of them, the newborn shots, to me don't look like she's just pushed the saturation and vibrancy sliders, the skin tones in those don't look bad to me, so not sure what all is accurate here. I'm sure its part of her work, but she's got her little secrets too.

I went and looked at some more of her sample shots.
No mystery at work here...as I said she take a nice bright sharp photo. Gets her levels and contrast right...then cranks the saturation and/or vibrance...may some other minor tweaks at work but that is the jist of it....bad skin tones are a dead give away that the vibrance is cranked.
Apologies to Beth Jansen should she come across this thread...as mentioned she has found a niche that a lot of people will I am sure pay good money for and within that niche she does an excellent job.

lol, I don't think she has time to come out here and surf, but I do think she's a Canon user, thats a plus. No knock on you Nikon users.
I'll try to give some of your tips to my photos and post back some samples, see how well I do. We can critique my style copying then. lol...