Teenage Portrait

[Aperthetic]

Hello all. This portrait was taken under pretty bad lighting conditions, so I didn't have much control. I have currently put it under quite a bit of post processing including skin tone correction, levels, curves, selective sharpening, and smart dodging/burning. I am looking to have this photo printed on a puzzle and given as a gift, so my main question is...

Is there any other post-processing I can put this photo through in order to make it just perfect for the gift? Right now, I'm just not completely happy with it but don't know why.

Thank you for your critique!

<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2378/2239839961_07ba4eb960_b.jpg" title="IMG_2076a by n!ck., on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2378/2239839961_07ba4eb960.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2076a" /></a>
(Photo Links to Large size)

Exif Info:

Camera: Canon Powershot G9
Shutter Speed: 1/10
Aperture: F/3.2
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 12.7 mm
Flash fired
Manual White Balance
Shot in RAW File Mode (so I had quite a bit of control over white balance, exposure, etc. in post-processing)

---------------------------------

Original Shot (Without Photoshop...)

<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/2240300907_e937cebdfd_b.jpg" title="IMG_2076org by n!ck., on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/2240300907_e937cebdfd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2076org" /></a>

[prrs4me]

I don't know how big you are going to have the puzzle made but I think it will be fine the way it is. It's a puzzle not a glossy portrait. You are in focus but the girl is a little out of focus. It wouldn't bother me.

[jiminyClickit]

Aperthetic,

Thanks for a good post. Knowing the intention and ultimate use of the photo does affect Critique.

I'd be tempted to retake it, now that you perhaps have a better idea of what you want, after a lot of postwork. If that's an impossible thought, I'd crop right and top, just to get a more equal margin between faces and frame. I'd want a little better definition in hair, and detail in irises. But for a puzzle, it won't matter.

[KathrynWilson]

Can you post the SOOC image? It's hard to know whether a different PP would help otherwise.

[Aperthetic]

Sure thing. Here's the photo straight out of camera.. (Well, after a tiny bit of RAW processing, but no Photoshopping)

<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/2240300907_e937cebdfd_b.jpg" title="IMG_2076org by n!ck., on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/2240300907_e937cebdfd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2076org" /></a>

@Jim - No, I won't have an opportunity to retake the shot, so I'm pretty much stuck with what I have. I considered that crop, but I didn't want the faces to completely take over the frame. I'll play around with the crop possibilities again.

[KathrynWilson]

Hi :)

Here's my play:

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1733/2240300907e937cebdfdcopcq8.jpg

I did a Curves layer to brighten, then did my best to get the casts out of the skin tone, then did an eye pop. I then color popped and burned the background, cropped, and sharpened.

[Dr. WooD]

I'd do like JC said, and crop it tighter on the right side. I'd center them as much as possible. I'd do a little work on the whites of their eyes too. Both his seem too red, and her left looks to have a blue look to it, and her right looks kinda yellow.

I guess for a puzzle nobody wood ever notice thou.

[Dr. WooD]

From the original, I tilted the image a bit, and cropped it. Touched up the blemishes, did my best to de red his eyes, hers were left alone due to glasses reflection. Played around with the skin tones. Mine probably came out to bland for most peoples taste.


After seeing it posted, If I were to do it over again I'd have cropped a little bit more off the right side.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wood-shot/2241564837/" title="2240300907_e937cebdfd_b by wood420, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2253/2241564837_4d72f822c4.jpg" width="500" height="366" alt="2240300907_e937cebdfd_b" /></a>