Beginner needs help.

[Chantels1]

I borrowed my boyfriends camera and took a few shots of my daughter. I really like this one and tried my best to edit it in photo shop. The original only has a slight levels adjustment, because that is all I knew how to do. Lately I have been reading more about editing (thanks to this forum) and I am getting better, but still have a long ways to go. Here is my before and after. I am looking for advice on what you would do to improve the looks of this photo. Thanks!


Taken with Nikon D70s
f/5.6
exposure 1/320 sec
focal length 120 mm

ISO ?

Any other info you need?

[Chantels1]

First off, I viewed this thread from another computer and I see it looks totally different than on my computer. I wonder which computer is closer to accurate? Any links to a discussion on monitor calibration?

[LeeR]

You're getting close. This image is slightly underexposed, or, more precisely, your daughter's face is a bit underexposed which is why you are having some problems. (Skin tones are usually one stop above middle gray; since your camera's meter wants to turn everything middle gray, the best strategy when metering off of someone's fact is to raise the EV to +1.) At this point, the best thing you can do is warm the image just a tad. If your version of PS has ACR, use the very first slider you see to set the light temperature just a bit warmer. You should notice the skin tones become a bit more pleasing and natural.

[ill_noize]

I would also try to brighten up the eyes as well.

The second pic does look better than the first! That's a nice step around these parts. Sometimes people attempt to improve a photo with PS and end up making it look worse. =)