Bringing a Dead Rose Back to Life!

[dlaf]

I posted this shot in SYS earlier today and since it was such a dramatic change from the original (and an easy one at that!), thought I'd try a "Before and After" post.

Here is the original dead rose taken a few days after a hard frost:

From DPS Posts

I was just snapping for different effects. Once I download my shots, I usually pull up Picasa so I can view them quickly to decide which ones I want to play with in pp. I chose this one just because the other shots had less rose color and were more silhouettes than this. Once I find shots I also usually play around in Picasa to see what can be done before I go into Paint Shop ProXI.

All I did in Picasa was:

1. Bump up highlights to the maximum, and increased the fill light just enough to get better color and definition in the rose.

2. Sharpened

3. Cropped

The end!



For a free and SIMPLE program, Picasa really does quite a bit, and is QUICK to work with.

Thanks for reading!

Debbie

[private]

yes, that is simple and easy - I am not used to that

[gh patriot]

I use Picasa, Gimp and Photoshop Elements and Picasa is by far the easiest and fastest to use. Its all I used for a long time until I got the courage to use Gimp and Elements. Nice shot.

[gh patriot]

oops deletedt the pic.

[Eberbachl]

A better option would have been to use some fill flash to balance the subject with the bright sky - that way you would have had a correctly exposed subject in the first place, and not blown the sky to smitherines in PP.

[dlaf]

Originally Posted by Eberbachl

A better option would have been to use some fill flash to balance the subject with the bright sky - that way you would have had a correctly exposed subject in the first place, and not blown the sky to smitherines in PP.

Thank you for your idea, Eberbachl. I was just playing around trying to get interesting silhouettes and viewpoints. My blowing the sky to "smitherines" was only from me playing around in post processing. I learn how features work by taking them to their extreme and reviewing the results. It wasn't my intent to get a shot like this at all, but I like the results!

[dlaf]

Originally Posted by gh patriot

I use Picasa, Gimp and Photoshop Elements and Picasa is by far the easiest and fastest to use. Its all I used for a long time until I got the courage to use Gimp and Elements. Nice shot.

Thanks, gh patriot -- I like your version as well!

[jiminyClickit]

dlaf,

There are no statues made to honor critics.

Thanks, dlaf, for showing, first of all, how experiments can bring unexpected results and are usually not at all a mistake.

Second, you used very good judgement here, taking the 5 adjustments up just enough to give believable life to your "dead" rose.

And lastly, bless your heart for caring about language and using it well. Good work.

[anthonybeard]

very nice indeed!!

[owl]

Originally Posted by jiminyClickit

And lastly, bless your heart for caring about language and using it well. Good work.

My first thought reading this thread was that I love Picasa and as I go along (up, I hope!) the learning curve it's helped me a very great deal with sharpening my "eye" (pun more or less intended...). On the other hand, there's no doubt a lot to be said about getting the intended/planned shot in-camera. But, jiminyClickit--I gotta say thanks from an objective reader.