Touching up people's shots in critique section

[ajax_andy]

Following on from the useless feedback thread the other day I would just ask that when ever someone posts a corrected version of someone else's picture they explain the steps they took.

So many times I see people post something for critique and someone says "oh x is wrong, here's a version i've done of it to show you how it could look", yet then fail to explain what steps they took to come up with such a fantastic version!

Not only will it help the original poster learn what to do to correct their image it'll also help others reading the thread to pick up new tips and techniques.

It doesn't have to be too indepth, after all it's still up to the original poster to learn and not be spoon fed, yet something as simple as:

"Did a bit of dodge on the main subjects mid tones, bit of burn on the background shadows, corrected the colour balance by adding more yellow and taking out some of the blue, finally did an unsharpen mask"

Something along those lines would be very helpful to everyone reading the thread.

Maybe people dont think they have the time, but to me its not helpful to the original poster if you just correct it without showing them how to do it in future... kind of like the whole "Give a man a fish / teach him to fish" saying.

[SwissJon]

Just to pick up on this.. Yes I have done what you have asked..

But I've stopped posting in the critique section for the time being, many people fail to follow the "One critique per day" rule, they fail to add EXIF data and nobody enforces it, so the thread flooded me, and I stopped posting responses in critique because of this.

If people would start to enforce these rules and not moan when we insist on having EXIF data etc, I would be inclined to start adding my 2 cents worth in the critique section again, but at 10mins per critique, it's a lot to ask, especially when a lot of people are clearly not listening to the critiques being given to them.

I've basically given up, but I'd like to be back.. Come on guys, follow the rules, your insistance that the rules are garbage is spoiling things for both you and everyone else.

[ajax_andy]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Just to pick up on this.. Yes I have done what you have asked..

But I've stopped posting in the critique section for the time being, many people fail to follow the "One critique per day" rule, they fail to add EXIF data and nobody enforces it, so the thread flooded me, and I stopped posting responses in critique because of this.

If people would start to enforce these rules and not moan when we insist on having EXIF data etc, I would be inclined to start adding my 2 cents worth in the critique section again, but at 10mins per critique, it's a lot to ask, especially when a lot of people are clearly not listening to the critiques being given to them.

I've basically given up, but I'd like to be back.. Come on guys, follow the rules, your insistance that the rules are garbage is spoiling things for both you and everyone else.

Yes they are also good points raise too

I'm not sure everyone knows how to post EXIF data, but it is something that is essential when trying to offer critique.

I think a lot of people do value critique (ok some just want their ego stroking) so I hope you return at some point

[sk66]

Whenever I post in Critique (which isn't that often) and post a "fix" I will give a very basic "what I did" at least. Often it's not highly detailed because I may not recall every minute detail of what I did to get the results.

But here's the thing, There's several ways to get the same results. Take color balance for example. I might choose a levels adjustment to fix it, someone else might use hue/saturation, or color balance, or an average layer, etc etc.
The post should say something like "color balance is off, here's an example of what I think it should look like". It's then up to you to use whatever method works best for you to get the same/similar results. If you want to know what method was used to fix it (I usually say what I used) then there is nothing wrong with asking. Even PM the individual if you want more assistance.

Personally, I don't think exif is always relevant....but it's no biggie to me.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by sk66

Personally, I don't think exif is always relevant....but it's no biggie to me.

This is a debate that will rage forever. It's true that it isn't always neccesary, but without knowing what it is, you can't know that you don't need it, and you can't do more than offer generalised advice.

Personally I can't be bothered to contnually have to ask for something that's already been asked for in the forum rules and then have someone tut at me as if they're the ones doing me a favour.. Hence the fact that I rarely critique any more. It's a shame, but hey ho, your loss.