How to make pictures pop ... if possible ?

[keleinad]

Hi guys
I need some help with PS...
I know how post processing can help .. before & after difference is huge.

I was trying to do that but my photoshop skills are very poor.

Here you have 3 pictures - straight from camera . I was shooting raw , but I can't post them on flickr.

Can someone "work" on those pictures and show if they can look better ... and give some tips ? I don't want to cut and paste other nose or anything .. I'm thinking about colours , exposure etc ....

Example pictures .. you can find higher resolution at my flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28329863@N02/

[kaypea]

Have you downloaded any actions? There are some great free ones that are really helpful to beginners

[keleinad]

Originally Posted by kaypea

Have you downloaded any actions? There are some great free ones that are really helpful to beginners

no. i didn't ... but I'll google it ..

[xxpinballxx]

I can give it a go...post processing is my strong suit!

[keleinad]

Originally Posted by xxpinballxx

I can give it a go...post processing is my strong suit!

great ... I'm waiting for results

[xxpinballxx]

first one....

[xxpinballxx]

third shot....

[xxpinballxx]

2nd shot.....

These three are just very fast processing to get a bit more out of them in different ways....I used a different technique on each one of them......

[wulf]

Post processing helps but try to give yourself a head start with the pictures you take. For all three of these, to one degree or another, you have the subject centred, the light behind them and some kind of distracting detail in the background (eg. fencing in the car shot) or foreground (rocks obscuring the feet in the image of the younger woman).

From that position, you can then start to work on the pictures to do things like tweaking colours, contrast and sharpness.

Wulf

[wulf]

BTW, here is my quick take on the first picture.



I've just applied my fairly standard box of tricks:

White balance (using levels tool)

Value adjustment (using curves tool)

Colour tweaking (using curves tool)

Sharpening (high pass and applied with a layer mask).

I also overlaid another translucent copy on top (increasing the contrast a touch more), tried to paint a little light back into the eyes and, after resizing the image to post here, gave it another round of sharpening to compensate.

I've also cropped to put the lady off centre and so that she is much more dominant in the frame compared to the space. She still needs more light reflected back onto her, which Pinball has captured better than me.

Wulf