print shop pro photo~ did I go too far?

[praline3001]

Hey guys! Today was a rainy washed out day so I didn't pull my camera out for practice. Instead I did some major studying up on my photo program and how to do more than just the VERY basics (I used to only use auto) I used my Daughter's photo as my experiment...I am just not sure if I went overboard. I want to try and keep my photos as real looking as possible but improve on nature LOL
I am in NO WAY saying my daughter isn't adorable by changing things up LOL I love just the way she looks BUT I needed a good canvas to practice on so I used her.

Do you think I went too far with the editing for this photo? TO ME it looks fake but hubby says it looks good and the only reason I think I went to far is because I was staring at it for so long LOL


Here is the previous copy.


Major points to compare (IE ones I think look too fake) are the sky, her lips, her eyes and I might have gone a tad overboard with the skin smoothing?! I need some opinions so I will know on REAL ACTUAL photos (not just for practice) how far I can push things before I lose the realism of the photo. Thanks!

[oldwolf]

I use Paint Shop Pro X2 for all my image editing as well.

It does look like you went too far. Children naturally have smooth skin. The skin on the edited pictures seem a bit on the fake plastic side.

About the only thing I'd do to your original is duplicate the background layer, change the blend mode to Screen and turn the opacity down to about 50% to see if it lightens up the picture any. If it's ok then I'd merge it down, duplicate the background layer again and use clarify to give her face just a little definition.

If you wanted to make the eyes pop then I'd copy just to eyes to a different layer, apply a USM to it, change the blend mode to Screen, erase everything around the eyes and turn down the opacity until it looks natural and not popping out of her head.


Oh, the sky looks purple on your edited image hehe.

One other thing you can do is use the edited pic on another layer over the original then turn down the opacity on that edited layer until it looks a bit more natural. What you're doing is letting some of the original poke through and getting a compromise.

[praline3001]

Yeah I thought I went too far. I was just playing with all of the cool features I was learning about on here lol

Hubby kept telling me I hadn't gone too far LOL

I will start over and see what I can do. I haven't really figured out the layers thing so if you would like to give me step by step directions I would be your best friend forever LOL

[oldwolf]

Not sure how you have your PSP set up since I've customized mine a bit so I'm going to show you one way that should be universal. I have buttons everywhere to make my life easier hehe.

To just use your original edited picture as a layer:

1. Open up your unedited but cropped picture. Make sure it's the exact same crop or it won't line up with your original.
2. Open up your edited picture.
3. With your edited picture selected. Hold down Ctrl and hit the C button.
4. Go to your unedited picture. Right click on the title bar and hit paste as new layer.
5. On the right hand side you'll see your two pictures in your layers menu. Click on the top picture which is your edited picture that you just pasted.
6. You'll see a little slider bar with a 100 under it. Click on the slider bar and drag it to the left to adjust the opacity of that layer so the original unedited shows through a bit.

That's a quick way of explaining layers. Can't go indepth on it because it would take a whole book or half a book and I don't know everything; just enough to get me in trouble.

[praline3001]

Thanks so much! I am going to give that a try as soon as the above angel gets on the bus.

I really need to get me a book! Any good suggestions on what's best for PSP? I saw the PSP for dummies and that's right up my alley but I just upgraded to the x2 and not sure if that book is updated to include the new features?

[windrider86]

I also use PSP and congratulate you on your choice. I have acouple books at home that I found quite useful and will send you the names when I get there.
You tube is also a great learning tool. Just go to Youtube and do on seach on Paint Shop Pro.
I must warn you, they are very addicting

[oldwolf]

I've got a couple books but won't have access to them til later this week. I think a few of them were suggestions from windy hehe.

You should also check out the CD that the software came on. There are a bunch of tutorials from lynda.com on it I believe. I never looked at them because I've used PSP for the longest but it wouldn't hurt anyone to look at them just to get a feel for the software.

[praline3001]

I didn't get a book with the software. I ordered it and downloaded it off the corel website. That is why I am having so much trouble with it...should have got the book..should have got the book.... I can't wait to hear which books are good to learn with

[windrider86]

One o fthe books I have is by Ken McMahon, worth its weight in gold. I think I got it off of Amazon for about 10 bucks. Its for XI but pretty much everything in it applies to all of the psp series.
Another thig I do, is serve for tutorials. I keep a note book that is plum ful of how to do this effect or how to create that effect, etc.
I neat web site for all kinds of psp tutorials is this onbe http://nansons-place.com/ or this one is a good source for all kinds of stuff http://silvercloud30.tripod.com/psp/psptutlinks.html

[praline3001]

Thanks so much wind! I bookmarked them and am going to read them tomorrow. My brain is a bit fried from trying to learn how to do basic things on PSP today LOL

It is a great program! There is just so much you can do.. IF you can figure out how to do them LOL

I did upgrade to x2 ultimate so I have that corel painter ess. bonus program. I have been playing around with it and some of the new effects I am just learning (simple stuff i am sure for you guys LOL)

Here is one I have been working on tonight. It was a close up of a toad through my glass back door. It was a bit too close LOL but I loved his eyes!!! SO I used the painter to oil paint the program and added a funny saying. I really want to use the rope tube as a cute little offset to the top of the frame but short of a ruler I can't seem to get them even no matter how i try LOL ... I even used the grid and started counting squares as I use to cross-stitch.