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Photo Editing Discussion. Share Opinions/Examples/Techniques

No matter how great your camera might be, it is how you apply your skills that makes the difference between an OK shot and a great shot. Here you can talk technical, talk creative, share your techniques, lighting, and digital editing. This is where we can all help each other to take better photos.
If you post a photo here and are looking for a critique, you should be prepared for honest criticism even if it hurts. It will only help to make us better photographers.

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Orbital111
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Photo Editing Discussion. Share Opinions/Examples/Techniques

Post by Orbital111 »

Do you have a before and after photo that you are proud of and want to share? Are there certain types of edited doll photos that you enjoy or others that you don't? Do you think that photo editing is cheating? Should it be customary etiquette to mention what was edited in a photo? Why or why not? Feel free to share your opinions and examples on why you enjoy or dislike photo editing here.

With regards to photo editing, one perception that I feel many have is that photos can magically be manipulated in a matter of seconds just by pointing and clicking. For something to look reasonably real, this just isn't the case. Depending on what's being done, it can take hours of learning or trial and error to get things like lighting to match, edges to line up etc. Those who have used Photoshop to blend two or more photos together know how fun and rewarding it can be when a photo comes out anything close to looking real. Like anything else technical or artistic, it's a constant learning experience that is really up to you how far you want to take it.

Besides that, it's great fun to be able to spice things up now and then and see your doll in a new environment. For anyone who has just been starting, like me, there is a huge resource of videos on YouTube that can help you learn just about anything. Here's one of my favorites that shows one way to combine the color and lighting attributes of two different photos using Photoshop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5fStxa ... -e7TiNl2hA

Here's another example of how photo editing can be handy. Sometimes we aren't in control of our environment. When I took my doll outside to take photos, there was a gust of wind during one of the shots that created an interesting effect to her hair. The only problem was that the wind also blew branches into the foreground that covered up her hand. At the same time, it blew one of the flowers hanging down completely out of the picture. So now, the composition that I wanted was destroyed. I could either have her hand on the flower or her hair blowing in the wind.

Solution- blend two photos together!

Photo source 1 - Flower by hand covered by blowing branches. Hanging flower blown outside of image. Hair blowing.

Image

Photo source 2 - Hair not blowing in wind. Flowers visible.

Image

Composite Result - Hair blowing & flowers visible.

Image

This is just one example of why photo editing is your friend. :D
Have something to share? Please do!

:glou:

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AlexKnight
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Re: Photo Editing Discussion. Share Opinions/Examples/Techni

Post by AlexKnight »

That's a very interesting video Orbital, thanks for sharing. I've added it to my favorites :D
Youtube is definitely a great resource to learn Photoshop, most of the tricks I know come from watching video tutorials.

And the spliced picture is very well done, if you hadn't revealed it, I wouldn't have known.

One of my personal favorite Photoshop edits is this one:

From a picture in my living room:
IMG_1486.JPG
IMG_1486.JPG (2.34 MiB) Viewed 2978 times
to Kayla standing in a school hallway:
Kayla in School.jpg
Kayla in School.jpg (362.65 KiB) Viewed 2978 times
The thing I missed when taking the picture was the angle of the lighting.

I added some shadows to the picture, and a mirror image of Kayla with a gradient mask to blur the image into the lockers.
The locker handles and locks from the original picture were then duplicated on top of it all, as they shouldn't show Kayla's reflection.

Another of my edits is a simpler one, as only the stand has been removed from the picture and it has been cropped to remove the chair.
Removing the stand from a picture is not always easy.

So, from the unedited version:
IMG_1550_DCE.JPG
IMG_1550_DCE.JPG (385.78 KiB) Viewed 2978 times
to the edited version:
IMG_1550b_DCE.jpg
IMG_1550b_DCE.jpg (292.63 KiB) Viewed 2978 times
Check out Kayla's Christmas dress by clicking here. - December 17, 2015
or have a look at Ashley's Coverdoll release by clicking here - June 13, 2015

A must-see video on Realdoll softness! Click here!
_____________________________
A Spark of Kindness may start a Fire of Love.

Here's my Doll Album, with pictures of Jenna*, Melissa*, Kayla & Ashley, and some other things: Doll Album Gallery
*I no longer have Jenna or Melissa.

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Orbital111
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Re: Photo Editing Discussion. Share Opinions/Examples/Techni

Post by Orbital111 »

These are fantastic examples Alex. I remember when I first saw Kayla standing next to the lockers, thinking to myself that you must have actually been picking her up from a tutoring session there. ;) I love her pose- how she's gently holding up her skirt between her fingers.

The reflection is incredibly lifelike and, though you weren't able to tweak the lighting, it still came out looking extremely believable. Since her head is tilted, it makes it look like her hair is blocking the main source of light to the left side of her face and it didn't cause much of a problem. Great job adding the locker handles back on top of her reflection. It's the little details like this that really fool the mind into thinking that she's really there. :thumbs_up:

For you second example, you did a very clean job editing out her stand also. Sometimes it isn't so easy to match up the edge of her skin where it meets the edge of the stand and fill it in with the background. I sometimes tend to get little artifacts on my doll at these areas and have to start over. Any pointers in this area would be helpful.

I really love her dress and all of her sparkly accessories in this one all the way down to her ankle bracelet and shoes. Kayla looks so lifelike and ready to hit the town. :D

You'll really enjoy trying out the techniques mentioned in the lighting tutorial video that I linked. It's great for creating lighting reflections on clothing and hair or even wrapping lighting that comes from behind.

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AlexKnight
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Re: Photo Editing Discussion. Share Opinions/Examples/Techni

Post by AlexKnight »

Orbital111 wrote:Sometimes it isn't so easy to match up the edge of her skin where it meets the edge of the stand and fill it in with the background. I sometimes tend to get little artifacts on my doll at these areas and have to start over. Any pointers in this area would be helpful.
A trick I occasionally use is to over edit the picture, adding too much background around her, so it removes part of her. Then I add another layer of the unedited picture on top of that with a mask so it's hidden, and then draw back the edges of her skin.

That way, you don't have to draw the background around her, but you can draw her on top of the background, so to speak.
Check out Kayla's Christmas dress by clicking here. - December 17, 2015
or have a look at Ashley's Coverdoll release by clicking here - June 13, 2015

A must-see video on Realdoll softness! Click here!
_____________________________
A Spark of Kindness may start a Fire of Love.

Here's my Doll Album, with pictures of Jenna*, Melissa*, Kayla & Ashley, and some other things: Doll Album Gallery
*I no longer have Jenna or Melissa.

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