First shot at using editing program

[blackandgold4ever05]

Hi all, I am new here. I wanted to buy Photoshop but cannot do it yet, so I downloaded Gimp. Here is my first try without even knowing what most of the stuff means. Seems like a very cool program for free, once I learn how to use it.

Original:

Gimp:

Gimp alternate:

Sorry if these pictures are huge. I am not sure how to re-size for the forum. Picture was taken with a Casio EX-Z100.

 

[tirediron]

Nice work, and yes, the The Gimp is a great application, and you can't beat the price. Be careful to avoid over-processing however, as it can induce unwanted noise, especially when dealing with night shots/under-exposures. Take a look at the area above the illuminated dome (aprox image centre). It looked fine in the original, but manipulation has induced excess noise.

 

[djrichie28]

Agree with Tireiron about the noise. I noticed that too before I read the comment. Nice work on the editing still.

Not sure if you were looking for comment on the photo itself though, but nice shot. I really dig night scenes. The only thing that got me wondering about the composition is if you moved the camera down a few degrees and shot some more reflection off the water and less of the black sky on top. Just my opinion, otherwise, as said before nice shot. Liking the night cityscape scene from a high angle.

 

[blackandgold4ever05]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your time. I do see some of the noise I created, but it was my first time ever using a photo editer. Also, the reason for the small amount of water in the pic was due to not having a tripod and having to use a railing to stabilize the camera. Hopefully getting a decent tripod soon...

 

[KhronoS]

There are good photos. As tirediron said, watch for the noise cause by the image processing.

 

[blackandgold4ever05]

Well, here is my 2nd attempt with some help from a tutorial on youtube. Let me know what you think. I know it isn't perfect but I think its nice for using free software and a point and shoot I got for under $200.

original:

gimp:

Thanks everyone. I am slowly learning what I can so I can get to that next step in photography.

 

[tirediron]

Nice but remember Newton's third law, that is: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". In this came the brightening/saturating of the foreground elements caused the red brick building between the two bridges to darken and lose detail. This is a case where you'll most likely need to work in layers to get everything done without affecting everything else. Keep at it!

 

[Son Dean]

Nice shots! I love the first edited night shot. Wow, I didnt know a casio could step up to the plate. Very nice shots. Do you know what the ISO was?

 

[LisaK24]

I use GIMP as well, and I haven't had it too long so I'm still learning and figuring things out as I go along.

You look like you're on the right track though, so keep at it

 

[blackandgold4ever05]

Nice shots! I love the first edited night shot. Wow, I didnt know a casio could step up to the plate. Very nice shots. Do you know what the ISO was?

I'm not even sure what ISO means or what it does, but the pre-set on my camera for night shots is 50.

 

[Son Dean]

Hmmm 50? must be the shutter speed. I would be very surprised if your ISO went as low as 50 on a point and shoot.. However, I could be completely wrong.

"What ISO denotes is how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light present. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor and therefore the possibility to take pictures in low-light situations."

Above quote taken from http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_iso.html

 

[blackandgold4ever05]

Hmmm 50? must be the shutter speed. I would be very surprised if your ISO went as low as 50 on a point and shoot.. However, I could be completely wrong.

I am not trying to prove you wrong or anything, but here is a link to the details of my camera. I know its only a point and shoot, but I think its one of the best cheap cameras available. I enjoy it for now. I do wanna get a SLR type camera soon.

http://www.casio.com/products/Cameras/Exilim_Zoom/EX-Z100SR/

 

[Son Dean]

I am not trying to prove you wrong or anything, but here is a link to the details of my camera. I know its only a point and shoot, but I think its one of the best cheap cameras available. I enjoy it for now. I do wanna get a SLR type camera soon.

http://www.casio.com/products/Cameras/Exilim_Zoom/EX-Z100SR/

Waaaaahhhhh! He proved me wrong. Waaaahhhhh! lol.

I stand corrected. I had no idea a point and shoot could go as low as 50 ISO... Thats part of the reason why the pic came out so good! Nice and clean. Thanks for the link. Thats one bad ass point and shoot! lol

 

[TamiyaGuy]

I really liked the first "standard" GIMP edit; you sharpened it just enough to bring out detail in the windows, and the noise increase wasn't horrific. However, I think you might have over-done it a little on the second photo. Everything just seems a bit harsh to me. The little corners of the bridge seem really sharp, and some of the photo loses detail. However, I still think the standard photo is very good!

If you want to easily resize your images for the web, then how about SlowView? It has a really easy-to-use resizing tool, and saving is very easy as well. I still use it for quick resizing, even though I now have Photoshop. It's free, too . I use a maximum resolution of 750 pixels, although 800 is fine.

Think of the people with rubbish 1024x768 monitors D:

 

[blackandgold4ever05]

Okay, so I can't leave this program alone. Here is what I have done tonight.

I did not completely like or understand what I did on this pic, so I tried to redo it.

This is the result of me kinda understanding using layers.

I am still trying to learn what I can, let me know what you think. Thanks