Learning Photoshop

[deb]

Please critique-------I'm teaching myself photoshop.

 

[JonMikal]

I think you're doing quite. What technique are you utilizing with your lighting? Seems you're doing a lot of frontal. Try side lighting and filtering in dark areas.

 

[deb]

The shots were actually taken outside, late afternoon in complete shade. One off camera fill flash to the left of the subjects was used. The sun was actually behind the backdrop.

 

[StvShoop]

pretty nice photos. i think the colors of the first one work especially well with the black bg. though maybe a little more contrast would be good on her head and arms

:scratch: these don't look quite finished... legs and faces are cut off. hair needs a little more work too. there's a few places where the bg hasn't been completely removed (esp. #5, top left quadrant). it seems like some of them, especially the ones where the shadowy areas don't melt into the black bg, are waiting for something other than the black bg, some kind of underlaid backdrop?

did you do any ps work besides masking? i'm guessing you did, or you had some pretty good lighting technique that day why not both

I'm teaching myself photoshop.

that's the best way

 

[deb]

The only photoshop I did was to use the wand to select the background and adjusted the levels on the selected bg until it turned very black.

 

[StvShoop]

wand selecting :shock: eek
(just kidding )

if you plan on doing lots of subject/background separation in the future, i would recommend you learn how to use the channels to mask. it's easier and more effective than the wand, but it's hard to figure out at first.

 

[voodoocat]

Looking good. I could stand a touch more saturation though. I think the lighting is great!

 

[photong]

not bad for the cutting there.. I see some horrible little bite mark looking things coming from the forehead of the 4th image (its also kind of..flat..or dark...or..smokey..along with the last one..)

very great lighting.

 

[canonrebel]

The only photoshop I did was to use the wand to select the background and adjusted the levels on the selected bg until it turned very black.

Excellent job. You did really good with the wand tool. Your extractions are exceptionally clean and neat. The absence of halos and the excellent technique of capturing the hair really shows fenesse.

I like all the images except the 4th. I looks as if the pen tool cut too much from the little girl's face.

 

[deb]

4th image, she decided it was break time. She laid down on the table, and the dips into her face are where she scrunched up the fabric. She's laying on her stomach, with her head turned toward me.

Oops, I looked at it again, and the lasso tool did pick up some shadow as background. The background I used was a black sheet (real professional, but all I had at the time), and I had to darken it.

Hopefully, I can get some real back drops (printed muslin) soon, and eliminate the need to do cut outs.

One thing at a time, I guess.