Please critique my post processing.

[Baaaark]

So, I had a photo I really liked, but totally screwed up the white balance (I hate flash and fluorescent lighting!). So, I decided to try and work with what I had. It was a JPG, so I really couldn't adjust the original all that well. But, I decided to desaturate it, up the contrast. Work on the red eye (how does a dog get red eye?), and voila!

What do you think?

 

[musicaleCA]

Two things, on the technical side. One, using flash in fluorescent lighting requires the use of a green gel. Fluorescent lighting ain't white; it's a sickly, putrid green. Putting a green gel on will match the flash to the colour of the lights, so you can get a correct WB.

Second, desaturating a photo is one of the worst ways to go about creating a B&W. Instead, use a channel mixer and set it to monochrome, then adjust the red, green, and blue channels as desired, or for more control, you can adjust the ROYGABPM colours in PS CS4 and LR2 (not sure about LR1), after converting the channels to monochrome.

 

[Samanax]

So, I had a photo I really liked, but totally screwed up the white balance (I hate flash and fluorescent lighting!). So, I decided to try and work with what I had. It was a JPG, so I really couldn't adjust the original all that well.

Why don't you shoot in RAW?

RAW vs JPEG

Introduction To White Balance

RAW File Format

Tutorial: White Balance

RAW vs JPEG: A Visual Comparison

RAW Versus JPEG

White Balance: What Is It? Why Does It Matter?

Understanding White Balance

 

[Baaaark]

Why don't you shoot in RAW?

Because my camera doesn't allow it. I have a point and shoot.

 

[Samanax]

Because my camera doesn't allow it. I have a point and shoot.

Oh, sorry. Which camera are you using?