C&C on post processing??

Sammie_Lou · Nov 2, 2011

Can I ask for a little bit of C&C on these?? Not so much on the images themselves (I know they're just snapshots - they're ones I took literally a couple days after I got my camera), but on the PP for them?? It would be greatly appreciated. The first one is the original, the second one is the edited one...I just got PS Elements 10 today and have a lot of learning to do...

Trever1t · Nov 2, 2011

better. brighter. color more vibrant.

Sammie_Lou · Nov 2, 2011

Anything you see there that I should work on?? Is it too yellow-y?? My baby sister (the one in the middle) is just so PALE that I feel like she looks like her skin is blown out in every picture.

LightSpeed · Nov 2, 2011

If I may?
I'll offer this. Hopefully not in an offensive manner.
I think you're over saturated on number 2. This may be because you intentionally saturated, OR because you added too much contrast. Either of the two can give an over saturated effect.
The problem arises in this image due to the mothers skin tone compared to the two children. If it were me, I'd try to take a little bit of red out and balance the red between the mother and the children.
This can be done a number of ways in Lightroom. Whether or not perfection will come to pass, I cannot say. I jump these hurdles all the time and sometimes it works and ...........that's the best I can hope for

Sammie_Lou · Nov 2, 2011

That was absolutely not offensive and just the kind of critique I was looking for. Thanks!

Does this look a little better?? What I did was use the quick selection tool on her arm and face and desaturate the reds a little in that area. She naturally DOES have more of a red/dark skin tone than my sisters (who are both Snow White pale), so I don't wanna make her too pale like them...

LightSpeed · Nov 2, 2011

Better. Think of it as a balancing act.
The skin tones between the three people are never going to be the same.

clanthar · Nov 3, 2011

Your instincts are good. The original is way too blue. You're worried you had gone too yellow -- nope not yellow enough yet. The older sister's left arm is still blue enough to call 911.

Mom's makeup is a factor and it's interfering. To do a good job you'd have to treat Mom separately. Her makeup is red.

It's after midnight and I get to claim the two beer qualifier, but here's what I get for a quick run at it with the two girls skin-tone as a target. Lightspeed's lower saturation suggestion is on target as is his observation of skin-tone variance between Mom and the girls. When I compare, my take is even less blue still.

Joe

P.S. I held the contrast a tad lower as well given the subject -- maybe a tad much.

BuS_RiDeR · Nov 3, 2011

What if...

In Gimp I did an Auto White Ballance, ran in through a sharpness filter and re-cropped it... Just a tought.

spacefuzz · Nov 3, 2011

From the original I was also going to suggest less red. Since the moms skin is so different, I would mask her out and white balance her separately.

Sammie_Lou · Nov 3, 2011

Thanks, you guys! You gave me a lot to think about...I really like the crop. I can't wait to get off work and mess with it some more. =) I know they're just family snapshots, but I thought I'd like to do some sort of collage with the pics from my sister's dance recital for my step-mom for Christmas, so this has been a big help.

Sammie_Lou · Nov 3, 2011

I keep going back and looking...BuS RiDeR, I really like your crop. lol

BuS_RiDeR · Nov 3, 2011

Sammie_Lou said:
I keep going back and looking...BuS RiDeR, I really like your crop. lol

Thanks. I just wanted to share what I thought. I often find it easier to show what I mean rather than saying it. Glad you like it.

ghache · Nov 3, 2011

Sammie_Lou said:
That was absolutely not offensive and just the kind of critique I was looking for. Thanks!

Does this look a little better?? What I did was use the quick selection tool on her arm and face and desaturate the reds a little in that area. She naturally DOES have more of a red/dark skin tone than my sisters (who are both Snow White pale), so I don't wanna make her too pale like them...

I think this one is the best. id leave it like that. Little girl seems really proud of her throphy. I wouldnt crop that out.