Crisp image editing?

[Deneuve]

So, after scrolling through quite a lot of content on Instagram, I've noticed a trend in photographers (especially ones running lifestyle blogs on the side) who publish highly crisp images with lots of whites particularly in urban/architecture, food and fashion photos. I've tried out editing my own photos in a similar fashion for the sake of experimenting since my style of editing is way more vibrant and contrast-looking than this. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I cannot figure the process out so here I am asking for help.
Here are a few examples that I came across a few days ago (hope it's ok to post, no copyright infringement intended). What I don't get is a couple of things actually. First of all, all buildings/sky look white with a slight pinkish/bluish tone. If I were working with Lightroom, I'd suppose this would be partially achieved by diminsihing the highlights and augmenting the whites. Still not quite the same result, though. It doesn't seem to be achieved by hightened contrast either, I'd even say the shadows have been toggled towards a positive value... Even then, a lot of the detail in the dark parts of the image is retained and the color also remains there, even though the images all kind of have a black&white feel to them despite being in color?! Same thing happens with portrait photos even when they have this sort of commercial "soft/dewy" look about them. I'd appreciate your advice, tips and ideas! I'm also thinking that perhaps I ought to try out Photoshop CC and use Lightroom/Photoshop for other purposes.

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t...84_1263147577066320_7828855065615007744_n.jpg
https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t...46_1833909210192641_3682641475125903360_n.jpg
https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t...100_413918052292217_4497039309638991872_n.jpg

 

[Designer]

Actually, you're not allowed to post other people's photos. Please take them down and post a link to them.

These look overexposed to me. Without running them into my editing software (not mine, or yours, remember) I am not viewing the histogram. My hunch is that the histogram will show over-exposure in the "whites".

This can be easily duplicated by over-exposing your shots in camera so you get lots of "blinkies" flashing at you. Probably can't print them with great success, though.

 

[Deneuve]

Thank you for the prompt reply, Designer. Excuse my obstructing the forum's terms.

Apart from the whites being set way too high, in what way, would you say, have the shadows/blacks been tweaked? Also, what about vibrance? It seems like the image lacks saturation in all the white/black spots, though all the rest of the color is intact.

 

[Derrel]

"Holy Blown-out Whites, Batman!"
Wow, those are some seriously over-exposed shots. I agree with Designer, mostly over-exposed shots.

Lightroom can achieve this look through various manipulations of the levels and curves tools, as well as various sliders. There is more than one way to achieve almost any final effect.

While I do like light, bright, airy photos for many lifestyle photo uses, the ones linked to look a bit heavy-handed to me. As alwyas, shoot in RAW, pick a white balance setting, and then begin manipulating the black point, then the highlights, then use the curves to adjust the contrast. then use the sliders to make various changes.

 

[Designer]

Apart from the whites being set way too high, in what way, would you say, have the shadows/blacks been tweaked? Also, what about vibrance? It seems like the image lacks saturation in all the white/black spots, though all the rest of the color is intact.

Most editing software will allow you to de-saturate the colors and bring down the blacks, although one would really have to be attracted to that style to do that on purpose. The reason the white and black areas lack saturation is because the photographer has blown the highlights (no detail in the over-exposed areas) and cranked the blacks way down. (editorial) Not sure why, but I suppose it is attractive to some people.

I am not familiar with Instagram, but I presume it has some filters that will yield that effect with little effort.

 

[Deneuve]

I see what you mean about Instagram. It's surprising the amount of freelancers and wannabe professionals who share their projects there. Although a lot use filters, a large number of the users publish edited raw photos.

I suppose I cannot achieve the result from the photos due to the fact that the editing looks unnatural and, as you put it, overdone. Thank you for explaining why that's the case! I guess the effect just doesn't look appealing on the photos I'm trying the settings out on.

 

[Derrel]

I see what you mean about Instagram. It's surprising the amount of freelancers and wannabe professionals who share their projects there. Although a lot use filters, a large number of the users publish edited raw photos.

I suppose I cannot achieve the result from the photos due to the fact that the editing looks unnatural and, as you put it, overdone. Thank you for explaining why that's the case! I guess the effect just doesn't look appealing on the photos I'm trying the settings out on.

You might have hit upopn something important--that the effect you're trying to apply is just not suitable for the photos you're trying to apply it to, or "on", howeveer you want to describe the process. And that is true in many cases when extreme edits are applied; the underlying photo must be "receptive" to the editing method or filter. Some images willlook terrible with certain effects overlayed, while other images will work well with those same effects, so keep in mind the original image when trying to apply certain filter effects. For example, images with lots of predominantly dark tonal values--those will not look the same as images that have large amounts of mid-toned stuff, or large amounts of bright, light stuff in them when certain filters or edits are applied.

I wil pass along another "secret" method to you that I have used for a long time: in Lightroom, it can be productive to try a stack of Lightroom actions, in a sequence, such as using an artistic preset, and then a black and white conversion, and then a B&W Filter effect, as a three-step edit. The results of some of the Lightroom presets can make for really interesting B&W conversions, and then finally, the B&W Filter effect helps differentiate some objects in the shot. I often use the red, yellow,green,or blue filter as the last step.

Some of the artistic presets I like are Ultimate Fighter 2 or 3, Warm & Fuzzy, and New York Style. These are LR presets from the Matt K website from a few years back. I have found those three artistic presets to be pretty useful. Again, be open to the idea that sometimes two, or three filters or two or three LR presets might be applied to one,single image, to create a finalized shot. and of course, you're always free to add or lessen the effects of any filter, at any time in the process.

 

[KmH]

What was once considered a bad or mediocre photo is sometimes today considered the 'hot new thing', and oh'd and ah'd over.

Note too how many jump on the bandwagon and copy the 'hot new thing'. Moo!