Help with picture edit for photography contest

[eric-holmes]

I plan to enter this picture in a photography contest that is approaching in the next two months. This first picture is SOOC. The second one is what I have done to edit the picture. How does it look? What can I do to it? My fear is that the picture has a dark look.

 

[Jeff Colburn]

When you zoom in on the subject, use the rule of thirds. Centering your subject make the image very static.

Have Fun,
Jeff

 

[eric-holmes]

Yeah, I know about the rule of thirds. I was asking about the post processing in the edit.

 

[Josh220]

The pink looks too saturated to me, but it doesn't bother me as much as the focus. All of the post processing in the world doesn't mean much if the subject isn't sharp.

With that said, I would try to add as much clarity to the butterfly as you can. It might help make it seem less soft. You may also want to work on the extremely dark right side. I am not sure what caused it, but I'd either crop it or play with vignettes to make it look intentional.

When you zoom in on the subject, use the rule of thirds. Centering your subject make the image very static.

Have Fun,
Jeff

That's a bit basic to throw at someone with over 600 posts. At that point you have to assume that they either already know, they are too dumb to listen, or they did it intentionally.

 

[D-B-J]

dont see much difference, but the image itself is kinda soft.. and no pp will fix that.

 

[RONDAL]

unsharpen mask is going to become your friend, but its going to be tough to make that tack sharp

 

[Aye-non Oh-non Imus]

a photography contest that is approaching in the next two months.

A re-shoot is called for and you have time. A missed focus image is not the best to enter into a contest. Your edit is over-saturated.

 

[eric-holmes]

Thanks, I guess I was just trying to force something to happen that wasn't there.

 

[Undo Redo]

To help sharpen the image a little..... if you're using Photoshop, copy the image to a new layer, use Filters->Other->High Pass, and then click the radius up until the edges just become visible. Set that layer to Overlay, and it should help noticeably sharpen the details without over sharpening everything else. The trick is finding the right High Pass value; from there you can dial up or town the opacity of the high pass layer to control the effect.

 

[eric-holmes]

Thanks for everyones help and comments. Once again here is the original and the PP. I used an unsharp mask and I also desaturated the pinks, greens and yellows in the flower a bit.

 

[GeneralBenson]

I think you did a good job sharpening without introducing too many a artifacts. I would maybe say still too even back of just a little bit, because it still looks a little haloed. I would also desaturate the magenta a little more, then darken the magenta, which would help bring back a little more saturation, but help it not look so bled out. I also agree with whoever said that it would use a crop adjustment. It's very static feeling and I would suggest cropping out some of the left side, which is also too bright and vying for the viewer's attention.

 

[Jeff Colburn]

When you zoom in on the subject, use the rule of thirds. Centering your subject make the image very static.

That's a bit basic to throw at someone with over 600 posts. At that point you have to assume that they either already know, they are too dumb to listen, or they did it intentionally.

When someone asks for a critique, I tell them what I see. I don't even look at how many posts someone has, it's the work I'm looking at. He said in a following post that he knows about the rule of thirds, so it must be one of your other two options. I still think the image is static, the color of the flower petals looks good in his last posted image, but the Flutterby still looks a little out of focus, but the patterns on their wings can do that sometimes.

Have Fun,
Jeff