How could I improve this portrait?

[LuigiVN]

Hey people

I got my Rebel XTi a couple of days ago (I got it for $300 bucks that was my budget and a Canon 28-80) and I've been playing with it,I'm really happy with the camera. I spontaneously took a photo of a friend of mine while we we're all talking in group, I didn't mind much about taking a good shot because it was just like playing with my camera wellI took it in JPG and I loved the product, here it is:

(resolution of the original is 10 MP)

I'm thinking in printing it and gifting the shot to her mother because it really expresses what she's like but I want to improve it, make it better. Could you suggest me how (or maybe modify that small jpg). Here's what I've done so far with camera raw:

f/5.6 iso200 1/250

I'd like some feedback. Thanks people.

 

[reedshots]

cant see the image.

 

[The_Traveler]

IMO, it is a bit dark, not sharpened enough and is is a little too dull.
Eyes are too dark, background too light so it pulls the eye away.

 

[AUG19]

I agree it looks a bit underexposed. Nice edit btw. I like the shot. Nice idea to gift it.

 

[LuigiVN]

IMO, it is a bit dark, not sharpened enough and is is a little too dull.
Eyes are too dark, background too light so it pulls the eye away.

Wow, that looks waay better. I'm not familiar with photoshop and Camera raw (although they're installed on my father's computer). I've been trying to get it like that for half an hour... could you help me out a bit with this? I'm a just starting novice as you may have noticed :/.

 

[jritz]

Camera RAW is not a program, it is an uncompressed file format that comes straight out of the camera. It allows you to digitally change things like white balance and exposure to a certain extent just by editing digital information instead of pixels. It allows much more lee way than a straight jpg from the camera. Programs like photoshop and lightroom (amongst others) allow you to open these files and edit them. I think its a good thing, but don't use it as a band-aid for bad exposure and white balance misses. Make sure you know your reciprocals before you try too much editing...

 

[AUG19]

Luigi...

Understanding Histograms

 

[Jeatley]

dark and out of focus and just a snap shot. But that is what you said it was so all is good!

 

[LuigiVN]

I know what raw files are, it's just that I press ''open in camera raw'' when using bridge so I thought it was the name of a piece of software. I read some tutorial on how to fix these little things using camera raw (again, the piece of software, right click in bridge a photo and press camera raw)... I'm going to learn how to use photoshop in the following months

Luigi...

Understanding Histograms

I read in an online photography course (in spanish that is my native language) about histograms, I use them as a guide when reviewing photos in the camera but not when editing photos... Oops.

 

[Derrel]

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[Edsport]

How's this?

 

[The_Traveler]

How's this?

Interesting.
How did you spray her with that smoooooth plastic without getting it in her eyes?

 

[o hey tyler]

Interesting.
How did you spray her with that smoooooth plastic without getting it in her eyes?

They probably used the same technique you did to make her skin look like sandpaper.

 

[The_Traveler]

Interesting.
How did you spray her with that smoooooth plastic without getting it in her eyes?

They probably used the same technique you did to make her skin look like sandpaper.

It was quite noble of you to ride up on your horse and protect the defenseless against the jibes and coarse comments of the rest of us. :hail:

but, as you know, her skin had those imperfections to start and they became apparent when I lightened the image, so you are actually making an insulting comment about the subject rather than on my technique. Not very gallant, oh knight.

If the OP wants to hear or see about minimizing skin defects, he should post a higher res image.

 

[lamvukha]

Hey people

I got my Rebel XTi a couple of days ago (I got it for $300 bucks that was my budget and a Canon 28-80) and I've been playing with it,I'm really happy with the camera. I spontaneously took a photo of a friend of mine while we we're all talking in group, I didn't mind much about taking a good shot because it was just like playing with my camera wellI took it in JPG and I loved the product, here it is:

(resolution of the original is 10 MP)

I'm thinking in printing it and gifting the shot to her mother because it really expresses what she's like but I want to improve it, make it better. Could you suggest me how (or maybe modify that small jpg). Here's what I've done so far with camera raw:

f/5.6 iso200 1/250

I'd like some feedback. Thanks people.

Using Photoshop software to edit it, smoothing tools, whiten, brighten ... you'll do okay