How Do I Do This?

[kriztenn]

Hey.. Sorry in advance if this is a dumb question!

How do I get my camera to take pictures that look like this? Is there a certain setting that can be changed to get the colours to look so dramatic like this? To me this girl's photos always look like they are straight from a magazine.
I have a sony DSC-350 btw.

Here is an example: Thanks for any insight on how to do this. (I have permission to post this pic)

 

[Big Mike]

I don't see anything special about that photo (it's actually pretty bad) but about the colors...it just looks like maybe the saturation is turned up...and besides some of the parts that have been blasted with flash, the rest of it is underexposed, which usually results in deeper color.

Most cameras will allow you to set a higher saturation, but you can also do it in practically every image editing program.

 

[teebee0607]

100% agree with Big Mike !

 

[kriztenn]

yes, the picture itself is not great but i just grabbed that one as an example, I will post another. The pictures avoid that "home video" look and look more like ads.

 

[Johnboy2978]

Yeah, these are snapshots and, at that, not very good ones. Also, unless you are the photographer, or snapper, you should link to material that is not your own.

 

[bigtwinky]

It simply looks like the saturation is upped.

In the first image, its done poorly as her skin looks orange and yellow (unless she has a skin condition, then I apologize for my remark)

Same thing for the second image, looks like the saturation is turned up higher than normal.

I know with my rebel, I can change some default in camera settings for when I shoot JPG to have the saturation higher and it produces similar results. I can also adjust sharpness and other basic things.

Take a look at your manual or google and see if there is a way to change the saturation in camera.

 

[kriztenn]

thanks bigtwinky, I will try to adjust the saturation.

To others.. i am not saying the pictures are great by any means.. I am simply inquiring on how to get the rich colours and avoid the home video feel as I am needing pictures like this for a Masters project.

 

[bigtwinky]

Note that similar adjustements (and a lot more) can be done in software after the fact. Look at Gimp or almost any other photo software out there and they have options to up the saturation.

So if you can't find it in camera, after you shoot the image, then just manipulate it after the fact. The good thing about doing it this way is that YOU can control how much saturation goes into it, not the camera.

 

[TiaS]

I know what you are going for here. There is a few ways to do this in PP. You can increase the contrast and the saturation. In GIMP you can play with the dogde and burn. I think that you will find that you get the best resutlts with this type of look by adjusting layers with overlay and screening. I sometimes like this look in black and white with the overlay and screening.

 

[MattxMosh]

yes, the picture itself is not great but i just grabbed that one as an example, I will post another. The pictures avoid that "home video" look and look more like ads.

Call me an amateur (cause I am), but I don't see anything special about *that* picture either...

There is something smack in the middle that is interesting.

I don't want to echo what everyone else says so much, but if you are new to editing in GIMP/Adobe products/Aviary(THE BEST AND FREEE AND WEBBASED), this link will be helpful, its for Photoshop, but it basically the same in anything else.

 

[cletusjermal]

The first one looks like there is a hood in the pic in the bottom right.

 

[FattyMcJ]

There is something smack in the middle that is interesting.

You noticed that too eh?

It's the only redeeming quality of that photo, IMO, lol

 

[bitteraspects]

what kind of magazines are you reading?

 

[Formatted]

They have just waked up the contrast haven't they?