How do you know when a picture needs "help"?

[darkpbstar]

ok let me give an example. I'll look at a photo, and it will look good, to me, and then someone will adjust some settings and it will look amazing. Like then the first photo just doesn't look good at all. The question I'm asking is, does it just take time to get that trained eye for spotting problem areas in photos, or is my brain deteriorating beyond the point no return? (I hope it's the former) Danke

 

[Mav]

It requires training of your eyes to some extent, and in general seeing what the different possibilities are from post-processing.

 

[LaFoto]

Rest assured.
It is the former!


Somehow I feel it when a photo is rising a bit from the masses. Not that any of mine ever were totally prominent, but I feel when some are that tad better, and it is a kind of routine things I do to enhance those that second tad more. I am not good (nor patient) enough to do heaps of PS work to any of my photos, but those that I feel can do better with it will receive it.

And those that need to "go" just "go" these days with no further thought attached. Unless they were taken somewhere special where I am most unlikely to ever return to. But photos that I feel can also be repeated will "go". Fast.

 

[Bifurcator]

Yep! totally agree! The problem is that most of the adjustments and the end results are linear and relative. The human brain doesn't seem to work well with abstract relatives - at least not for colors and images. But it does work well with image and color in memory so yup, it's just time and practice like LaPhoto is saying. And the better an understanding and the more practice you have of your tool of choice (photoshop or whatever) the more easily you can identify enhancement possibilities and spot potential troubles.

There are like, bazillions of good and free Photoshop tutorials on-line. Some of them are even fun!

 

[Alpha]

Look at a photo that you think is absolutely great. Then go try to shoot one like it. Then nit-pick the hell out of the differences. What exactly in the great photo is different from yours? Figure out what those things are, and then you can figure out how to do them.

 

[flygning]

I do that all the time, Alpha. Of course, my shots never end up anywhere near as good, but I learn a little each time. I'm still struggling with being able to see the possibilities for post processing though. I think for me it is just a matter of learning photoshop better, which I'm slowly working on.

 

[Alpha]

The possibilities are limitless. If you can imagine it, you can create it.

If, instead, you settle on a repertoire of techniques and constrain your imagination with them, you'll never improve.

 

[manaheim]

I constantly look back on images I took and processed years back and howl in pain over the horrific mess I made of the post-processing. Then I spend maybe 2 minutes on it and am like "Oh WOW, so much better..."

Then a year later I'll go back and look at it again and be like "oh my GOD what was I THINKING?" and repeat the process.

I hope, someday, to look back on a shot and go "Hey wow... nice job!"

lol

BTW, I've also gone through this with most of my compositions. You should see the evolution of my night time pics of Boston... scary.

It's just practice and training. The more you shoot, the faster you'll get there. Also, the more you offer and accept critique on shots, the faster you will get there. (yes, offering critique teaches you as well, because it hones your ability to "nit pick")