How would you edit these?

[Alzran]

One of my first attempts at downtown shots. I know they're not the best shots to start with, but how would YOU edit these? I'm curious what other people may come up with.

Think creatively; everything from simple cropping to full color and lighting edits.

http://imageshack.us/a/img839/580/1004414o.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img853/9471/1004411o.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img20/8307/1004401o.jpg

 

[AaronLLockhart]

The only one I see that shows any interest to me at all is #2. Even then, the composition is off pretty bad. If you are using equipment that isn't capable of stopping down the sky and not blowing it out, I would have framed the shot where the sky isn't in the image at all. Editing these shots are the least of your concern. I just don't see any depth to them. I hope you don't take that offensively. Just offering some critique.

 

[Alzran]

My camera has no features besides some presets. That's it, and even those are iffy.

 

[KmH]

How would you edit these?

See below for edit details...

In ACR 6 (Camera Raw - CS 5)(Colorspace: ProPhoto RGB, 16-bit color depth, 360 ppi, Sharpen For: None)
Basic panel - Corrected White Balance using the White Balance tool.
Sharpen panel - global capture sharpened - 25, 1.0, 25, 0
Tone Curve Panel- Parametric mode: Highlights +50, Lights -3, Darks -4, Shadows -45
Basic Panel - Presence section: Clarity slider +30

In Photoshop CS 5 (Photoshop 12)
Cropped
Duplicated the Background layer (duplicate is Layer 1)(No edits were done on the Background layer)
Layer 1 active - Filter > UnSharp Mask: Amount 10, Radius 250, Threshold 5 (global local contrast enhancement)
Selected Sharpen tool - Tool options: Strength 100%, check mark in Protect Details box. Local sharpened all foreground signage, the yellow submarine, and the far STOP sign.
Layer > Flatten Image
Duplicated the Background layer (duplicate is Layer 1)(No edits were done on the Background layer)
Layer 1 - Filter > Imagenomic > Noiseware Professional - Setting: Night Scene, Noise Reduction: Luminance 80%, Color 90%
Edit > Convert To Profile - sRGB IEC61966-2.1, Intent: Relative Colormetric, Black Point Compensation, Flatten to Preserve Appearance
Duplicated the Background layer (duplicate is Layer 1)(No edits were done on the Background layer)
Layer 1 - Filter > Topaz Adjust - Selected the Clarity preset, clicked OK.
Edit > Fade Topaz Adjust: reduced to 75%
Image> Canvas Size - added .025 inch, both width and height - black border.
Layer > Flatten Image
Save As: JPEG, Quality 5.

 

[bianni]

Duplicated bg layer, selected the sky using color range, applied layer mask by clicking layer mask icon while pressing alt. Adjusted WB. Made a blank layer between bg and dupe layer and applied a light blue gradient.

 

[The_Traveler]

It's not at all clear what you thought is itneresting and why you are capturing these points of view.
Sorry,

 

[Alzran]

Actually, there was nothing interesting about these shots whatsoever. I was mostly just curious about color and tonal adjustments that I can aim for in future shots, but also thing I can do with cropping, rotating, adjustments regarding focus, etc.

To clarify, I use a Kodak Easyshare camera, and have no ability to make manual adjustments with the camera before taking a picture. The closest I can get is using preset "modes" that the camera offers, which aren't all that great unless I'm taking a low-light or close-up picture. It's a simple 8.1MP camera that doesn't have much to offer. I don't foresee having funds to purchase a better camera for at least a few years either, so I'm trying to make the best of what I've got. I'm taking the same approach to photography as I do with guitar equipment... anyone can make cheap equipment sound (or in the case look) at least decent with time and effort. Photography is still a new venture for me, so I'm just trying out multiple angles of approach to it before I find one that I like.

 

[Judobreaker]

 

[amolitor]

There's a bunch of things you could do to these, sure. I would edit them by deleting them, myself.

Editing depends on two things:

- the picture
- you

These pictures do nothing for me, and I don't know what you want. You can increase contrast and tweak color and straighten things out if you like, but that just makes the pictures more "technically correct" whatever that means. I don't want technically correct pictures of nothing any more than I want technically flawed ones.

You could also add a lot of yellow to them, photoshop in some blurry thumb-on-the-lens and desaturate the whole result. This would give you a fake 1970s snapshot look, which might be what you want, and which would suit the pictures pretty well. If you wanted to make some statement about snapshots or something, or make a little portfolio of fake "found photographs" of your city for whatever reasons you might like.

You could turn them black and white, amp up the contrast, make them all dark and moody. Then you'd have some pseudo-art which either would obscure the crappiness of the pictures, OR make an ironic comment about artistic devices applied to crummy photographs. See also the previous yellow/snapshot look.

In short, there's tons of stuff you could do. It depends on what you want.

Me? What would I do? I would delete them.

 

[sashbar]

How would you edit these?

See below for edit details...

In ACR 6 (Camera Raw - CS 5)(Colorspace: ProPhoto RGB, 16-bit color depth, 360 ppi, Sharpen For: None)
Basic panel - Corrected White Balance using the White Balance tool.
Sharpen panel - global capture sharpened - 25, 1.0, 25, 0
Tone Curve Panel- Parametric mode: Highlights +50, Lights -3, Darks -4, Shadows -45
Basic Panel - Presence section: Clarity slider +30

In Photoshop CS 5 (Photoshop 12)
Cropped
Duplicated the Background layer (duplicate is Layer 1)(No edits were done on the Background layer)
Layer 1 active - Filter > UnSharp Mask: Amount 10, Radius 250, Threshold 5 (global local contrast enhancement)
Selected Sharpen tool - Tool options: Strength 100%, check mark in Protect Details box. Local sharpened all foreground signage, the yellow submarine, and the far STOP sign.
Layer > Flatten Image
Duplicated the Background layer (duplicate is Layer 1)(No edits were done on the Background layer)
Layer 1 - Filter > Imagenomic > Noiseware Professional - Setting: Night Scene, Noise Reduction: Luminance 80%, Color 90%
Edit > Convert To Profile - sRGB IEC61966-2.1, Intent: Relative Colormetric, Black Point Compensation, Flatten to Preserve Appearance
Duplicated the Background layer (duplicate is Layer 1)(No edits were done on the Background layer)
Layer 1 - Filter > Topaz Adjust - Selected the Clarity preset, clicked OK.
Edit > Fade Topaz Adjust: reduced to 75%
Image> Canvas Size - added .025 inch, both width and height - black border.
Layer > Flatten Image
Save As: JPEG, Quality 5.

What an excellent lesson in digital processing. And it is completely free

 

[vintagesnaps]

I'd think about the framing and composition when photographing street scenes. In the first one there's part of a black car in the corner of the photo that doesn't add to the image, maybe look up and see if some of the architecture and shapes of the buildings and windows could make for some interesting photos.

The second one is an interesting but challenging subject with the dumpster parked there; unless it gets moved eventually maybe try just one side of the building and get in closer. There is a pattern of tree branches reflected in the windows to the right side that if this was shot from a different vantage point might make for an interesting picture.

In the last one you might want to show more of the store fronts instead of the street itself - on the right side there's a pattern of tree branches against the building, and some interesting reflections from across the street. It looks like there are sculptures/statues along the street, and a movie theater, that could all be interesting to photograph.

If your camera is limited in settings maybe think about the weather and time of day when you go out and see if you can use that to help enhance your photos.