In need of help

farside17

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Can others edit my Photos
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Hello Everyone,

I have a problem that I have been unable to fix for a couple weeks now. I am trying to process some older raw files (mostly portraits) but whenever I do, the colours and light/dark transition areas look really ugly and muddy. There are some places that look like they were smudged with grease and areas where the light is going from light to dark, the transition goes from a light colour to a kind of green colour and then to a dark.

I am new to any form of editing so this may very easily be my ignorance and inability to do what needs to be done, but any help will be muchly appreciated.

Any additional information anyone needs or examples just ask. I don't know what to provide. I have been using different programs and mainly get the same results. (DxO9, Lightroom 4, PSP X5)
 
Adapt the techniques for LR and PSP:
Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter)

The problem may be the quality, direction and color temperature(s) of the lighting you use, and/or the lighting is contributing/complicating to your editing issues. Do you only use available light?

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/photo-editing-tutorials.htm

As mentioned please post some before and after photographs that show the editing issues you are having.
 
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Could you post some examples? Also, have you tried looking at the images on a different screen?


I am currently working on getting an example that I can use online, and I am trying a few new things in the meantime. One other thing I have not been able to understand though is that the images, almost without fail, look different when viewed in the program (DxO, PSP, LR) compared to when I just view the files using windows viewer. Is this common? My monitor I know is not the best and definitely should not be one I am using to process photos with, but if it looks fine in one program, why would it change in another? Same monitor. I might be in over my head and need to do some reading.
 
Could you post some examples? Also, have you tried looking at the images on a different screen?


I am currently working on getting an example that I can use online, and I am trying a few new things in the meantime. One other thing I have not been able to understand though is that the images, almost without fail, look different when viewed in the program (DxO, PSP, LR) compared to when I just view the files using windows viewer. Is this common? My monitor I know is not the best and definitely should not be one I am using to process photos with, but if it looks fine in one program, why would it change in another? Same monitor. I might be in over my head and need to do some reading.

Every raw file contains an embedded JPEG that is used for preview purposes. When you look at the files in Windows Viewer you're seeing that embedded JPEG. That JPEG is already processed by the software in the camera. The raw file is unprocessed and will open in PSP, LR, DxO, etc. with each program's default processing which is generally pretty conservative since the assumption is that you want to process the file yourself -- that's why you saved the raw file.

Keep working on getting us samples to see. If you can upload a raw file to drop box, etc. where we can get access to it.

Joe
 

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