New user... editing help

[overparduffer]

New DSLR user and forum member. I have a basic editing question. I would like to be able to crop out/over the blown out areas on the driveway... particularly the one right in front of my daughter's face. I was messing around with GIMP and while I can crop a nice rectangle over the spot, then I'm left with a very clear rectangular demarkation around the edges. I tried the smudge tool but couldn't get it to do anything. Help please.

 

[overparduffer]

And obviously I need some help embedding my images!

 

[Bryant]

What do you mean by embedding your images?

 

[Bryant]

Oh I understand...

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76568

This should explain it.

 

[Sandspur]

I use Photoshop, but I'm pretty sure that GIMP has both Clone and Heal tools (or something similar).

The easiest thing to do is to use the Clone tool and simply copy data from another section of the driveway over the problem area. You can adjust both the size and hardness of the brush so that the effect appears natural.

It takes some practice so be sure you're working on a copy of the original.

 

[Jedo_03]

New DSLR user and forum member. I have a basic editing question. I would like to be able to crop out/over the blown out areas on the driveway... particularly the one right in front of my daughter's face. I was messing around with GIMP and while I can crop a nice rectangle over the spot, then I'm left with a very clear rectangular demarkation around the edges. I tried the smudge tool but couldn't get it to do anything. Help please.


[URL]http://overparduffer.smugmug.com/photos/344321421_RDPUV-L.jpg[/URL] [IMG]
[/quote]

Like this Overpar..???
I might have overdone it

Things to know...
Your camera cannot capture the whole range of brightness/darkness. The range here would be 10 - 12 stops (from the sunlight on the path to the dark object lower right). Your camera can only capure about 6-7 stops.
Your daughter and the internal wall have come out underexposed because your camera's grey eye "saw" all the bright light outside and thought to itself "Oh my goodness - that's far too bright..." and so stopped down to try and achieve an "average exposure"... So you have to trade between the optimum exposure for your daughter and capturing the outside environment... even if you's spot-metered your daughters face, the bright light outside would be blown...
I would try the shot again - with window light on your daughter - [B]but from a different angle to exclude what's outside the window[/B]... You could also try reflecting some of the light onto the other side of her face. Anything white will do - even a sheet of newspaper, just to add some extra light to the shadow side of her face...
This is a nice casual portrait of your daughter - and I can see why you'd want to make this a keeper... but with a digital camera you can try and try and try again until you get it right - just don't try to include the sunlit exterior... try it on an overcast day - or at a window on the opposite side of the house where there's no sun bleaching what's outside the window... Or leave out what's outside the window altogether...
Good luck
(Oh - yes... I used the clone stamp...)
Jedo

 

[Groupcaptainbonzo]

Just a thought along the lines of ways ref skinning a cat....

How about exposing for the ambient light in the background at maybe 1 or 2 stops under. Then a burst of strobe aimed at the ceiling (Don't even think of thiss unless the ceiling is white) to light the inside scene....