Photo editing

[Bria Sloan]

Hi, new comer to the forum. I've been taking photos using DSLR cameras for years, but still consider myself a beginner. At what point do you call yourself a "professional" though. Anyway, I keep seeing photos like this all around the internet, (tumblr, pinterest, photo bucket, wehearit, etc) and my question is, how are these pictures processed to look so flat, but still have depth? (if that makes sense.) This picture looks brushed, smooth and flat, for lack of a better term. This might not be proper processing, but I like this style, and I can't figure out how to duplicate it at all. It's like there's a thin layer of something over the picture. Here's an example compared to how pictures come from the camera. The first two are what i'm talking about and the third is straight from the camera.

Please do not post images to which you do not hold rights. You may post links.

Ps - I don't own any of these pictures. The guy is, photographer, Sean O'Donnell. Third picture is from my friends' psychology project (Uneditied). Fourth is a picture I took of my dog years ago (Haha, look at my old "editing" skills).

 

[runnah]

Can't post photos you don't own.

Color-grading is all the rage these days. That's how you get the blue-ish tint in the shadows.

 

[480sparky]

As for the images that aren't yours, be sure to edit your post so they're links instead of posting them here. This is what you agreed to when you signed up.

As for 'the effect', it appears to be decreased contrast and a slight blue colorization.

What baffles me is WHY this Gawd-awful look is so popular.

 

[Buckster]

Hi, new comer to the forum. I've been taking photos using DSLR cameras for years, but still consider myself a beginner. At what point do you call yourself a "professional" though. Anyway, I keep seeing photos like this all around the internet, (tumblr, pinterest, photo bucket, wehearit, etc) and my question is, how are these pictures processed to look so flat, but still have depth? (if that makes sense.) This picture looks brushed, smooth and flat, for lack of a better term. This might not be proper processing, but I like this style, and I can't figure out how to duplicate it at all. It's like there's a thin layer of something over the picture. Here's an example compared to how pictures come from the camera. The first two are what i'm talking about and the third is straight from the camera.

Ps - I don't own any of these pictures. The guy is, photographer, Sean O'Donnell. Third picture is from my friends' psychology project (Uneditied). Fourth is a picture I took of my dog years ago (Haha, look at my old "editing" skills).

Have you tried simply asking him? Lots of people are very willing to share with those who show genuine interest in what they're doing.

 

[Designer]

I think some of the "flatness" seen here is due to the position and direction of the light. Straight-on light de-emphasizes the shadows making the subject have less definition than if the light was positioned differently.

In post, I think you can simply reduce contrast to get close.