There is so much to learn with photoshop!

[mortovismo]

I prefer the wood in the left but I like how it made his shirt look richer in the right one.

Could you do a layer mask in photoshop?

 

[KmH]

Sure. That can be done.

 

[Davor]

That looks good, i mean a little strong for my taste but still appealing. I have never tried to do this to my photo's but i never really knew the technique, i might just give it a shot and see what i can come up with.

 

[eric-holmes]

Well, for those interested, here are the steps I took.

1)ran a highpass at 4 then blended using luminosity at 60%
2)ran a highpass at 6 then blended using color at %40
3)burned the shadows
4)dodged the highlights
5)adjusted the brightness and contrast to my liking.

 

[Davor]

Sorry if this sound's a little noobish, but what does "ran a highpass at 4" mean?

 

[eric-holmes]

I used a highpass filter and it was set at level 4. Your levels will vary depending on your pictures size.

 

[Derrel]

It's 50-50 for me...both shots have their appeal, and neither is that far apart from the other. Both are quite acceptable to me.

 

[Photogger]

I like the one on the left better, just because of the woodgrain. It seems like more and more folks are liking the heavy processing these days, I wonder if in a few years with cosmetic procedures and Photoshop if anyone is going to look real anymore!!

 

[xjoewhitex]

I personally like #2 more, but they're a bit overprocessed for my tastes. To each their own

I know it's overprocessed, but it's the style the mom wanted. In fact, she just bought a 16x20 for her living room. Lol, give them what they want.

What I dislike is what most people pay for, haha sometimes I hate being a photographer. lol