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Microstock Photography Forum - General => Software => Photoshop Discussion => Topic started by: niserin on February 02, 2009, 18:13
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Hi,
Recently, I have been trying some shots in studio. As I am newbie with working with models over white background, I am not sure if I achieved desired results. Here is one of my tries:
(http://i40.tinypic.com/233alg.jpg)
Please say how you would improve it to make it more stock worthy.
Thank you in advance
Michal
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Looks fine to me.
I would have kept the whole head in though. Let the buyer crop it if they want to.
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Skin tone looks pretty OK to me. I always use a custom white balance for this type of shot to make sure I get it right. If I had to throw a critique in, I'm not crazy about the light on her left cheek (image right) it looks just a tad hot but that could have been the look you were going for. It doesn't appear blown out, it's just my personal preference to dial it down from that look a little bit.
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Left cheek hot? It's not even *remotely* too bright on my monitor...makes me wonder...
Quick poll: cheek average, bright, too bright or blown?
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cheek looks perfectly exposed on my calibrated 700 dollar monitor.
Patrick H.
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Same here on my calibrated $400 monitor. :P
Too much eye shadow, though. ;D
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looks fine where i'm sitting.... 8)=tom
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Seems ok too on my uncalibrated monitor. :)
Regards,
Adelaide
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It looks a touch hot on her cheek, hand and her collar on this monitor. I'm on an uncalibrated laptop though so given the other feedback, it is clearly me and the computer. Sorry about that.
Mat
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I just did a side by side with my laptop and PC and the difference is really remarkable. My bad for sure earlier, the exposure looks great as does the skin tone for that matter.
Again, sorry for the incorrect post. She's got a mole or blemish on her cheek that can't even see on my laptop.
Time to break out the Spyder calibrator I suppose.
Yours in embarrassment,
Mat
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She's got a mole or blemish on her cheek that can't even see on my laptop.
Which would look like a Nile crocodile on a 1200$ monitor. I think that's what the reviewers have.. ;D
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She's got a mole or blemish on her cheek that can't even see on my laptop.
Which would look like a Nile crocodile on a 1200$ monitor. I think that's what the reviewers have.. ;D
good point xalanx, although you meant it as a joke.
but if Matt made a visual error with his laptop, how many reviewers are working with one
sitting by the pool ;D
not as funny as we may think now. just wondering.
p.s.
this is not from personal experience, so don't get pissed off with my comment.
or else i will use IGNORE ;)
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but if Matt made a visual error with his laptop, how many reviewers are working with one sitting by the pool ;D
Reviewers are required to have a calibrated CRT monitor of high enough quality.
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but if Matt made a visual error with his laptop, how many reviewers are working with one sitting by the pool ;D
Reviewers are required to have a calibrated CRT monitor of high enough quality.
or lcd monitor.
Patrick H.
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but if Matt made a visual error with his laptop, how many reviewers are working with one sitting by the pool ;D
Reviewers are required to have a calibrated CRT monitor of high enough quality.
or lcd monitor.
Patrick H.
Including Fotolia? ;D
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but if Matt made a visual error with his laptop, how many reviewers are working with one sitting by the pool ;D
Reviewers are required to have a calibrated CRT monitor of high enough quality.
or lcd monitor.
Patrick H.
Including Fotolia? ;D
oi, that's not fair, I like Fotolia :-*
they got me a sale last week (30 cents) :) and that is after I just recently started with them. one sale with a tiny tiny portfolio.
ok, i know it's 30 cts, but with one Big 6 site which used to be Big2 (hint), i have like 2 bucks after a whole year :'(
so for Fotolia, a sale so soon although small, is not bad for starters.
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Eeek - now we are comparing monitor prices like guys in you-know-what contest? ;)
Both skin color and exposure look great to me too. Nice work!
I second doing a custom white balance before each shoot. I use the expodisc - works like a charm every time!
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but if Matt made a visual error with his laptop, how many reviewers are working with one sitting by the pool ;D
Reviewers are required to have a calibrated CRT monitor of high enough quality.
or lcd monitor.
Patrick H.
Including Fotolia? ;D
oi, that's not fair, I like Fotolia :-*
Don't get me wrong, I like Fotolia, too. But they are well-known for the most random reviews (and rejections) of any of the Big X. Maybe their reviewers not using calibrated monitors is the explanation? (Highly unlikely, I know ....)
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Lighting looks pretty fine to me. Skin color too. But I don't like few things. Her make-up is too visible (small pimples on a forehead too) You can improve that in Photoshop. I don'r want to offend her. She is beautiful, but no one has perfect skin, and today's market is full of images of models with perfect (read: fake) skin. The light on her left side emphasize imperfections on her forehead. Find some tutorial about improving the look of a skin in PS. And watch not to overdo it!! It has to look natural, not as plastic doll. ;)
I hope this helps
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Here is an another example, but now I am not sure about the isolation. I mean her hair on the top of her head. I have done it with Dodge Tool/ Highlights in Photoshop, because the background wasn't totally white.
full image:
(http://i40.tinypic.com/34pgqxc.jpg)
100% scale view:
(http://i42.tinypic.com/2exc7cx.jpg)
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First of all, I don't like the lack of detail in dark areas. I'd rather have something like this:
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I guess that the suit should be rahter darker or even totally black, therefore I played with levels like that. But speaking about hair - you are right, they look better in your version. How did you do that?
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I did a 30 seconds job in PS. Free hint: learn to use layer masks ;)
About the suit - you'll get a rejection if the reviewer sees black instead of fine details. She's dressed in a suit, not a black hole that absorbs the light ;) Don't do anything completely white or black unless it's the background of an isolated subject.
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I would put more light on her face. The angle of the light is strange. Light very rarely comes from that angle, and her eyes are in the shadow.
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full image:
(http://i40.tinypic.com/34pgqxc.jpg)
What I would be looking at is how the light hits her and if the eyes are white enough. Skin color looks great. You have shadows caused by the glasses.
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First of all, I don't like the lack of detail in dark areas. I'd rather have something like this:
That looks too overexposed
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First of all, I don't like the lack of detail in dark areas. I'd rather have something like this:
That looks too overexposed
He should look in the DARK areas, as I said. I don't do full processing for the sake of sharing just like that. A simple hint is more constructive, then he can learn.
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Here is what I have done myself:
(http://i44.tinypic.com/in7ebo.jpg)
Is it more stock worthy now ?
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looking much better in the darker areas. There seems to be something a little strange about her right arm. Maybe just because I've been staring at it too long, but have you slimmed the top of that arm down or moved it?
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No, I haven't ;)
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it's shot from close, with a semi-wide angle lens, hence the perspective distortion of the arm.
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okay, must just be me looking at it for too long. The arm was looking unnaturally short, but must just be the angle/ perspective.
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Now you have some unnatural lightened area just under her hair on a forehead....
Try making new layer in PS, change it's mode to soft light, take very soft brush and white color, and paint in that new layer over areas in shadow. When you are done decrease opacity of that layer to achieve natural look.
Look... this image is basically good... it's obvious that you have good eye. We are talking here about some minor, but sometimes important adjustments. You are on a good way.... I really think that
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Yes, I see this lightened area under her hair..
Thank you whitechild for you small tutorial, it is really helpful, I didn't know it before.
But what about this hair on the top of her head? Can it stay like that? I guess that highlighting this hair was the only way to achieve absolutely white background.
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Another one:
Before shadow correction:
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2pyxfye.jpg)
After correction:
(http://i41.tinypic.com/6gv4uc.jpg)
Am I going a right way?
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Yes, you are on the right way.
About the hair... Probably some agencies will accept it, but some other wont. I would suggest you to try to remove whole that part of the hair, and to try to achieve natural look as much as possible. Try to use eraser and maybe clone stamp tool.
I don't use dodge and burn tools very often, exactly because of effects like this
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Here is an another example, but now I am not sure about the isolation. I mean her hair on the top of her head.
Hair is a mess to isolate by dodging. You could just eleminate the small hairs in the separation and follow the main outline.
(http://cjoint.com/data/cjchqpSKD8_hairisol.jpg)
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Here is an another example, but now I am not sure about the isolation. I mean her hair on the top of her head.
Hair is a mess to isolate by dodging. You could just eleminate the small hairs in the separation and follow the main outline.
([url]http://cjoint.com/data/cjchqpSKD8_hairisol.jpg[/url])
Thank you Flemish, I wanted to say that, but sometimes I don't know how to explain something in english :) To erase small hairs with eraser, and if needed to use clone stamp on some small parts to hide the direction of a hair if it points in the wrong direction
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hair looks better but you have a shadow on her face from her glasses