Here is what I do to keep sharpness when I use Portraiture...]

There is a setting within the filter that places all the corrections it makes on a separate, transparent layer above the one your are applying the filter to.  I make sure that box is checked.

Then the filter is done, I select that layer and turn off all the others.  Then I use the eraser to delete everything but the skin areas.  I set then set the brush hardness to 0 (very soft) and delete the very edges of the skin.

This keeps the rest of the picture sharp.

Quote from: illstudio on October 22, 2009, 09:27

Quote from: hyperdude on October 21, 2009, 21:59

I am using Portraiture too and have gotten accepted images without problems. The trick is to just use the default settings for models and then in CS4 fade down a little so to bring the texture back to the model skin. This has work for me so far.

Thanks. Can you explain "fade down" exactly? I have CS4 too. How do you do that (your way).
Yes I also use the Portraiture default setting.

This is how I usually use it. I will do my normal touch-ups using clone tool to get the obvious defects out of the way. Then I will run the Portraiture plug in set on default mode. In the plug-in, I will click on the eye-dropper mode to click on the portion of the model skin that I will like Portraiture to concentrate on. This will define the "mask" which allows then the plug in will work on leaving other areas of the hair, clothes untouched.

After this - I will click on the CS4 Edit Menu -> Fade Portraiture option. This will bring up a menu which has Opacity slider at 100%. Slide the slider back to adjust the model screen to bring back some texture back to the skin while allowing basically just reduces the percentage of effect that Portraiture had on the skin. Different models will require different degrees of fade back. Usually for me, I find a fade back opacity to 70-80% of the full Portraiture effect works perfect for me. I use that for my workflow and so far have gotten no issues with iStock.

Hope this is of help.

Cheers

OK I'm the one who's confused. "I see what you mean by the ISO. Its set on auto. Why did it choose 400 in the sun?" So the camera was picking the ISO, you had to be in one of the basic modes? ISO is manual in P, TV, AV, Manual and A-Dep.

So what mode were you in, TV and you picked 1/160th of a second, or AV and you picked f/25? Or possibly "P"?

Nikonos? I used to have one in the 70s. Loved it until the winder/shutter release decided to go bad! Now you're talking a camera that was pretty much all manual.

Maybe someone who needs to read the message will get something out of it. RTFM.  

We pay all this money for automatic cameras with wheels. knobs, settings and modes and then go shoot nearly manual. What's that all about? I had to buy a book when I got my first 10D so I could read and understand what all that junk does. I've been taking pictures with SLRs for 40 years.

ps Still don't see anything wrong with the skin, which is where you started with this.

I'm going to bite my tongue... really hard, and mention these things.

(P) is not portraiture it's Program. It's the next step up from fully automatic Green Box "idiot" mode.

Select your ISO by pressing the ISO button on the top of the camera, and then turning the Main dial (the ISO selection will appear in the top LCD panel). Set it to ISO 100 for outdoors in bright Sunlight. That's why you use P because you can select the ISO.

Depress the shutter button half way, and turn the main wheel and select the exposure that matches what you want. You can change the shutter speed or aperture this way to make fine changes. This is where you get some creative input beyond Pointing and Shooting.

Please read the manual and maybe get a book on the basics of photography. The camera is a tool, and does not have a brain.  You can't take good pictures using automatic modes the rest of your life. Learn to use TV and AV modes for more control. In tough situations you'll even want to shoot Manual, because the meter can't properly judge the exposure due to light and dark variations.

It's not rocket science, just three basic variables. Time (shutter speed), Light (aperture), and Sensitivity (ISO). That's it. Change any one and the other two change, the photo is still properly exposed. But which you choose to change can make a big difference on what the photo looks like.

Cool thing about digital. Once you buy the camera, it's pretty much free. You can play, experiment and change things and learn. If it doesn't work, heck there's that delete key. Taking 10 photos is about the same as taking 100, except it takes much longer to look at the 100. Be radical, take notes so you can see what you did and how it changed things. People take notes in school, so why not take notes when one is learning photography. You can't remember everything, time of day, lighting, settings. Yes, most of it's in the EXIF data, but a scrap of paper or notebook (AKA analog recording device) is really easy to use also.

Learn how to use the camera as a tool for expressing yourself. It's not just a copying machine!

Quote from: illstudio on October 21, 2009, 11:08

Quote from: Clivia on October 21, 2009, 10:56

That last one looks a bit soft. We need 100% crops to tell properly. The links you gave are not 100%.

They are 100% if you look above the image on photobucket, its available as 100%.

You mean the original size from an XSi is only that tiny picture? 533 x 800 (or 800x533 in the first one) isn't really Full Size from your camera, is it?  The camera takes pictures that are 4272 x 2848 pixels. In other words, you may have uploaded a full size image to photobucket, but it's only showing everyone a reduced websize version.

Why are you shooting at f/25 (or f/22) ISO 400, 1/160th, in the Sun? ISO 100 would help and then you would be at f/11 without the problems of such a small aperture, or you could go to a slightly faster shutter speed and go for f/8. I can't tell what lens, I'm guessing it's some sort of EFS zoom, in which case shoot at F8 when you want maximum sharpness and don't care about depth of field or the background. At 40mm, like the first shot, you don't need to be shooting at f/25! 

Nice looking models. Good Luck!

That last one looks a bit soft. We need 100% crops to tell properly. The links you gave are not 100%.

Even with the portraiture plug-in I haven't gotten a out of focus rejection before unless the image was out of focus.  Show us a 100% crop so we can see for ourselves.

Well, I agree with Whitechild cloning works better than blurring but it can be a lot of work.  I spent way too much time getting this one accepted and it still hasn't sold.

This:


from this:



I started with just the girl on the wall and then did the trash can and then some more people.  Once you get started it is hard to stop!

c h e e r s
ffred

Quote

If they are really very small, you could try cloning them out completely. I don't think that blurring faces is a good idea.

I agree. While I've never tried what you're suggesting, I think that it's probably not going to fly.

Their rejections, although rare, can be very unpredictable. I would just resubmit the images, maybe in smaller batches. To see what images you sold, you can either go to

http://www.stockxpert.com/my_images

and see which images have number of downloads > 0

or go to

http://www.stockxpert.com/balance

and click on the date of sale.

This is where the gray area starts.

While you may download free images for commercial needs like for an advertisement, you're going to lean yourself farther out of the window by using a free image to incorporate it into a composition that you are going to sell as your own.

Considering that the entire image won't be "yours", you might get away with it as it will most likely stay undiscovered by the original copyright holder unless you get the owner's consent to do so. I wouldn't give consent. Even on the few images I uploaded for free a long time ago at sxc.hu

Furthermore Shutterstock contributor terms prohibit this behavior where it states:

Quote

...
11.
Representations and Warranties:
You represent and warrant that:
...
c.
the Submitted Content and all parts thereof are owned and controlled by you, unencumbered and original works and are capable of copyright protection in all countries where copyright or similar protection is available;
...

If you ever get caught with that at SS, you're out.

I'm sure other agencies won't like to see this either.