# My self portrait- you can post process to help me learn. C and C



## Rachelsne (Jun 11, 2008)

So I was practising my self portraits today-discovered manual focus is my friend, makes it much easier as I dont have a remote!
Here is my edited version







I did: Clone and heal brush for stray hairs and skin
Dodge eye whites
Reduced noise
High pass on overlay and reduce opacity 

If you would like to edit me and tell me what you did to help me learn, your edits can be sensible-or crazy up to you! thanks

here is the orig:


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## John_Olexa (Jun 11, 2008)

Nice shots!! Only thing is in the second shot, is that the back of a Chair in the lower right? Might look better if that wasn't there as it really don't have anything to do with the image. 

I still use auto focus in my self portraits. I use a dummy as a stand in. Focus on it then I trip the shutter with the timer on and replace the fake dummy with the real dummy LOL .As I did in my avatar pic.


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## jg123 (Jun 11, 2008)

Nice pic.  You look sorta angry, I would try some different expressions


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## BrandonS (Jun 11, 2008)

I think it came out nice.  Did you place something where you would be sitting to focus on?  Just wondering for self information.


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## Rachelsne (Jun 11, 2008)

I had a chair, then on the chair I had my cat food container then my crock pot with the lid inverted, a box of rice and a soft toy-probably should have taken a pic of it as it looked quite funny.

I did some smiling with my teeth shots and were too toothy, and even when i half smiled it looked more like a pout-i guess thats why im normally behind the camera instead of in front of it LOL

keep the comments coming--

Thanks so far


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## John_Olexa (Jun 11, 2008)

Rachelsne said:


> I did some smiling with my teeth shots and were too toothy, and even when i half smiled it looked more like a pout


 
I watched a show on the Ovation channel," Photographers at work"

The photographer would say to the subject. "now just the slightest warmth of a smile"..  It seemed to work for everybody.


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## sunlioness (Jun 11, 2008)

I have only one comment, you're beautiful!
Other than that I can't say much cause I'm Photoshop beginner!


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## AverageJoe (Jun 11, 2008)




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## maytay20 (Jun 11, 2008)

Here is what I came up with. Let me know what you think.  I was experimenting with something that was in a magazine I just got.


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## BrandonS (Jun 11, 2008)

Here's my take on it.  I've never done a portrait before, so please don't take anything offensive.  I read a few things though before so I tried them for skin and eyes.  I did a duplicate layer and did a guasian blur and put a black mask on it and painted white with a soft brush at 10-15 opacity on your face and shoulders.  I dodged your eye whites and did an unsharp mask on the pupils.  This is where not knowing much about makeup doesn't help, but I've seen my wife do hers quite a few times.  I burned your bottom eye lashes and then took the color from your tank strap and brushed that with a soft brush at 5% opacity or so on above and below your eyes on your skin.  I played with the levels and erased the chair with the color of the background slightly above where it was.  It didn't blend nice so I used the patch tool where the blend area was to be, highlighted it and dragged up a bit.  

Sorry if you don't like the added "makeup" or it looks too fake. Anywho:





EDIT: I think it probably would look better w/out the purple.  Oh well, it was a thought.


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## Sw1tchFX (Jun 11, 2008)

I did a little more then just patching and sharpening.


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## kundalini (Jun 12, 2008)

I like the freckles.  It's you!

The thin little magenta strap adds a bit of sensuality as well.  

I do like what Sw1tchFX has done with your eyes and lips.  :thumbsup:


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## Rachelsne (Jun 12, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments and the edits,
Sometimes I like my frekles sometimes I dont, they only apear when I have been out in the sun too LOL


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## Rachelsne (Jun 12, 2008)

maytay20 said:


> Here is what I came up with. Let me know what you think.  I was experimenting with something that was in a magazine I just got.



I think yours MAYTAY20 may be just a little harsh around the edges, a few stray hairs would soften it just a little



BrandonS said:


> Here's my take on it.  I've never done a portrait before, so please don't take anything offensive.  I read a few things though before so I tried them for skin and eyes.  I did a duplicate layer and did a guasian blur and put a black mask on it and painted white with a soft brush at 10-15 opacity on your face and shoulders.  I dodged your eye whites and did an unsharp mask on the pupils.  This is where not knowing much about makeup doesn't help, but I've seen my wife do hers quite a few times.  I burned your bottom eye lashes and then took the color from your tank strap and brushed that with a soft brush at 5% opacity or so on above and below your eyes on your skin.  I played with the levels and erased the chair with the color of the background slightly above where it was.  It didn't blend nice so I used the patch tool where the blend area was to be, highlighted it and dragged up a bit.
> 
> Sorry if you don't like the added "makeup" or it looks too fake. Anywho:
> 
> EDIT: I think it probably would look better w/out the purple.  Oh well, it was a thought.



BRANDDON S
I like your edit, I dont think the added makeup is too bad  I like the darkened eyelashes underneath too



Sw1tchFX said:


> I did a little more then just patching and sharpening.


SW1TCHFX
I like your edit alot, may you pleas tell me how you brought out the brown in my eyes? it makes a huge difference I like the crop too, Im never sure how close to crop guess I should have experimented some more.


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## GeorgiaOwl (Jun 12, 2008)

my favorite are the ones you posted in the original post. ma'am, i don't see a THING wrong with those two photographs.


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## Alpha (Jun 12, 2008)

Lighten up a little. You look so angry. It's all in the eyes and the lips.


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## Lyncca (Jun 12, 2008)

maytay20 said:


> Here is what I came up with. Let me know what you think. I was experimenting with something that was in a magazine I just got.


 
What did you do to her face?  It's all pointy! LOL


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## shutter1000 (Jun 12, 2008)

I decided to go more stylized


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## tedE (Jun 12, 2008)

i like AverageJoe's edit best. keeps it natural just enhances the colour a bit.


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## AverageJoe (Jun 12, 2008)

tedE said:


> i like AverageJoe's edit best. keeps it natural just enhances the colour a bit.


Hey thanks!


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## platano (Jun 12, 2008)

This is my lil edit.. if you like it.. i'll tell you what I did


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## Rachelsne (Jun 12, 2008)

Nice new edits
I was showing my hubby the pictures, he likes the edits with my freckles lol-he did ask if anyone can make my hair blond...I dont even know if its possible to do, but if you can have ago, he would like to see it (I refuse to colour it blonde in real life) LOL
Thanks


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## dadCameraGuy (Jun 12, 2008)

I used LightZone - a tool that i bought to relight images. I also used the orton technique digital method by creating a screen layer and then a gaussian blur layer. I also used the skin softening tool in lightzone. Tho i think it took out too much of your beautiful freckles


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## Sw1tchFX (Jun 15, 2008)

Rachelsne said:


> I think yours MAYTAY20 may be just a little harsh around the edges, a few stray hairs would soften it just a little
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I just dodged the eyes and sharpened them, that's it, the rest was done with alot of screening.


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## rufus5150 (Jun 17, 2008)

I went with a bit tighter crop to start out with. I really should have written down what I did, but I started with tightening up the levels just a bit, then working with some overlay layers for dodging/burning including adding a slight tint of yellow to the iris. I did a little patching and the smoothing was done with overlays so as not to ruin the textural elements of the skin. In the original photo, the chin and the whites of the eyes are really bright and I still think those weaknesses come through on my edit. I worked with the idea in mind to keep the hair texture as crisp as it could be because that really frames the face in your image. I went back to a slight curves adjustment at the very end after a tiny (65%/0.9) Lab color lightness sharpening.


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