# I will c&c your work for you. Beginners welcomed



## Dwayne Oakes

I will c&c your work for you, tweak your photo with a repost photo and
a list of the tweaks I made so you can pick up some pp tips. You can
post as many times as you like but just ONE photo per c&c post

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## dxqcanada

Dwayne, ever thought of writing a book on Post Processing ?


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## mom2eight

Thanks that is refreshing on the forum


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## fokker

Here is one that I took a while ago and always quite liked though struggled to find the right processing for it.


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## Dwayne Oakes

fokker said:


> Here is one that I took a while ago and always quite liked though struggled to find the right processing for it.


 
good

-good off center placement of the dog and building
-good reflection in the window
-exposure is right on
-good DOF
-colors are natural

nit

-to much negative space on the right side of the photo
-stray tree branches on the far right in the sky are a bit of a distraction
-photo is a tad flat (lacks contrast)
-photo is a tad soft

tweak

-cropped a little off the right side of the photo to reduce some negative 
space and to get rid of the stray branches on the right in the sky

-darkened (burn) the clouds
-darkened (burn) the shadow side of the building
-darkened (brun) the shadow on the FG grass from the building

-lightened (dodge) the reflection in the window
-lightened (dodge) the dog

-added a tad of selective contrast to just the window reflection
-added a tad of global contrast

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter 
-healed out the white specs in the grass 

Note: Dodge and burn is not that hard to learn the trick is to let
nature do most of the work and just lighten or darken what is already
there. Try to avoid creating new light.

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Overread

Ahh been a while since the last of these - great to see you braving another go at it Dwayne! 

And I think I will show another image - had some good input on this already, but I would be eager for your views as well:





large version
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4282925848_5c45d8bc7d_o.jpg


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## NateWagner

I like your edit Dwayne

btw. I don't actually think it's a reflection in the window... rather the window isn't actually there.


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## Dwayne Oakes

Thank you very much everyone for the comments !! Yea a book would be
cool. I vision someday of doing live c&c seminars on stage in a auditorium.
You look out and all you could see is a sea of laptops all lit up. (Awesome)

You are right Nate lol. Well it has one now haha.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## fokker

Thanks Dwayne - I think your edit definitely improves the photo. I probably should have mentioned, that was already my edited verison of the original (which I don't have access to at work). I had done a fair amount of lightening on the shed and dog in particular as they were quite underexposed originally, also I added in the red tint to the sky (it was there originally, just too faint to see). I did a bit of a bad job of this actually, looking back. this was one of the first photos I ever tried editing, about 6 months ago.

Also, Nate - I'm pretty sure that it is a reflection, though I can see why you would think otherwise.


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## NateWagner

meh, yeah, I can't really tell. I guess if it is a window I would have expected it to be less clear on the type of building it was.


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## manicmike

I guess I'll get in on this.


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## keith foster

Thanks for being willing to share your skills Dwayne.
Here is one I would like to have you work on.  This seemed like it had possibilities but I can't figure out what to do.  Can't wait to see what you do.






Keith


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## srinaldo86

Thanks! I have a couple photos I'm going to use at my wedding this is one of them.


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## srinaldo86

I don't mean to be greedy but I'm going to go ahead and post my second one. 
Thanks a bunch Dwayne! What program do you use?


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## srinaldo86

Overread said:


> Ahh been a while since the last of these - great to see you braving another go at it Dwayne!
> 
> And I think I will show another image - had some good input on this already, but I would be eager for your views as well:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> large version
> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4282925848_5c45d8bc7d_o.jpg




That ladybug looks like it has a Black Widow costume on.


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## Dwayne Oakes

Overread said:


> Ahh been a while since the last of these - great to see you braving another go at it Dwayne!
> 
> And I think I will show another image - had some good input on this already, but I would be eager for your views as well:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> large version
> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4282925848_5c45d8bc7d_o.jpg


 
good

-cool ladybug
-great comp (subject placed to 1/3 rule)
-great detail and tack sharp
-exposure is right on
-very good contrast and well lit subject

nit

-orange/red color spot could use a boost (personal preference)

-top 1/3 of the paper BG could be darken a tad to enhance the already
natural ND effect that is there

tweak

-added a tad of selective color saturation to just the orange/red color spot

-darken (burn) the top 1/3 of the photo to enhance the natural ND effect
that is already there

-no USM (sharpening) needed

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

Oops there is a pane of glass in that window, looking at it 100% crop.
Almost looks like an optical illusion, owell it does not matter the key is
reflections are prime elements in photography to enhance and should be
searched out in a scene.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## jackieclayton

Dwayne, is this posted in landscape and cityscape because that is the genre of pictures you will critique, or can we post things other than landscape... just wondering before i post one. thanks!


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## Dwayne Oakes

jackieclayton said:


> Dwayne, is this posted in landscape and cityscape because that is the genre of pictures you will critique, or can we post things other than landscape... just wondering before i post one. thanks!


 
Hi Jackie,

All subjects welcomed, this will give everyone a chance to get a photo in
for c&c.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

manicmike said:


> I guess I'll get in on this.


 
good

-great sport shot (freeze action)
-very nice DOF
-exposure is right on
-the tight comp works well here
-good contrast and detail

nit

-to much clutter at the top of the photo (distraction)
-the colors are good but could use a boost (personal preference)

tweak

-cropped the top of the photo off to get rid of some clutter
-healed out the rest of the clutter at the top of the photo

-added a tad of global color saturation
-added a tad of global contrast

-lighten (dodge) rider #1 face (the enhance stare)

-desaturated the the bright yellow area above rider #74 helment
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-healed out any marks on the pavement in the FG

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Overread

Ahh Dwayne - sorry I missed the update earlier!
Many thanks for the input and the suggested editing changes!

Some very interesting things said, and quite a contrast in some ways to other views I have had on the image. The slight contrast boost has been mentioned by others and I find it the easist thing to agree to on my end - interesting how with your edit even just boosting it for the red spot seems to lift the whole insect itself. 
The aspect of the shot though is where I have had the most difference - with many suggesting a closer crop of the insect and removal of more of either the back or foreground areas. I have to say myself that I considered removing a little from the left and top areas to bring the insect more "into line" as it were.
Meanwhile the idea of increasing the darkness of the upper areas was never suggested before (and infact I have had more say that it appears underexposed - though I have put that partly down to differences in computer screens and in the background used to veiw the image on - since the shot appears brighter on a darker background (eg photoshop) than in places like flickr where its a white background.


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## Dwayne Oakes

keith foster said:


> Thanks for being willing to share your skills Dwayne.
> Here is one I would like to have you work on. This seemed like it had possibilities but I can't figure out what to do. Can't wait to see what you do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keith


 
Thanks for the comments Keith and no problem I am glad I can help.

good

-cool out of focus (DOF) lights (you can do a abstracts with those)
-good exposure
-good colors
-low noise

nit

-the center in-focus lamp is not doing much for the photo (to large
to get rid of and heal out)

tweak 

-cropped the photo vertically to make a (light abstract)

-used the midtone slider in (levels) to darken the photo a tad so the 
lights stand out more

-added a tad of global contrast

-lighten (dodge) some of the lights, bottom far left white, bottom far right
red, orange cluster in the center and the top left tower

-put the photo through NR software anyway to clean it up a tad

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## manicmike

Wow thanks Dwayne.

That also gives me a little bit of an idea of what to use in PS to help my own pics look better.


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## keith foster

Thanks Dwayne!  I really struggle with the out of focus concept and how to make it work.  I really appreciate your help.  
Thanks again.


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## Dwayne Oakes

srinaldo86 said:


> Thanks! I have a couple photos I'm going to use at my wedding this is one of them.


 
good

-very nice pose
-good contrast
-good detail
-exposure is good but subjects could use fill flash

nit

-the comp (the landmark building is competing as a subject and the eye wants
to go back and forth)

-subjects need fill flash to help reduce the shadows

tweak

-cropped the photo to get rid of the landmark building so there is only one
subject and placed the subjects to 1/3 rule

-switched the photo to black and white to give the photo artistic flare
and to get rid of the snapshot look (personal choice)

-lighten (dodge) the subjects to make a fill flash effect to get rid
of some shadows

-added selective gaussian blur around the photo to add 
artistic flare (personal choice)

-put the photo through NR software to smooth the photo out a tad

-added a tad of global contrast
-moved the midtone and whitepoint sliders in (levels) to set final exposure

-healed out the two people on the far right on the shoreline

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## R6_Dude

^^that pictures looks great.


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## Dwayne Oakes

R6_Dude said:


> ^^that pictures looks great.


 
Thank you !

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

srinaldo86 said:


> I don't mean to be greedy but I'm going to go ahead and post my second one.
> Thanks a bunch Dwayne! What program do you use?


 
I use these two software programs for all of my work.

Nikon | Imaging Products | CaptureNX2

Imagenomic - Imagination at Shutter Speed

So the pp on this photo would be the same as the last one so they
would make a matching set.

good

-the classic pose
-the center comp works well here
-great sidelight
-good contrast and detail
-exposure is right on 
-good highlight control

nit

-the photo has a tilt to the left (tough to fix as the dock is the problem
so a slight rotation is the best we you can do with this one)

tweak

-added slight CW rotation to take out some of the tilt using the 
(straightening tool)

-switched the photo to black and white for artistic flare 
(personal choice)

-lighten (dodge) the subjects to create a fill flash effect and reduce
any shadows

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) 
-added a tad of global contrast

-darkened (burn) the sky a tad to tone down its brightness

-added selective (gaussian blur) around the photo for artistic flare
(personal choice)

-used the midtone and whitepoint sliders in (levels) to set final exposure
-healed out the water stains on left subject's boots

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## WimFoto

this is a great idea dwayne, thank you i appreciate it.
this shot was taken at upper canada village, a mid summer day 
but no sun which i feel is lacking in this image.

how would you add some 'sunny' quality to this shot?

thanks again.
wim


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## srinaldo86

Out standing Dwayne! Thank you so much, my wife will love these! 
We wanted them to be black and white for the wedding so you covered that well for us. Of course that is if you will allow us to use your edited copies at our wedding.
Thanks Again!


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## anthonydamario




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## RauschPhotography

This one has been bothering me like none other! It rattles my brain what to do about it.  Thanks, and I really do look forward to seeing what you can do with it!


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## fast eddie

Sure, Ill take some tips!

Here's one:


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## Dwayne Oakes

srinaldo86 said:


> Out standing Dwayne! Thank you so much, my wife will love these!
> We wanted them to be black and white for the wedding so you covered that well for us. Of course that is if you will allow us to use your edited copies at our wedding.
> Thanks Again!


 
No problem at all Ross, I am glad I could help. Of course you can use the
edited photos you are oringinator of the work.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

WimFoto said:


> this is a great idea dwayne, thank you i appreciate it.
> this shot was taken at upper canada village, a mid summer day
> but no sun which i feel is lacking in this image.
> 
> how would you add some 'sunny' quality to this shot?
> 
> thanks again.
> wim


 
good

-great butterfly (black swallowtail) 
-good off center placement of the butterfly
-great light coming through the butterfly's wing
-exposure is right on
-very good detail and contrast

nit

-colors are a tad over (personal choice)
-butterfly is getting lost with the other flowers (DOF flowers are bit of a distraction)

tweak

-cropped the photo a bit tighter to get rid of some DOF flowers and
placed the subject to 1/3 rule

-desaturated the colors (personal choice)

-healed out all DOF flowers (this takes several passes with the tool
because of the size of flowers)

-put the photo through NR software to smooth out the BG

-lighten (dodge) the flower
-lighten (dodge) the light coming through the butterfly's wing

-added selective color saturation to just the flower
-added selecitve color saturation to just the orange spots on the wing

-added selective USM (sharpening) to the center part of the flower
-added selective USM (sharpening) to the lit wing

-used the midtone slider and whitepoint slider in (levels) to set final exposure

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## pauliec

Dwayne, you've done some great work in this thread and have provided fantastic feedback! I was wondering if you could give me some comments on this one... thanks so much:


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## Dwayne Oakes

anthonydamario said:


>


 
good

-good off center placement of the subject (just a tad tight to the edge)
-nice spot type sidelight
-nice green color
-exposure is right in the lit areas

nit

-uninteresting subject matter (I don't know if the light will be enough
to grab the viewers attention)

tweak

-using an old software program I have thats has special effect filters
on it. I chose a distortion filter (sphere or wrap). This will bend
the photo and add some interest to the subject. (personal choice)

-dodge (lighten) the green little hill area

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

RauschPhotography said:


> This one has been bothering me like none other! It rattles my brain what to do about it. Thanks, and I really do look forward to seeing what you can do with it!


 
good

-good comp and works well here
-exposure is about right
-good contrast
-very nice flowers

nit

-colors are a tad over, blue channel is clipped in the histogram
(personal choice)

-DOF to shallow (no enough in focus @ f/5.6) a tripod will work well
for this type of subject and to get into that f/11 to f/16 lens aperture
range for a more in-focus shot, Note this can't be fixed in pp only
in the field

tweak

-desaturated the colors (personal choice)

-healed out the dark spot in the upper right corner and the water drop DOF in
the bottom left (distraction)

-lighten (dodge) some of the petals

-put the photo through NR software not for noise but to soften the
image a tad

-toned down the contrast a tad to add an airy feel to the image

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to the water droplet and hairs 
in the center of the flower on the right

-used the midtone slider and whitepoint slider in (levels) to set the
final exposure

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Bambi

thank you so much for doing this Dwayne!!! I appreciate it. 

Here's mine (I chose it because I actually edited 7 times in total to get the final product) :


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## rcsmyth

I 'd really like to see your edit on this one. thanks Dwayne


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## Dwayne Oakes

fast eddie said:


> Sure, Ill take some tips!
> 
> Here's one:


 

Has any work been done on this photo ? Because if not your Nikon D5000
is perfectly dialed in and don't change a thing on it !

good

-very good off center comp (just a tad to close to the left edge and top)
-great detail (can see the fabric in the hat)
-great colors, hat and skin tones (perfect)
-great contrast
-great DOF
-exposure is right on

nit

-eyes are a tad soft (camera's auto focus locked on the front of the hat
no big deal as you can cycle which focus point you want by moving the
thumb arrow pad on the back of the camera next time in the field or
just fix it in pp with USM sharpening)

-sticker under hat and stray hair on the right could be healed out (distraction)

tweak

-added a tad of selecitve USM (sharpening) to just the eyes

-healed out the sticker under the hat and the stray hair on the right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## fast eddie

Dwayne Oakes said:


> fast eddie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sure, Ill take some tips!
> 
> Here's one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Has any work been done on this photo ? Because if not your Nikon D5000
> is perfectly dialed in and don't change a thing on it !
> 
> good
> 
> -very good off center comp (just a tad to close to the left edge and top)
> -great detail (can see the fabric in the hat)
> -great colors, hat and skin tones (perfect)
> -great contrast
> -great DOF
> -exposure is right on
> 
> nit
> 
> -eyes are a tad soft (camera's auto focus locked on the front of the hat
> no big deal as you can cycle which focus point you want by moving the
> thumb arrow pad on the back of the camera next time in the field or
> just fix it in pp with USM sharpening)
> 
> -sticker under hat and stray hair on the right could be healed out (distraction)
> 
> tweak
> 
> -added a tad of selecitve USM (sharpening) to just the eyes
> 
> -healed out the sticker under the hat and the stray hair on the right
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


Thanks Dwayne, You Rock!

Nope, no editing, I wanted to send it untouched to get a baseline. I thought it was pretty dialed in, but good to hear from someone that knows.

Thanks for the comments, tips and encouragement. I'm just getting back into photography and excited to capture people, places, and things as I see them.

Peace
Ed


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## Dwayne Oakes

Some photographers watching might be asking how you do selective enhancements.
Most editing software programs have selection tools in different shapes and 
adjustable sizes. There is also a freehand selection tool called marquee tool.

You select the type of tool (shape) and then select the area (size) you want to
enhance. Then go to the edit menu list and pick the enhancement you want to
make to just that area. Dodge and burn can be done this way also (lighten or
darken a selected area, powerful stuff).

Just make sure the (feather or blend or air brush) feature check box is checked on
so all the enhancements will blend together nicely with the rest of 
the photo.

Also healed out and clone out mean the same thing. You are getting rid
of blemishes, trash or in my own work stray branches.

Nikon Capture NX2 does this all in one step making it very simple and a
powerful way to do selective type pp. I am not affiliated with Nikon in
anyway.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## fast eddie

It was cool to have you critique and I look forward to posting more photos here for critique in the future, but I have a question for the pros:

Is it best to show a raw un-edited version of a photograph and look for ideas on improving the picture TAKING process, or and edited version that shows your vision of the scene?

My question comes up because I have been a graphic designer for 18 years and am proficient at PhotoShop and can make pretty "Blah" stuff look great. But my idea for critique here is to get the best capture I can, to start with an amazing foundation that might not need much help in post.

That's not to say I am against or do not like to tweak and embellish after the fact (I do), But what is the preferred submission for critique?


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## Dwayne Oakes

fast eddie said:


> It was cool to have you critique and I look forward to posting more photos here for critique in the future, but I have a question for the pros:
> 
> Is it best to show a raw un-edited version of a photograph and look for ideas on improving the picture TAKING process, or and edited version that shows your vision of the scene?
> 
> My question comes up because I have been a graphic designer for 18 years and am proficient at PhotoShop and can make pretty "Blah" stuff look great. But my idea for critique here is to get the best capture I can, to start with an amazing foundation that might not need much help in post.
> 
> That's not to say I am against or do not like to tweak and embellish after the fact (I do), But what is the preferred submission for critique?


 

Great question FE ! 

The "art of seeing" will benefit an image no matter
what stage it is in. I have no preference if the photo is edited or
not edited. I let the posting photographer decide that.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Einstein

I have croped it and played with the color a bit in GIMP (which was my second ever time PP). I also realised from other comments that I had my WB on tungsten. Any help is appreciated!


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## burnws6

Nikon d40 with pop up flash.


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## Dwayne Oakes

pauliec said:


> Dwayne, you've done some great work in this thread and have provided fantastic feedback! I was wondering if you could give me some comments on this one... thanks so much:


 
good

-great pastel colors
-good detail and contrast
-exposure is right on
-great light coming through the sails and on top of the boat roof
-good DOF
-the birds add to the photo

nit

-the comp (subject placed near center)
-a tad noisy (sky)
-horizon has a slight tilt to the right when placed on a grid

tweak

-straightened the photo
-cropped the photo and placed the subject to 1/3 rule

-lighten (dodge) the light coming through the sails and on top of the roof

-put the photo through NR software to reduce the noise in the sky area
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the NR software

-used the midtone slider in (levels) to set final exposure

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## WimFoto

Dwayne Oakes said:


> WimFoto said:
> 
> 
> 
> this is a great idea dwayne, thank you i appreciate it.
> this shot was taken at upper canada village, a mid summer day
> but no sun which i feel is lacking in this image.
> 
> how would you add some 'sunny' quality to this shot?
> 
> thanks again.
> wim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -great butterfly (black swallowtail)
> -good off center placement of the butterfly
> -great light coming through the butterfly's wing
> -exposure is right on
> -very good detail and contrast
> 
> nit
> 
> -colors are a tad over (personal choice)
> -butterfly is getting lost with the other flowers (DOF flowers are bit of a distraction)
> 
> tweak
> 
> -cropped the photo a bit tighter to get rid of some DOF flowers and
> placed the subject to 1/3 rule
> 
> -desaturated the colors (personal choice)
> 
> -healed out all DOF flowers (this takes several passes with the tool
> because of the size of flowers)
> 
> -put the photo through NR software to smooth out the BG
> 
> -lighten (dodge) the flower
> -lighten (dodge) the light coming through the butterfly's wing
> 
> -added selective color saturation to just the flower
> -added selecitve color saturation to just the orange spots on the wing
> 
> -added selective USM (sharpening) to the center part of the flower
> -added selective USM (sharpening) to the lit wing
> 
> -used the midtone slider and whitepoint slider in (levels) to set final exposure
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


thanks dwayne, i imagine you are pretty busy with this thread you started 

in particular i like the work you did on the wing of the black swallowtail in my photo.
i am not familiar with nr software. what is it ?


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## c.cloudwalker

NR = Noise Reduction

Dwayne, can I hire you as a PP person? Probably wouldn't be happy doing just PP...


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## Dwayne Oakes

c.cloudwalker said:


> NR = Noise Reduction
> 
> Dwayne, can I hire you as a PP person? Probably wouldn't be happy doing just PP...


 
I am flattered CC and thank you !! But you are right I could not just do
pp. In my opinion you need a balance as a photographer with
equal amount of time spent in the field and on the computer. "darkroom"

I can tell you the two are an important relationship. They
bounce off each other, meaning they help each other. What you learn
to "see" in the field will help your pp and vise versa.

Also I believe if you are along in the craft to give back some of your 
time (free) to help up coming photographers get a start. Like
I have said on other forums it is kind of yoda thing.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## c.cloudwalker

Not that I expected a positive answer :meh:  but I am actually looking for a PP person right now.

Although I know I will have to learn and will learn computer PP, even if just to be able to tell that person what i want, I feel like right now my time is better spent shooting than PPing. Finance wise anyway. Shooting time is still more valuable than its PP counterpart.

I didn't have a darkroom person when I had my last studio because I never could find someone whose work I liked and it will probably be the same this time around


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## c.cloudwalker

I forgot to respond to the second part of your post.

I do believe in helping the up and coming for the simple reason that I grew up surrounded by artists and they are the reason I am doing today what I am doing. :thumbup:


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## Dwayne Oakes

Bambi said:


> thank you so much for doing this Dwayne!!! I appreciate it.
> 
> Here's mine (I chose it because I actually edited 7 times in total to get the final product) :


 
Wow great processing ! Great job ! It has an HDR feel to it.

good

-great pp
-great comp
-great detail and contrast
-great DOF
-great selective colors
-great highlight control
-exposure is right on 

nit

-none

Here is some finite tweaks that I can offer that might add to this
great photo

tweak

-darken (burn) the dark areas of the clouds to add more drama (personal choice)

-added a tad of selective contrast to just the window reflection

-lighten (dodge) the snow in the FG to make it whiter as there is
still room left in the histogram before the highlights start to clip 

-healed out the mark in the snow in the bottom right corner.

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Also beginner photographers don't be overwelmed by all the terms being
used here. Make a list of the terms and when you get a chance just look
them up on the net and read up on them when you get a chance.

What I teach here is the "art of seeing" and you will start to see a pattern
form on what to enhance.

So far we have 

2 window reflections (the house and the windmill)
2 translucent areas (the sails on the boat and the one wing on the butterfly)

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## pauliec

Dwayne Oakes said:


> pauliec said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dwayne, you've done some great work in this thread and have provided fantastic feedback! I was wondering if you could give me some comments on this one... thanks so much:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -great pastel colors
> -good detail and contrast
> -exposure is right on
> -great light coming through the sails and on top of the boat roof
> -good DOF
> -the birds add to the photo
> 
> nit
> 
> -the comp (subject placed near center)
> -a tad noisy (sky)
> -horizon has a slight tilt to the right when placed on a grid
> 
> tweak
> 
> -straightened the photo
> -cropped the photo and placed the subject to 1/3 rule
> 
> -lighten (dodge) the light coming through the sails and on top of the roof
> 
> -put the photo through NR software to reduce the noise in the sky area
> -added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the NR software
> 
> -used the midtone slider in (levels) to set final exposure
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...



That's great, thanks! For some reason, horizon is a common problem with me. I typically have an issue with an uneven horizon and it always seems to dip the right... maybe I'm a little crosseyed or something when looking through the viewfinder.

Right now, I do all my editing on iPhoto. Very, very bare bones. I have downloaded GIMP but have not taken the time to learn how to use it yet. Do you think that's a fine program to use or should I buy Photoshop or Aperture?


----------



## Bambi

thank you so much Dwayne! your feedback is much appreciated. 

I also have to say that I am learning TONS from this thread so thanks to everyone for posting pictures.


----------



## Dominantly

I hate to overload you Dwayne, but I thought I would throw one into the mix to see what you feel can be done with it.


----------



## AlexColeman

Thanks.


----------



## lmchelaru

Thanks so much for taking your time to do this.
Here's one of mine I need some input on.
I'm thinking of turning this in for an assignment for class and I need a boost.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

rcsmyth said:


> I 'd really like to see your edit on this one. thanks Dwayne


 
good

-the classic pumpkin patch photo
-good comp (the choice for a vertical and good FG placement of 
the pumpkins adds depth to the photo)
-great colors
-very good contrast and detail
-the DOF works here
-exposure is right on 

nit

-no nits here really but here is a fun trick you can do to add artistic flare
to this classic photo

tweak

Some times you can base your pp around a theme or concept, in this
case the theme is everyone is looking for that perfect pumpkin. Which you
could title this photo "The Perfect Pumpkin"

-desaturated the colors (global) 
(global means the change will affect the whole photo)

-added a tad of selective color saturation to just the one pumpkin

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

Note: This trick is often done in black and white but this way is very
easy to do and effective.

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## bazooka

I love this thread and am learning a lot, thanks for taking the time to do this Dwayne.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Einstein said:


> I have croped it and played with the color a bit in GIMP (which was my second ever time PP). I also realised from other comments that I had my WB on tungsten. Any help is appreciated!


 
good

-the classic adirondack chair photo
-the mini pano comp works well here
-great pastel colors when they are desaturated (personal choice)
-great light coming off the chair (this is what you want to enhance)
-good contrast and detail
-good DOF

nit

-the colors are a tad over (blue channel is clipped in the histogram)

-the horizon has a tilt to the left when placed on a grid (some software 
edit programs have a grid view feature that shows up over your photo
like rulers and help level your photo, very handy) also most cameras
have this feature built in, check your manual or menu to find this
feature on your camera

-lens barrel (the horizon has a curve to it) this is common and there
is nothing wrong with your lens and it will start to show up around 
20mm or less focal length

-photo is a tad underexposed by 1/3 Ev (exposure value)

tweak 

-desaturated the colors (global) to bring out the nice natural pastel colors
(personal choice)

-straightened the photo (most software edit programs have a 
straighten tool)

-reduced some of the lens barrel distortion (some edit software programs
have a lens distortion tool to fix this)

-lighten (dodge) the great light coming off the chair (this is what you 
want to enhance)

-darken (burn) the sky over the sun a tad to balance the tone of
sky a bit

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the chair so its 
outline is sharp

-lighten the photo a tad (global) using the midtone slider in (levels)
to fix the slight underexposure

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## melrose09

Here's a doozy...it's original, no PP (I posted a similar photo in the beginner thread the other day)


----------



## Einstein

Thanks Dwayne, no wonder Canadians get such a good rep!


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

pauliec said:


> Dwayne Oakes said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pauliec said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dwayne, you've done some great work in this thread and have provided fantastic feedback! I was wondering if you could give me some comments on this one... thanks so much:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -great pastel colors
> -good detail and contrast
> -exposure is right on
> -great light coming through the sails and on top of the boat roof
> -good DOF
> -the birds add to the photo
> 
> nit
> 
> -the comp (subject placed near center)
> -a tad noisy (sky)
> -horizon has a slight tilt to the right when placed on a grid
> 
> tweak
> 
> -straightened the photo
> -cropped the photo and placed the subject to 1/3 rule
> 
> -lighten (dodge) the light coming through the sails and on top of the roof
> 
> -put the photo through NR software to reduce the noise in the sky area
> -added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the NR software
> 
> -used the midtone slider in (levels) to set final exposure
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> That's great, thanks! For some reason, horizon is a common problem with me. I typically have an issue with an uneven horizon and it always seems to dip the right... maybe I'm a little crosseyed or something when looking through the viewfinder.
> 
> Right now, I do all my editing on iPhoto. Very, very bare bones. I have downloaded GIMP but have not taken the time to learn how to use it yet. Do you think that's a fine program to use or should I buy Photoshop or Aperture?
Click to expand...

 
Thank you very much for the comments ! As long as the software 
can do selective type enhancements like (dodge and burn) 
(selective color enhancements) (clone tool or healout tool) (levels) you 
will be fine.

GIMP will do all of those and more so my advice is to stick with GIMP untill
you know it inside and out then if you still want to advance you can
spend the money on the more expensive editing software programs 
and it won't be such a big step or learning curve when you do decide to 
switch.

Also for all the other beginner photographers watching if you do decide
to get into full selective editing like I am doing here you will want to
shoot RAW (more data) file format from your camera and use RAW
(converter) software to process and edit in this type of file format.

If your camera is setup "tuned" right and you are only going to do 
lite (global) pp then the JPEG file format will be fine.

One of the reasons I have to post back a smaller photo is this type of
selective pp is hard on JPEG pixels and they start to degrade which
is why RAW file format is the way to go as there is much (more data) to 
work with.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

bazooka said:


> I love this thread and am learning a lot, thanks for taking the time to do this Dwayne.


 
Thats great ! I am glad you are learning !

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Yemme

I love when you do these images Mr. Oakes.  Let me find a oldie but goody.  Thanks in advance.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

burnws6 said:


> Nikon d40 with pop up flash.


 
good

-beautiful model
-great off center comp (good choice for right side as the model's hair
is flowing to the left) but just a tad to tight at the top of the photo
-great lighting (studio)
-great hair, makeup and wardrobe
-very good exposure

nit

-two hot spots (light) on the right side of the model's face
-the metal glint on the collar is a bit of a distraction
-stray hairs could be healed out
-the shadow side of the model's face is a tad dark
-the clothing could be lighten a tad to bring out some of the fabric
-the model's face could use a tad of soft-focus as slight blemishes can be seen 
through the makeup

tweak

-darken (burn) the two hot spots on the right side of the model's face
-healed out the metal glint at the collar and the stray hairs

-lighten (dodge) the left side of the model's face a tad so it is not so dark
-lighten (dodge) the clothing to bring out the fabric
-lighten (dodge) some of the highlights in the hair

-put the photo through NR software not for noise but for a soft-focus
effect ot hide some of the blemishes

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the eyes and some
of the hair to get over the NR software

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Renol

Here's one for ya. Appreciate any advice you'd have to offer.


----------



## kiwizak

Awesome thread:thumbup:




Any comments are welcome
thanks.
Zak


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Dominantly said:


> I hate to overload you Dwayne, but I thought I would throw one into the mix to see what you feel can be done with it.


 
good

-great light coming through the flower (thats what you want to enhance)
-great colors
-very good detail and contrast
-good DOF
-great black backdrop 
-exposure is right on

nit

-to much clutter and negative space in the bottom half of the photo
-little stray petal on the right could be healed out

tweak

-cropped the photo tighter to get rid of the DOF clutter and placed
the subject close to 1/3 rule

-healed out any clutter left from the crop 

-selected the white area in the bottom left corner and added a green
tint to match the other side, used the (heal out tool) to blend the green
areas together

-lighten (dodge) just the flower 

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the flower

-healed out the little stray flower petal on the right 

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

AlexColeman said:


> Thanks.


 
good

-cool bee (one important insect)
-great colors (perfect)
-great detail and contrast 
-nice DOF fade
-exposure is right on
-well lit subject 

nit

-subject is placed on center and there is a tad to much negative space
-grey spots on the flower ?

tweak

-cropped the photo a tad tighter and place subject to 1/3 rule

-healed out the grey spots on the flower

-darken (burn) the bottom left corner for artistic flare

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the bee, it is
better to use selecitve sharpening here rather than global as there is no
point in sharpening out of focus DOF

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

lmchelaru said:


> Thanks so much for taking your time to do this.
> Here's one of mine I need some input on.
> I'm thinking of turning this in for an assignment for class and I need a boost.


 
good

-good comp and works well here (good choice for vertical)
-good textures
-good contrast and detail
-good DOF
-exposure is right on in the FG

nit

-the sky is clipped (blown out highlights)
-dark shadows in the trees

tweak

-switched the photo to black and white as it excels at showing textures
(personal choice)

-a cool trick to fix small to medium clipped areas is to just heal or clone
them out then lighten (dodge) a new light area in and since you can
control the (dodge) or brightness you can control the clipping like
I did in the sky here (histogram shows no clipping in the sky now) this
trick also works great when you have parts of clouds that are clipped

-lighten (dodge) some of the shadows in the trees 

-added a tad of seletive USM (sharpening) to just the FG and MG
(foreground and midground)

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dominantly

Wow, thank you. I didn't even notice that stray petal!!!!


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

melrose09 said:


> Here's a doozy...it's original, no PP (I posted a similar photo in the beginner thread the other day)


 
good

-cool old truck
-good placement of the fence in the FG, it adds depth to the photo
-very nice natrual colors
-good contrast and detail 
-good DOF 
-exposure is right on 

nit

-subject is placed on center

tweak 

(added sepia tone/Orton-effect for artistic flare) personal choice

-cropped the photo a tad tighter and placed the subject to 1/3 rule

-switched the photo to sepia tone (most software programs and cameras
have this feature, sepia tone excels at showing things that are antique
and that has some white in the photo, snow, wedding gown etc)

Note: The Orton-effect is optional and you can leave it out and just go
with the sepia tone (color) to keep things simple if you want and the 
photo will still have a nice antique look to it.

Orton-effect

1-move the midtone slider in (levels) so the photo goes very light
2-using the (gaussian blur) tool move the radius slider so the photo goes
very blurry
3-go into (blending mode) and select multiply
4-readjust the sliders in (levels) to set the final exposure

-lighten (dodge) some the trees along the road where the light is
falling on them

-lighten (dodge) the "for sale" sign

-added a tad of global contrast
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-healed out some of the stray grass in the far right and some wire 
around the post

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Yemme said:


> I love when you do these images Mr. Oakes. Let me find a oldie but goody. Thanks in advance.


 
good

-great textures
-great sky and clouds
-exposure is right on 
-nice light coming off the door
-the comp is a tad tight but works here

nit

-black film border is a bit of a distraction
-photo lacks drama or interest
-dust on the photo
-photo is a tad soft

tweak

-cropped out the black film border
-switched the photo to black and white as it excels at showing textures

Some dodge and burn will add some drama and interest to the photo.

-lighten (dodge) the clouds
-darken (burn) the sky

-lighten (dodge) where the light is falling on the door and the brick work
around the door

-lighten (dodge) where the light is falling on the bottom of the railing
-lighten (dodge) the top of the building

-added a tad of global contrast
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-used the midtone and whitepoint sliders in (levels) to set the final exposure

-healed out the dust in the photo and the spot on the door

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## maiello22690

I've love all of the others.  You do great work!


----------



## melrose09

Thanks, Dwayne! you rock!   Love the edit!


----------



## Yemme

Thank you Mr.Oakes...:hug::


----------



## StonedPlanet

Here is one for you.. This is the original (resized obviously).. wanted to see what you can come up with and compare it to what i did to it. This place closed back in the 50's and hasnt seen a broom since. Very dark inside this place as there are only like 4 small windows to allow light.  I swear I had been there before but I am not sure.


----------



## wfduncan

I would love to see what you could do with this.  This is an awesome and very informative thread.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Renol said:


> Here's one for ya. Appreciate any advice you'd have to offer.


 
good

-great off center comp
-very good colors
-good DOF
-exposure is right on
-good contrast

nit

-the knot in the center of tree is a bit of a distraction
-photo is tad soft

tweak

-desaturated the colors (global) for artistic flare (personal choice)
-added a tad of selecitve color saturation to just the green shirt
for artistic flare (personal choice)

-lighten (dodge) some of the shadows in the logs

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

-healed out the knot in the center of the log and the logo on 
the shirt

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

maiello22690 said:


> I've love all of the others. You do great work!


 
Thank you very much for the comments ! I appreciate it !

good

-good comp that works well here
-nice low POV (point of view)
-exposure is right on in the lit areas but would benefit from fill flash
-good DOF
-good colors and contrast

nit

-to many shadows in the FG (foreground)
-photo has slight noise
-sidewalk has a tilt to the left when its shadows are removed 

tweak

-straightened the photo

-lighten (dodge) the 3 street signs, the 2 main palm trees and the side
walk in the FG to create a fill flash effect to reduce the shadows

-draken (burn) the dark area in the sky

-lighten (dodge) the grass on the right where light is falling on it
-lighten (dodge) the buildings on the left where the light is falling on them
-lighten (dodge) the bright window lights coming from buildings on 
left and the one on the right

-put the photo through NR software to reduce the slight noise

-added a tad of global contrast 
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the NR software

-healed out the two stray branches in the tree on the far right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## lmchelaru

Dwayne Oakes said:


> good
> 
> -good comp and works well here (good choice for vertical)
> -good textures
> -good contrast and detail
> -good DOF
> -exposure is right on in the FG
> 
> nit
> 
> -the sky is clipped (blown out highlights)
> -dark shadows in the trees
> 
> tweak
> 
> -switched the photo to black and white as it excels at showing textures
> (personal choice)
> 
> -a cool trick to fix small to medium clipped areas is to just heal or clone
> them out then lighten (dodge) a new light area in and since you can
> control the (dodge) or brightness you can control the clipping like
> I did in the sky here (histogram shows no clipping in the sky now) this
> trick also works great when you have parts of clouds that are clipped
> 
> -lighten (dodge) some of the shadows in the trees
> 
> -added a tad of seletive USM (sharpening) to just the FG and MG
> (foreground and midground)
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes



It looks great! Thanks.
I was really bothered by the sky too and didn't know what to do with it. I thought there was too much sky to be cloned out, but I guess I was wrong.
Thanks again.


----------



## kap55

If it's not too late to get in on this... appreciate any suggestions.






Thanks.


----------



## manicmike

Dwayne, do you have any recommendations on photoshop books?


----------



## Darton

Here's one I'd really like to see done. I've tried but nothing turns out how I like it.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

kiwizak said:


> Awesome thread:thumbup:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any comments are welcome
> thanks.
> Zak


 
good

-great sky 
-great light
-great natural colors
-horizon is straight
-exposure is right on
-good detail and contast
-good DOF

nit

-the comp (the sun star is cut off on the left side of the photo)

tweak

-cropped some of the left side of the photo to remove some of the old
sun star

-healed out the rays from the old sun star

-using an old software editing program I have that has special effect
filters (most new photo editing prgrams have these effects) I added 
a new sun star so it is not cut off in the photo

-lighten (dodge) the top and bottom of the new sun star so the new light
makes sence

-lighten (dodge) the blue light coming through the clouds
-lighten (dodge) the white tips in the clouds

-added a tad of selective contrast to the blue light coming off the fence in the FG
-lighten (dodge) the blue light coming off the fence in the FG

-no global USM (sharpening) or contrast needed 

Hope this helps and thanks posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## kiwizak

awesome thank you.
Zak


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

StonedPlanet said:


> Here is one for you.. This is the original (resized obviously).. wanted to see what you can come up with and compare it to what i did to it. This place closed back in the 50's and hasnt seen a broom since. Very dark inside this place as there are only like 4 small windows to allow light. I swear I had been there before but I am not sure.


 
good 

-interesting room
-great light once the shadows are reduced
-good comp that works well here

nit

-heavy noise from being underexposed (to much for NR software to
remove)

-not very much pixel data left to do any pp because of the underexposure

tweak

-used the midtone slider in (levels) to lighten the photo 

-added a blue tint (duotone) to add mood and artistic flare to the photo
(personal choice) most editing software programs have a tint or a hue tool

-lighten (dodge) various areas around the room to add some drama
to the photo

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the rocks in the FG as
any more will amplify the noise in the photo

-healed out the bright light coming from the doorway in the far
left as it was a distraction 

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Renol

Dwayne Oakes said:


> Renol said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's one for ya. Appreciate any advice you'd have to offer.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -great off center comp
> -very good colors
> -good DOF
> -exposure is right on
> -good contrast
> 
> nit
> 
> -the knot in the center of tree is a bit of a distraction
> -photo is tad soft
> 
> tweak
> 
> -desaturated the colors (global) for artistic flare (personal choice)
> -added a tad of selecitve color saturation to just the green shirt
> for artistic flare (personal choice)
> 
> -lighten (dodge) some of the shadows in the logs
> 
> -added a tad of global contrast boost
> -added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter
> 
> -healed out the knot in the center of the log and the logo on
> the shirt
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


Interesting interpretation. Thanks for the edit and the pointers.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

wfduncan said:


> I would love to see what you could do with this. This is an awesome and very informative thread.


 
Wow awesome photo ! Almost looks National Geographic like ! Because
of the documentative nature of this photo I will not add any artistic
flare to the photo and will keep the pp to a minimum (not even heal out)
and will just make the photo technically sound.

good

-great documentative style photo
-great color beside color, red (rare)
-photo tells a story (culture and clothing)

nit

-photo is underexposed by 2/3 Ev (still room left in the histogram)
-subject is placed on center
-photo has a tilt to the right when placed on a grid
-photo is a tad soft (face)

tweak

-straightened the photo

-cropped the photo and placed the subject close to the 1/3 rule

-used the whitepoint slider in (levels) to lighten the photo, which will set
the correct exposure and take up the room still left in the histogram

-added a tad of global contrast
-desaturated the colors a tad (global)

-lighten (dodge) the face a tad 
-added a tad of selective USM (sharpennig) to just the face

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

kap55 said:


> If it's not too late to get in on this... appreciate any suggestions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.


 
A technically flawless photo ! No additional pp required. Great job !
Has any work been done on this photo ? If not the setup on that 
Nikon D90 is awesome, don't change a thing.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

manicmike said:


> Dwayne, do you have any recommendations on photoshop books?


 
Hi mm,

Thanks for the question. Not off the top of my head but what ever book
you choose make sure is has a good detail section on these topics:

1-photography fundamentals and camera controls
2-histogram and clipping
3-dodge and burn
4-composition, rule of thirds

This will give you a strong foundation to build from. Also don't worry 
about finding your style, it will find you. Just keep shooting as it will show
up in your work naturally over a good amount of time.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## kap55

Dwayne Oakes said:


> kap55 said:
> 
> 
> 
> If it's not too late to get in on this... appreciate any suggestions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A technically flawless photo ! No additional pp required. Great job !
> Has any work been done on this photo ? If not the setup on that
> Nikon D90 is awesome, don't change a thing.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


Thank you Sir.  Some pp done in ACDSee.

Look forward to your threads - they are always a wonderful learning experience.


----------



## mom2eight

Dwayne, 
This is such a great way to learn.  I wanted to just say how much this is appreciated.  This is the way the entire Beginners section should be.  :hug::


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

mom2eight said:


> Dwayne,
> This is such a great way to learn. I wanted to just say how much this is appreciated. This is the way the entire Beginners section should be. :hug::


 
Well thank you very much for the kind words ! I appreciate it !

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Darton said:


> Here's one I'd really like to see done. I've tried but nothing turns out how I like it.


 
good

-cool bridge
-good comp (good choice for vertical)
-great light coming off the bridge (thats what you want to enhance)
-good DOF
-the people add to the photo

nit

-FG and MG are to dark (camera's meter is being tricked and
metering off the sky) this is actually a good thing because the sky
does not get clipped and you can always lighten the FG and MG by
using the midtone slider in (levels) or lighten (dodge) the dark areas

Note: In the field it is better to slightly underexpose your photos and
then lighten them back up in pp rather than overexpose them and try to
tone the photo down in pp.

Most of my own work I underexpose in the field as the dodge
and burn effect will have more impact if you are starting with
a darker photo in pp.

-photo has a tilt to the right

tweak

-straightened the photo

-darken (burn) the dark areas in the sky
-lighten (dodge) the light areas in the sky

-darken (burn) the bridge's walkway in the FG

-lighten (dodge) midway down the bridge where the people are
-lighten (dodge) some of the areas of the forest in the MG
-lighten (dodge) the farthest US park sign
-lighten (dodge) the railing if the FG

-added a tad of selective color saturation to just the railing in the FG
-added a tad of selecitve contrast to just the railing in the FG

-added a tad of global contrast
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-used the midtone slider in (levels) to set the final exposure

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## Darton

Dwayne Oakes said:


> Darton said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's one I'd really like to see done. I've tried but nothing turns out how I like it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -cool bridge
> -good comp (good choice for vertical)
> -great light coming off the bridge (thats what you want to enhance)
> -good DOF
> -the people add to the photo
> 
> nit
> 
> -FG and MG are to dark (camera's meter is being tricked and
> metering off the sky) this is actually a good thing because the sky
> does not get clipped and you can always lighten the FG and MG by
> using the midtone slider in (levels) or lighten (dodge) the dark areas
> 
> Note: In the field it is better to slightly underexpose your photos and
> then lighten them back up in pp rather than overexpose them and try to
> tone the photo down in pp.
> 
> Most of my own work I underexpose in the field as the dodge
> and burn effect will have more impact if you are starting with
> a darker photo in pp.
> 
> -photo has a tilt to the right
> 
> tweak
> 
> -straightened the photo
> 
> -darken (burn) the dark areas in the sky
> -lighten (dodge) the light areas in the sky
> 
> -darken (burn) the bridge's walkway in the FG
> 
> -lighten (dodge) midway down the bridge where the people are
> -lighten (dodge) some of the areas of the forest in the MG
> -lighten (dodge) the farthest US park sign
> -lighten (dodge) the railing if the FG
> 
> -added a tad of selective color saturation to just the railing in the FG
> -added a tad of selecitve contrast to just the railing in the FG
> 
> -added a tad of global contrast
> -added a tad of global USM (sharpening)
> 
> -used the midtone slider in (levels) to set the final exposure
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...

 
Great work. I under exposed on purpose but had trouble with the PP. You burn and dodge alot more than I've ever thought of doing and it really works well.

Thanks for taking the time on my shot.


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## cougargal

Hi Dwayne,
I'm new with all this so thought it would be interesting to see what you could do with a photo of mine.  I look forward to seeing what you can do.  Thanks, Amy


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## HoboSyke

Here is one from me.. Has had some PP already.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

cougargal said:


> Hi Dwayne,
> I'm new with all this so thought it would be interesting to see what you could do with a photo of mine. I look forward to seeing what you can do. Thanks, Amy


 
good 

-great comp (great spacing and subject placed off center)
-great little nature area
-nice natural colors (greens)
-good DOF
-good contrast
-nice reflected light coming off the pond (this is what you want to enhance)


nit

-photo is a tad dark by 1/3 Ev (still room left in the histogram)
-photo is a tad soft

tweak

-moved the whitepoint slider in (levels) to take up the space still left
in the histogram which will lighten the photo and set the correct exposure

-lighten (dodge) the shadows in the trees (lighten just enough to see some detail)
-lighten (dodge) the reflected light coming off the pond
-lighten (dodge) the tin roof on the building
-lighten (dodge) the left side wall of the building 

-darken (burn) the main side (shadow) of the building 

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-healed out the sign and post in the pond and the bright wood spot
beside the subject on the right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


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## redonyx

If the C and C is still available, I'd like some feedback on this one. I've tried straightening it but it never seems to look right when I do.






Thanks.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

HoboSyke said:


> Here is one from me.. Has had some PP already.


 
good

-beautiful model
-good skin tones
-good comp that works well here
-nice old ruins backdrop
-exposure is right on 
-very good contrast
-great DOF effect

nit

-the pose is good but the stare does not seem natural, I think
the model looking at the lens would have been a better choice (subjective)

-there are some distractions

1-the stray hair
2-the bright light spot in the top right corner
3-the graffiti on the pillar in the bottom left corner

tweak

-healed out the 3 distractions

-lighten (dodge) the face to add a fill flash effect
-lighten (dodge) the shirt to add a fill flash effect
-lighten (dodge) the jeans to add a fill flash effect

-darken (burn) the stone area in the far right

-lighten (dodge) the ring
-added a tad of selective contrast to the ring

-using the LCH tool in Nikon Capture NX2 I set a (chroma point) on the
pink color on the shirt, this tool will allow to you increase the color 
saturation to just the pink color without affecting the other colors in 
the photo

-put the photo through NR software not for noise but for a soft-focus
effect

-used the sliders in (levels) to set the final exposure 

-no selective USM (sharpening) needed

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## cougargal

Thanks Dwayne!  Hopefully I can learn from this.  Take care,


----------



## HoboSyke

Dwayne Oakes said:


> HoboSyke said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here is one from me.. Has had some PP already.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -beautiful model
> -good skin tones
> -good comp that works well here
> -nice old ruins backdrop
> -exposure is right on
> -very good contrast
> -great DOF effect
> 
> nit
> 
> -the pose is good but the stare does not seem natural, I think
> the model looking at the lens would have been a better choice (subjective)
> 
> -there are some distractions
> 
> 1-the stray hair
> 2-the bright light spot in the top right corner
> 3-the graffiti on the pillar in the bottom left corner
> 
> tweak
> 
> -healed out the 3 distractions
> 
> -lighten (dodge) the face to add a fill flash effect
> -lighten (dodge) the shirt to add a fill flash effect
> -lighten (dodge) the jeans to add a fill flash effect
> 
> -darken (burn) the stone area in the far right
> 
> -lighten (dodge) the ring
> -added a tad of selective contrast to the ring
> 
> -using the LCH tool in Nikon Capture NX2 I set a (chroma point) on the
> pink color on the shirt, this tool will allow to you increase the color
> saturation to just the pink color without affecting the other colors in
> the photo
> 
> -put the photo through NR software not for noise but for a soft-focus
> effect
> 
> -used the sliders in (levels) to set the final exposure
> 
> -no selective USM (sharpening) needed
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


Thanks for taking the time to look over and edit my image Dwayne. I was interested to see what you did with the blown out part. I couldn't get it to look quite natural. I think I like the wavey hair but I don't mind your edit.
Once again, thanks..  :thumbup:


----------



## kangta13

Great thread dwayne!!.. i'm gonna have to post a pic up... i'm a self-trained photographer.. browsing for diffusers today.. but reading through this thread actually made me sign-up/register here.. you're giving great tips, and i'm sure it's gonna help alot of us beginners out here!!! look forward to seeing more edits


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

kangta13 said:


> Great thread dwayne!!.. i'm gonna have to post a pic up... i'm a self-trained photographer.. browsing for diffusers today.. but reading through this thread actually made me sign-up/register here.. you're giving great tips, and i'm sure it's gonna help alot of us beginners out here!!! look forward to seeing more edits


 
Well thank you very much for the kind words ! I appreciate it ! Looking
forward to seeing some of your work.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

redonyx said:


> If the C and C is still available, I'd like some feedback on this one. I've tried straightening it but it never seems to look right when I do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.


 
Lots of c&c's still available.

good

-good comp that works well here
-cool place
-great light and shadows 
-WB (white balance) look about right for the type of lights

nit

-the light on the walls could use a contrast and light boost as
the light there is a tad flat

-photo is a tad soft
-photo has slight noise

tweak

-used the lens distortion tool in Nikon Capture NX2 to take out some of
the curve in the photo 

-lighten (dodge) the light on the walls
-lighten (dodge) the reflected light coming off the ground in the MG
-lighten (dodge) some of the red lights
-lighten (dodge) the 3 trees hidden in the shadows

-put the photo through NR software to remove the slight noise

-added a tad of global contrast
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-did not lighten (dodge) the person in the far right as they are to far
out of the frame

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------



## redonyx

Wow. I liked the shot before I posted it here but you've made it at least 10 times better. :thumbup:

I shoot Canon so I don't have Capture NX2. Is there another program I could use to do this sort of thing that won't completely bankrupt me the way Photoshop/Lightroom would?


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

redonyx said:


> Wow. I liked the shot before I posted it here but you've made it at least 10 times better. :thumbup:
> 
> I shoot Canon so I don't have Capture NX2. Is there another program I could use to do this sort of thing that won't completely bankrupt me the way Photoshop/Lightroom would?


 
Thank you very much for the comments !

(Corel PhotoImpact X3)
I am glad you asked about software, here is a full editing software
program of a gem that not many photographers know about. It even
has HDR and RAW capabilities. The sale price now is very easy on the 
wallet. This is last years version or so thats why it is on sale.

Also I can vouch for the product and company as being excellent as
I have used PhotoImpact 12 (an even older version) as my first real
full editing program.

Note: You will also see a new program on there called (Corel PaintShop 
Express 2010) this is NOT a full edit program only the older (Corel 
PhotoImpact X3) is.

http://store.corel.com/webapp/wcs/s...9731&catalogId=11803&storeId=10302&langId=129

features
http://www.ulead.com/pi/PIX3_FB.pdf

Take care,
Dwayne Oakes


----------

