# Before and After! How did I do?



## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

Here's the before and after! In my opinion they're both great, I believe the only thing that's better of the right is the clarity. What do you think?
(Make sure to view the full sizes! For some reason it looks different before you click it?)


Full Sizes http://www.flickr.com/photos/90577806@N03/


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## Majeed Badizadegan (Nov 28, 2012)

That picture stayed in the oven too long.


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## Derrel (Nov 28, 2012)

She looks another 10 years older in the second shot. Well, maybe that's not a good analogy, since at her age she MIGHT, might mind you, wish to appear older. I'd say the second image adds another 100,000 miles to her...


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## thetrue (Nov 28, 2012)

The second looks creepy, I call retry!


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

thetrue said:


> The second looks creepy, I call retry!


You're right for some reason the way the photo is compressed on here it makes it look completely different than when you click it. Try that maybe? After finishing it in photoshop it did not come off that way ahaha


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## Majeed Badizadegan (Nov 28, 2012)

The first thing I thought was that the processing was bordering on making her look like a zombie, I thought that was a bit too harsh.


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## paigew (Nov 28, 2012)

Holy skintones! Did you mess with the color saturation (orange/red)?


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

Rotanimod said:


> The first thing I thought was that the processing was bordering on making her look like a zombie, I thought that was a bit too harsh.


go to the full quality image link let me know if thats any different for some reaason im getting a weird color compression here too which does make her look like a zombie


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## thetrue (Nov 28, 2012)

There it looks under saturated.......maybe a monitor calibration is in order?


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## Brandon Hill (Nov 28, 2012)

True, the browser/site is compressing it a little to make the blacks look even blacker in the thunbnail, but in the full version she's still somewhat overcooked.  My brain immediately saw zombie at first because of the new hard edges, bright light eyes, desaturated skin, and overall HDR.  Somewhere in the middle is where you want to be.  

Have you tried making an edited layer above the original layer, then using the erase tool so the entire photo isn't being effected so dramatcially?  it gives you much more artistic control and it won't flatten the overall image out and make it look like a painting. 

The yellow tone change is cool, I like that color grade direction.


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## Brandon Hill (Nov 28, 2012)

Speaking of zombies, dang Walking Dead is amazing this year.  rabbit trail...


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## The_Traveler (Nov 28, 2012)

Nope, it looks just as bad in the full-size, just spread out over more space.
There is too much cyan and too much blue in the mid and highlights in the originals and you ahven't color corrected it well.
There is also too much dead on flash.

Since the OP hasn't been back I'm going to edit this.
The OP isn't looking at the image and seeing what is wrong in very specific terms.
Flat lighting caused by a flash can't be cured by this kind of contrast enhancement.
The color is way off of normal healthy skin and the first rule is to try and correct the color.
I have posted links to two successive edits below to show how I would have changed the color.


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## MK3Brent (Nov 28, 2012)

Crunchy!


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## The_Traveler (Nov 28, 2012)

beforecorrected.jpg photo by llorton | Photobucket


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## EJRPhotos (Nov 28, 2012)

there is just something about it that is just not appealing to me. I cant put my finger on it though. keep up the practice


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## 12sndsgood (Nov 28, 2012)

From what Im seeing I would have guessed that you just took the clarity and boosted it up as far as it would go. works on cars, but not on people.


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## DylanColon (Nov 28, 2012)

The problem is that the skin is over baked. Basically you applied the luma adjustments on a global scale. Don't do this, paint a mask in around the face to apply these adjustments. Before you apply ANY type of contrast adjustment on the skin, you have to soften it. 

Here's a great skin softening method, works beautifully and really keeps the skin details.

Duplicate the background layer.

Invert it (CTRL+I), set the blending mode to Overlay.

Go to Filter->Other->High Pass

Set it to a level that makes the skin look overly blurred, but you should still be able to see the most defined edges in the image.

Then go to Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur. Adjust it until the skin looks just right. The higher the amount of blurring, the sharper the skin will get.

Add a black mask onto the skin softening layer. Hold down the Alt key while clicking the mask button to do this.

Paint in with white over the skin to soften it. Adjust the opacity of the layer until it looks perfect.


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## The_Traveler (Nov 28, 2012)

Lowered cyan and blue and raised temp a bit.

beforeafterredder.jpg photo by llorton | Photobucket

re the comment about skin softening.
I don't see the skin as being too sharp and blemished and needing softening.
The model is a knockout with normal healthy skin.
The problem as I see it is that the skin is the wrong color and it looks like dead on flash has blown out all the skin texture and put that very typical shadow under her chin.


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## KmH (Nov 28, 2012)

Looks a bit to heavy handed on the Clarity (mid-tone contrast) NickLane.


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> beforecorrected.jpg photo by llorton | Photobucket


Dang I have to admit that edit is far more correct then mine, good job! thanks for all the input, I've been back and forth between my classes at UNF. That's why I've been a little delayed.


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

12sndsgood said:


> From what Im seeing I would have guessed that you just took the clarity and boosted it up as far as it would go. works on cars, but not on people.


Pretty close, I did boost the clarity but I mainly corrected the contrast in curves! I was definitely trying to see how clear I could make the photo though.


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

DylanColon said:


> The problem is that the skin is over baked. Basically you applied the luma adjustments on a global scale. Don't do this, paint a mask in around the face to apply these adjustments. Before you apply ANY type of contrast adjustment on the skin, you have to soften it.
> 
> Here's a great skin softening method, works beautifully and really keeps the skin details.
> 
> ...



Definitely going to experiment with this! Thanks for that contribution!


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## Derrel (Nov 28, 2012)

Brandon Hill said:
			
		

> >SNIP>>My brain immediately saw zombie at first because of the new hard edges, bright light eyes, desaturated skin, and overall HDR.>SNIP>
> The yellow tone change is cool, I like that color grade direction.



All kidding around aside, I was thinking that since zombies and all things zombie are so,so popular this year, if maybe we could attempt to quantify/describe what exactly it is that gives the zombie-like feel to the second shot of this lovely young woman... I mean, even though there's no peeling flesh or bruises or blood,etc,like we see in so many zombie cosplay pics, the first thought I had was "zombie chick!"...

Thoughts?


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## The_Traveler (Nov 28, 2012)

NickLane said:


> The_Traveler said:
> 
> 
> > beforecorrected.jpg photo by llorton | Photobucket
> ...



Look at the link in comment #18.
I like that more than the first one.


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> NickLane said:
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> 
> > The_Traveler said:
> ...



Both are Phenomenal! would just like to see the clarity higher in that one, not saying that should be done just my preference. I guess that I just love seeing extremely sharp photos.


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## NickLane (Nov 28, 2012)

Above all I was mainly going for this kind of clarity [video=vimeo;24025791]https://vimeo.com/24025791[/video]


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## The_Traveler (Nov 28, 2012)

Rather than just leaning on the clarity slider,                   if you have PS, try different setting on an USM. 
Radii of 5 and 15  and amount of 12 to 15 produce some very nice local contrast enhancements in faces.


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## amolitor (Nov 28, 2012)

Derrel said:


> Brandon Hill said:
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> 
> 
> ...



I think it's the apparent mottled skin, and maybe bad color in the skin as well, caused by overcooking the freckles, together with the insane intense stare and smile - the teeth! the teeth!

It's the skin that moves it from "crazy stare/smile girl" to zombie. I think.


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## Brandon Hill (Nov 30, 2012)

If you want your portraits to have high impact, I'd suggest diversifying your inspiration from people like portraitist, Yousuf Karsh.  He did it completely with light and shadow and no post-processing.  Seeing work like this always takes me out of my post-production habits and back to the real world.  It's an easy thing to fall into.

Check out the awesome at this link:

Yousuf Karsh Portraits


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## TamiAz (Nov 30, 2012)

Brandon Hill said:


> If you want your portraits to have high impact, I'd suggest diversifying your inspiration from people like portraitist, Yousuf Karsh.  He did it completely with light and shadow and no post-processing.  Seeing work like this always takes me out of my post-production habits and back to the real world.  It's an easy thing to fall into.
> 
> Check out the awesome at this link:
> 
> Yousuf Karsh Portraits



Wow..His work is amazing!!


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## EJRPhotos (Nov 30, 2012)

Yousuf Karsh That is one heck of a photographer. IMO. Those are some big name people on that link and all the pics are extremely well done. the shot of Jacques Cousteau is one style that i am looking to learn how to acomplish esp.​


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## runnah (Nov 30, 2012)

OP she looks like an extra from the Walking Dead!


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## EJRPhotos (Nov 30, 2012)

runnah said:


> OP she looks like an extra from the Walking Dead!



Now that is a good show. wish i was all cought up. i have just ended 2nd season


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## STIC (Dec 11, 2012)

...


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## Brandon Hill (Dec 13, 2012)

TamiAz said:


> Brandon Hill said:
> 
> 
> > If you want your portraits to have high impact, I'd suggest diversifying your inspiration from people like portraitist, Yousuf Karsh.  He did it completely with light and shadow and no post-processing.  Seeing work like this always takes me out of my post-production habits and back to the real world.  It's an easy thing to fall into.
> ...



Yeah, seriously good. For as much as we have online and forum photographer heroes on flickr, 500px, and the likes, we should be equally always be looking at the masters. It's the only way we'll meet our potential as creators.


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## Briman (Dec 17, 2012)

I found that doing it may have been easier than explaining it. I use lightroom and really contolled the color balancing.


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## PinkDoor (Dec 17, 2012)

NickLane - are you allowing us to edit your photos? I see some others have but you have "NOT okay to edit" on your info.  I would love to give you my take on it - if you will allow


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