# Cute and Grumpy



## Anita (Oct 29, 2007)

Hey all! I couldn't help but post this b&w pic of my cat Pepper. He is so funny looking! In b&w, you can really see how symmetrical animal's faces really are vs. human faces and the amount of texture. 

Let me know what you think! This cat loves to pose for photos; whenever he sees the camera he has to get in the shot.


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## Mathias13 (Oct 29, 2007)

looks like he has a game face on


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## Bobby Ironsights (Oct 29, 2007)

I think this is a negative with promise, but like all negs, needs the post-production in darkroom that distinguishes art from snapshot. (or file if you use digital).

Check your horizon lines, I think the level is off.

I'd dodge it some in and around the brow, nose and jowls, and under the eyes. (Or photoshop equivalent)

I'd also reduce the exposure time, as the whites look gray, not white. (Whiskers, etc.)


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## Anita (Oct 30, 2007)

Bobby, I use digital and I disagree with you on the horizon. I am always VERY conscious of my horizons and this one is not off. 

And, is your monitor calibrated? If not, then I don't think you may be seeing the whites the way they actually are.


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## Chris of Arabia (Oct 30, 2007)

Do cats have horizons?

The highlights in the eyes are pin sharp, though I think a boost in contrast would help you make more of that.


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## Anita (Oct 30, 2007)

Chris what would you recommend to boost the contrast? Keep in mind that this is an already b&w photo (I didn't convert in post). I normally never use the b&w function on the camera because it is so easy to desaturate later, but on this photo I was playing around with the b&w setting to see how well it did. 

I am pretty impressed with the b&w function on my camera. Anyway, give me some suggestions on boosting the contrast. Thanks!


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## Chris of Arabia (Oct 30, 2007)

OK, a bit of an edit, by way of an example






The first thing to look at in PS is 'Levels'. In your original, you'll see that there is actually a bit of a gap on the left where the dark tones are, and a significant gap on the right where the paler tones are. What I did was shift the slider on the left slightly right to introduce some deep shadows into the image, and move the one on the right over to where the histogram starts to rise up off the bottom. What you should now have is an image that has a fuller range of tones from black to white - that alone has increased the contrast range across the image.

All I did after that was dodge subtly across Pepper's eyes with a soft brush of around 40px size with an exposure of approx 25%, and only affecting the highlights. Working slowly 1 click at a time, I gradually brought the irises up until they were more visible. I then did much the same thing with the end of the nose.

That I think was about it.


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## Anita (Oct 30, 2007)

Thanks Chris! It is a real subtle difference, but I can tell what you're going for. Thanks for the input! Nice Job!


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## Alpha (Oct 30, 2007)

Anita said:


> Bobby, I use digital and I disagree with you on the horizon. I am always VERY conscious of my horizons and this one is not off.
> 
> And, is your monitor calibrated? If not, then I don't think you may be seeing the whites the way they actually are.



Dunno what sort of whites you wanted, but the way "they actually are" is pretty void of detail. That goes for the shadows as well. The image overall is quite flat. To say the very least, too much middle gray.


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