Cropping Question (Page 4): Been tied up with T-day activities. Thanks to all for the various suggestions. I have removed the "triangle" (the side of the stairs.) Suggestions to open...

davefales Loc: Virginia

Been tied up with T-day activities. Thanks to all for the various suggestions. I have removed the "triangle" (the side of the stairs.) Suggestions to open up the right space seem to me to de-emphasize the focal points (in my mind.) In other words you see a different story than I am trying to tell. Ahh, art!

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

davefales wrote:

I offer this composition for comments. There are so many variables to the best way to crop this one (Rule of Thirds, Rule of Space, general impact at first view).

This is No. 4 grandson. I used Topaz Simplify lightly.

What do you think about the cropping? I have a fair amount of image space outside of the crop. Thanks in advance.

You've apparently already cropped it because you have an almost square photo. Post the version of this where all the rest of the photo is available for us to make our cropping comments from.

Secondly the child's skin color isn't right and is unnatural. He's WAY too orange/red even for having cold skin outdoors.

Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE

[quote=davefales]I darkened the skin and took out the triagle in the corner. Love you portrait. David

davefales Loc: Virginia

marcomarks wrote:

Secondly the child's skin color isn't right and is unnatural. He's WAY too orange/red even for having cold skin outdoors.

Thanks for your comments, marco. The skin coloration is a result of Topaz Buz Sim on a separate layer with about 10% opacity. It was intentional because I was seeking a touch of art vs. realism.

Regarding the square crop. I find lots of 2:3 crops include unnecessary info regarding the story I'm trying to tell. I use square a lot. It works well on tablets.

davefales Loc: Virginia

[quote=Meives]

davefales wrote:

I darkened the skin and took out the triagle in the corner. Love you portrait. David

Thanks for your kind comment, Mieves. I have reworked my original so it's close to what you did.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

davefales wrote:

Thanks for your comments, marco. The skin coloration is a result of Topaz Buz Sim on a separate layer with about 10% opacity. It was intentional because I was seeking a touch of art vs. realism.

Regarding the square crop. I find lots of 2:3 crops include unnecessary info regarding the story I'm trying to tell. I use square a lot. It works well on tablets.

Oh I see on the skin color. I thought it was your monitor uncalibrated.

While it's true that 2:3 crops include more than you may want, square prints aren't common, you'll have blank on each end of the print, and framing them becomes hell too. That's one advantage of only showing your photos online. You can make them any shape you want with no print/frame issues!

My camera shoots in 2:3 so I leave the files un-cropped until I determine what I'm going to do with them. Then I can just reduce resolution for a 4X6, or crop at 4:5 for an 8X10, etc. I like to stick with industry standard paper sizes so they fit industry standard mattes in industry standard frames with no hassles.

Nice shot by the way!

jsharp Loc: Ballwin MO.

[quote=Meives]

davefales wrote:

I darkened the skin and took out the triagle in the corner. Love you portrait. David

:thumbup: :thumbup:

jsharp Loc: Ballwin MO.

[quote=Meives]

davefales wrote:

I darkened the skin and took out the triagle in the corner. Love you portrait. David

:thumbup: :thumbup:

usaellie101 Loc: Spring Hill, Florida

CO wrote:

If the original image has more space on the right I would include that. It would be good to have more space in the direction that he is looking. I think your vantage point is too high. It would have been good to squat or kneel down to get the camera closer to his height.

I agree. Next time try to get further down to the child's eye level and do leave more "looking into space ....

usaellie101 Loc: Spring Hill, Florida

Sorry but I do not like that "Trick" of making someone else's photo disappear ... that is not good photographic practice in my book
It makes me very uncomfortable.

Howard5252 wrote:

Here's the DEMO. It is purely to show possibilities. I did it in about 20 minutes and it is not nearly well done as I normally work BUT it demonstrates what I wrote earlier. Try cloning to get the same effect. Again, this is purely a QUICK demo of the method MS and I were trying to show you.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

marcomarks wrote:

br While it's true that 2:3 crops include more th... (show quote)

Many serious photographers do their own matting be it square or 40X1. My point, while non-standards sizes can be awkward, you don't want to diminish the ideal dimension of your photo, even square, because they are not standard.

As for cropping with a 3:2 one has to quite aware of what cropping can do to an arbitrary shot. I recently got an outstanding photo of a local Reservoir after the first snow. I shot the picture such that any cropping turned the shot into yawner. So yes, in the past, I could crop to say 8X10 and losing 2 inches didn't make much of a difference. In this last case I had to print 8x12 which in not that odd when it comes to printing and mattes. In this case I was physically contained so my movement or zooming was not in the cards.

Anyway, I'll try not to get myself into this situation again if possible, but sometimes you must.

Bunkershot Loc: Central Florida

Content Aware should remove it easily and because there are only rocks adjacent to it, PS should put rocks in the triangle. Good suggestion. By the way I have PS Elements 12 and content aware is in that version. Really slick!

davidheald1942 Loc: Mars (the planet)

It's all good

davefales wrote:

I offer this composition for comments. There are so many variables to the best way to crop this one (Rule of Thirds, Rule of Space, general impact at first view).

This is No. 4 grandson. I used Topaz Simplify lightly.

What do you think about the cropping? I have a fair amount of image space outside of the crop. Thanks in advance.

:thumbup: :thumbup:

davefales Loc: Virginia

davidheald1942 wrote:

It's all good

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Thank you.

WmLeeGriffin Loc: PA

I recall a class I took and they really stressed the rule of thirds and the rule of space. They also stressed the artistic expression and how that catches the viewer. So, express away simply keep the "rules" as ideas. My biggest fear is titling this grandchild as #4. My grandkids always ask who's #1 or my favorite. I tell them they are all my #1, favorite!! :)