smilex3md

I use Paint Shop Pro X4 and I believe it i son sale now for about $40. Maybe someone can make a donation to the shelter of a <$100 photo editing software.

I spent about 5 minutes with your picture. Steps were:

1. object extractor
2. insert new layer and color blue (behind the dog!)
3. use erase to touch up areas around the dog.
4. use the soften brush to smooth out the edges of the dog.

Assuming 100 pictures a week and spending 5-10 minutes of processing, that is between 8-16 hours a week.

JOHN438 Loc: West central Florida

Great suggestions!!!! I will give them all a try. My ultimate goal is to get this streamlined and then share the knowledge with other shelters. I want even the rawest novice to be able to take, and EDIT good animal pictures so all the websites will look better, and hopefully that will lead to more adoptions.

Christy Loc: St. Peters, MO

I did a little investigating and one of the Cons was that this program didn't support layering.

RaydancePhoto

This can be done very easily in Gimp, in less than 5 min. It is just a matter of learning the tools and downloading the right plugins. View some tutorials on the web, and youtube. Gimp is a great program, I have the latest Photoshop but use Gimp more than PS. Once you learn it, it is a great program. Some on UHH trash Gimp, most likely because it's free, I am sure they have never tried it. It has 98% of the functionality of PS and the developers are constantly updating and adding new features.

BUT FIRST. Get yourself a different background to shoot against. There is no reason you have to do all the PP to begin with. A plain white or tan sheet would work well. Put the dog farther in front of the background and that will make it easier for you.

Grumps'09 Loc: Midlothian, VA

John438: I would agree with other posters; shoot against a light background for darker animals and the opposite for lighter critters. I use a canvas painter's drop cloth from any home improvement store for light and neutral backgrounds and a navy blue sheet I picked up at Goodwill for dark ones. Photoshop elements is probably the least expensive and easiest to use program to select a subject and add it to another background.
Good Luck, I really support any efforts to get abandoned critters into good homes!

DaveJS Loc: Philadelphia, PA area

You could even shoot with a green screen/blue screen background if you really want to have no background. Though some of the best shelter shots I've seen are taken in the backyard. More of a natural environment, plus you'll get to use natural light. Give then a chew toy as a prop and it'll look like they are even smiling a bit.

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

I agree with the Captain, Photoshop elements.
If you have a Canon, the DPP program would be useful. Has very basic features. I use it all the time for my newspaper submissions which very limited editing. I use Photoshop for my own work but don't use most of the features. Elements is economical and very good.

Scoutman Loc: Orlando, FL

They all seem important to the poster. Incidentally, the dog with the blue background - posted by s.o. trying to be helpful - looks like it's floating on air.

Here are the Forum Rules for topic headings:

"Try to use descriptive titles when creating new topics. Instead of something like "Please Help", write a title that briefly states the nature of your post. That way, people who know the answer or are interested in that particular topic would be more likely to click on it to read it and post replies."

smilex3md

I thought so as well. The picture could be called "Dog in Air"! But, it was a rough out and simply done to see how long and well the task could be done in Paint Shop Pro X4, which (due to cost and features) is my software of choice.

Clearly more time and effort can be put in to these pictures, but the penalty is additional time. I read the 100 pictures a week and thought to myself, that may take some time.

Phreedom Loc: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

I like to keep things simple, too.
Why all this PP? You are cataloguing for the animal shelter, not creating photo art.
A plain background (I like the warm tone of a painters drop sheet), adjust your colour balance, shoot from animal's level as close as practical, drop the leash to floor level so it doesn't distract, maybe a chew toy, fill flash, crop as necessary and viola.

smilex3md

I agree that with some planning and minimal setup (pre-processing) the amount of time on post-processing can be dramatically decreased, and the final photos could be great.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Have to agree again.

A good program is something that will crop and adjust color balance, brightness and contrast. That's all you really need in MHO.

I think your post processing is a total waste of time and effort, although your intentions and heart are in the right place.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Change your white balance as suggested in your other post.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-51042-1.html

Wahawk Loc: NE IA

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

As for the backdrop, either use an outdoor setting, or have a couple of options as mentioned. Dark or medium for light colored animals and light color background for darker animals. Could also get carpet remnants to create a setting for the photos.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

CaptainC's suggestion for a background is probably a good starting point. You don't indicate what kind of camera you are using, or what settings. In this shot, you have two major problems, aside from the choice of background. You do not have a lot of dog, but you do have a lot of background. You should get a lot closer so you don't have to crop out so much. And you have a white balance problem. I downloaded the copy you posted (you should check the box to upload the original if you are looking for any serious help), and tried two tools, the Auto white balance correction (not thrilled with the result) and the Levels tool, where just checking the Auto button made a great deal of improvement. If your camera allows you to alter the white balance, you could have achieved a much better result, e.g., selected Tungsten lighting, and if it lets you set a custom white balance, better still. Check out MWAC's recent lesson on white balance ( http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-45521-1.html ).

A better backdrop, filling the frame and proper white balance will get you close to what you want, and Gimp or something like Photoshop Elements will take you the rest of the way. Let us know what your equipment is, and you'll probably get some additional suggestions. For sure, you'll get lots of recommendations on what to replace your camera with. ;)