Comments Please
Apr 1, 2017 00:23:28 #
Still trying to learn post. Please comment.
Original crop done in Capture, finished
in PSE 15/NIK.
Original crop done in Capture, finished
in PSE 15/NIK.
Apr 1, 2017 08:18:16 #
What is it that you want to know that you probably don't already know?
Apr 1, 2017 09:14:55 #
Linary
Loc: UK
JR45 wrote:
Still trying to learn post. Please comment.
Original crop done in Capture, finished
in PSE 15/NIK.
Original crop done in Capture, finished
in PSE 15/NIK.
My comments (from a PP point of view):
The image has been severely cropped to c.600 x 400 pixels so viewing at 100% is not the best experience.
The image is dull and needs brightening up. The bird blends too well into the textured background.
You have made the final image sharper than in the first, which is a great improvement.
I took the liberty of downloading the 2nd file into Lightroom, increased exposure by 1.5 stops, increased contrast, lightened the shadows and blacks just a little, increased clarity and vibrance just a tad and painted an increased exposure just over the bird's eye.
The finished image (I believe) is so much better, the bird stands out from the background. I will post it if you give permission.
Apr 1, 2017 10:08:32 #
Apr 1, 2017 10:30:39 #
Apr 1, 2017 10:38:57 #
Apr 1, 2017 11:03:21 #
Linary
Loc: UK
JR45 wrote:
Thank you.
It really wasn't much to start with.
JR
It really wasn't much to start with.
JR
I have no idea how the photo started, but obviously the cropping and the "unsharpness" were the biggest problems. You did well to overcome those problems. Of course everything I did is also doable in PSE (open in Camera raw).
Apr 1, 2017 11:13:31 #
Apr 2, 2017 06:59:01 #
OK generally agree the bird blends with the background. That blend may be reality, but what does reality have to do with the image... we want kick.
Opened in PSPro X9. Went directly into Topaz Clarity... increased black to solidify the perch. Brightened the mid range contrast. Then down to the colors, increased the yellow saturation and then to luminosity for bit more brightness. All of that affected or effected or both! the background... to eliminate the change mask hide brush with edge-aware was used .... with that the background faded to that it was in the beginning leaving the bird bright and colorful.
And yes, the quality of the image starting was a bit blurred. There are programs that will increase the resolution. Photozoom by BenVista is an example. Affordable if you get the previous "standard" not pro.
I took the liberty of assuming the "Please do <post>." was a general opening.
Opened in PSPro X9. Went directly into Topaz Clarity... increased black to solidify the perch. Brightened the mid range contrast. Then down to the colors, increased the yellow saturation and then to luminosity for bit more brightness. All of that affected or effected or both! the background... to eliminate the change mask hide brush with edge-aware was used .... with that the background faded to that it was in the beginning leaving the bird bright and colorful.
And yes, the quality of the image starting was a bit blurred. There are programs that will increase the resolution. Photozoom by BenVista is an example. Affordable if you get the previous "standard" not pro.
I took the liberty of assuming the "Please do <post>." was a general opening.
YELLOW BIRD IN METAL TREE
Apr 2, 2017 09:03:00 #
I think this is an exercise more about shooting than developing. I went through the same thing. I used to shoot birds in the back yard. No matter how much developing I did, the results were still lousy. Out of focus, pixelated, dull colors. I went from an 18-200 to 140-400 to 50-500 and finally a 150-600 lens. The last one nailed the image quality. Developing became fast and easy and allowed me to make the shots really stand out.
The lesson learned is that you need something good to start with even if that means buying more gear. The analogy is building a house with just a saw and hammer. Imagine what it would look like if you did not use a ruler and level.
The lesson learned is that you need something good to start with even if that means buying more gear. The analogy is building a house with just a saw and hammer. Imagine what it would look like if you did not use a ruler and level.
Apr 2, 2017 12:53:48 #
I don't believe this is a gear problem, but a learning problem.
The crop is too tight, and the lighting is bad among other things.
I found that the birds don't like me standing behind the camera, therefore,
the set up is to tripod mount the camera and hide using a remote release.
It is an experiment in my trying to learn PP. I think I started in the right
direction, but didn't carry it far enough.
Attached is a JPG of the original NEF/TIFF.
My Thanks to all that helped.
JR
The crop is too tight, and the lighting is bad among other things.
I found that the birds don't like me standing behind the camera, therefore,
the set up is to tripod mount the camera and hide using a remote release.
It is an experiment in my trying to learn PP. I think I started in the right
direction, but didn't carry it far enough.
Attached is a JPG of the original NEF/TIFF.
My Thanks to all that helped.
JR
Apr 2, 2017 13:15:59 #
Linary
Loc: UK
JR45 wrote:
I don't believe this is a gear problem, but a lear... (show quote)
Now seeing the original I think you did remarkably well with the PP. Although is is very much a personal thing I would not have used a texture on this particular crop, but instead make a selection of the bird and his perch, brighten him up (especially his eye) and reduce the noise without losing too much detail. For the background I would have blurred it ever so slightly with a gaussian blur (2 or 3 pixels at most) to reduce the noise and maybe reduced the brightness just a tad.
The texture could be added to the background layer before combining with the subject.
Apr 2, 2017 16:07:24 #
The bird and the background need different treatments, so a bit of brushwork/selection is needed. The bird needed contrast as much as it did sharpening, and the sharpening that I gave it was edge-based. The background needed a lot of softening.
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Apr 2, 2017 18:22:45 #
abc1234 wrote:
I think this is an exercise more about shooting than developing. ... The lesson learned is that you need something good to start with even if that means buying more gear. ...
Certainly good equipment is important... but.... Ms Stokes does excellent work with a Canon SX50 bridge camera.
http://stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-canon-sx-60-for-bird-photography.html
Apr 7, 2017 07:15:21 #
I'm a little late to the party but wanted to give a quick fix using NIK software only. Took maybe 2 minutes to work on this. Your software is an Excellent tool and I suggest going to the nik website or Youtube and watching lots of tutorials on how to use the software. You can Selectively select areas of the photo to correct which is the correct way to apply. Don't give up on the software until you learn to use it. Once you start getting closer and better photos of the birds you will want to use this software,
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