Tears of Joy - processing suggestions for LR? This is my granddaughter right after her sister said her wedding vows last weekend. Handheld 50mm APSC. I don't do many portrait photos...

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

This is my granddaughter right after her sister said her wedding vows last weekend. Handheld 50mm APSC. I don't do many portrait photos other than candids so processing this one isn't in my bailiwick. I've included before photo and after I've done some tweaks. Not trying to make it a studio portrait, just the best with what I have. Cropping suggestions? Colors? WB? If you look at my EXIF you'll see I've already tried a lot of sliders in LR, including softening with the Texture slider.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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orrie smith Loc: Kansas

I am sorry, but as much as it is out of focus, I would leave it as is. Cropping will just magnify the focus problem.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

orrie smith wrote:

I am sorry, but as much as it is out of focus, I would leave it as is. Cropping will just magnify the focus problem.

That's the problem with doing one-off quick shots. You get what you get. Besides the focus, I was hoping to learn something about other processing steps, too. Thanks for the cropping (not) suggestion.

And why did Admin move it out of the analysis section?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The Photo Analysis section has very specific requirements, the section's FAQ for details. The processing is very pleasing in colors. But, as noted already, the soft focus is rather limiting for further updates, where this is a good result. Adobe has stripped the info on the focus mode. You might revisit your technique / AF mode / drive mode if experiencing consistent issues in achieving a sharp focus with this 50mm lens.

Many of us can provide more specific feedback on the LR processing, if desired. To my eyes on the colors of this one are well done, I don't know there is much room to be added to this nice result. You might ask the PP group admin to "pull" this into the PP section. You'll need to export an DNG of the image so we can see and update your LR parameters, add a reply, storing the DNG file as an attachment.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

CHG_CANON wrote:

The Photo Analysis section has very specific requi... (show quote)

The focus is my fault - in a hurry, on auto everything, grab-n-go. I have trouble judging design elements like colors - my monitor is newly calibrated, and match my prints. I am not color-blind, either. The skin tones looked off slightly to me, but not sure. For others' works I can tell what appeals to me but for my own I'm artistically challenged. I have a devil of a time finding clothes that match.

But thanks for the input on the colors. That helps. I didn't know there was a PP section - I'll look into it. That's actually what kind of input I was looking for.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

BlueMorel wrote:

That's the problem with doing one-off quick shots. You get what you get. Besides the focus, I was hoping to learn something about other processing steps, too. Thanks for the cropping (not) suggestion.

And why did Admin move it out of the analysis section?

I am going to assume you have Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Try the Auto button in the Develop Basic panel as a place to start lightening exposure, opening shadows and changing the tint to make for more attractive skin tones.

And, play around with higher shutter speeds and auto ISO when you're in a hurry.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

I am going to assume you have Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Try the Auto button in the Develop Basic panel as a place to start lightening exposure, opening shadows and changing the tint to make for more attractive skin tones.

And, play around with higher shutter speeds and auto ISO when you're in a hurry.

I fiddled with WB and color sliders to my heart's content. Since I was on auto the whole time I didn't pay attention to shutter speed, which was 1/60 sec. at ISO200 f 2.2 for this one. For static subjects I plan ahead most often with better focus results. The skin tones in this one look to me to have just a hint of green in the chin area that I was trying to get rid of without adding ruddiness. She has hints of my Mom's olive French skin instead of my pale white Scot skin from my Dad's side.

So I'm not destined to be a portraitist. Wondering out loud if there aren't some free tutorials on skin tones online.

Dan Thornton Loc: Corpus Christi, Texas

sometimes you can salvage out of focus images by converting them to paintings. In your photo, I first processed the image as a portrait using portrait pro. I then converted the image to a line drawing using an action. Next I overlayed the portrait with the line drawing layer as soft light and adjusted the opacity. Finally, I flattened the image and converted it to a painting using topaz impression. I hope you find this helpful.

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cullumjt Loc: Central Florida

I would try the soften skin brushes...there are two. Use the one that doesn’t say "light" but back the clarity slider away from 100... try 75, then 50... it's worth a try...I used this on a bunch of wedding shots recently and it helped soften the shadows in outdoor shots where the fill flash left shadows, and it softened the creases and imperfections. You can toggle the O key to turn on and off the overlay to see where your brush has affected the image, and the [ ] keys to adjust the size of the brush. The erase choice at the bottom of the brush window let’s you clean up areas where your brush got into places you didn’t want it.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I much prefer the original--the first one--to anything that anyone has done to alter it. It’s a nice candid just the way it is.

Robertven Loc: Fort Worth

jaymatt wrote:

I much prefer the original--the first one--to anything that anyone has done to alter it. It’s a nice candid just the way it is.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

orrie smith wrote:

I am sorry, but as much as it is out of focus, I would leave it as is. Cropping will just magnify the focus problem.

I agree, and the texture slider is not as much for softening, but it affects noise!

K7DJJ Loc: Spring Hill, FL

The camera shake filter in PS sharpens it some.

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K7DJJ Loc: Spring Hill, FL

K7DJJ wrote:

The camera shake filter in PS sharpens it some.

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BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

Thanks! I just got a new computer and 27" monitor and am working on getting it set up to my liking. My first project is to process this set of photos the best I can to make a photo book for my granddaughter's wedding, and, flawed though it may be, I love this shot.

The camera shake processing looks more gentle than some of the sharpening processes. It kept the overall feel I want. I will try it out myself and add it to my repertoire.