I was thinking about replies from those with practical experience - the software applications, perhaps some 'how to', etc.

Many applications are 'complicated' and the sequence of which tools to use first - etc. - last can affect the results obtained. Little tips and tricks here could provide great help for many of us.

Maybe some guidelines for users to be more specific in their 'titles' and opening questions - tell all of us what you have (hw/sw), what kind of pictures you work on, specific problems troubling you and what you are trying to achieve.

It seems that most postings seem to lack specifics about the photographer/subject/etc. and what they are trying to accomplish. A pointed question with good background info would help get to a useful answer for the OP as well as all of us who read it.

It adds a bit of levity. I don't see anything snarky about it.

Too many people on UHH and about the world look for negatives where none exist. It is a sorry mind set and we can see the results on the evening news seven days a week. Try on one of these:



Maybe Mr. Meltz could change his picture to one of him smiling. He doesn't look very friendly, does he?

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If you do find software that automatically removes blemishes my prediction is that it would be a liability. Things like blemishes need to be assessed individually and dealt with accordingly. I would advise against total removal of blemishes unless specifically requested to do so since it could cause offense.

My advice would be to have a look at presets, filters, automatic adjustments etc and try to work out what they're doing, then learn how to replicate the effects manually. No matter how clever the programming, there will be times when automatic adjustments will not be appropriate. The trouble is, if you become dependent on automatic adjustments your own learning process will stagnate. On the other hand if you learn how to do things yourself you'll be able to optimise every portrait that you work on.

My understanding is that Lr is geared up for giving professionals what they need and a large part of that is adjustments for portraits. I believe that was the inspiration behind the Vibrance tool and the Healing tool. So if you already have Lr you're off to a good start and you have a good learning tool to work with.

While there was a good discussion on seeing more through photography, it also can reveal too much. I recently took an informal photo of my cousin while we were working outside and noticed some blemishes I hadn’t seen before.

We have a responsibility to use our skills to do simple retouching before sending out the photo as it could end up anywhere on the internet as they may share it.

A simple technique in Photoshop is to set the paintbrush to about 20% hardness for soft feathering, opacity to around 10% and apply to the the blemish until it’s blotted out just enough. The color is picked from an area near the blemish with the desired color and shading.

This is also great for blotting out shiny areas.

I asked this section t be created in order to offer a comprehensive and definitive answers to commonly asked questions that relate to troubleshooting software used by photographers as well as those related to computer issues while working with said software...

I would really appreciate if some folks would volunteer to help as moderators (2) and with their expertise as many as needed.

To learn more you may want to check it out, I have created a skeleton of the section and most original topics are open for comments as I wish to get your input in order to do it right.