i ♥ faces: constructive feedback
Here’s my entry for Constructive Feedback (it’s the edited version). My editing program is Photoshop Elements 7.
It’s a picture I took of my brother, Seth, this past summer.
Photo Info:
Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/7.10
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 55 mm
My problems with this photo:
How do I make the photo “pop” more, does the photo need to be brighter?
I wish I could make his skin was more creamy, it seems like the skin color is too warm.
Here’s the original photo SOOC. 
Thanks so much for your feedback!
For more Constructive Feedback photos click on the image above.
Thanks so much for all the input! Here’s what I came up with after reading your suggestions!
12 comments:
His eyes are amazing!
You can correct a lot of that "warmth" that you do not like simply by correcting your white balance. Now I'm not sure about elements, but in Lightroom and Phototshop, you can click on the eye dropper tool and then click on a neutral (usually white or gray area) of the the photo and it will correct it for you. If all else fails, click on auto white balance and then tweak it with your sliders.
There are also a lot of great actions on the web that you can download and install into your photo editing software that will help correct almost any issue. One that I use a lot is from Nichole Van. Here is a link to her site where you can purchase actions and such, but let me HIGHLY suggest her photofix action. It contains a set of actions that will fix almost ANY problem a photo could have... including skin smoothing, exposure adjustment, eye pop, white balance... etc. She also has a free wb action you can download which will remove orange from your photo, which helps correct a lot of skin issues as far as warmth. Check it out. http://shop.nicholev.com/?splash
I don't know much about what elements is capable of, so instead I'm going to suggest changing some of your settings. For a close-up of this type first off I'd make sure your shutter is atleast at 1/200. The fstop is too deep at f/7 for a close-up so I'd bring it down to atleast a 2.0 or close to that according to your lens. Then you don't have to have your ISO set so high and can avoid the grain, or add it back later at your leisure. When you change this it will bring the shadows down around him and the photo will pop easier for you. Hope that helps!!! :)
I am working with your photo right now (love it!) but wish that I had a larger size of the original photo to work with. Would it be possible for you to upload it to flickr (or another online photo site) and then share the link to the high-res file with us? That would be so helpful. :)
~Angie
co-founder of I ♥ Faces
I couldn't resist and ended up playing around with your low-res SOOC shot. :)
You received awesome info on how you could have improved your photo before you even took it, so I'm going to focus on how I edited it to brighten it, etc.
The photo did seem very dark to me so I opened it up in Camera RAW (even a jpg can be opened in Camera RAW in PS and PSE.) I overexposed the image quite a bit to brighten it up and then worked with the White Balance to take out some of the yellow as well.
If you are interested in making skin smoother, I would highly recommend Noiseware from http://www.imagenomic.com/. I have heard that they have a free download you can use. I run this program over almost every single photo I take and it reduces noise instantly. They also have a Portraiture plug-in that is amazing for problem skin.
After that I just used Pioneer Woman's free actions to boost the color (Boost and Fresh & Colorful actions.) I also used her eye action to brighten the eyes a bit. I sent to Image - Adjustments - Hue/Saturation to specifically tone down the yellows and reds in his skin.
Then I went to town with the healing brush tool. I've done a lot of sessions with high school students and all of them have been concerned with how their skin looks, so I always try to remove any blemish I can find for them. Of course, if he let me know that he wanted his skin to be left the way it is...I would definitely honor his wishes. All of the students I've worked with though have specifically asked me to make their skin look as good as I can make it.
All that said...here is my 5 minute edit using your low-res image. I have to say - he's a cutie and his eyes are gorgeous!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thearthurclan/4195315116/
Thank you so much for letting us play with your photo today!
~Angie
co-founder of I ♥ Faces
Thanks so much for the input!I really appreciate it:)!
Here's the link for this photo on flickr:http://www.flickr.com/photos/45409013@N07/4194575225/
I love this shot.. and mpost of what I would do, commenters ahve already done.. His eyes jsut fascinate me. I would be boost the color in those babies>>>>
I had a little go at an edit for you - I'm no expert but I hope you like it :D
http://frog-photoblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/ccf-seth.html
It was a beautiful portrait to work with :D
Uh, dang! Is is bad for me as a 36 year old to keep looking at your brothers eyes?!?! wow. to be a teen again.
Okay. I love this picture and I really didn't do much to it. I did clean the face up just a bit using Photoshop CS4's spot healing brush. But not too much. I don't think his face needs to be silky smooth. Have I mentioned his eyes?
I love black and white so I did my edit in that. I had a color but like I said, black and white is my thing. I used Pioneer Woman's free B&W Beauty and then adjusted from there. I put a lens correction to blacken the edges a bit to focus on the...EYES!
Speaking of your brothers goegeous eyes...I used the dodge and burn tool to pop them a bit.
You can take a gander and see if you likey...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45689177@N05/4194865427/
I played with it a little bit. I hope you like it!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2wNJP_MaPTAxSVka1Gua7w?feat=directlink
(And I hope this link works!)
I couldn't resist playing with this photo. His eyes are just killer and he reminded me of my brother. I posted my edited photo on my flickr along with a list of my edits - which weren't much because it's all ready a great shot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaebugphotography/4194957969/
Your "after" edit turned out wonderful!
I'm stopping by here because I wanted to ask if you could send me an email at iheartfaces (at) hotmail (dot) com. I'd like to ask you a quick question. :)
~Angie
co-founder of I ♥ Faces
I'd fix your photo by getting it right in the camera so you do minimal post processing in software. I much prefer your SOOCS to the edited one - he doesn't look "real" anymore. Good luck!
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