XP: Photogs come in please...

Fordlor

So I have a Canon Powershot SX110IS.  I've been trying to play around with the Manual settings more often.  But I feel like my pictures still aren't coming out the way I want them.  Here are some I took today.  Tell me what you think and what can I do to make them "pop" more.  I have not done anything to them to edit them (read- picnik).  Also, I know there is a lot of "stuff" in the background but we were in the middle of a "concert in the park" at our town's mainstreet park so I couldn't get just pictures of DD.  Help!  Should I just buy a DSLR?  DD is constantly moving so it's hard to get good shots of her. 

 

Skipperg82

I am not a photographer, but a lot of my shots look like that coming straight out of the camera, and I have a DSLR....post editing is your friend!  You can take a bla kind of shot and turn it into something amazing.  If you want, I can show you my cupcake smash pics before and after editing and no one believes me when I say I took the "after" pics!

I have learned a lot with online tutorials for photoshop elements...ilovephotography.com is really helpful, there is also a digital photography school with tons of tutorials that can really help a photo pop!

I think the pics are really cute.  I love my DSLR and it has motivated me to really learn more about photography, but I don't think it's aboslutely necessary to get great pics.  You can do a lot with a point and shoot.  Just my 2 cents...

Fordlor

Skipperg82:

 If you want, I can show you my cupcake smash pics before and after editing and no one believes me when I say I took the "after" pics!

I would love to see them.  Also, if you could kinda give me a run down on what you did (editing technique) to make them pop.  Thanks so much!

eris1995

Fordlor:

Skipperg82:

 If you want, I can show you my cupcake smash pics before and after editing and no one believes me when I say I took the "after" pics!

I would love to see them.  Also, if you could kinda give me a run down on what you did (editing technique) to make them pop.  Thanks so much!

I would love to see them too.  I've been using photoshop elements, but still have a lot to learn.

Skipperg82

Ok just 'cause I want to AW my cupcake photos here they are:

Before:

After:

I use photoshop elements because I'm not fancy enough to have the full photoshop but I think they came out cute! 

J+O

Skipperg82:

Ok just 'cause I want to AW my cupcake photos here they are:

Before:

After:

I use photoshop elements because I'm not fancy enough to have the full photoshop but I think they came out cute!?

LOL... omg I'm a photographer and I'm looking at that blue photo thinking WTF that is beyond repair! LOL... how in the world you got it to look soooo good is beyond me. ?I use photoshop CS2, but dang! WTF! LOL

Like what did you do? ?Did you just mess around with tent, contrast, lighting... did you do selective? Actions? WTF I wouldn't know where to start. ?Can you tell I'm in shock? ?

eris1995

J+O:

Skipperg82:

Ok just 'cause I want to AW my cupcake photos here they are:

Before:

After:

I use photoshop elements because I'm not fancy enough to have the full photoshop but I think they came out cute! 

LOL... omg I'm a photographer and I'm looking at that blue photo thinking WTF that is beyond repair! LOL... how in the world you got it to look soooo good is beyond me.  I use photoshop CS2, but dang! WTF! LOL

Like what did you do?  Did you just mess around with tent, contrast, lighting... did you do selective? Actions? WTF I wouldn't know where to start.  Can you tell I'm in shock?  

I'm not sure if this is what she would do - but I would go to adjust color and remove color cast to correct the blue photo.

Skipperg82

Oh yay!  There weren't any responses before I put the pics up...

1) I always crop first, I follow a lot of the tutorials that say to work big, then work small, so I do adjustments to the whole photograph before zooming in and working in smaller areas.

2) After getting a good crop, I use auto levels.  This photo came out so blue so it really needed a color balance!  If I don't like how it turns out, I will go into levels (under layers>>new adjustment layer) and use the eyedropper to select either a black or white portion (depending on the photograph and how easy it is to detect the blackest black, or whitest white).  I am very trial/error so I click around until I find a good balance.

3) I usually always go in and adjust color curves for skin tone (Enhance>>Adjust color>>adjust color for skin tone), I use the eyedropper to select an area of skin, and adjust just by eyeballing how warm or cool I want the skin to feel.  (I usually always like the look of warmer skin tone).  If the skin looks good, but the rest of the photograph looks red or yellow, you can use another adjustment layer to correct the hue and that usually helps.

4) For this particular photograph, I decided to use the sponge tool and saturate the blues of the frosting to make it pop a little.  I also used the eye-pop tutorial on Mrs.JeffsWife blog: https://www.becoming-mom.net/photoshop-tutorials/photoshop-tutorial-eye-pop-technique/

5) I wanted the background to be white, so I added a new layer that was completely white (Layer>>New Fill Layer>>Solid Color and selected white), then I erased back the portions that overlayed DS and the cupcake and some of the wrinkles on the sheet he was sitting on.  I think I ended up adjusting the transparency of the layer down to about 75% after erasing so that you could see some of the details of the white sheet, I didn't want it to look too artificial. 

6) After this, I usually zoom in and use the spot healing brush tool to conceal any flaws, but I don't go overboard, I like it to look more natural than not.

Ok so hopefully this helps, it's a lot of info and I know it's really difficult to read it and go back and forth...I learned pretty much everything just by reading online blogs like the one linked above, and stuff on https://pioneerwoman.com.  I find it's a lot easier to follow when they have step-by-step instructions and pictures!!  HTH! 

Skipperg82

J+O:

Skipperg82:

Ok just 'cause I want to AW my cupcake photos here they are:

Before:

After:

I use photoshop elements because I'm not fancy enough to have the full photoshop but I think they came out cute! 

LOL... omg I'm a photographer and I'm looking at that blue photo thinking WTF that is beyond repair! LOL... how in the world you got it to look soooo good is beyond me.  I use photoshop CS2, but dang! WTF! LOL

Like what did you do?  Did you just mess around with tent, contrast, lighting... did you do selective? Actions? WTF I wouldn't know where to start.  Can you tell I'm in shock?  

Oh yay!! You just made my day...I just did pretty much exactly what I typed above.  I think my first mistake was waiting too late in the day and the light was NOT good, plus I shot in the shade.  I didn't use anything except a white sheet propped up over our porch, my DH helping me to keep DS still and the cupcake!   It was taken without flash because I only have the flash on my camera and I don't like how the pics come out so flat looking when I use it.  I would love to get more equipment but for now I just have my D60.

Thanks J+O!!  You really made me happy.... 

Fordlor

Thank you so much skipperg82.  I really appreciate all this information.  And thanks for the blog recommendation.  I've already saved it to my favorites.