|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 5 |
Apr 22 |
Comment |
Hi, All:
Seems to me that y'all might just be overthinking this a bit. Just select the corneas, put them on layers, fill the eye sockets with white, and move the eyes to look anywhere you want...maybe a tiny bit of cloning where they meet the lids.
Cheers, all.
|
Apr 13th |
 |
| 5 |
Apr 22 |
Comment |
Sophia, Sharpen AI has masking built in. Clicking the little mask button at the bottom brings up a dialogue with controls and the brush, with which you paint over the desired area. You can see the semi-transparent overlay here in red. |
Apr 13th |
 |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 5
|
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thank you, Kathy, |
Apr 17th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thank you very much, Sheila! There's just something about this one that I like... |
Apr 16th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thank you, Deb. |
Apr 7th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thank you, Deborah. I work constantly on color correction and grading techniques. Some turn out better than others. |
Apr 7th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thank you, Wanda. It was either brace the camera, or raise the ISO, and the old D2X is not a good low light camera, so I tried to keep the ISO down. Even with the relatively long exposure, the noise was minimal. |
Apr 7th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thank you, that explains it very well.
CR-Camera Raw! Duh. I use it on every image, and that still went right over my head.
I use very few plugins, so I am not overly familiar with them. I do have Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI which I use very sparingly, but can work well depending on the image. Much of the time they leave unwanted artifacts. I never heard of Details. I prefer sharpening with a high pass filter, after which I can use a mask to limit the effect to just those areas that need it. I don't like the masking in Topaz, but maybe I just haven't mastered it.
Thanks for replying. |
Apr 6th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
I'm interested in that horizon comment as well, since I don't see a horizon anywhere in this image... |
Apr 6th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Comment |
Hi Wanda,
I was hoping you would clarify some of the terms you are using for me-for instance, "speed priority."
Is that shutter priority?
Processing: CR. What is CR?
Topaz Labs details: Does this refer to sharpening and noise reduction in Topaz AI or to something else?
Inverse section: I don't what this refers to.
Thanks for clarifying for me.
I like your composition here. Some of the petal edges seem to have something going on, like a blur at the top, and some dark edges on the left. This may be due to how a selection or mask was applied. |
Apr 6th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Comment |
Juxtaposition and contrasting elements are age-old compositional tools, and while I understand your wanting a silhouette, I think that the green of the plant against the falling snow in the background may actually work better than the silhouette concept. As for working with a new camera, I am in the same predicament right now, and can fully empathize. |
Apr 5th |
| 28 |
Apr 22 |
Comment |
Nice eye contact, good tonal conversion to B/W, very engaging image. Perhaps consider cropping more off the top, placing the eyes nearer the thirds line. |
Apr 4th |
3 comments - 7 replies for Group 28
|
| 62 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
When I opened this photo, I immediately went to the eyes, which is common when viewing a portrait, and my next immediate reaction was "Topaz." It has the unmistakable Topaz Denoise/Sharpen unnaturalness; I'm not sure how to describe it other than lines too thick and too smooth. I have both installed and rarely use them because the AI can't seem to give a natural look, especially when the image is very blurry, where most people think it it excels. I prefer a combination of Camera Raw and a masked high pass filter which for me gives a more natural look with more control.
Your mileage may vary... |
Apr 16th |
 |
| 62 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Thanks Nick,
I'm going to try cleaning the print head with some Windex and I ordered the Nextpage cheap ink from Amazon. The ink gets good reviews, and I will probably never make a print that will need to be great anyway, but if I do, I know a good lab. I also know from past experience the need for good paper.
Thanks again for your help. |
Apr 5th |
| 62 |
Apr 22 |
Reply |
Hello Nick,
I have that printer also, but it sits unused due to the fact that unless I print something every day, the heads clog and use up expensive ink for cleaning. I used to print a lot of my photos, but now only rarely want to print anything. I did like the performance, colors were good, but a print once a month or less is the most I would do. I would never have bought it if I had known about this problem. Are you aware of a way to use this printer only occasionally, without emptying ink cartridges for head cleaning? Or keeping the heads clean without using expensive ink? |
Apr 5th |
0 comments - 3 replies for Group 62
|
| 83 |
Apr 22 |
Comment |
Hi Lance,
A nice candid portrait, with good light/shadow play.
But since you brought it up, I want to comment on your thoughts on noise and grain.
I find it very interesting that with today's fabulous digital cameras which have capabilities for stunning photos with wide dynamic ranges and low or no noise, and modern, computer designed lenses that virtually eliminate flare and distortion, that so many feel it is creative to reintroduce these flaws (noise/grain, flare, vignetting etc.) that we worked so hard in the darkroom to get rid of. Plugins to add these things are very popular. How times change! Every advance in technology seems to bring with it a nostalgia for the imperfections of the past.
Art and photography are very subjective of course, and everyone will have a different take on what is a great image, but I just retired my 17 year-old Nikon D2X which was never a good low light camera, and I now enjoy shooting at much higher ISOs with mirrorless cameras sans the noise.
Nearly every image made today has a software-added vignette, something that I hated in my darkroom days and spent a lot of time dodging out. To each his own, of course, and while I retain a couple of film cameras which I still use, I welcome the new tech with open arms and I don't miss the flaws at all. |
Apr 7th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 83
|
6 comments - 10 replies Total
|
