Leaf, PP options

[Alpha_7]

Some of you know I've been very sick recently, well today I took a walk outside and here is one of the shots I found. When I shot it I was just trying to capture the leaf and the water, however when I got it back home I noticed how grey and drab the rest of the shot was.
Anyways, this is straight from the camera, I was wondering if you were to be PPing this shot how you'd go about it ?

[gstark]

Sorry Craig.

You're not permitted to do any PP.

Seriously, I would look at either cropping or desaturationg the little bits of colur at the bottom of the image. Apart from that, this works very well and I don't think I'd do much more to it.

[Geoff]

I agree with Gary on this one Craig, this needs very little/no PPing. Nicely done. Get better soon too!!

[Alpha_7]

Thank Gary and Geoff.

I selected the coloured parts (the second leaf) and destaturated it. I think it works pretty well.


Just to be clear 'Some PP' has been carried out on this image

[Geoff]

Nice work Craig - is this how you found it? With the water on it? Good find there sunshine

[Alpha_7]

Yes, just like that. I can honestly say I walked up, took a few shots, and walked off. Didn't touch the leaf and left it how I found it. So I hope my environmental impact was minimal.

[Geoff]

I'm glad u decided to leaf it alone Craig

[gstark]

Craig.

Got it in one.

[Alex]

Craig, Works well. Well done.

Alex

[mudder]

Just waffling, maybe some ideas to throw around (and then throw out )...

Try selecting the leaf, inverting the selection, then adding *just a smidge* of blur, and maybe a full de-sat of the background?

Also, I think you may have already added a vignette (?), maybe a stronger vignette to capture the viewer's eye and hold it on your subject?

I think there's just a little too much room for the viewer to roam around and get distracted among the background items, I'd try to keep the viewer more focussed on the leaf...

[Alpha_7]

Andrew,

Thanks for the ideas, I might give it a go and repost the results. There are literally straight from the camera other then the destat on the 2nd leaf.
The vigenetting seen is actually the 10-20mm with a thick UV filter on it, so it wasn't intentional.

[Matt. K]

Are you saying that's PP on the leaf?

[Geoff]

Are you saying that's PP on the leaf?

 ROFL!

[Michael]

vignette around the leaf perhaps, might draw more attention to the leaf?

[Alpha_7]

Andrew I tried what you suggested, but I think it now looks to unnatural ? Also I'm scratching my head I don't know how to apply more vigenetting, I thought there was a option somewhere, but I can't find it.

[Michael]

Use a circular marquee to select what parts of the image you want to vignette, add another layer then hold alt and click on layer mask icon in the pallet tray thing.

make sure your background in the second layer is black and on the same layer press backspace and that should give you a black ring around your subject.

then set the opacity to 65% or whatever you feel looks best then guassien blur that layer to your desired effect

[mudder]

Andrew I tried what you suggested, but I think it now looks to unnatural ?

G'day,

Try just slight de-sat, maybe 50% or something? Maybe just try with just the vignette...

...Also I'm scratching my head I don't know how to apply more vigenetting, I thought there was a option somewhere, but I can't find it...

Easey peasy, use the marguee(sp?) tool (or just a rouch outline using the lassoo) to make a rouch circle/oval around your leaf (where you want the vignette to begin) , feather the selection (max, 250pixels, to make it a soft graduation), then invert the selection so now you're only working on the OUTSIDE of your selection, then add a curves adjustment layer and darken to taste. Presto, you've got an adjustable vignette If you want to further feather the selection, just filter/gaussian blur the curves adjustment layer mask itself.

Oh, do what-ever you can in an adjustment layer, they reduce file size growth and are always reversible and adjustable later on, without harming the original layer/image.

Yell out if you need a hand

EDIT: Oooops, with my sexy finger typing, Michael beat me to it

[marcotrov]

Having removed the distracting coloured leaf at the bottom of the image has made a big difference Craig. Well spotted subject
cheers
marco

[macka]

Nice shot, Craig. I like the contrasting textures.

-macka

[Alpha_7]

Andrew,

If you want to further feather the selection, just filter/gaussian blur the curves adjustment layer mask itself.

Oh, do what-ever you can in an adjustment layer, they reduce file size growth and are always reversible and adjustable later on, without harming the original layer/image.

This bit sort of lost me, I haven't worked with adjustment layers before, I tried but didn't know what I was doing so I only managed these two attempts.

[pharmer]

Heh - I'd do some real damage to this photo via PP

Could be tricky - very busy with sticks and leaves on the ground

Do you mind if I play with it and then post here with what I did to it

Cheers

Barrie

[Alpha_7]

Barrie - Feel free to mess around with the shot, I was hoping someone might want to have a fiddle with it

[mudder]

G'day,

I've tried to detail some info below... Please let me know if it's not helpful or unclear...

I've attached an images to help with the adjustment layer stuff below...

Your first image with the vignette has a sharp delineation between affected and non-affected, you just need to feather the selection, that's all...

The below sounds complicated and lengthy, but believe me, once you're familiar with adjustment layers, the below takes a few seconds and you'll rarely modify the actual image data then...

So, one way to add a vignette via an adjustment layer could be to:
1) make your image current that you want to add the vignette to
2) make a selection (using either the marquee tool, lassoo, anything realy)
3) Currently we have the MIDDLE selected, we want to affect the outer edges, ie: a vignette, so now invert the selection, so the layer we add will affect the OUTSIDE of your selection, not the inside. Otherwise your vignette will be a dark middle Oh, also I think you can simply hold ALT when adding the layer which selects the opposite of what's currently selecting, ie: ALT inverts your selection for you, you don't need to do the invert, I *think*...
4) This is the part you may have forgotten in your image... feather the selection. This determines how gradual or sharp the delineation of the edge of the selection is, or how smooth and soft it is... When using a high res image feather to the max (which is 250 pixels), on a lower res image, use less. Just try a few figures on your image to suit what you want. 250 pixels may not be enough on a high res image, we'll get to that later...


Oh, you can always toggle the "marching ants" of the selection on and off with ^H (that's CONTROL+H)...

5) Now, open your layer palette and use the icon I'm pointing at "Add adjustmetn layer icon", this will list all the sorts of adjustment layers you can use, here we want to use a curve...
6) Now just click on the curve and then OK the dialogue box and you'll see a layer similar to the layer called "Curves 1". Just double click on the layer name, and you can rename it to anything, like "Vignette" for example, it's just a label but when youv'e got a lot of layers, knowing what each one's for is a boon...
7) You should now see the "curves adjustment layer mask", which is the little white square next to the adjustmetn layer icon I'm pointing to. The layer will have an effect on the white areas of the mask, but not in the black areas of the mask. This is very handy. You can now change where the adjustment layer has or doesn't have an effect by painting on that mask itself with a black or white paintbrush if you wish... Easy peasy... You'll see that the layer mask has a feathered black selection, so the effect will only be in the area that's white, ie: a vignette around the edges, and as the selection is feathered, the vignette will be gradual
Here, the layer called "Curves 2" is an adjustment layer which affects the entire image, see the difference in the masks between these two curves adjustment layers? One has the black area in the middle, so layer "Curves 1" will only affect the image where-ever it's white, hence the vignette around the edges... "Curves 2" will affect the entire image as the mask is ALL white...
7) Now double click on the B&W layer icon for the adjustment layer (see arrow #2) that represents the layer "Curves 1" and insert a point somewhere along the middle of the line in the chart then drag it down, you are now adjusting the "curbes/contrast/tone" of the image... Have a play... This icon is used to bring the dialogue up for adjusting it later on when-ever you like

Also, the little "eye icon" just toggles the layer off and on



Yell out if you need more info...

Have fun

Cheers.

[pharmer]

OK - a real quickie

Duplicated background layer - set as blend mode overlay
Flatttened image
Desaturated blue,green and magenta. Saturated yellow

Painted with black brush (30% opacity) in vivid light mode to darken rocks and sticks and then a USM and a vignette

[Michael]

Here's my exampled using the blurred lighting vignette in the photoshop for digital photographers handbook.

[Alpha_7]

Thanks Andrew, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it in such depth, I printed it out and it was easy peasy once I had steps that I could follow.
Here are two I did quickly, following your instructions.

[mudder]

Hey, glad it helped

Now THAT"S a vignette!

Cool huh... Have a play with painting the actual mask itself with either a black or white brush and you'll quickly see how a mask works, white effects stuff below, black doesn't, and gray affects a bit (if you know what I mean, the darker the black, the less the affect)... Once you're familiar with masks, you tend to use them heaps...

The vignette works well for me here, although maybe the feathering needs to be either a higher pixel feather, or use filter/gaussian blur on the mask itself if you've maxed out the feathering (I think 250 is max)...

Oh, if you want to actually see the mask you're painting on, use ALT-click on the white mask itself in the layer palette and it'll bring the mask to the front so it's easier to work with, then just click another layer to go back to "normal"...

Oh, another thing with layers that helps me heaps is "clipping mask"... Sometimes you want an adjustment layer to only affect the layer directly beneath it, not ALL the layers beneath it... For this, while the layer is active, go to layer/create clipping mask (ALT-CNTRL-G) and that makes the active adjustment layer ONLY affect the layer directly beneath it... Very, very handy

[Potatis]

I feel that the original photo needs a crop. It's my opinion and personal taste only, so don't crucify me, I am not saying it is better, just I like it better.



And with some PP:



Most don't like frames and borders here, but I like borders. Here it is anyway.

[JordanP]

This looked like fun so I thought I would have a bit of a play with some cropping, darkening, saturation, contrast, slight flooding and bluring

[big pix]

this could be fun and keep you busy for a while........