This Before & After was all about post processing. It’s a cute snapshot of two young fathers with their new sons and I think that it belongs in a frame.
My steps are pretty typical:
- I started in ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) and auto adjusted the white balance, increased the exposure, added fill light and increased the blacks.
- I then opened the image up in PSE and cropped a little closer (of course the Before image above has an even closer crop, but that was the JPG file).
- I ran Squeaky Clean and adjusted the layers accordingly (including reducing the red in their faces).
- Merged the layers.
- I then duplicated the background layer and used the burn and dodge tools to darken the hot spots and lighten the dark spots.
- Finally, I ran Amy McMaster’s Sepia Vintage action for a nice clean finish before re-sizing and sharpening.
