Yesterday, I may have put my foot in my mouth. One of the ladies on the photography board asked for constructive criticism. About the only thing I can provide criticism on is composition…so, I told her that she has such a cute little boy but he appeared to be washed out…and that I was kinda bored with the composition. I also offered to edit the photo for her…just to see what I could do with it. When Jill contacted me later today, taking me up on that offer, it was time to put my editing skills where my mouth is.
I started this photo in Adobe Camera Raw to make some basic exposure and contrast adjustments (this photo really needed the contrast). I then opened it up in Photoshop Elements. I ran Amy McMaster’s Squeaky Clean and warmed him up…so far, a typical edit.
I then created a duplicate layer to work on the skin – including the removal of drool on his chin. I used a combination of the spot healing tool and the paint brush (after selecting a spot on his face) to gently paint over his face and even out his skin tone. He didn’t need much, so I lowered the opacity once I was done. I also decided the photo needed to be cropped and rotated.
I did add some textures, but really, I just wanted to add dimension. I was sure to paint the texture off his little face. In the event you find it helpful for me to lay out those layers…here they are (mostly from Shadowhouse Creations):
- Cover Texture, Overlay, 100% opacity
- Ghost 4, Multiply, 58% opacity
- Background Copy, Hard Light, 35% opacity
- Retroloveoverlay, Overlay, 40% opacity
Finally, I added Paint the Moon’s Sunny Days action…adjusting the layers just a little bit. I merged those layers, duplicated my background and did a little burn on his face (because it felt too bright).
So that’s it…I hope Jill isn’t “bored” with my edit.
So that’s it…I hope Jill isn’t “bored” with my edit.
