Welcome to the 19th week of Shoot and Edit: Part 2. Click HERE for all the details and upcoming prompts/themes (also including previous editing tutorials).
This week’s theme or prompt was to show us one “Rain or Umbrella” SOOC shot (this was just a suggestion, you can show us any SOOC shot). Hopefully you linked up with Jill’s blog earlier this week.
Each Thursday, I will take my SOOC shot and provide some basic editing tips. You can then try these tips on your own photos and link up here – linky will now open EARLY on Thursdays and be open THROUGH SUNDAY. If you’d prefer, can simply share your own edit and show us what you did to achieve the look. We want this challenge to be a learning experience, so feel free to teach us something new too! Also, it does not matter what editing program you use. Although I tend to work within Adobe CS5 (Photoshop), Photoshop Elements and Adobe Camera Raw…it does not mean that you have to use the exact same program. I hope you’ll be able to take the concepts and apply them in the program you feel most comfortable using. Once again, here is my SOOC shot:
Much like last week, I decided to do most of my clean processing in Adobe Camera Raw. Basically, I just opened my photo in ACR and started working within the tabs (advanced feature for ACR attached to CS5) to make adjustments – no presets, just using my eye to adjust the image to my liking. This week, I thought I’d share a couple of screen shots. Most of my work occurs on the main screen and curves tab. If you missed the ACR lesson from a few weeks ago, CLICK HERE. Here’s my ACR edit:
You’ll notice that my tones curve adjustment is rather subtle. If you’re operating in a full version of Photoshop (thus using the advanced version of Adobe Camera Raw) or you’re using Lightroom, I really encourage you to adjust your curves. I’ve found that adjusting in ACR really cuts down my editing time in Photoshop.
As I mentioned last week, I love this edit. In fact, I am moving towards a work flow approach that includes this basic adjustment followed by a quick action in Photoshop and done.
Because I am committed to sharing a new(ish) tip or trick with you each week, this week, I want to share the cloning, spot healing, healing and patch tools. I think the following video does a really good job of explaining each tool’s functionality (PSE users, you do not have the patch tool). While I am not using the techniques on a portrait shot, I hope the concept will translate to any of your photos.
For purposes of my photo, I decided to use a combination of the cloning and healing tool. Can you tell? Notice the umbrella tag and orange paint on the train tracks is no longer there. Quite honestly, neither of those things were really bugging me, but I do think it looks cleaner now.
And while I could have left well enough alone…you know I couldn’t stop there. The other day, Meagan’s Musings posted some of her favorite actions. For those of you that have been with me for a while, you know how much I used to use Amy McMaster’s Squeaky Clean action when it was still a freebie. Since upgrading to CS5, I have to admit that I’d forgotten to check back into Amy’s archive of freebie Photoshop actions. Meagan reminded me to check them out…so thanks Meagan!
Meagan specifically recommended: Simple Black & White Action with Yummy Hazes. So, I thought I’d give it a try following my cloning/healing work. I turned off the black and white layer for a subtle pop. I added two overlays: Grey Skies (3c3c60 in the colors palette if you want to replicate it) at 18% – overlay blending mode, and the Vanilla overlay (fbe0bd in the colors palette if you want to replicate it) at 18%.
Just for fun, I decided to see if Amy McMaster had any other freebie actions worth checking out. I found Olive Juice (formally AMP): Sweet Summer Set including Mud Pies. This set just makes me happy and it’ll make you happy too because it’s available for PS and PSE users! And my Lightroom people…if I remember correctly, she’s got a few LR freebies too.
So, to recap our lesson, we once again reviewed the advanced functions of Adobe Camera Raw by performing a clean edit. We also learned how to effectively use the cloning, spot healing, healing and patch tools. For your edit, I would love to see you continuing using the lessons we’ve covered in the past 18 weeks. Here’s a final look at my SOOC, ACR, B&W with Tints and Mud Pies edits. Which is your favorite?
I hope you found today’s review useful. If you have any questions or need more explanation, don’t hesitate to contact me.
I hope you found today’s review useful. If you have any questions or need more explanation, don’t hesitate to contact me.
I hope you all have a great Thursday and I look forward to seeing your edits!
