Post-processing (PP) techniques? (w/pics)
- Thread starter Blazer88
- Start date
argo
Premium Member
I think I'm in trouble - 'cause it reads and sounds in my head like Greek. I need to start feeding my brain some serious PS lingo.
Guys, if you don't mind, I can send you a NEF image and one of you can use it to illustrate the point (or use one of your images).
Thanks for all the good info.
:lol:
No sweat.
Get the image opened in PS. Use 16bit color if at all possible.
Convert the image to CMYK from RGB
Go to Image>Mode>CMYK color
Now, switch the Channels tab and select the black channel:
Apply your USM on the black channel
You can be pretty aggressive on the sharpening because you're only touching the black channel.
Switch the image back to RGB and do any other edits.
Bask in the glory of your newly sharpened image:
No sweat.
Get the image opened in PS. Use 16bit color if at all possible.
Convert the image to CMYK from RGB
Go to Image>Mode>CMYK color
Now, switch the Channels tab and select the black channel:
Apply your USM on the black channel
You can be pretty aggressive on the sharpening because you're only touching the black channel.
Switch the image back to RGB and do any other edits.
Bask in the glory of your newly sharpened image:
astrogazer
Premium Member
Nicely documented Doug 
argo
Premium Member
It's been one crazy week for me, but I did get to try a few things: Doug's USM procedure in CMYK, USM procedure in Lab Color on Lightness level, lots of practice with Blazer's post processing technique and my new Tamron 90mm lens (which I love). I also tried Fred Miranda's Intellisharpen II plugin, which if it works produces noticable difference.
This image was processed using Blazer's, Astrogazer's and Doug's techniques combined. For some strange reason Intellisharpen II plugin would not work on this image. I also had tough time finding white reference point in this image and ended up inserting a white pixel (doesn't sound kosher, but it helped).
The image below was processed using Intellisharpen II plugin, and Blazer's technique with slight curve adjustment to brighten up the image. Notice purple-cap pseudochromis - it looks like he's doing Mac 3.
Guys, is there a better way to reduce snow (or noise) in macro shots then to use clone tool?
Thanks for all the advice - I've learned alot.
This image was processed using Blazer's, Astrogazer's and Doug's techniques combined. For some strange reason Intellisharpen II plugin would not work on this image. I also had tough time finding white reference point in this image and ended up inserting a white pixel (doesn't sound kosher, but it helped).
The image below was processed using Intellisharpen II plugin, and Blazer's technique with slight curve adjustment to brighten up the image. Notice purple-cap pseudochromis - it looks like he's doing Mac 3.
Guys, is there a better way to reduce snow (or noise) in macro shots then to use clone tool?
Thanks for all the advice - I've learned alot.
argo
Premium Member
Thanks Doug.
From now on I'll turn off all the pumps to eliminate all that pesky "snow".
I have a question: How do you make a background darker without affecting the foreground subject?
This thread started my new adventure - post processing techniques warrant better pictures, which in turn require knowledge, which in turn develops appreciation.
From now on I'll turn off all the pumps to eliminate all that pesky "snow".
I have a question: How do you make a background darker without affecting the foreground subject?
This thread started my new adventure - post processing techniques warrant better pictures, which in turn require knowledge, which in turn develops appreciation.
Blazer88
Premium Member
There are a ton of ways to darken a background while keeping your subject the same. One of the ways is to add an adjustment layer and select mulitply. That will turn your whole image dark, so hit ctrl+I to invert the layer to make everything normal again. Grab a white brush and you can "paint" the multiply layer to the background. This will mostly likely be too dark so set the opacity of the layer as needed. Another way it to add a new layer and select a fill with 50% gray. Select Overlay from the menu. You can get a black brush and essentially do the same thing as a multiply layer. Hopefully that makes some sense.
DisturbedReefer
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8739742#post8739742 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Blazer88
Here is a good before and after shot. The first one is the jpeg straight from the camera. The second one is after using DxO Optics -> Neat Image -> and then CS2. There were five adjustment layers added to get the picture to look the way I wanted it.
Rick, are you shooting in JPG or RAW?
DisturbedReefer
New member
So are you doing your processing on the RAW photo or the JPG? If it is the RAW image, can the JPG be processed the same way or do you need to have it in RAW to accomplish these type of results?
divecj5
New member
Hey Blazer and others, thanks for the great tutorials. Incredible pics as well. Blazer, do you mind elaborting a little more on your adjustment layers in the perc pic above? I mean, were they just the usual suspects: curves, histo, etc.? or do you use some sort of masking technique as well. I love the image since the colors and the fish really stand out against the background.
Great work.
Adam
Great work.
Adam
Blazer88
Premium Member
Adam,
Here is an example of the different masks and adjustments I made to this photo. I'll do my best to explain them.
-The first layer you see is called "stripes". I added an adustment layer and selected Hue/Saturation. The problem with the original picture is tha the stripes and black parts of the clown all have a strong blue color cast. I used this layer to desaturate the colors (-50 on saturation if I remember right). The blacks go black and the stripes are now white rather than blue. When you first add the layer, it is going to make the adjustments to the whole image. Hit ctrl+I which will invert (notice the black box?) which will allow you the "paint" the adustments onto the image using a white brush. If the effect is too much, you can either use a higher number for the desaturation or set the opacity of the adjustment layer less than 100%
-Next is "Extra Orange". In the original photo, the face is a much different color of orange than the bottom fins. I added another hue/saturation adjustment layer and adjusted the hue so the face would come close to matching the rest of the body. It doesn't need to be the exact color as the face is normally slightly different, I just thought it looked weird in the original. Same process as above, invert the layer and use a white brush to paint the face a slightly different hue of orange.
-Overlay. I added a new layer (shift+ctrl+n), fill (shift+F5), and select 50% gray from the contents box. This will turn the whole image gray, but don't worry. Select overlay from the blending mode (drop-down menu towards the top of the layer box) and the picture will look the same as before. Use a white brush to lighten the image or a black one to darken the image. I only wanted the fish brighter, so I used white. This completely blew out the highlights and the fish was really bright, so I set the opacity to 10%. This method, from what I read, is a better method than using the dodge and burn tools as it is a non-desctructive layer and doesn't actually alter the image.
-Curve. Pretty simple here. I used the same process at the beginning of this tutorial to set the white, black, and gray points. This helped remove much of the blue color cast.
-Layer 1. I always make a copy of the background and alter that one without touching the original picture. That way I can see what I have done. I used this layer to clone and patch out the "snow".
Hopefully that helps you understand what I did with this image. This is normally more editing that I like to do, but I really wanted to try and save this picture and it was originally very sharp to begin with.
Todd,
I processed the image starting with a jpeg and it looked pretty bad. Starting with the RAW is always a good idea.
Example:
Here is an example of the different masks and adjustments I made to this photo. I'll do my best to explain them.
-The first layer you see is called "stripes". I added an adustment layer and selected Hue/Saturation. The problem with the original picture is tha the stripes and black parts of the clown all have a strong blue color cast. I used this layer to desaturate the colors (-50 on saturation if I remember right). The blacks go black and the stripes are now white rather than blue. When you first add the layer, it is going to make the adjustments to the whole image. Hit ctrl+I which will invert (notice the black box?) which will allow you the "paint" the adustments onto the image using a white brush. If the effect is too much, you can either use a higher number for the desaturation or set the opacity of the adjustment layer less than 100%
-Next is "Extra Orange". In the original photo, the face is a much different color of orange than the bottom fins. I added another hue/saturation adjustment layer and adjusted the hue so the face would come close to matching the rest of the body. It doesn't need to be the exact color as the face is normally slightly different, I just thought it looked weird in the original. Same process as above, invert the layer and use a white brush to paint the face a slightly different hue of orange.
-Overlay. I added a new layer (shift+ctrl+n), fill (shift+F5), and select 50% gray from the contents box. This will turn the whole image gray, but don't worry. Select overlay from the blending mode (drop-down menu towards the top of the layer box) and the picture will look the same as before. Use a white brush to lighten the image or a black one to darken the image. I only wanted the fish brighter, so I used white. This completely blew out the highlights and the fish was really bright, so I set the opacity to 10%. This method, from what I read, is a better method than using the dodge and burn tools as it is a non-desctructive layer and doesn't actually alter the image.
-Curve. Pretty simple here. I used the same process at the beginning of this tutorial to set the white, black, and gray points. This helped remove much of the blue color cast.
-Layer 1. I always make a copy of the background and alter that one without touching the original picture. That way I can see what I have done. I used this layer to clone and patch out the "snow".
Hopefully that helps you understand what I did with this image. This is normally more editing that I like to do, but I really wanted to try and save this picture and it was originally very sharp to begin with.
Todd,
I processed the image starting with a jpeg and it looked pretty bad. Starting with the RAW is always a good idea.
Example:
astrogazer
Premium Member
Had to be some masking in Blazer's image. You do such a nice job it's hard to tell ...
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