Are these any good or a load of rubbish

[gsgary]

I like it but don't know a lot about photography yet they are straight from the camera






http://gsgary.smugmug.com/photos/27203107-M.jpg

[Angelo]

Gary - I really like #1 & #3. #1 would probably benefit from some post work I'm not qualified enough to advise on but the composition (of both shots) is great! :thumb

[gsgary]

Thanks Angelo i havn't got a clue how to use photoshop elements yetGary - I really like #1 & #3. #1 would probably benefit from some post work I'm not qualified enough to advise on but the composition (of both shots) is great! :thumb

[pathfinder]

Welcome to dgrin gs gary.

The rules of this thread - see the thread header - allow ONLY one image per week for critiquing. Please decide which image you prefer to remain for discussion. I know this was overlooked in your enthusiasm, but some of the viewers will not be as pleased.:huh So, lets try to correct this before you get flamed, OK?

I like #1 and #3. A little curves to increase contrast and saturation might help them.

[gsgary]

Welcome to dgrin gs gary.

The rules of this thread - see the thread header - allow ONLY one image per week for critiquing. Please decide which image you prefer to remain for discussion. I know this was overlooked in your enthusiasm, but some of the viewers will not be as pleased.:huh So, lets try to correct this before you get flamed, OK?

I like #1 and #3. A little curves to increase contrast and saturation might help them.Sorry about that is it ok now
Gary

[pathfinder]

Sorry about that is it ok now
Gary
That's cool. And thanks for being a good sport about the thread rules also.

I like the colors of the lifeboat.:cool

[gsgary]

That's cool. And thanks for being a good sport about the thread rules also.

I like the colors of the lifeboat.:coolThanks, just been on a motorbike tour up through Sweden, Finland to the Russian boarder and down through Norway and have been going through the photos and got a bit carried away

[ian408]

I like the composition and subject matter of this shot.

Some selective curves/level adjustment would punch the colors up a bit.

Ian

[gsgary]

Thanks Ian sounds good but i havn't got a clue how to do that yetI like the composition and subject matter of this shot.

Some selective curves/level adjustment would punch the colors up a bit.

Ian

[pathfinder]

Thanks Ian sounds good but i havn't got a clue how to do that yet
These are common tasks performed with an Image editing program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements 3 or Paintshop Pro. One of these are used by most digital photographers whe desire to present their very best images. And raising contrast and color saturation can be learned in just a few minutes.

For example, I just grabbed your image and raised its contrast slightly and intesified the colors of the boat. I did this on the monitor at the office so it may not be as good as I would prefer because the LCD at work leaves a lot to be desired. But this is what I ended up with

[gsgary]

Thanks it makes a big differenceThese are common tasks performed with an Image editing program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements 3 or Paintshop Pro. One of these are used by most digital photographers whe desire to present their very best images. And raising contrast and color saturation can be learned in just a few minutes.

For example, I just grabbed your image and raised its contrast slightly and intesified the colors of the boat. I did this on the monitor at the office so it may not be as good as I would prefer because the LCD at work leaves a lot to be desired. But this is what I ended up with

[gsgary]

Just had a quick go myself how does this look ?

http://gsgary.smugmug.com/photos/27238227-M.jpg

These are common tasks performed with an Image editing program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements 3 or Paintshop Pro. One of these are used by most digital photographers whe desire to present their very best images. And raising contrast and color saturation can be learned in just a few minutes.

For example, I just grabbed your image and raised its contrast slightly and intesified the colors of the boat. I did this on the monitor at the office so it may not be as good as I would prefer because the LCD at work leaves a lot to be desired. But this is what I ended up with

[ian408]

That's much nicer PF.

Photoshop (or its equiv) is such an important skill in the digital photographic
world these days. I still struggle with much more than the very basic stuff though I
try and find something I will use and learn that. More and more, I'm getting better but
it's taking time. And I'm no where near being able to cut and paste with accuracy
enough that my change is imperceptible :)

If I could offer one piece of advice. As regular expressions are to programming, the
ability to slice and dice using selection tools is a skill well worth learning. It's the basis
for so many other things--like masks. For example. If you use "select->color range",
you can quickly create a layer in which to adjust the white parts of the boat. Add the
right amount of feathering to make the selection blend in well and you're all set.

Good luck on the learning!

Cheers,
Ian

[ian408]

Gary,

That last one looks great!

Ian

[wxwax]

Just had a quick go myself how does this look ?

http://gsgary.smugmug.com/photos/27238227-Th.jpg
It looks terrific, nice job. Really crisp, and the colors are strong.

[erich6]

I'm not sure the vivid colors and higher contrast go well with this shot. The mood of the scene seems somber to me and a low contrast, more subdued color scheme seems to support this theme better. In fact, I don't think the color really helps the composition in this shot. You may want to try a black and white treatment and see how that looks. Here's my attempt. I just used the red channel for gray levels. This resulted in a relatively low key (dark) image. Of course, this is just a matter of taste and what message you are trying to convey with your image.

Erich

[ian408]

Here's what I was thinking color wise.

First I balanced the color using auto-levels. Then, I selected most of the boat
and made a layer consisting of the selection, adjusted the levels and here we
are.

[gsgary]

Here's what I was thinking color wise.

First I balanced the color using auto-levels. Then, I selected most of the boat
and made a layer consisting of the selection, adjusted the levels and here we
are.
Thanks Ian looks good the grass is toned down a bit, I bought a magazine today and tried one of the photoshop lessons and this is what i came up with

[gsgary]

Thanks Sid but i think the grass is a bit too greenIt looks terrific, nice job. Really crisp, and the colors are strong.

[ian408]

Gary,

Looking at my version, I think it's too dark in various places.

Your newest version looks a lot lighter. But it also looks noisy. Probably the
result of pulling more out of the image. Maybe go back and try a couple of things
that I tried?

The B&W shot was pretty good. Except the boat's colors are "lost".

Ian

[gsgary]

It is supposed to be a watercolour effectGary,

Looking at my version, I think it's too dark in various places.

Your newest version looks a lot lighter. But it also looks noisy. Probably the
result of pulling more out of the image. Maybe go back and try a couple of things
that I tried?

The B&W shot was pretty good. Except the boat's colors are "lost".

Ian