Luke W Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Post-processing came up in another thread, I offered to post some before and afters and there was some interest. So here we go. These are a few of the shots I've posted over the last couple of days. The first shot is straight out of the camera with the default RAW settings. White balance as shot (generally 'cloudy' I think). The second shot is the finished JPG as posted. In most cases the changes are: Add a vignette, some soft focus effect, curves and exposure changes to selectively brighten and darken, selective sharpening, white balance warming (or cooling in the reflection shot), cropping, some lightning of eyes, ummm....that's about it. Most of the work is done in the RAW processor and the final touches are done in Photoshop. I use Photoshop CS4. What's common about all the shots? Good lighting - overcast, minimal shadows. Sun is the enemy. Oh and a small DOF and unobstrusive backgrounds. Anyway - here's the before and after shots. Happy to try to answer any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 Oh - PS - it helps that Barkly has a fairly solid stay (sit, stand and down) and that I can get him to change position from a distance. For the bridge shots, I got him in position, told him to wait then I moved off the bridge to my position. I started with him in a stand, took a few shots, told him to sit, took a few shots then told him to drop and took a few more shots. He's a good boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Thanks Luke!! Oh how I wish for a dog that would do a reliable stay under distraction! Damn sibes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisys Mum Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Wow they are great Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poocow Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Wow fantastic - thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 You ruined the magic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 You ruined the magic! Just sowing the seeds for my Pet Photography and Photoshop Master Class 2009 - Places Limited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Oooh, how excitement, where do I sign up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendall Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Your photos are always gorgeous Luke - I love the effects you can create Of course Barkley is a wonderful subject Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lic_82 Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 ooh ooh book me in too!!! great shots luke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I've been wanting to see some before and afters for ages, so thanks for showing these. When and where is the course, I suspect it will be a bit far for me but you never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I am disappointed! Why can't we all have a model like Barkly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) Excellent work , Luke W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becandcharch Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 This is great Luke, thanks for sharing these with us. Im still learning so this is great to see. If I can bags a spot in your class im there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Brave boy Luke - the purists may want to kill you now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 Brave boy Luke - the purists may want to kill you now The same ones who use polarizers and ND grads? Soft boxes and beauty dishes? Or let the camera adjust contrast and apply gamma adjustments? Dodge and burn in the darkroom? Or crop just so? Let them come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Brave boy Luke - the purists may want to kill you now The same ones who use polarizers and ND grads? Soft boxes and beauty dishes? Or let the camera adjust contrast and apply gamma adjustments? Dodge and burn in the darkroom? Or crop just so? Let them come! Shush now, none of that is the same as the P word Definitely not, not the same at all....no, once it's on a computer, it's 'different' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I wouldnt have a clue how to manipulate the photos in Photoshop and I always admire what some people can do. but.... I actually like some of your original photos more then the finished products. Does this make me a purist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 I wouldnt have a clue how to manipulate the photos in Photoshop and I always admire what some people can do.but.... I actually like some of your original photos more then the finished products. Does this make me a purist? I don't think it makes you a 'purist' you just have different tastes to me Which originals do you like better (and why) ? I'm curious. I can see how some people might think I go overboard on the post-processing - sometimes I think that myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I wouldnt have a clue how to manipulate the photos in Photoshop and I always admire what some people can do.but.... I actually like some of your original photos more then the finished products. Does this make me a purist? Purists usually argue that photoshopped images aren't 'real photography', or the photo is only good because it's photoshopped. Being a purist isn't bad, it's just that so many of them on online photo forums tend to be snobs and give the rest a bad name. On the other side, there are some pretty crap over-photoshopped stuff from people with time but not taste, so it evens out. Cool photos Luke anyway - I like the warmth of the final versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) It's personal taste, monelite. Some people who take photos don't want to give away their editing secrets, the fact that LukeW doesn't mind sharing them is pretty selfless, IMO. How you edit a shot is personal taste too. I like to shoot in raw, make adjustments there and, shock horror as I've been called a purist before (you know who you are ) I may use a layer mask or darken a background. Sometimes I like a shot how I took it if the light is nice - for example, I found on a tropical island at the height of the day the bright sun combined with a polariser is ideal for blue skies and blue water - and you don't need to do much with it, post production. If the light is crap, it's harder so you might want to fiddle more. I have noticed that the Canon 70-200 L f/4 seems to 'throw' green and yellow tones in sunny conditions. Has anyone else noticed that? I find I need to adjust the tint a bit on sunny days or the shots are too warm. Edited June 29, 2009 by Ripley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now