In it, Alex made a comment that a few minutes of post-processing can really make a big difference in making a photo more "presentable" (this is in the post in which he kindly linked to Picasa and Gimp).
I was wondering if those of you with more post-processing experience might be willing to share a few tips and tricks with us "newbies" about what you do to make your photos a little cleaner or nicer. I know that this is heavily dependent upon the specific image that you're working with, but perhaps there are a few basics that you always/often do that you could share.
Any tips, links or examples you can share would be great.
I would say that the number one thing to do in post processing, no matter how much experience you have is, make your horizon line straight!! Also play with the levels and/or contrast to make your blacks really black and whites really white, not necessarily to make it high contrast, but I find that even with my camera's fstop and shutter speed spot on for a particular image, it still needs a little help from post processing to really bring out a nice contrast in the image. Well these are my tips anyways :)
There is soooo much that can be done in post-processing. That goes both ways actually - there is only so much you can do in post-processing, so make sure you have the basics right to start with (composition, lighting, etc.). I try to keep my post-processing simple, or I'd spend more time behind the computer than behind the camera! I sometimes will increase the saturation in my images, sometimes change the contrast, or add a "filter". These few things can make the world of difference! In my opinion anyway :-)
Of course, if you like computer time, you can add textures, play with color curves, convert to black and white, crop, layer, etc, etc, etc.
Can't say as I'm that experienced but I crop, fix red eye (children & flash!), sort out a few spots on the face, straighten any horizons if required. Depending on the subject matter, I may also play around with saturation levels to make it stand out more. I work in RAW and then open up the file in photoshop to fix any wrinkles on faces a bit and wipe out any background problems like plug sockets!
My general process in Photoshop CS4 (ive heard gimp is very similar) is
Crop, Levels or Curves (same thing different method, adds contrast, color, and minor exposure fixes ), Vibrant (add life back into photo that camera takes away) Unsharp mask or Lens Correction (this just touches up the lines between objects since digital isn't as crisp as film) and noise reduction for some photos with a higher ISO. This is just my standard steps I do for 99% of my photos but there are many more things you can do to get different moods such as black and white, increase noise, add scratches, sepia, blur, washed, selective color, vintage, etc... your mind is the limit.
Don't be afraid to play around and see what each tool, filter, effect does to your photos. Open a good decent photo and just play with it, pile on the affects, play with every tool, look at all the filters. If you do all of this to a single photo it helps you recognize the differences it has on the photo cause some will be very minor.
And just because a tool or effect doesn't work on that particular photo doesn't mean it doesn't have its worth, think about where you use that effect later on, think about when you could have used that in the past so when it does come up again you know how to fix it or when you are out taking photos you know you have some help at home to get this photo right.
the things I do usually on all photos (although some don't need it) : fix the color balance & saturation, push the contrast and exposure so I get whites at their whitest and blacks at their blackest, and retouch blemishes or similar things. Sometimes, rarely, I'll clone some things out of a photo, like say I want a minimal photo and there's a cord or a piece of garbage I don't want in the coposition. I don't know if free programs do that, you'd have to look it up.
One of my favorite "extras" has been the Alienskin Exposure. It's not cheap, and sometimes it feels a little like cheating, but it's definitely delivered the best cross-processing effects I've found. My B&Ws have also stepped up a huge notch thanks to it. Picnik, as Michael mentioned above, has some excellent PP options, too, but sometimes I feel like I lose a lot of integrity when I use it. However, it was/is a FABULOUS tool to learn and experiment with!
If you can, shoot in RAW (and don't expect that to fix everything, but it does help compensate for those slightly flubbed exposures), and use your RAW processing tool before getting down to any other nitty-gritties that need to be gotten down to.
And, in closing, I'm a relative newbie, too. These are just the simple things I've found to help with it all - during my limited time behind the lens!
I don't post process any of my shots (Ahem), but I have heard that it is good for adjusting color, contrast, and adding a little more pop to your pics.
If you have something specific that you are looking to achieve, do share.
I am sure that someone here can help you.
As stated earlier, the better the image that you start with, the better the image will be in the end. Post processing or not.
Quick Tip #1: Adding natural color pop to your otherwise dull image.
Open photo in photoshop, and change mode to lab.
Go to curves adjustment (or cont-M).
You will have 3 options in the drop down box (lightness, a, b).
In "a', grab the top right of the curve and move it to the left till input reads 100.
Now grab the bottom left and move to the right till input reads 100
(I know, looks really bad at this point!.........just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..)
Now go to "b" and do the same process.
Change mode back to rgb and you have instant beauty!
Thanks Kevin. I just gave that a quick try on a sample photo and the results were indeed pretty amazing. Quick and easy! I obviously vary my PP depending on the original SOOC shot, but I'll try this now and again and see what kind of results I get. Thanks!
Not to go too off topic, but one other thing I have to look into is screen calibration. I've noticed photos look great on my MacBook Pro, but then I look at them on other systems and they look a bit dark and drab.
I use Picasa purely because it's quick, easy and free. I must say that i've noticed that when doing 'auto contrast' it makes a massive difference! I often increase the shadows aswell but that's just me.
I like messing around with it but sometimes find it limits me when I want to do something different in which case I try to use Serif PhotoPlus 8.0 but I'm dreadful at it xD
I so occasionally increase the saturation but I've noticed that this can make images look somewhat unnatural.
@Kevin: I just tried your quick tip, and the end result is a photo that looks like I took it under water - totally aqua-colored! I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong, but I'm guessing this is more color *pop* than you had intended ;) It certainly does not look natural, hehe.
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Your instructions were very detailed and I've tried them several times, so I'm fairly certain I'm following them correctly...
I have another tip that most people do not use... It is not necessarily related to post-processing, but rather "pre"-processing... Compose your image in a way that makes it look interesting. Don't put your subject right smack in the middle of your frame. Use the "rule of thirds" when composing your shot. Many cameras will place a tic-tac-toe grid on your LCD. That is your rule of thirds grid. Place your subject at the intersections where the lines criss-cross. You will find that your images will look more pleasing.
I am using both picassa and photoscape...both are free. photoscape has alot more tools and control than picassa s it gets used more often. i searched Alienskin Exposure as Leslie mentioned she uses it but its expensive. photoscape has the same simulation of some of th film effects like provia, agfa, velvia, portra and cross processing. being a free program it probably doesnt have the quality as Alienskin Exposure, but hey....its free!
my tip is figure out what tool you are going to use to edit your images and then LEARN that tool the best you can.
With some tools, like photoshop, there are a lot of FREE actions you can find that help create certain looks. Have fun and like mentioned. If you are looking for something specific ask away. I am sure those that even bother to do any PP, they would be sure to help :)
There are a couple things I do to add a touch to the photos:
Vignettes - big fan. helps dramatize and bring selective focus to an image
Selective Color - one of the most underutilized tools of PS. it gives you incredibly minute control over the color in your photos. I suggest you give it a whirl.
One of my favorite techniques (which funnily, i havent done here yet), is to bring an image into PS, open up the channel mixer, set it to monochrome and make a punchy black and white. After that, take your channel layer adjustment layer and back the opacity off about 20-25% and you have this moody, destaurated color image. i love it!
OH - also, for those of you that don't have Photoshop (or can't afford it, that high priced bugger), check out http://www.pixlr.com
It's a Flex-based image editor, very similar to PS. Its very fast and available anywhere there is an internet connection. They also have an "Express" version, that offers tweak control like Picasa.
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Of course, if you like computer time, you can add textures, play with color curves, convert to black and white, crop, layer, etc, etc, etc.
Crop, Levels or Curves (same thing different method, adds contrast, color, and minor exposure fixes ), Vibrant (add life back into photo that camera takes away) Unsharp mask or Lens Correction (this just touches up the lines between objects since digital isn't as crisp as film) and noise reduction for some photos with a higher ISO. This is just my standard steps I do for 99% of my photos but there are many more things you can do to get different moods such as black and white, increase noise, add scratches, sepia, blur, washed, selective color, vintage, etc... your mind is the limit.
Don't be afraid to play around and see what each tool, filter, effect does to your photos. Open a good decent photo and just play with it, pile on the affects, play with every tool, look at all the filters. If you do all of this to a single photo it helps you recognize the differences it has on the photo cause some will be very minor.
And just because a tool or effect doesn't work on that particular photo doesn't mean it doesn't have its worth, think about where you use that effect later on, think about when you could have used that in the past so when it does come up again you know how to fix it or when you are out taking photos you know you have some help at home to get this photo right.
Keep 'em coming if you have more ideas! :)
http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome
If you can, shoot in RAW (and don't expect that to fix everything, but it does help compensate for those slightly flubbed exposures), and use your RAW processing tool before getting down to any other nitty-gritties that need to be gotten down to.
And, in closing, I'm a relative newbie, too. These are just the simple things I've found to help with it all - during my limited time behind the lens!
If you have something specific that you are looking to achieve, do share.
I am sure that someone here can help you.
As stated earlier, the better the image that you start with, the better the image will be in the end. Post processing or not.
Quick Tip #1: Adding natural color pop to your otherwise dull image.
Open photo in photoshop, and change mode to lab.
Go to curves adjustment (or cont-M).
You will have 3 options in the drop down box (lightness, a, b).
In "a', grab the top right of the curve and move it to the left till input reads 100.
Now grab the bottom left and move to the right till input reads 100
(I know, looks really bad at this point!.........just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..)
Now go to "b" and do the same process.
Change mode back to rgb and you have instant beauty!
Not to go too off topic, but one other thing I have to look into is screen calibration. I've noticed photos look great on my MacBook Pro, but then I look at them on other systems and they look a bit dark and drab.
I like messing around with it but sometimes find it limits me when I want to do something different in which case I try to use Serif PhotoPlus 8.0 but I'm dreadful at it xD
I so occasionally increase the saturation but I've noticed that this can make images look somewhat unnatural.
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Your instructions were very detailed and I've tried them several times, so I'm fairly certain I'm following them correctly...
Okay, back to experimenting for now :)
If you're curious, you can see some of the results in my regular 365 album.
as far as PP I don't do any of that as well :/
my tip is figure out what tool you are going to use to edit your images and then LEARN that tool the best you can.
With some tools, like photoshop, there are a lot of FREE actions you can find that help create certain looks. Have fun and like mentioned. If you are looking for something specific ask away. I am sure those that even bother to do any PP, they would be sure to help :)
Vignettes - big fan. helps dramatize and bring selective focus to an image
Selective Color - one of the most underutilized tools of PS. it gives you incredibly minute control over the color in your photos. I suggest you give it a whirl.
One of my favorite techniques (which funnily, i havent done here yet), is to bring an image into PS, open up the channel mixer, set it to monochrome and make a punchy black and white. After that, take your channel layer adjustment layer and back the opacity off about 20-25% and you have this moody, destaurated color image. i love it!
It's a Flex-based image editor, very similar to PS. Its very fast and available anywhere there is an internet connection. They also have an "Express" version, that offers tweak control like Picasa.