Best image treatment

[cadudesun]

Hello,

I have 3 images which I am looking for the best treatment. I would appreciate any tip!

a) Dark hair: the woman has an dark hair which is almost blended with the background. What to do to bring more definition to hair and to “separate” it from background?

b) Face light: one side of the man face (and body) is with much brightness, blending with his white shirt yet. Is there any way do correct it?

c) Spot of light: in a slice of a landscape there is a spot with much clarity/brightness. I would prefer to bring more blue from the sky then light. On the other hand, maybe there is any way to take benefit of the light, I am not sure… Any suggestion about how to improve this one?

Thanks in advance indeed. Amazing ideas in this New Year for everybody!!!

Cadu

[brucet]

You don't say what software you are using!

Assuming you have x4 here's a work flow that will give good overall results. It won't 'fix' all your issue but it will give you a starting point for the finer fixes.

First save the file as another file so that you don't destroy your original.

In Adjustments go to -
Levels. Use the auto mode if you like.
Light Fill/Clarity. Be gentle with these. Say 20 for Light Fill and about 20-25 for Clarity.
Curves. Again be very gentle.
Then USM.

Now you should have a good starting point for more work. How much more work is up to you.

Good luck.

[wds937]

I have 3 images which I am looking for the best treatment. I would appreciate any tip!

I guess "best" treatment is in the eye of the beholder, but I experimented with your pictures a little bit, and I found a few suggestions that might get you started. Do follow brucet's recommendation on working on a copy of the picture--not the original; that is always good advice.

a) Dark hair: the woman has an dark hair which is almost blended with the background. What to do to bring more definition to hair and to “separate” it from background?

Note that this uses the Gamma Correction adjustment, which is no longer in the user interface. Access it with Shift G.

1. Gamma Correction - make sure Link is checked, and use 1.7 for the values
2. Magic Wand - Mode=Add, Match mode=Color, Tolerance=20, Continuous - select the background area behind the woman's hair. This may require multiple clicks. If any of the hair gets selected, click Undo, then reselect using a smaller Tolerance value.
3. Gamma Correction - Link, 1.7. This will affect the selected area only.
4. Selections > Select None
5. Use the Soften Brush to smooth over the newly-brightened background, paying particular attention to the edges.
6. Gamma Correction - Link, 0.6. This will restore the overall picture to approximately the value of the original, with the exception of the background behind the woman's hair.

b) Face light: one side of the man face (and body) is with much brightness, blending with his white shirt yet. Is there any way do correct it?

I didn't directly address the side of the man's face, but this may give a suitable overall look to the picture.

• Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast... - use -10 for Brightness and -16 for Contrast.

c) Spot of light: in a slice of a landscape there is a spot with much clarity/brightness. I would prefer to bring more blue from the sky then light.

1. Magic Wand - Mode=Add, Match mode=Color, Tolerance=20, Continuous - select the woman's clothing, skin, and hair. This will require several clicks.
2. Selections > Invert
3. In the Materials Palette, set the foreground color to the color blue you want the sky, such as 174/210/246. You may want to view another picture or two (within PSP) and obtain a realistic sky color from that picture.
4. Use the Color Changer tool, and click an area of white sky. The color of all such white areas, except for the woman, should change to a shade of blue.
5. Selections > Select None
6. Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Fill LIght/Clarity... - use 8 for Fill Light and 8 for Clarity.

While they may not result in what you consider the "best treatment," the above steps should give you some ideas with which to experiment. Just try some of these things, or others, until you find what produces the results you want. Good luck with your images.

[cadudesun]

Hi everybody!
I do agree "best treatment is in the eye of the beholder"!!!
But your tips are being useful to handle PSP and to discover tools and applications.
Many thanks,
Cadu