I am in a bind; I need some expert advice on how to improve this photo. Could you please post some tips and a good work flow that I could follow to fix this photo. I am using Photoshop CS.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :bow:

Thanks

Jim

Not quite sure what you are looking for when you say 'fix'?

In the attached I have straightened, cropped, and used a shadow/highlights adjustment and a selective contrast adjustment to make the kids on each side a bit more similar in brightness. Is this what you were after?

Unfortunately the picture has very bad jpg artifacting - I presume that is just a function of posting to this board, and not one of the problems you are trying to fix?

Hi Caitlin,

What I am after is trying to make the kids on each side a bit more similar in brightness. The jpg artifacting is a result of posting. Can you suggest some settings for the shadow/highlights adjustment.

Thanks

Jim

That looks great Caitlin.

I was thinking of taking a shot at this one, but I don't know if I could do much better.

I agree, that's a darn good job Caitlin. The only thing I still find a little bothersome is the bright patch on the bottom right, it keeps grabbing my attention. But honestly don't know how I would approach it. Would you just keep cloning over it and build up the density? Cropping a little tighter at the bottom might eliminate it too if they wanted to go that route.

Ok, I took a shot at it.

I don't think it looks better than Caitlin's work, but I thought I would try.

Here's what I did.

1. Added a curves adjustment layer set to screen mode.

2. Used a gradient to fill the mask, and lighten the left side of the picture.

3. Opened up channels pallet. Selected RGB channel, and hit CRTL - ALT - ~ to select luminosity, and saved as a mask.

4. I then selected the mask, and applied levels to it. I then moved over the shadows slider till only the highlights in the picture where selected. (Like the highlights in the hair.)

5. I turned the channel above into a selection, and created a curves adjustment layer set to multiply. I moved the white point in the curve down to about 235.

6. Added another curves layer, set to soft light, and adjusted opacity to 32%

I didn't fix the artifacts, as it sounds like that's not a problem in the original image you have.

If you are looking to fix the blown out highlights in the hair, I think the only way would be to clone the hot spots.

If there is another way, I hope someone will share how to do it. :wink:

Sorry not to respond sooner. To be honest, I just used the cheats way out and used the Shadow/Highlight adjustment, which is available in your version of Photoshop (CS) and in fact left it at the default settings. After that I still thought the left hand side could do with a bit more 'zing' and did a loose feathered selection and increased contrast a little more.

Fats - your version looks great to me - just a bit more work!

Flora just posted a tutorial on the Shadow/Highlight feature here: http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=189 , though with this case I think the defaults work fine.

Thanks Caitlin.

I haven't used shadow/highlight that much. I think I need to learn more about it. Thanks for the link to the tutorial.

BTW Caitlin,

Is there a trick to making the images you post here, closer to what you see in photoshop?

It seems like your image looks more like what I see in photoshop, but mine looks dull unless I open it in photoshop.

Does that make sence? lol.

BTW Caitlin,

Is there a trick to making the images you post here, closer to what you see in photoshop?

It seems like your image looks more like what I see in photoshop, but mine looks dull unless I open it in photoshop.

Does that make sence? lol.Have a look under EDIT - COLOR SETTINGS in Photoshop and see what your RGB working space is set to. It should be sRGB.

I see.

I left the color space set to Adobe 1998, which is what this original image was set to.

You must of converted the image to sRGB, in order to post here? I read that somewhere, but it didn't sink in till now. :lol:

sRGB for the web. Adobe 1998 for print.

Thanks alot Caitlin. :wink:

Thanks fat0n3s I will give your approach a try. Thanks Catlin, I will look up Floro's tutorial.

If anyone has any suggestions, please post them.

Thanks to all, that have posted.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Welcome to RP! :pleased:

I will look up Floro's tutorial. .... Actually it's Flora ... :D :D

Anyway the method described in the Tutorial is what I used here as well ...
The first 'pass' on the whole picture and the separately on the ligthest and darkest areas to really balance the image

I tried for the first time the new CS2 Vanishing Point option to fix the distracting blown out bottom right patch as Inskip as pointed out ...

Used the Levels for a final contrast correction.

USM to lightly sharpen even thoug the size posted is riddled with .JPG artifacts...

I see.

I left the color space set to Adobe 1998, which is what this original image was set to.

You must of converted the image to sRGB, in order to post here? I read that somewhere, but it didn't sink in till now. :lol:

sRGB for the web. Adobe 1998 for print.

Thanks alot Caitlin. :wink:Hi Fat - I didn't convert anything to anything! Just set the colour settings to those recommended in various books. And used 'save for web'.