Photo Retouching - - Get the Amateur look out!

G Deezy · #1 07-21-2005, 05:37 PM

Hello there, just seeing if someone can help me or guide me into the direction of getting rid of the "amateur" photo look from my digital pictures. I am trying to get that magazine ad look but I can't seem to do it without the changes looking too drastic. Is there a simple process that makes pictures look less amateurish?

I know de-interlacing works on digital video to make it look more like film and it gets rid of the home video look but I'm trying to figure something out for my pictures.

Thanks!

Gary Richardson · #2 07-21-2005, 06:16 PM

If you can post a picture that you're having trouble with, I'm sure someone will be able to help.

Try something about 800x600 pix and the file size limit on this forum is 100k.

G Deezy · #3 07-21-2005, 06:30 PM

Its not just one picture, its more of a general question. I'm sure the camera and quality of the photo have a lot (if not everything) to do with it. But I was just wondering if someone here knows of some steps you can do to help your amateur photos look decent.

PatrickB · #4 07-21-2005, 06:53 PM

G,

are you politician by coincidence?

Just joking, but you are talking so general we can hardly guess what you are talking about.

Please post an example picture here so we can see what you are talking about. Without that, how can we know what you want to know?

Patrick

Mike · #5 07-21-2005, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G Deezy

Its not just one picture, its more of a general question. I'm sure the camera and quality of the photo have a lot (if not everything) to do with it. But I was just wondering if someone here knows of some steps you can do to help your amateur photos look decent.

I would suggest taking some courses in Basic Photography. Most of the pro photographers I know use photo shop to enhance what is already there, not to correct what you did not put there in the first place.

Mike

RichardBrackin · #6 07-21-2005, 10:08 PM

Certainly, nothing beats a well-composed photo to begin with.

One thing I do is to quickly get the levels adjusted, then go to curves and make a lazy S shape while in rgb mode. It sort of saturates shadows and highlights while making midtones appear slightly boosted.

That's all I'll do to the image sometimes if I'm in a hurry and we've gotta blow it through the presses. You gotta be careful not to overdo the shadows and highlights, though. You need to pick your spots based on the image.

It can sort of make a digital image appear as though you are looking at a transparency on a light table.

I did it very very quickly here in about 10 seconds from start to finish. I took the photo with a Canon 20D with a 17-85mm IS USM lens in natural daylight.

Granted there's some flaws in the image and I'd probably choose to blur the background foliage a little more (IMO).
I like to think it's a nice dynamic little image and shows what you can do with very minimal effort.

creeduk · #7 07-21-2005, 11:08 PM

Also a lot of ad's use replaced backgrounds and added lighting, mirror reflection, all easily added by photoshop (subject depending). A black backround, a red softened light effect and a reflection of the object with strark white letters gives that magazine ad feel. This kind of thing maybe what you mean?

G Deezy · #8 07-22-2005, 12:05 AM

Wow, thanks for all the input, this forum really is great!

I can manage to make my macro shots of objects look pretty decent (except for my shadow being in the pic below LOL). I just need help making people pictures look less like people look in home videos and more like how people look in movies.

Richard, thanks for the samples, I'll definately give that whirl for my macro shots.

Creeduk, yes those are the sort of things I'm talking about. Do you have any samples that you've applied the below mentioned effects to?