How to: "Christian Schmidt" Look - Page 13

jamesbateman · #**361** 04-01-2010, 03:28 PM

I dont understand why no one has asked Mac about that image yet?! It's kinda the holy grail right there... I really like that image

I recognise allot of the photos in your website Shaun from the posts here in the very beginning. Inspiring stuff... it seems to me that its all about colours right? Once you have the colours for the image, that's half the battle. The light would obviously have to be right in the beginning, but colours are paramount for this sort of effect.

I used to study music technology and remember learning new techniques to achieve the kind of effects most of us don't understand but still enjoy in our music... Like compression for instance... we can all hear it, but you need to train your ears to understand how to achieve it and recreate that sound (assuming thats what you are going for).

Now from what I understand with photography, it's completely the same process for me when I learn this stuff. I start off with some presets in LR and then one day, decide to play around with actions in PS. Certain things look great and I remember what they were and try to adapt them into my workflow if thats what is needed. With this process, unless you play around and manage to find this effect yourself one day, you will never know how to achieve it without someone showing you the way... it's up to you how to use it in the future but you will only ever know the way, not when it should be used and how much of the effect the image needs. This is kind of personal to you as the artist I suppose.

For this effect, I think it's necessary to ask people like Shaun how he got to that effect, but the answer may not make sense because your brain just aint ever gonna work like that! I used the AIM profile because I thought it was a one click solution until I realised you can use screen blending mode to achieve pretty much the same effect haha. But at no point did I get any better, or turn into Christian Schmidt... I just got a white, bright image... great... now what? See 'he' would have known where he wanted to go with the rest of the processing as an artist and continue pushing and playing around until eventually the effect happened. If he actually turned up on here and posted the entire workflow and put us out of our misery, half of us would still be producing the same-old-stuff-but-whiter because we cannot tell our brains to be someone else... they are hard wired to be an individual I'm afraid.

So Shuan, please put us out of our misery and explain as best you can, but I still think half of us will never get to grips with it because it's not in our nature to 'see' how you do... but it will help allot haha

Woop! longest brain fart ever

MacBurg · #**362** 04-01-2010, 06:52 PM

Hi James, first of all thank you for the comments, much appreciated. I have actually been out shooting a few new landscapes recently, but mostly on medium format film

So I can't post results as quickly as I was able to previously, but I'm really enjoying the process and the look and feel from both Fuji Astia slidefilm, and also Kodak 160VC negatives.

As you have figured out and mentioned above, a lot of the success in these images and using the AIM profile, comes from shooting scenes in the right light, and to me that either means side or slightly back lit scenes.

I don't claim to have mastered this technique, especially nothing close to Mr Schmidt, as he achieves a very consistent look to his images no matter what the subject might be. I really admire his work though and will continue to develop my technique and style and share any info I learn right here.

As it's Easter weekend, I have a trip up the coast planned for this evening, to a spot I have been to previously. It gets perfect directional light in the early evening and the sea is lovely right now as I look out the window. So I'll be happy to share a RAW and a layered Tiff file for others here to work with, but you can't have the piece film

Thanks to others in this thread that have shared information, especially those trying this technique out on architectural images, as that's where I want to take things next. Happy easter to all, and goodluck behind the lens.

djslyda · #**363** 04-08-2010, 11:37 PM

i have made a few of my recent photos try to have a similar effect to some of shcmidts work, i love the tones in them especially the way the sky turns kinda teal almost green color:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_kenny/4421233132/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_k...87826/sizes/o/

karlomatuguinas · #**364** 05-01-2010, 10:30 AM

pls help, where i can find the aim rgb profile, its not available anymore in the link:

http://www.aim-dtp.net/aim/download/aim_profiles.zip ....

so where can i download this profile.... or pls send it to my email add.

karlomatuguinas@yahoo.com

karlomatuguinas · #**365** 05-01-2010, 11:03 AM

thanks oldbaldy...

Aladdin · #**366** 05-01-2010, 11:46 PM

I hope this helps, http://www.filestube.com/08ac35dab88...g/AIM-RGB.html, I found it through google

longside1 · #**367** 04-19-2011, 03:08 AM

Hi guys,

I'm not sure whether this thread is still alive but after discovering the work of Scmidt thought that I would have a little play.

Whilst I took my inspiration from his landscape work, I haven't tried to re-create the washed out / white look that some of his images demonstrate so I have stayed clear from the Aim Color Profile.

What I have tried to acheive is a more CGI look to the pictures. I accept that the colour may be a tad over saturated so may correct this later.

Anyway, feedback would be appreciated

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagespike/5623693661/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagespike/5632866606/

Thanks,

reko · #**368** 04-19-2011, 06:51 AM

OMG, owesome pictures.

you have a tutorial or psd ? thanks.

diva42 · #**369** 04-19-2011, 09:12 AM

I have a couple questions on this 1st being I set the Adobe rgb 1998 but didnt think before doing this to see what the default profile was set to does anyone know what the default is?
and also why does the workspace image not appear the way it does after I save it don't get me wrong I love the results.

Thanks Lisa

longside1 · #**370** 04-19-2011, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diva42

I have a couple questions on this 1st being I set the Adobe rgb 1998 but didnt think before doing this to see what the default profile was set to does anyone know what the default is?
and also why does the workspace image not appear the way it does after I save it don't get me wrong I love the results.

Thanks Lisa

If working in RAW your default colour profile is set there, and this will apply to your image once opened in PS. To check what your profile is in PS just go to edit, convert profile and it will show you what your converting from (this instructions are from memory as I'm in the office!)

RE: your workspace image, if it appears incorrect when viewing on the web etc then you need to make sure that before uploading you have changed the colour space to srgb as this is what the majority of web browsers use and some applications in windows.

cheers

diva42 · #**371** 04-19-2011, 10:11 AM

Hi longside1 I had set convert to profile to Adobe RGB (1998) using one of the settings suggested to get this Christian Schmidt look in the thread but it is now holding that setting and I don't recall what the default was and I don't work in RAW as of yet need to save for a better camera I'm a fairly new photo enthusiast.

Thanks for the tip on converting back over to srgb colour space I haven't tried to upload the image yet but I will do this with both the 1998 profile and srgb to compare,
So much to know about in photography and photoshop.

Lisa

longside1 · #**372** 04-19-2011, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diva42

Hi longside1 I had set convert to profile to Adobe RGB (1998) using one of the settings suggested to get this Christian Schmidt look in the thread but it is now holding that setting and I don't recall what the default was and I don't work in RAW as of yet need to save for a better camera I'm a fairly new photo enthusiast.

Thanks for the tip on converting back over to srgb colour space I haven't tried to upload the image yet but I will do this with both the 1998 profile and srgb to compare,
So much to know about in photography and photoshop.

Lisa

No probs. If you are a beginner you will be fine working in Adobe RGB regardless of what you are doing or alternatively sRGB. If you don't use sRGB then remember to change to this profile before uploading to the web

diva42 · #**373** 04-19-2011, 10:30 AM

Ok Thanks again I guess its all trial and error from here on in lol

il_dogui · #**374** 07-31-2011, 05:20 AM

Hello guys! This is my first post here!
I was messing around trying to emulate the "Christian Schmidt style" and I came to an interesting result I'd like to discuss with you.
If you cmd+click on the RGB channel and fill with white the selection (on a blank layer) the effect is quite interesting.
The problem is that while I like the overall tones of the image, I lose a lot of details on the highlights (of course because they are "filled" with white).
So my question is:
How can you bring up the details while keeping the tones obtained with the "white layer"?
Original: http://imageshack.us/f/135/dsc8429a.jpg/
Retouched: http://imageshack.us/f/811/dsc8429a.jpg/
Thanks!
g.

edgework · #**375** 08-01-2011, 09:59 AM

Lost track of this thread for a while. Here's the hallway image from the previous page. Took about two minutes. Am I missing something?

Don't have the AIM profile on my machine at work. I stacked three layers of pure white in softlight mode onto the original. Duped the original and converted to CMYK. Used the black plate to mask the bleached set and reveal the original beneath. Used it again as a selection and filled with black on top in soft light mode at 25%. Put the original in color mode on top at 30% to replace a little tone, but I kind of liked the desaturated look too.

marioav · #**376** 08-02-2011, 02:22 AM

i've got very good result with that technique. thanks to all
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oops_ma...n/photostream/

SergRetouch · #**377** 08-08-2011, 11:26 AM

Hi there. I make some "white style" image. Its not like realy Christian Schmidt looks, but I think I have not bad result.
And I make it not with AIM method. I basic use one of channels for whitnes.
If some interested I can make a detailed description of the process.

Sam Bacon · #**378** 08-08-2011, 11:35 AM

@SergRetouch

Hi
definitely interesting to know how you did that!

SergRetouch · #**379** 08-08-2011, 11:54 AM

I think Psd will be better than description

Download Psd (8,5mb).
This to understand how you make white looks without color profile manipulations. All opacity can be changed by taste. Hope this be helpful for someone

Sam Bacon · #**380** 08-08-2011, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SergRetouch

I think Psd will be better than description

Download Psd (8,5mb).
This to understand how you make white looks without color profile manipulations. All opacity can be changed by taste. Hope this be helpful for someone

Thanks a lot. Frankly speaking I find this way very close to the subject. It means to me that Herr Schmidt works with his hands rather than using a magic button in PS.

stefandb · #**381** 08-24-2011, 07:09 AM

I just convert profile to "custom profile", change the gamma to ,say, 3 and then assign profile RGB, then again convert to profile..and depending on the first result change the gamme to, say, 2,8...which should already give you a nice result..THEN change to LAB mode and do your corrections there...

Eikon · #**382** 01-01-2012, 08:10 PM

A thread thats far too long and teaches nothing. Garibaldi said it years ago and still, no one gets it. If you want a white image, stick your camera in the snow. No action, filter, gradient map, or color profile will get you the results these artists are achieving....because theyre artists. There is a big difference between a photograph and the art they are creating.

There were some nice images made here, and im sure those people learned something in the process.

Instead of looking for actions that do the work for you, pick up a book and learn how to light. Go to school for a few years and learn cgi, and compositing Break out your owners manual and learn how to use your camera. Then, take another look at the work these guys are doing and you will be able to see it.

Ive done those things, and consider myself to have a well trained eye at spotting how stuff was done, but no one will ever know for sure except the guy who built the final image. And no, i probably couldnt recreate the look, but thats what makes them special. I find alot of useful stuff on here, and while im new to realy involved photo processing, i know im not gonna find "that button" that makes the image cool.

Learn from the masters, but ultimately you need to spend the time making your own art.... Creating your own style. So unless your prepared to spend days working on a single image to make it the best it can be, go keep looking for actions.

Someone needs to rename this "The AIM conversion Thread"...cause i dont think it has much to do with how christian gets his "look".