Fine Art Technique

[_ManWithNoName_]

Im struggling like a mother to get a technique down.

In the following, Id like to replicate the tones, conversion and obviously the dodging and burning. What do you think has been done in this image. I know it's a long exposure.

It's actually quite a simple picture but it's the technique that brings it alive and Im failing badly there.

Is it Dodging & Burning, Vignetting e.t.c, Curves, Sepia..

http://www.denisolivier.com/p_sets.php?pid=935

Thanks in advance..

D

[igot2pman]

Mostly the pictures are just one focal point that is very sharp, and the rest is a combo of vignetting, gradients, blur, and motion blur all to focus your eye tward the one focal point.

Lots of leading lines, or leading elements to guide the eye to its desination.

Hope it helps,
-Keven

[_ManWithNoName_]

Thanks for the reply, yes it does help, I see it more now you've stated it, I suppose my technique for doing this needs more work.

I noticed the sky areas and ground areas, are darkened to take the viewers eye in, how would you approach this, is this what would be called local adjustments, where you work/darken that area.

Me. I probably would use a multiply layer / mask and badly blend, darken the areas back in gradually??

D

[pellepiano]

Or just use the vignette tool in Lens Blur filter.

[_ManWithNoName_]

Would normally do that too, I just thought the burning was more localised to the areas wanted, but could apply a large vignette and blend in/out??

D

[pellepiano]

I usually make a layer with black, cut out a circle in the middle, set to Overlay and use some heavy Gaussian Blur, when needed to darken a little more and add contrast.

[_ManWithNoName_]

Cheers. Will try that technique and see the results...

[_ManWithNoName_]

There's a certain tone to the image a fine art tone, any ideas??

[pellepiano]

Yes, the foreground has the look of being lit separately with strobes. Its probably not but thats feeling I get from the light on the fence"fence" that sem to come from different directions.
I love that look and try to make my outdoors portraits have that mix of strobes and natural light.

[Quantum3Studio]

Yeah, images hosted by artlimited.net are stunning...

[_ManWithNoName_]

Back again and struggling.

Below is an image. My Dodge and burn and well, PS skills are naff, how do you go about the effect in the image below. It's nice blended effect where he has darkened the edges nicely of the image to draw the viewer into the leading lines.

Any help, direction appreciated. Have no idea. Has he darkened the entire image and revealed certain spots e.t.c

Pleeeeeease, for the Love Of Everything Good. Heeeeelp Me :-)

http://www.denisolivier.com/p_sets.php?pid=903

[MacBurg]

Create a mask... Start with a luminosity mask and edit it further with a brush, then create a new layer and paint in where you want to darken, using the mask for any detailed areas. There are many ways to darken the image, say creating a composite layer and using Calculations to mix channels, then Edit>Fade.

Most of these images though start out with a general exposure with the main subject being key to capture the detail, then a mask is created and heavy darkening to draw the eye to the subject. I'm not saying this is simple work, but simple in principle...

[_ManWithNoName_]

Thank You.

Pointed me in the right direction.

Any further directions would benificial and also good tutorials on the subject, reading one now, which has raised my spirits a bit.

Cheers...

[Sweetlight]

I think most of the work was done "in-camera" in this case. Surely a long exposure. Looks like time of day is "duskish" which I think attributes to the clean even highlights on the rails.
Looks like PS provided the vignetting which I acheive using layer masks. I think some strokes using the dodge tool on the highlights.

c

[_ManWithNoName_]

I understand how the photo was taken.

Problem I am having is the technique to isolate light via the vignette. Is it a straight Vignette, I can't make my transitions from the light to dark or vice versa that smooth and seamless around the edges exactly where I want them to be, I can vignette but thats about it...

Thanks

[zganie]

Maybe you should ask the guy that did them?

[_ManWithNoName_]

I did, but not specifically that, maybe I will again, but he just refered me, but it was nice of him to respond..

[_ManWithNoName_]

Well

Thanks guys. I may have another question soon but here is what I've managed to come up with, maybe a fluke but will find out on the next image..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_manwit...e_/3660975788/

[garibaldi]

One of the elements I think you are probably struggling with it the tonal range, in those shots the range sits heavily at either extreme, very white whites, and very rich blacks, and not alot of middle grey, and limited at best, it goes beyond simple contrast, but alot of that is done with dodge and burn very delicatley. the images are smooth for a few reasons, one, they are shot with a long exposure, so any movement gets smooth and creamy, the water, the skies, etc. Second the composotion is very simple, theres water sky and a dock or rocks, theres no clutter. Beyond that its just a matter of controlling where you want the tones to fall and how hard. That can be selectively done with a number of techniques, but you can also really direct them by using masks, and drop gradients on the masks. Its not that complicated, you just have to spend the time and "feel" it

[garibaldi]

BTW check out a guys work by the name of Chip Forelli, exactly what your looking for. I think he shoots film and medum format though, which helps as well, but Ive seen these results with digital too

[Quantum3Studio]

Agree with garibaldi, technique is one thing but the mood is the whole thing, and that's just feeling.

[_ManWithNoName_]

Thank guys. Yes. It is black black, white whites as you say like a very high contrast, but very controlled. Well. Practice makes perfect.

The long exposure and composition is probably the easiest or at least easier part, I think it's the dogding and burning and toning I am struggling with...

[_ManWithNoName_]

Well garibaldi.

It's all well and good telling me what is done but can you help me out further by given examples or at least talking me through a workflow that you migh conjour up...

It's that deep contrast between the blacks and white I struggle with without pushing the image too far using basic PS techniques

[garibaldi]

the technique of dodging and burning is straightforward, its just applying it to the areas of the image that need it, theres a few different techniques to doing it, using the d&b tools in ps, a 50% grey layer set to overlay and then painitng on it, etc. you can also get to a better B7W image by using channel mixer in monochrome, or popping through the indivdual RGB channels and applying them or copying them in an isolated manner. As far as the actual application though, that is individual discretion, and something that you have to have a feel for, theres no workflow for that, its our eye. But you can target specific areas of the image and use it to whatever extent you feel it needs in that particular area.

[_ManWithNoName_]

Thanks garibaldi.

Do you know of any tuts for this overlay method. What I tend to do is create a new layer, set to mutliple, apply mask and burn in areas I want, then do the same with on a screen layer.

When you paint with black on the overlay layer (which Ive tried) does white also affect this layer for the highliighst.

Been investigating the seperating of the channels and rearanging the order and applying a mask and doging and burning on each..

Cheers

[rudym]

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/...derControl.mov

[garibaldi]

why does that guys voice wound so whacked in that video, he sounds like he molests children. sort of like a robotic molester.
I think your making this more comlcated than it is, it doesnt really matter what trick you use, you have to just be good at it. Especially in a black and white image, its much easier, becasue all your dealing with is the range from pure black to pure white, so it just boils down to knowing where to place it

[rudym]

I don't know how a child molester sounds like. I do know that ManWithNoName_ requested a tutorial. I was just trying to help.

[garibaldi]

hahaha had nothing to do with you, unless youre the guy in the tutorial lol

[rudym]

No just someone who is also learning. I hope you will be able to stay on track. Don't forget the topic.