The wonders of gimp

[Iris]

I just started using gimp on my photos. Before I'd do minimal editing, on Windows Photo Gallery, and only played around with contrast, tint etc. I decided though that it's time to move on from that, and edited all of my newest photos on gimp. As a beginner though, I'm hoping for some good advice from someone more experienced.

Here is shit I edited that came out alright:

http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/149/2/6/romance_by_foreverlilly-d51m0nn.jpg

http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/149/1/c/escaping_the_storm_by_foreverlilly-d51lzvl.jpg
(this one I'm still on the fence about actually, but there are no glaring deformities so I'm including it with the good ones).

http://th03.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/149/b/6/shadows_by_foreverlilly-d51lzmx.jpg

http://th08.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/149/5/6/her_majesty_by_foreverlilly-d51lzfz.jpg

http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/149/e/d/the_illusion_of_time_by_foreverlilly-d51lza8.jpg

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/149/2/d/resting_place_by_foreverlilly-d51lyef.jpg

http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/149/9/5/cry_for_you_by_foreverlilly-d51lyad.jpg

http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/137/3/9/in_one_moment_by_foreverlilly-d505ktw.jpg

And these are some of the ones I failed at and abandoned:

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa433/Forever_Unknown728/DSC00896.jpg

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa433/Forever_Unknown728/DSC00853.jpg

My main issue was background defocus. I had to work for hours to try and make the defocus seamless against the focused subject. I also played with color curves a lot.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Steve Jobs]

I think you need to watch your focus, tonal range and lighting in some of these photos. To me, they look over-processed. While this might be appreciated by the artistic world with very vivid color, your main fallbacks lie within out-of-focus images (spider, flowers and that cat-like thing), over-processing is also quite clear in your first photograph (look at the edges of the flowers)

The second-to-last image has too high a saturation. You may like to explore filters, and to better control lighting when you shoot.

Usually for images that don't turn out as well as you'd like, it's best to reshoot them and explore different conditions & settings rather than to try fix it up in post. You will get to a point where you will depend much less on post-processing than you do with actual on (or in)-camera adjustments.

I like where you're heading though. Your work seems to be more focused towards a specific subject matter. Even if your photos seem good on camera, always re-shoot for your own peace of mind. That's not bursting your camera twice for two identical frames, it's reframing, recomposing and refocusing. Sometimes an image may look perfect on your puny camera's monitor - and most if not all camera monitors are crap. Having a selection to choose from may be the difference between a barely usable, and near-perfect image.

[Iris]

I think you need to watch your focus, tonal range and lighting in some of these photos. To me, they look over-processed. While this might be appreciated by the artistic world with very vivid color, your main fallbacks lie within out-of-focus images (spider, flowers and that cat-like thing), over-processing is also quite clear in your first photograph (look at the edges of the flowers)

hm. They're really out of focus? In the bunch of flowers I suppose I can see it, but I don't know how I could have been any more in focus with the lynx, for one. The spider isn't perfect focus-wise, I agree. As for the flowers-what edges do you mean? I actually did very little with the flowers in the first photo.

The second-to-last image has too high a saturation. You may like to explore filters, and to better control lighting when you shoot.

If by second to last you mean the one in the group of photos I failed at, yes, it's horrible. there are so many things wrong with it that just looking at it makes me laugh ^.^. If you mean second to last of the good ones, can you elaborate?

Usually for images that don't turn out as well as you'd like, it's best to reshoot them and explore different conditions & settings rather than to try fix it up in post. You will get to a point where you will depend much less on post-processing than you do with actual on (or in)-camera adjustments.

I generally don't have the ability to redo my shots. most rely heavily on circumstance, so I try to do the best I can with what I have. The spider, for example, isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be, but it's just not possible to take more shots, by now. Of all of my photos, only the fifth and sixth were planned, and I believe those are balanced well in terms of color and composition.

I like where you're heading though. Your work seems to be more focused towards a specific subject matter. Even if your photos seem good on camera, always re-shoot for your own peace of mind. That's not bursting your camera twice for two identical frames, it's reframing, recomposing and refocusing. Sometimes an image may look perfect on your puny camera's monitor - and most if not all camera monitors are crap. Having a selection to choose from may be the difference between a barely usable, and near-perfect image.

Haha don't worry I never take only one shot of something. I take on average six or seven shots of my subject, from different angles, with small adjustments etc.

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it :heart:.

[Cognizant]

I like them. I need to do a better job at post-editing in photoshop =\

[Rayquaza]

I really do like the watch one :)

[Steve Jobs]

As for the flowers-what edges do you mean? I actually did very little with the flowers in the first photo.



Did you add any definition or sharpening? It's the outline of the flowers. Sometimes you don't pick it up on your display or your monitor isn't calibrated, but if you look closely there's a bit of a sharp edge on them.

[Iris]

Did you add any definition or sharpening? It's the outline of the flowers. Sometimes you don't pick it up on your display or your monitor isn't calibrated, but if you look closely there's a bit of a sharp edge on them.

I blurred the background, which might have given the effect that I sharpened the flower.

[unknownuser]

Nice start, Iris. :]
Taking photos is one thing, but post-processing them is a whole different animal.


I feel that the white in the first photo is blown (it could just be my monitor, though). Do you have the original unedited photo handy. Sometimes looking at the EXIF data (shows what camera/settings you used) may help determine what causes an image to turn out a certain way and what can be changed to fix it.
If the white was blown prior to post-processing, I think that maybe you were using auto-exposure on you camera and when you focused on the darker flower center, the auto-exposure went and lightened up your photo, which in turn blew the white and made it super-white to the point where you can't tell the difference between the white center things (sorry, I'm not expert when it comes to plants... lol) of the flower to the actual flower.

I actually really like the editing on the second one, makes it a little mysterious/eerie feeling. The only thing I could suggest to improve is focus and the big droplet of water above the spider is pretty bright and distracting (at least to me...).

I like the composition and how you chose to focus on the one flower for the third one. Only suggestion would again be sharpness and making sure you don't over-edit to the point that you start to lose the small details of the flower.

The forth one is cute, who could hate a photo of an adorable lynx? ;] I think sharpness is fine for this one. Only things I see is that the crop is too tight (notice how the left ear fur is almost getting cut off) and the washed-out colors make the image look "flat" because the animal blends in with the background behind it.

I would say the fifth is cropped a bit too tight (at least for my liking), I think it would have looked better if there had been a little more open space to the left of the watch. I don't see much else wrong with it, just the washed-out vintage-looking editing is something that I'm personally not a fan of.

Because of the flower's position on the sixth one and how it is poised to the right directs my gaze to the right and off of the picture. I think I would flow better if the flower was left in the same position, but you had captured it on the left side that way your gaze would flow into the image and not out.

I like the seventh one, just my personal preference, but I'm not a fan of the editing.

Love the eighth one! Usually, I'd advise people not to frame their subject directly in the middle, but in this case, I feel that it is fine because the whole image flows together well.

I think you're right about the last two- you killed 'em. But no problem, right? Just get out there, re-shoot, and get some better images to work with. :]

I hope you take my opinions into consideration and I'm really sorry if I may have offended you in anyway but constructive criticism, though sometimes tough to hear, really does help.

Keep at it!

[Iris]

Nice start, Iris. :]
Taking photos is one thing, but post-processing them is a whole different animal.


I feel that the white in the first photo is blown (it could just be my monitor, though). Do you have the original unedited photo handy. Sometimes looking at the EXIF data (shows what camera/settings you used) may help determine what causes an image to turn out a certain way and what can be changed to fix it.
If the white was blown prior to post-processing, I think that maybe you were using auto-exposure on you camera and when you focused on the darker flower center, the auto-exposure went and lightened up your photo, which in turn blew the white and made it super-white to the point where you can't tell the difference between the white center things (sorry, I'm not expert when it comes to plants... lol) of the flower to the actual flower.

Yeah it's completely blown. I thought that would help it aesthetically, but I suppose it didn't. It's a good thing though, I learnt a lot from the fucked up aspects of this photo :).

I actually really like the editing on the second one, makes it a little mysterious/eerie feeling. The only thing I could suggest to improve is focus and the big droplet of water above the spider is pretty bright and distracting (at least to me...).

I'm not really sure how to change those two things in post-processing. Any ideas?

I like the composition and how you chose to focus on the one flower for the third one. Only suggestion would again be sharpness and making sure you don't over-edit to the point that you start to lose the small details of the flower.

hmm. I'll keep that in mind.

The forth one is cute, who could hate a photo of an adorable lynx? ;] I think sharpness is fine for this one. Only things I see is that the crop is too tight (notice how the left ear fur is almost getting cut off) and the washed-out colors make the image look "flat" because the animal blends in with the background behind it.

The crop I agree with, but the washed out colors I was aiming for. I wanted the lynx to blend into the background, to give it a 'snow queen'-like feel. Maybe I was overreaching :whoops:.

I would say the fifth is cropped a bit too tight (at least for my liking), I think it would have looked better if there had been a little more open space to the left of the watch. I don't see much else wrong with it, just the washed-out vintage-looking editing is something that I'm personally not a fan of.

Fair enough :).

Because of the flower's position on the sixth one and how it is poised to the right directs my gaze to the right and off of the picture. I think I would flow better if the flower was left in the same position, but you had captured it on the left side that way your gaze would flow into the image and not out.

I never thought of that. Thank you!

I like the seventh one, just my personal preference, but I'm not a fan of the editing.

The editing in that one is only some background blurring and color changes. Which don't you like?

Love the eighth one! Usually, I'd advise people not to frame their subject directly in the middle, but in this case, I feel that it is fine because the whole image flows together well.

Yay thanks!

I think you're right about the last two- you killed 'em. But no problem, right? Just get out there, re-shoot, and get some better images to work with. :]

lol. will do.

I hope you take my opinions into consideration and I'm really sorry if I may have offended you in anyway but constructive criticism, though sometimes tough to hear, really does help.

Haha I'm not offended at all. I made this thread for critique like yours. Thanks so much for taking the time out to write all this. You taught me a few things, and I really appreciate that :heart:.

[xxx.xxx]

The one with the spider is amazing i think :)

[kalolin]

I really do like the watch one