ArchivesEditing Challenges

Beginning Editing Challenge: Pitrie

in Uncategorized on 0 36 Views
DSC01816-3 DSC01816

This Editing Challenge is perfect for beginners! The edit was made using Lightroom only, so you don’t need any fancy Photoshop knowledge to work with this RAW file.

Below, you’ll find the different radials I used, as well as screenshots of the global adjustments I made… HOWEVER! Simply copying my settings will likely NOT help you learn…. it will help you learn how to copy settings, and that’s about all. If you see that I’ve used the HSL panel, have a go at adjusting the settings yourself first. If you get stuck or you’re not achieving the results you want, then check back in on my settings, and use them to guide you.

Instead, ask yourself: “What effects can I see in the before/after? What colours? What is the contrast like? What tools/options might I need to use to achieve these same results?’

Download the RAW file here

Here’s what I did:

Global Adjustments:

I actually adjusted the tone curve at the end of this one to bring a bit more vibrance and contrast into the image.

HSL Panel adjustments

Selective Edits

As you can see in the screenshots above, there were multiple masks and selective edits. You can do these in whatever order makes sense for you – it doesn’t really matter.

Essentially, I:

  • Raised whites, texture and clarity on the whole face
  • Desaturated the chest
  • Lowered highlights in the background and on the tree
  • More lowering highlights
  • Created an open vignette
  • Worked on the eye in three separate parts: catchlights, iris and pupil.
  • Removed some blue from his nose
  • Made a spotlight
  • Added some dehaze behind him, balanced out by raising saturation a bit so it didn’t go grey
  • Raised whites and contrast on the whole dog
  • Added some blue and cyan to the right hand side as it was a funny colour compared to the rest of the image.

Deep Green Editing Challenge

in Uncategorized on 0 114 Views

This editing challenge is going to take you into the deep greens.

You will find a few links around to help you, but particularly this Deep Greens Editing toolbox, and this deep greens full tutorial. 

For this challenge, you can either try to copy the edit, or do your own however you want.

While I don’t generally recommend trying to copy other photographers, or copy an edit, I will say that I have pushed myself to learn and master new techniques by trying to achieve the look of a photo that isn’t mine. Rarely do I want to copy the WHOLE photo, but there might be some element of it – the shade of green, the way they made a foreground, the light from a lantern, etc – that I DO want to attempt to imitate, in the scientific pursuit of HOW they did it. 

You don’t have to be advanced to work on the “advanced” photo, but if you want to copy the techniques & try to get your photo looking like mine, there’s a lot of things you need to do.

As always, there’s no “winner” to this challenge. It’s simply an opportunity for you to practise new skills.

If you’re in the Learning Journey and aiming to earn your Snoot Awards, Each edit counts as 1 challenge entry toward your Snoot Awards.

Therefore, you don’t have to do all 3 at once. Feel free to revisit the other photos at a later date. 

Click here for ALL the Raw Files

Use the button above to get to the RAW files. You can download them all, or just get the ones you need for each individual challenge level.

Beginning Loki: Editing Challenge

in Uncategorized on 0 275 Views

Woo hoo! Time for your first editing challenge!

No pressure here, this is just a safe opportunity to practise some new techniques with a nice, uncomplicated photo. 

Keep your photography goal in mind (draw attention to our subject and keep our audience in our image!) and at stage 1 & 2, work on creating a nice, balanced image. There’s plenty of time for special effects and more extreme edits in later stages.

For this edit, these are some steps you might want to take. Of course at the end of the day, the method and style you choose is up to you.

  • Fix the white balance: make sure Loki is black, not blue, and not too yellow!
  • Small global/basic adjustments on highlights and shadows
  • Slight changes to yellows & greens in the HSL panel
  • Radial filters/selective edits including:
    • adding clarity & texture to the face
    • adding clarity & whites to the eyes
    • brightening & desaturating the catchlights
    • adding whites to the face – but be careful of the stripe! We don’t want it to get too bright!
    • removing yellow/desaturating the chest and chin
    • adding a subtle vignette around the dog
    • lowering highlights just a bit on the bright spots
    • Crop if you want!
DSC00944-2 DSC00944
Download here