Photoshop session

In class we were shown how to use photoshop to enhance any images that needed improving. This was the first time I had used the photoshop software and I found it really interesting and useful and surprisingly easy to use.

I selected some of my images of my first theme (nature) and had a play around with photoshop to see how the images can be changed, cropped and enhanced using the different options on the software.

Image 1

This was the first image chosen from my first theme which was taken at Branston water park and I think that the overall image looks ok as it is but I thought that I would experiment with photoshop to see how it could be changed and whether this would make it look any better.

This shows that I set the image at A4 so I no matter what I did to the image or how it was cropped it would always print out as an A4 size. It shows on this screen print that A4 would be 210 mm wide and 297 mm in height. 

This screen print shows me cropping and selecting the chosen area of the image. I didn't end up taking a lot off the image as I liked the whole composition.

I then went on to layer the image with changing the brightness and contrast. I adjusted the brightness to 38 and contrast to 4.

This screen print shows me changing the exposure. This layer by itself seems like the image is overexposed.

The next layer was hue and saturation. This layer added on top of the exposure and brightness/contrast worked quite well and looks a lot brighter and vibrant. This would be a good technique to use if you want to have a really bright and colourful image that really pops.

This last screen shot is to show the adjustment of colour balance which was the last layer I used to get to the final outcome. Because I wanted to keep the image natural I didn't want the colours to look manipulated or artificial. I really just wanted to enhance the colour of the leaves around the bark.

Comparing the before and after images

Image before photoshop

Image after photoshop

Evaluation on image 1

Looking at the before and after images above I actually think I prefer the before image. I think the only thing I would change on my original image is maybe the brightness/contrast to give more light. I like the composition so I wouldn't take anything out of the image as I shot it this way on purpose so that the bark leans inwards and I like the wildness of the twigs coming off the bark.

Image 2

I photographed this leaf because I loved the shape of the leaf and the colours and because of this I thought it was really beautiful. I also liked the way that the smaller leaves surrounded the main subject of the larger leaf. I think this image works well as it is but I wanted to crop this slightly and make it more vibrant because the photo is light but dull. I want to make the leaf really stand out.

Firstly I wanted to crop the image and select the area that I wanted to concentrate on and work with to enhance it. I ended up making the image more square and took away some of the edges from the side. 

The first layer was the brightness and contrast. With this one I increased the brightness to 37 and decreased the contrast to -12.

Here I have increased the exposure which has given the image more light. Even though I felt the image didn't really need more exposure I played around with the exposure settings to see what it would do and how it would effect the image.

The next layer was vibrance and saturation. The vibrancy was set to +56 and the saturation +16 and this gives the image purity and makes the colours more defined.

The final layer was the colour balance and I tried to concentrate more on the yellow tones to really make the leaf pop out of the image.

Comparing the before and after images

Image before photoshop

Image after photoshop

Evaluation on image 2

I like both the before and after images of image 2 and I think that they both give a different effect and feel. I like the before image but I do feel that it has a better composition once cropped. I love the vibrancy of the after image but it maybe slightly too bright but I think it definitely pops and gets your attention.

Image 3

I liked the shape and the detail of these plants and that is what I wanted to capture in this image. I wanted to make the texture and the detail really sharp and defined. Because it was a dull day the image came out quite dull so that is the main thing I wanted to improve on.

I decided to keep the image the same here and didn't actually crop anything out. I like the composition and the shapes and I thought it worked well enough without anything being removed.

The first layer I experimented with was the brightness and contrast. I increased the brightness to +97 and the contrast to +37 which I think helped the image as far as the dullness is concerned. It really helps to pick out the light and makes the details appear sharper. I like that you can see the cobwebs on the plants and the little water droplets.

The next layer was hue and saturation which I only changed slightly.

Finally I altered the colour balance of the image concentrating on the blue, green and red tones as these were the main tonal ranges in the image.

Comparing the before and after images

Image before photoshop

Image after photoshop

Evaluation on image 3

I think that using photoshop with this image has improved it. I like the brightness and the detail that is shown in the after image and everything has just been lifted. I think that this may be one I will use in my final images.

Image 4

I like the composition and angle of the tree in the original image above. I also like how you can see the background but because it is blurred it doesn't defer away from the tree and the detail of the bark. 

Because of the points raised above I didn't crop anything off the original image.

My first layer was the brightness and contrast, the brightness has been increased to +37 and the contrast to +40. This just gave a subtle change to the image and gave more light at the front.

Next I changed the hue and saturation. The hue was taken down to -2 and the saturation was increased slightly to +4.

The last layer was the colour balance which I tweeked slightly. I didn't feel it needed much as I like how 'raw' the image was originally. I just wanted to pick out the green of the moss and hints of colour on the bark.

Comparing the before and after images

Image before photoshop

Image after photoshop

Evaluation on image 4

I think that both images work but I like the sharpness and colours of the after image. The hints of colour on the bark have been drawn out and the moss also stands out alot better. Even though I like the after image I would still use my original as this has a more raw look and I like the neutral tones.

Image 5

This image was one of my favourites taken at Branston water park. I like how the composition is simple and that the swan is the main subject and this is where your focus lies. The only thing I wanted to change to this image is the space around the swan.

This snapshot taken from photoshop shows that I have cropped the image and changed it to portrait instead of landscape. The only other thing I did here was to change the contrast and brightness of the image to bring out the colours of the swan's feathers. I mainly concentrated on the contrast and cropping.

Comparing the before and after images

Image before photoshop

Image after photoshop

Evaluation on image 5

I prefer the photoshop image to the original image mainly because of the fact I was able to crop out a lot of the empty spaces in the photograph. I also like the position of the swan and altering the contrast has really made the feathers of the swan stand out and make an impact. I specifically left the swans foot in the frame as this shows the swan is in movement and the line of sight from the swan directs your eyes over the image.