Which portrait treatment looks better? Soft high key or contrasty sharper version?

The first photo I made today occurred while experimenting with ways to to develop a grainy, high-contrast look in portraits.

My experiments didn't work so well, mainly because the photo I was initially working with had little contrast. It was really just a selfie snapshot.

Then I chose a nice clean self-portrait taken using a tripod and real camera. I like how my hair was flowing, and the fact that shadows were evident in the clothing and hair, and even my neck and chin.

I thought dodge and burn, among other techniques would be applicable here, to create a plastic look, and taken to extremes created the high key version shown below. The other technique I enjoyed using was a High Pass filter, selectively applied to the eyes.

Which do you like better?

High key portrait

Sharpened and contrasty portrait

Logs photo enhanced many ways using Photoshop, along with its symbolic meanings

Here's another photo I took that I really enjoy browsing. There's a lot going on for me in this photo. I decided to leave in the environmental clues of the viewer's position inside a bus. In this case, it's a Greyhound bus headed up the coast of B.C. towards Whistler.

Original photo of logging truck passing my Greyhound bus during a trip

I hanged onto this photo because the craggy, barren mountains are in the background are begging for attention, given the foreground full of raw logs. I truly don't recall now, but I believe this photo was probably taken near Squamish B.C. The mountains hint at rock climbing enthusiasts flocking to this area, which they do at Squamish.

I originally was going to add a bloom effect to make the logs glow against the barren backdrop. My usual techniques for that weren't producing ghostly effects, so in the meantime I applied a Camera Raw filter. Keep in mind the original was taken with a pocket camera, in JPG format. Being able to adjust several key sliders using Camera Raw is an awesome feature in Photoshop Creative Cloud edition. 

While adjusting for light and colour, the logs sprang to life using the Saturation and Vibrancy sliders. I kept the artificial effect but toned it down later with the Opacity slider. 

I next applied a Vibrance adjustment layer, to punch up the clouds, logs, and foreground bus details using a mask to exclude the mountains. Also required was a mask to apply a High Pass filter to sharpen only the mountains. Finally, I did my first careful efforts and applying a colour-popping enhancement using a Levels adjustment layer (without any adjustments applied), set to Screen blend mode, and brushed in select spots to add highlights to some of the craggy spots in the background, the brightest areas of the logs, and a few spots of the far-off background to the right. 

All of these techniques were found in the book Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual (my favourite intro to Photoshop), and randomly-found online tips and tricks whose sources are long-forgotten.

Brightened, jazzed-up version of logs photo

I figure you might like to know why I still enjoy this photo. Well, now that it appears more lively, emphasizing the logs against some untouched wilderness background, I must tell. Originally, I wanted the bloom effect to work so that I could crop out just a rectangular area of nothing but logs and mountainous background, to offer a contemplative message that some regions can't be cut down, and some barriers must be respected, as a metaphor for social interactions as well.

Since I eventually ended up leaving in the foreground, the message must now also include travel as a component. While I was travelling on a Greyhound, a part of B.C. nature was travelling right alongside me. Various trucks carrying trailers full logs probably were following me, passing me, dropping back now and then, and finally I bothered to photograph one as it passed by, leaving the Squamish area. They looked helpless to me, being carried away from their source soil, while I was carefree and heading on a vacation near where they had been cut down.

Take whatever meaning you wish out of that photo now.

First task of the day: retry Calvin's details and dodge and burn techniques

I bounced out of bed this morning, with a photo I took that may show off these techniques better than what I did yesterday with my self-portrait. This photo is of my skateboard, using a grid spot flash attachment to produce a limited lighting effect, and high contrast.

The original starts out with a pleasing effect in my eye, but I'll bet it can look better.

Skateboard and shoes with dramatic lighting - original

So I applied the same techniques as yesterday, comprising of an inverted layer with Surface Blur filter added, to bring out details. Quite a bit of details appeared in this photo. More than appeared on the portrait shot I tried to adjust yesterday.

Then I did the recommended Overlay blend mode with a Gaussian Blur, and a bit of Highlights/Shadows adjustment layer to increase contrast in the midtones that appears as a sharper grit on the skateboard decking.

Skateboard and shoes after details enhanced

In this example, you can definitely see more texture and 3-D effect on the front surface of the black shoe, and the details around the shoe stitching. Which version you prefer is up to you! The original looks so smooth and inviting; the after version looks more edgy.

Contrasty gritty photograph effect using techniques found in Calvinize book

A while ago I read the book Calvinize, which includes a video of detail-enriched effects used by photographer Calvin Hollywood.

Since I didn't actually own Photoshop at the time, I couldn't try out the techniques, other than those I could simulate using GIMP or Photoline.

Today I tried a few Calvinize techniques, on a vibrant but slightly soft-edged self portrait. The techniques used were found in the video's chapters 4.3 Amazing Details with Blurring, and 5.2 Dodging and Burning.

Self-portrait before

Self-portrait after Calvinize details added

Highlights are definitely emphasized, and shadows in the shirt are deepened by the techniques. The steps include applying a duplicated, inverted layer which is set to Vivid Light blend mode, and a Surface Blur filter added. The next step I used was to soften the effect and paint it back in using a duplicate layer with Gaussian Blur applied, and a mask set to Overlay mode that allows softening only the harshest newly-defined edges if desired.

Notice the background was prevented from adopting changes by applying a mask early in the process.

Lake scene photo sample of several Photoshop techniques: Camera Raw filter, Content-aware Fill, and High Pass filter

Here's a photo I like, cropped slightly from its original JPG file. It was taken with an older pocket digital camera from Nikon. I also brightened it slightly using several sliders in the Camera Raw as a Smart Filter. My goal was to enhance colour on the umbrella, bring back highlights on the foreground trees, and return the grass to its original sunny-day colour.

Lake scene after brightening and colour correction using Camera Raw as a filter

Then I saw an opportunity to practice removing objects. Notice the blue tarp or something in the above photo, near the base of the right-hand foreground tree. Also notice it is missing from the photo below. This was an excellent situation for applying a Content-aware Fill. The tricky part was to make a selection that included the tarp, its shadow, and none of the tree. On my second try, the tarp was replaced with grass and no traces of tree bark or other foliage. The edge of the tree became hazy, however, so I quickly used the Clone Stamp tool to re-create a uniform sharp left-hand edge to the tree in that spot.

Lake scene after tarp removed using Content-aware Fill

Finally, the whole image was sharpened quickly and just slightly, as recommended by various photographers. I found that a duplicated layer-turned Smart Object with a High Pass filter applied did the trick. The grain in the tree and water surface are sharper. In my opinion, for decorative purposes this might serve, I prefer a softer glow as found in the middle image. Regardless, the following image definitely appears sharper to demonstrate how the High Pass filter affects images.

Lake scene after High Pass filter applied for shaper edges throughout

A good look at sharpening using Photoshop's High Pass Filter

Working with a photo of a fly, which I took just for fun and ended up using in a poster, I discovered how to use the High Pass filter to sharpen. I followed along in the chapter of Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, called The Art of Sharpening.

Many techniques occur in this chapter, including noise reduction and several ways to sharpen edges. Given I chose this photo which has an overall lack of sharp edges, only one method worked.

The image is below, taken handheld with a manual focus macro lens. The subject was simply a fly on my kitchen counter, where he stayed for quite a while. I was experimenting with different angles and wishing for an unusual shot for posters or collages.

Click on an image to see a larger version of all the photos in this post.

Original fly before sharpening

Fly after sharpening with High Pass Filter

I had heard many times that the High Pass filter is great for sharpening. This book explains it better than any other sources I've seen. Midtones become more contrasty, unlike the Unsharp Mask method that everybody loves. Unsharp Mask makes light pixels at an edge lighter, and dark pixels darker.

The High Pass filter instead finds biggest areas of difference between colours (essentially in the midtones) and increases their contrast. This layer is run on a duplicate layer; it becomes grey except for newly emphasized edges, so you then choose the Overlay blend mode. 

The result is quite amazing. Look closely and you'll see in the photos above, that the sharpened fly has crisper edges throughout its face and body. The difference is subtle but no other sharpening method came close to sharpening the odd features on this fly's head.

Another time I'd like to try using the various sharpening methods on a daytime around-the-town photo, more typical of the average internet user's snapshots, and see what the differences are. The reason I've not blogged much with my Photoshop techniques is that my photos have not been imported into my new computer. Now I have a great reason to do that! But for now, I'm impressed.

UPDATE:
After I posted this, I repeated the High Pass filter on a contrasty household snapshot and got a better sense of how this filter works. It's a more typical sample of results you may obtain with your own photos of easier-to-photograph subjects.

Dry erase brush before high pass filter

After high pass filter with mild settings added

After high pass filter with drastic settings added; notice halo at edges

This example shows how the High Pass filter affects ordinary objects including print. In the original, dust wasn't evident on the ledge, but as the filter was added, it becomes noticeable, and the text gets sharper. At some point, a halo is introduced where sharpening becomes counter-productive except for funky effects perhaps.

Whiter eyes produced in Photoshop

Finally I found an example that I can show you. I was testing my camera's remote control and various tripod setups. Here's the original photo, with a surprised look on my face.

Before brightening eyes

Then using Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, I used the recommended technique to select the eyes, copy them onto their own adjustment layer with a black mask, change the blend mode to Screen, and finally paint in a brighter iris and area. The result is below.

Now we have brighter eyes and irises

As always, with an adjustment layer, you can decrease the effect by reducing opacity of the eyes-only layer. You've got to admit, my eyes look brighter. Once you've looked at it a while, the original photo really reveals how grey one's eyes can appear without careful photo shoot planning. At least, we can fix it with Photoshop, gently or more drastically.

Black and white adjustment layer sample photo - a snapshot turned into character portrait

I'm already quite a far way into my Photoshop refresher this summer. I thought I'd start off the blog with a sample of a colour photo that became black and white following some tips in the book Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual. This photo is a portrait of myself leisurely enjoying the Saanich Fair last year, taken by my mom or dad.

It's a chance to get to know me better! And it was a quite colourful photo indeed, which I thought would show character more eloquently in black and white.

First, the colour version:

Notice how the photo is full of colours, textures, highlights, and shadows. I also had a broken foot at the time and wanted to diminish the attention that lands on the walker, if possible.

After applying a black and white adjustment layer:

I adjusted the adjustment layer's sliders to allow shadows in the green foliage with limited highlights for that spiky plant, but also to maintain a healthy complexion in my skin. I wasn't trying to look younger - it just turned out that way because of adjusting greens and reds for the plants. As it turned out, my skin looks paler and I like that look for its contemplative qualities, rather than a more realistic texture, with flaws and all.

I was wearing a black camisole, and I believe it helps keep attention on the curved highlight on my arm, leading up to the face. The viewer's gaze, in my opinion, scatters into the nearby interesting plant life, and hopefully wraps around to the face again.

When I look at this photo, my eye occasionally glances over to the walker but quickly back again, to a focused gaze on my face. It's like I wonder what the story is behind the walker, and my eye looks back to ... my eye I guess... to find the answer. But it doesn't get resolved in this photo. I don't look unhappy here, which is my typical character despite having a broken foot at the time.

Meanwhile, I'm pleased with this black and white treatment of an otherwise busy snapshot. The black and white adjustment layer offers help for distinguishing a point of interest and for highlighting a limited portion of its environment. In turn, this helps the viewer enjoy the photo, and explore pieces in sequence, and maybe more deeply each time.

The infamous first blog post

I was inspired to start this blog finally. I've been learning Photoshop CC this summer, on my own, with a giant but awesome book Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual. As I work through the book, I've wanted to show off the results and improvement in my own photo editing. Finally I'm doing it.

Plus, it's not just photos that I work with. I draw, explore HTML5, paint, make video clips, and more. Blogs allow multiple interests to come together. I'm in the process of identifying my 'style' right now. Maybe you can help me pinpoint my strengths, and vice versa.

Honestly, I'm usually an office worker doing bookkeeping or administrative stuff. But at the moment, no, I'm on a break from school (and work) so I'm doing freelance gigs on fiverr.com and freelancer.com. That work-at-home situation works well for me, having a delightful Mac computer at home and a comfy chair. Even a nice view from my work station.

Recently I also worked through an intensive study of HTML5, and that is ongoing, for both my own website production ideas and to help others test and edit their work. There's a lot of work in web design, coding, and testing online (apparently) and I've gotten a small piece of the pie so far.

I was always interested in art, and once worked as an illustrator, and another period as a sports photographer. To get those jobs, I simply showed a portfolio, did a little self-promotion at an interview, and got hired. Nowadays, luckily for me, the two areas of art and computer skills can be combined in areas such as web design.

To start with adding to my recent HTML skill enhancement, I wanted to begin with a total re-learning of Photoshop. Like many programs, I've learned it before. Many times. This summer I'm relaxing and needing a hobby during a semester off from school, and my usual work (at the university where I attend).

So far so good! I was long overdue for a skills upgrade. I even want to upgrade my Excel because I use that a lot for my tasks and project management.

I learned Photoshop initially a long time ago...let's see. I was still in high school...1993 I believe it was, and I had to learn it over a one-month period as much as possible, so I could write a review for the local computer club. I did it. In those days, software came with a big manual, and I read it cover to cover. I also won a copy of Corel Draw, and learned that too right away. I was quite the girl geek, but ahead of my time. Yup, I was bullied for it.

Learning Photoshop so early in its history was a great experience but the skills fizzled for me, because not many people even had access to digital photo files in those days. No one had a digital camera. They weren't invented yet, that I knew of. The closest I got was a kid from the computer club who had a good scanner. We scanned one or two of my drawings (it took forever), and I took my 3.5" floppy disk set home. Obviously, the whole file wouldn't fit on one diskette! So I had to stitch the parts together using Photoshop.

So it's been a worthy challenge to dive into Photoshop, and I'm all signed up for Creative Cloud from Adobe. I create HTML web pages and CSS files by hand using a text editor, and sometimes Blue Griffon so far. I operate using hand, iPad, and Mac.

Welcome, and as the blog evolves I'm sure it will start to contain lots of examples, reviews, interviews, comments, and technical tips. If you fine readers contribute comments, articles, and your own samples, I'll appreciate the help in building a focused, yet diverse site.