Sculpture Spire

[Brett Cambern]

Just playing around with my Digilux2. JPEG straight out of the camera.

[wda]

Originally Posted by Brett Cambern

Just playing around with my Digilux2. JPEG straight out of the camera.

Brett, do you not need to tweak your digital images at all? Even a touch of Levels often helps.

Also, I assume your rotation was deliberate? It adds a certain menace to the image.

David

[Brett Cambern]

David,

I haven't yet experimented with Photoshop (other than to compress files) but am anxious to learn how I can improve the final product. Any suggestions for this particular shot?

Also, the shot should be be shown in portrait, I unfortunately neglected to rotate it. You are right, it really changes the feel of the shot. Thanks for your response and I look forward to learning how to use all the digital tools available.

Regards,
Brett

p.s. here is the proper perspective:

[wda]

Originally Posted by Brett Cambern

David,

I haven't yet experimented with Photoshop (other than to compress files) but am anxious to learn how I can improve the final product. Any suggestions for this particular shot?

Also, the shot should be be shown in portrait, I unfortunately neglected to rotate it. You are right, it really changes the feel of the shot. Thanks for your response and I look forward to learning how to use all the digital tools available.

Regards,
Brett

p.s. here is the proper perspective:

Brett, my comment was not meant to imply that I thought your picture needed treatment; rather than my surprise that you did not even consider it necessary.

Do you have Photoshop and if so which version?

David

[Brett Cambern]

David,

I have Photoshop Elements 3 but truthfully have not had the time to learn to use it. I am contemplating taking a class to really learn what it can do. Based on your experience, do you think it is something that can be easily self-taught or would a class be a good idea?

Thanks,
Brett

[wda]

Originally Posted by Brett Cambern

David,

I have Photoshop Elements 3 but truthfully have not had the time to learn to use it. I am contemplating taking a class to really learn what it can do. Based on your experience, do you think it is something that can be easily self-taught or would a class be a good idea?

Thanks,
Brett

Brett,

I started with PE 2 before moving on and up to CS2. However, it is worth studying PE3. I started by buying one or two books and worked through those sections which would help me. Then I joined a local part-time 2 hours a week series of ten sessions. It was fairly simple; we worked on projects at our own pace with a tutor to sort out problems. As a result 'layers' were no longer a mystery to me and I learned the advantages of quick mask which did not exist in PE2. However, my book described a work-around solution which helped. I suppose the twenty hours constituted a more disciplined approach to my self-learning programme and opend my eyes to the possibilities. Once your confidence grows you can continue acquiring new skills to suit your aims. I hope this helps.

David

[Brett Cambern]

David,

Thank you for your advice, it is appreciated and helpful. I went out and bought a book on Photoshop and will slowly start to work on my skills. I have been happy enough with the results so far shooting JPEGs that I haven't felt an urgent need to learn more about post-processing. That being said, I am anxious to see how much improvement can be made to images when shot in RAW. It will also be nice to have the option of having both color and B&W from the same image. I have been shooting almost exclusively B&W JPEGs.

Thanks again,
Brett

[wda]

Originally Posted by Brett Cambern

David,

Thank you for your advice, it is appreciated and helpful. I went out and bought a book on Photoshop and will slowly start to work on my skills. I have been happy enough with the results so far shooting JPEGs that I haven't felt an urgent need to learn more about post-processing. That being said, I am anxious to see how much improvement can be made to images when shot in RAW. It will also be nice to have the option of having both color and B&W from the same image. I have been shooting almost exclusively B&W JPEGs.

Thanks again,
Brett

Brett,

Make it your New Year resolution! I wish you well. Don't forget there is a lot of help available on the internet.

Happy New Year

David