How do I do this?

[schweepes]

I'm an absolute beginner, and I'm reading books and trying to learn...but occasionally get impatient. Soooo I was wondering if someone can tell me how to get this effect. I'm thinking it's a photoshoping thing...but I'm curious how to do it. I like the whole washed out look but subtle colors and whatnot....I'm trying to get this look with my 7 month old son, who has really nice green eyes.


Any tips on how to get this look in a photo would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!





[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/550x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/12/7462.photo.jpg[/img]

[schweepes]

I'm an absolute beginner, and I'm reading books and trying to learn...but occasionally get impatient. Soooo I was wondering if someone can tell me how to get this effect. I'm thinking it's a photoshoping thing...but I'm curious how to do it. I like the whole washed out look but subtle colors and whatnot....I'm trying to get this look with my 7 month old son, who has really nice green eyes.


Any tips on how to get this look in a photo would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!





[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/550x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/12/7462.photo.jpg[/img]

[Sheiky]

I'm thinking it's a photoshoping thing...but I'm curious how to do it.

Bingo! It's not per se a photoshop thing, but it's a post-processing feature that's for sure.


You can do this by applying color and post-processing presets (filters etc)or changing some sliders yourself. It might be hard to get the exact same thing, but you can get close.


What kind of software are you using?


Jan

[schweepes]

I

[bob williams]

Any tips on how to get this look in a photo would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

You can also get a similar look on a bright day or bright background by using spot metering on your camera andmetering only the subject. And with your software (Elements), the rest of the effect might be manipulated in post by adjusting brightness, contrast and reducing saturation and vibrance a little---But not so much as to eliminate all color. Anyway, give it a try.





Good luck,


Bob

[Sheiky]

Haha alright [:P] Well trial and error works very good as well. Perhaps even better.


I'm using Photoshop CS5, so I'm not sure if things are "the same", but I suggest you to take a look at the HUE/SATURATION tab or menu. In PS it's: Menu -Image - Adjustments - HUE/SATURATION


When you click this you get an options screen. You'll start with the "Master" which means that everything you do is applied to all color ranges. If you select a specific color range you could apply different things to different colors. This way you could remove all colors except for one for instance. Anyway I must say that I don't know the theory myself and I never read a book, so there might be much easier solutions. But the majority of time, Trial and Error works very good for me, so I suggest you to take a look and pull some sliders yourself to see what happens []


Good luck![Y]

[Sheiky]

Argg Bob you were faster than me [:P]

But not so much as to eliminate all color

what do you mean? If you put your vibrance or saturation to -100 for example, there won't be a lot of color left. You can do this for individual colors as well so you can have only 1 color in your shots in the end. It's a bit like the Sepia effect I think.

[bob williams]

what do you mean? If you put your vibrance or saturation to -100 for example, there won't be a lot of color left. You can do this for individual colors as well so you can have only 1 color in your shots in the end. It's a bit like the Sepia effect I think.

I meant to take saturation down to say -30- -50, so not all of the color is gone but subdued, and that would give you kind of a sepia effect.





Bob

[ddt0725]

Here is a couple photosI tookwhere I decreased the saturation. For my dog I then isolated his pink nose and collar and brought the saturation level back up but still kept below the original level. With my granddaughter I brought the level up some on her cheeks and lips and added a tad of color to her eyes. I am horrible at post-processing so I am sure you could do a much better job with your photo. It's not exact to what the example you have maybe did but this still can give you an idea of how you can play with the saturation to get the effect you are looking for.















My post-processing leaves alot to be desired but I hope this helps. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Good Luck!

Denise

[Sheiky]

I meant to take saturation down to say -30- -50, so not all of the color is gone but subdued, and that would give you kind of a sepia effect.

Thanks Bob, I interpreted your choice of words differently. My bad[:$]now it's clear for me though [Y]





Nice examples Denise.


A lot of baby-shots in black and white are done with just converting to black and white. And a lot of times the babies get this "corpse" look then. A dead grey look. I don't like that at all and with this method youcould still keep a tint of skincolor while having your image "black and white". I personally think it looks way better and more alive [:P]


A side-effect when playing with these sliders is that you can also alter specific color ranges. For instance you can make all green going blue... Can be creative []