Request for feedback on using Textures

adbsgicom

I submitted this in the texture mini thread, and I can remove it from there if asking for feedback here is inappropriate. I'm not going to place in that set of images, so feedback trumps entry....



I posted the original about 6 months ago, and I know the issues with the original.
I pulled a brown leather texture off deviant art.

The process was:
1) Convert a bunch of the bg to b/w [not 100% sure why this worked out well, but it did]
2) Desat'ed the purple shirt as part of the first step.
3) Added the brown leather as a screen at 60%. Found the texture to be a bit lowres as a source (since my source was 5500x3700 approx).
4) Made a copy of the texture as a new layer, converted to mono and applied the emboss filter to augment the edges. Ran this layer as 100% overlay.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the results. I've waffled back and forth several times on reducing the opacity of the final layer (which lightens the image a bit), and also of masking the screen on her hair so it doesn't blend as much. In the end I keep going back to the blended hair.

C&C and insights into flow are appreciated.

Agnieszka

I really like the photos & think you did a great job with the texture. The only thing I would change is I'd apply a vignette. I think there is too much empty space around the girl, and having darker edges, one's eye would be drawn more to her.

met

I think the leather look suits the mood of the photo very well. My initial thought was that I would be curious to see it with lowered opacity for comparison.

adbsgicom

Angie and Molly, thank you for the suggestions. I've not internalized the use of vignettes, so that slider is rarely touched (or touched too harshly). Here is the original, original vignetted and then with the screen bumped down from 60->45% and the overlay dropped from 100->75%.

Original:


Vignette:


Texture weight reduction:

Qarik

I am not digging it. I agree with the vignette and and I think if it is going to work, imo it should be a touch of texture..right now the texture is taking over the shot. I would like to see more contrast as well

The Mack

I think the texture is too noticeable.

lilmomma

Andrew, I have ZERO experience with textures...but I think it's the right texture for the right shot, I just wonder if it would look better on the edges and tapered off before it got to her, like a vignette sorta? Just a suggestion, fwiw.

pwp

I have to admit, it's not working for me as is. Here is what I would do:
1. Pull down the opacity of the texture overall
2. Mask it to remove almost all of the texture from the little girl (notice the streaks across her arm in your texture weight reduction image...makes the skin look leahtery, which I am sure this sweetheart has a perfect complexion)
3. Add a vignette (doesn't have to be strong, but enough to draw the eye to the girl instead of the texture)

I might even play with contrast and curves a bit as well. It seems like you are losing her hair to the texture, so it's giving a bit of the disembodied head/face look to me.

It's a cute shot, with a lot of potential. I just don't think you nailed it this go-round.

adbsgicom

Daniel, Melissa, Eric and Ang, thanks. This is my first time trying to apply anything past a vignette to an image, and in the end, I'm not 100% sold on the full benefit of the process. I get that the idea is that the texture enhances the mood of the image in some way, or can take a photo and give it a vintage feel. I guess I should try to just accomplish the latter first and then maybe other applications will become more apparent. Taking some of the suggestions from Powell and applying it I was left with this. Though what I think is the Melissa is ultimately right and that this doesn't work that well (though one would suspect leather and cowgirl hats would just want to work together). To make it work, I think I'd have to get some additional matting layers to push the frame out and give the leather a more three-dimensional look along the edge.

pwp

You're getting there. If you used a softer edged brush on the mask, and then reduced the opacity of the texture layer overall, I think you'd be moving in the right direction. IMHO, texture is meant to enhance the background/image....not overwhelm or replace it. Keep plugging away!

adbsgicom

Thanks for all the help. Not sure that this is the right texture in the end, but it certainly did come a long way from the original, which I think still has some merits, but is very different in feel than this evolution.

Color


Sepia

lilmomma

looks good to me! I like the sepia one better though.

kris10jo

the last two look great and the original edits have a nice, vintage feel to them. i'm new to textures, but when i layer the texture on top of the photo, i use a soft-edged brush (and adjust the opacity) to remove some or most of the texture around the face. its not extremely visible in your last edits, but the vertical squiggly line to the left of her hair and to the right of her hat might use a little softening. i do like the added contrast in the most recent ones, though!

adbsgicom

Good catch on the squiggle. That was my bad leftover from a bad attempt at embossing the edges.
Yeah, I think that the sepia gives the age sort of necessary to link with the wrinkles of the texture.

kidzmom

No advice..just like it!

pwp

Much better! Get that squiggle and you are good! I agree that I like the sepia toning more. Well done!

adbsgicom

Thanks. The funny thing about this evolution is how subtle the end contribution of the texture becomes in this case. I did a quick sepia conversion and then tweaked the contrast some and exposure and added the vignette to the original (all in LR) vs. the flow through PS with the layers. Though the differences between the images are obvious and glaring (since the flow was so different), the contribution of the texture is much less noticeable, but does enhance the vignetting and masking of the b/g (which was just OOF foliage -- which had nice texture to begin with).

Elaine

I really like where you ended up with the sepia version. I prefer more subtle textures most of the time. I tend to think of textures as contributing to the background rather than looking like a layer on the foreground, if that makes any sense. Not that I know much at all about working with textures, but keeping them off the face in portraits seems to be preferable.

Have you seen this thread of textured portraits by Joel Garcia? I wouldn't exactly call these subtle, but they are outstanding!

adbsgicom

Thanks, Elaine.
Yeah, those by Joel are not subtle but the way he merges the image into the texture is pretty cool.