Assignment #32: Save your worst shot

NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
edited January 17, 2008 in Assignments
We have learned how to take different angles of the same object.

Now let's think: what if we got only one shot and it's bad? I mean - B.A.D... :deal

Well, it's not allways the lost case. With the decent amount of post processing one can turn a lousy shot into a wall hanger. Or a cute avatar at least... :rofl

Your entry should consist of two pictures. One: your original bad shot. Two: your pulitzer-prize worthy treatment of it. in addition, to be a valid entry, the first should be bad enough and the second should be good enough.

For the extra credit, try to verbalize your thoughts on what's wrong with the original and what were the general steps you took to improve it and why.

Remember: this time we're not looking for improving a decent shot. We want to salvage a truly bad one, and come back with the bang while we're at it.

This time only: not necessarily fresh pictures (yet yours only, please), but fresh post-processing. And you can photoshop your heart out!

For the rest of the basic rules and index please check out this sticky.

Let's turn the trash material into the challenge winners!
"May the f/stop be with you!"
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Comments

  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    OK, so some questions. Bad shot means ugly subject? Shaky? OOF? Under/Over-Exposed?
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • SwartzySwartzy Registered Users Posts: 3,293 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    Here's an attempt
    I suppose "worst shot" is relative as some you can't do anything with so here's a shot taken out my patio window the other day.

    145274957-L.jpg

    Then, did some things in PS to make it interesting. There are prolly 1 million ways to make this better but I went this direction.

    145274961-L.jpg
    Swartzy:
    NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
    Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
    www.daveswartz.com
    Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
  • RogersDARogersDA Registered Users Posts: 3,502 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    Nikolai,

    In the spirit of this assignment it might be useful to also list, at least in general terms, what the person did to go from B.A.D. to G.O.O.D. It's one thing to see the improvement, but it would also help others learn of the different techniques used to get there.deal.gif




    145282159-O.png
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    Pyro,
    OK, so some questions. Bad shot means ugly subject? Shaky? OOF? Under/Over-Exposed?

    It may mean great many things, but mostly we're talking photographer's mistakes. OOF, shaky handses, wrong exposure/dof, bad compo, subject in an awkward position, bad back/foreground, or simply very lame snapshot - you name it.

    Ugly subject - probably not, though.

    HTH
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    David,
    RogersDA wrote:
    Nikolai,

    In the spirit of this assignment it might be useful to also list, at least in general terms, what the person did to go from B.A.D. to G.O.O.D. It's one thing to see the improvement, but it would also help others learn of the different techniques used to get there.deal.gif

    OK, good idea, I will, gimme a day or so.. thumb.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    Swartzy,
    Swartzy wrote:
    I suppose "worst shot" is relative as some you can't do anything with so here's a shot taken out my patio window the other day.

    Then, did some things in PS to make it interesting. There are prolly 1 million ways to make this better but I went this direction.

    Good entry!

    I'd like actually to see more dramatic improvement, but it's a good way to start.
    In this case we have an initial bad compo and some blurriness.
    Tight crop removed the compo issue and the added motion blur made the original one look like an intentional decision, not a faux-pas.deal.gif

    Actually, guys, it would help us all if we try to verbalize our thoughts on what's wrong with the original and what were the general steps you took to improve and why. deal.gif I will add this to the assignment.
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    I just saw that you can use old shots. I got plenty of bad shots saved up so i just gotta go look =c)
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • SwartzySwartzy Registered Users Posts: 3,293 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    This will prove to be the greatest thread
    I hope many participate as we are all at different levels of expertise in PS. Nik, you certainly know your way around the program so ideas from you are appreciated.

    This shot of my grandson bothers me because of the motion blur, the background busyness, and the goofy colors throughout. I love his smile here and wanted to do something. Here's the shot:

    145337721-L.jpg

    I color corrected to begin, then thought better to simply extract and place him on a new black background. Yes, I could have smoothed the extraction a bit but this was a workflow that went as it went if you catch my meaning. The end with selective high pass sharpening. It still isn't perfect and there are most likely other approaches to save this shot....this is simply one such direction:

    145341257-L.jpg
    Swartzy:
    NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
    Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
    www.daveswartz.com
    Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    Ya missed the part under his arm. you may also want to soften the mask around the edges so it doesn't look cut out
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited April 20, 2007
    Well what can I say about this shot. I drive&shoot a lot. I know it's not safe and most pics tend to be unusable but it's fun =c) This particular shot has quite a few things that ruin it. We got lens blur, underexposure, it's crooked, bad composure, and last but not least a big-ass light pole in the middle of the picture.

    _P1040771_original_resize.JPG

    Started with the pole. Cloning, masking, grabbing neighboring areas, healing and all that fun stuff. Now that the pole's gone. Straighten the picture. Then the crop. Once I have that, I applied a few different treatments to it

    Eve:
    _P1040771_eve_resize.jpg

    Twilight:
    _P1040771_twighlight_resize.jpg

    Retro:
    _P1040771_retro_resize.jpg
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    I have been looking for my lauziest shot.
    I do have many. But I am no expert in Photoshop at all.
    So, my only chance was to present what I can do in a "not so lauzy" picture.

    I present 2 shots.
    In the 1.st one - which came right from RAW - the problem was that the people were too dark and the background was too light.

    I opened 2 shots with different values: one for the background and another for the foreground.
    Then, I duplicated the layer, made a mask and erased the unwanted areas.
    I changed to LAB, apply curves at will, selected the Lightness channel and applied Smart Sharpen.

    The result is the second shot.
    I croped with for 24 * 36 because when I shot I was already doing my best composition.

    Now that I saw both on the preview before posting, I can say that the difference is not a large one, is it ? ne_nau.gif
    145586871-M.jpg145587140-M.jpg
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    Antonio,
    I have been looking for my lauziest shot.
    I do have many. But I am no expert in Photoshop at all.
    So, my only chance was to present what I can do in a "not so lauzy" picture.

    Sorry, my friend, this won't cut it. ne_nau.gif
    Yes, 1st one is not bad enough, and yes, 2d one is not much different. deal.gif
    Time to become an expert, no? mwink.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    Nikolai wrote:
    Sorry, my friend, this won't cut it. ne_nau.gif
    Yes, 1st one is not bad enough, and yes, 2d one is not much different. deal.gif
    Time to learn some PP, no? mwink.gif
    I thought so.
    thumb.gif
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    Hey teach, where is my response mwink.gif
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    Pyro,
    Hey teach, where is my response mwink.gif

    Oops, sorry, my bad, dog ate it...rolleyes1.gif

    I think is a very good example. thumb.gif
    I like the twilight version the most. Cloned lamppost clears the field, drastic change in the exposure hides the softness of the image and brings "da mood".
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    Nikolai wrote:
    Oops, sorry, my bad, dog ate it...rolleyes1.gif

    I think is a very good example. thumb.gif
    I like the twilight version the most. Cloned lamppost clears the field, drastic change in the exposure hides the softness of the image and brings "da mood".

    Don't make me sic my cats on your dog =c)

    Yeah I like the twighlight the best as well visually. But on the other hand I feel like it's a lazy edit. Easiest way to hide flaws is to darken something, which is why when I do heavy PS jobs, I always boost up the brightness to see if any flaws exists. It's a pretty good technique, if I do say so myself.
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    A couple of examples...
    I apologize, this does not count: the original is not mine, and the PP has been done long ago. However, I think it serves its purpose. Both treatments were done for the "optimize this" challenge at a different forum.

    Here's a link to the "original":
    http://static.flickr.com/97/244508267_f0ea062be3_o.jpg

    As it's easy to see, the image is soft, the cute bunny is tiny and almost lost behind all the additional "noise" (leaves, etc), van ruines the mood... well, you can count your own points, it was enough for me...

    I got two versions.

    First one took me less than five minutes. I cropped the shot, thus making the bunny more prominent, and made it an illustration to the kid's book, by adding the white canvas, some text and applying some artistic filter (don't remember which one, sorry, maybe as simple as posterize...):

    96575755-O.jpg

    Next I decided to spend a little bit;-) more time, and came out with the "Sin City" version (I think I posted it here, too, under different context):

    96625985-1024x1024.jpg

    Weirdest curves, a dozen of layers, colorization - you name it.

    HTH
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    ...Easiest way to hide flaws is to darken something...
    15524779-Ti.gif.
    And yet it's a very powerful "improvement" technique, since it can get you "from zero to hero" in no time.. deal.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • SwartzySwartzy Registered Users Posts: 3,293 Major grins
    edited April 21, 2007
    Ahhhh
    Something like this?

    145620818-L.jpg
    Swartzy:
    NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
    Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
    www.daveswartz.com
    Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Swartzy,
    Swartzy wrote:
    Something like this?
    I'm not sure if posterization is a right tool for this particular kind of shot, but if it makes *you* like it - sure, why not... mwink.gif
    However, I don't think your original is bad enough rolleyes1.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Nikolai.
    How about this ? It looks like this is what you have in mind ...
    145806052-M.jpg145805781-M.jpg
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    But... This is better, is it not ?
    Colored Pencil + Glowing Edges + Background Layer + Blending modes + Curves in LAB + Smart Sharpen + Crop + Text + Save As
    The original picture was to be erased !
    145811461-M.jpg145812173-M.jpg
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Mirror (I like better this way) + Glowing Edges + LAB + Curves + Smart Sharpen + Save As
    This one was not to be erased ! Just is just a variation, a version !
    145126916-M.jpg145818214-M.jpg
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Antonio,
    clap.gif

    My only grind is: only the first shot can be called bad enough.... :-(

    Again: we're not looking at the general improvement/fiddling. We're talking about wreck-salvaging...
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Nikolai wrote:
    clap.gif

    My only grind is: only the first shot can be called bad enough.... :-(

    Again: we're not looking at the general improvement/fiddling. We're talking about wreck-salvaging...

    This time I understool since the beginning.:D

    The second shot I was going to erase it because it lacks interest.

    But I thought the third shot would work fine with this treatment.

    As it really does !
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    It's funny
    Filter Gallery + Curves in LAB + Blendings + Smart Sharpen
    From
    145893837-M.jpg145895321-M.jpg145898813-M.jpg145899688-M.jpg

    Done. Next one please ! clap.gif Something "serious" ! rolleyes1.gif
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Antonio,
    Filter Gallery + Curves in LAB + Blendings + Smart Sharpen
    From
    Done. Next one please ! clap.gif Something "serious" ! rolleyes1.gif

    I have to congratulate you. If this is your worst shot ever....bowdown.gif
    Mine used to be so bad I'm ashamed to show them...rolleyes1.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    Nikolai wrote:
    I have to congratulate you. If this is your worst shot ever....bowdown.gif
    Mine used to be so bad I'm ashamed to show them...rolleyes1.gif
    This is not my worst shot ever but is one of them.

    As I told you before: I do have many. A big lot of them.

    But do you think I was going to show them to you all ?

    No way ! You would pull my leg from now on and I don't want that rolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gif
    But this was it OK ? :D

    I saw my shot again: but that is lauzy Nikolai. Lauzy
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    I don't want you to be un-happy, man.
    Is it worst enought ?
    145928169-M.jpg145929578-M.jpg
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 22, 2007
    More salvage
    Rather old year 2000 shot, taken with my first then digital camera Ricoh RDC-300. Built-in memory for 40 shots (640x480 at 72 dpi, no less), it went through 4 AA batteries in under 30 minutes. Argh...

    01: Family trip tp Mosquito Ridge Sequoia Park (Tahoe National Forest):

    145932541-L.jpg

    Today's edition. PS CS3, curves, linear burn, b/w, masking

    02: Groethen in the night:

    145932558-L.jpg
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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