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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 87: "Color On Color" >> Eligible > Spirit Colors*
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08-AUG-2005 Vonniedee

Spirit Colors*

Feather on Old Wood Bench*

Canon PowerShot S1 IS
1/60s f/4.5 at 6.7mm full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge13-Aug-2005 20:44
Jano, Thanks so much for the education and assistance. I will "get brave" and give it a try tonight! Yvonne
janewigginsphotography12-Aug-2005 22:47
Yvonne - you would open the image, go to filters, down to sharpen, and then to unsharp mask. After that last step a little dialogue box called "Unsharp Mask) will open up with the values I have mentioned. Be sure to check the "preview box" within that dialogue box so you can see the changes in the original photo. I would also recommend having the photo at 100% when checking the changes the USM does. You can do this by hitting control and the plus sign on your keyboard. To reduce, control and minus sign (but you probably know that)! There are great books out there on PS as well. jano
ctfchallenge12-Aug-2005 14:36
Jano, Thanks so much for the usm numbers, I opened it in p.s. but the numbers meant absolutely nothing to me. I plan to take a class in the Fall. Yvonne
janewigginsphotography12-Aug-2005 00:12
I do like this new version better! I do agree with the seemingly oversharpened wood. What you could do is just start over with the original photo, and sharpen less. What I do is what was suggested by someone in the Canon forum at one time (sorry don't have the link)...but for some photos, after I resize, is use unsharp mask and use the value of
Amount - 500
Radius - 0.2
Threshold - 2

The suggestion was to do this twice (if needed). Do a third attempt and change the amount anywhere from 300 to 450 to your liking if it is needed at all. This scenario gives subtle sharpening effect. If you think you need more you can tweak the radius.

I would think with this photo, you would not really much sharpening as I can tell the original photo is probably very sharp. I really like this capture. So very natural. jano
ctfchallenge11-Aug-2005 14:42
Thanks for all the help and comments everyone! Layers.....yikes. Yvonne
Paul 11-Aug-2005 10:16
I like this one a great deal and think the colours and sharpness of the timber match the colours and textures of the feather as if they're the same substance. Bang on topic and looks bloody good.
ctfchallenge11-Aug-2005 04:51
AFAIK, you can sharpen without using seperate layers :) I usually just select the part of the photo I want to sharpen then apply the sharpening or use the sharpening tool.

-Techo :)
ctfchallenge11-Aug-2005 03:53
I do like this version better, Yvonne, but I agree with Techo about the wood surface being somewhat oversharpened. No way around that unless you want to start working in layers, which I generally avoid as much as possible. LOL.
--Mary Anne
ctfchallenge11-Aug-2005 02:45
Great repost. I like this version a lot better than the original post, IMHO the composition works better and it's more on topic :) The pattern play between the feather and wooden surface works very well. I don't think the feather is oversharpened , the wooden surface appears to be a tad oversharpened but I think it's a matter of taste. It's not one of those photos which scream way oversharpened. It kinda works well here.

-Techo
ctfchallenge10-Aug-2005 15:04
Thanks Mary Anne for the suggestions. I was also bugged by the blurred top half, just scared to crop LOL. Did I over sharpen? (in your opinion, which by the way, I value) Yvonne
ctfchallenge10-Aug-2005 13:11
I think the colors match fine now, especially with that cream-colored splotch on the lower right of the background. However, I'm bothered by the large OOF area at the top of the feather. I think I would crop off about the top third of the photo and go for a real macro abstract. Also sharpen the feather a bit. The interplay of lines and texture between the feather and the background make a striking composition. Good eye here, Yvonne.
--Mary Anne
ctfchallenge10-Aug-2005 07:13
I replaced the background, with something I hope is closer. The white dot actually wiped off! If only life could always be that easy. Of course, I think this shot is still too large!!! Yikes, Yvonne
elips09-Aug-2005 15:31
Love the detail in the feather! The white spot on its spine is a little distracting. ~Sharon
Rod 09-Aug-2005 11:38
Not so sure the background colour of the drum matches the colour of the feather too well. But I really like the look of the feather.