Fixing the whites, adding canvas and bluring backgrounds
Hi guys,
For those of you that are not that proficient in PS, please take a look at te instruction given in these two threads:
http://birdphotographers.net/forums/...read.php?t=701
http://birdphotographers.net/forums/...read.php?t=710
I sed to add canvas a different way, but O'Toole taught me this way and it makes sense.
He is out to Japan right now and will improve my suggestions when he gets back :)
Here's Copy and Paste, add canvas and blur bg:
Since we need canvas on the right and the bottom, fist thing I used the crop tool and added space opposite where I wan to add. Cropped. Now I have a blank space on the right, Duplicate the layer and use the Move Toll (V) drag the upper layer to cover the blank.
Go to the bottom of the layer's palette, pick the third box from left and click on it. This will create a layer mask. Making sure the mask is selected (you'll see a square around it), choose the Brush Too (B), You need to have black a Foreground color in your Tool Palette.
With a small SOFT brush, paint black on the line, this should erase it. White on the foreground will have the opposite effect.
Now merge the layers and retouch with the Clone Stamp (S)
Repeat the procedure with the bottom of the frame: Add canvas on top..etc
Merge layers when you finish, ah, remember to use a soft or hard brush in cloning, depending on your needs.
Duplicate the layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and select and amount that will diffuse the background in a credibly way. Render.
Go back to the layer's palette and create a layer mask (I told how before) Brush with black will erase the blur from bird.
Hope this helps. I am not going to use the Burn tool in the BG because I'm afraid it will increase the contrast and be counter-productive.
Since we need canvas on the right and the bottom, fist thing I used the crop tool and added space opposite where I wan to add. Cropped. Now I have a blank space on the right, Duplicate the layer and use the Move Toll (V) drag the upper layer to cover the blank.
Go to the bottom of the layer's palette, pick the third box from left and click on it. This will create a layer mask. Making sure the mask is selected (you'll see a square around it), choose the Brush Too (B), You need to have black a Foreground color in your Tool Palette.
With a small SOFT brush, paint black on the line, this should erase it. White on the foreground will have the opposite effect.
Now merge the layers and retouch with the Clone Stamp (S)
Repeat the procedure with the bottom of the frame: Add canvas on top..etc
Merge layers when you finish, ah, remember to use a soft or hard brush in cloning, depending on your needs.
Duplicate the layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and select and amount that will diffuse the background in a credibly way. Render.
Go back to the layer's palette and create a layer mask (I told how before) Brush with black will erase the blur from bird.
Hope this helps. I am not going to use the Burn tool in the BG because I'm afraid it will increase the contrast and be counter-productive.
Saving the whites:
There's a few things you can do about the white, and it depends on your abilities which one it would be best.
1- First, convert (I'm taking for granted you used RAW) a version for the midtones, like the one you have here. Save it.
Open the image again and go darker until the whites look OK to you. Now, open the light image and paste it on top of the darker one.
Create a layer mask, third box from the left at the bottom of the layers palette, and select the brush tool. Making sure black is your foreground color on the tools palette, brush (erase) all the light whites of the image, leaving the rest of the image untouched. If you overlap, white foreground color will paint them back.
Sort of a mini HDR??
2- In PS, Select>Color range, the use either the dropper for more control, moving the slider to select only what you want, or choose highlights, feather it by at least 5 (even up to 20) and make another layer with your selection (control J). Using Multiply as your blending mode, move the opacity of the new layer to taste.
3- Clone or Patch Tool some texture from the neck.
There's a few things you can do about the white, and it depends on your abilities which one it would be best.
1- First, convert (I'm taking for granted you used RAW) a version for the midtones, like the one you have here. Save it.
Open the image again and go darker until the whites look OK to you. Now, open the light image and paste it on top of the darker one.
Create a layer mask, third box from the left at the bottom of the layers palette, and select the brush tool. Making sure black is your foreground color on the tools palette, brush (erase) all the light whites of the image, leaving the rest of the image untouched. If you overlap, white foreground color will paint them back.
Sort of a mini HDR??
2- In PS, Select>Color range, the use either the dropper for more control, moving the slider to select only what you want, or choose highlights, feather it by at least 5 (even up to 20) and make another layer with your selection (control J). Using Multiply as your blending mode, move the opacity of the new layer to taste.
3- Clone or Patch Tool some texture from another white in the image that has not been blown.
