Sparrow

[Nagesh Mula]

This picture was taken in the wild without using any feeder, hence I could not help with the little OOF twig infront of the leg which in my opinion is kinda bit distracting.
I would need your opinion on the following:
1. Do you still hold the same opinion about the twig.
2. If anyone has used quick masking, can this be removed completely without any trace of it and still retaining the detail.
3. There is a lot of noise in the BG and I've never used noise ninza or any software for reducing noise. Do you think I can get a smooth BKGR by using it and still retaining the sharpness and other details.

Thanks,
Nagesh Mula

[Desmond Chan]

I would need your opinion on the following:
1. Do you still hold the same opinion about the twig.

If it's a bird guide type photo, then I don't mind some twig in the way, but still not something like this: one that bisect the photo into two from top to bottom.

If it's the kind we usually see here ;) then I'm guessing any twig standing between the viewer and the bird is a no-no.

2. If anyone has used quick masking, can this be removed completely without any trace of it and still retaining the detail.

I think it's possible. Ask the experts.

3. There is a lot of noise in the BG and I've never used noise ninza or any software for reducing noise. Do you think I can get a smooth BKGR by using it and still retaining the sharpness and other details.

I think you can.

Thanks,
Nagesh Mula

You are welcome !

[Lance Peters]

HI Nagesh - personal opinions here only...

1. Yes I find the OOF twig and the shadow distracting on the bird.

2. Its the world of digital anything is possible - I am sure you could do it - might take a little bit of work - but its all good practise - there may well be some good tips for you over in the educational resources forum.

3. You can use noise ninja or apply a blur to the BG - Use a mask and paint out your bird so that all you are affecting is the BG. Robert O'Toole has a very good CD on quick masking well worth the money (I use his techniques every time I do a Quick Mask)

I like the BG - Gorgeous coloues - also like the pose and eye contact you have nice sharp details as well.

:)

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Nagesh,
Beautiful shot although I do find the twig and shadow distracting. I do not have the PP skills to help you with this. I too love the BG colour.
Regards,
Nicki

[Alfred Forns]

HI Nagesh Love the image Lots of feather detail, well exposed, sharp and good head angle.

The twig is distracting as any prominent oof element up front. You can take it out entirely without a trace. The suggestion to get O'Toole's CD is a good one. He does illustrated how to use quick mask.

Lance hit in on the nose with the noise suggestion. Select the bg and leave the bird a alone. Any noise reduction will reduce sharpness, easiest way to go. I still like using Noise Ninja for its convenience but its necessary to know the manual way.

Good looking image and looking forward to many more !!!

[Dan Brown]

Hi Nagesh, very nice shot of the immature White-crowned Sparrow. I too agree that the twig is a distraction. I attempted to remove it with a combination of quik masks and cloning. I don't believe that I was able to remove it completely without leaving a trace:(. Maybe someone else with finer skills could do it but I found that this twigs position made for a very difficult situation for either the clone tool or the QM technique, particularly in reconstructing the edge of the remaining sharp twig. I was, however, able to run Noise Ninja on the BG only, using that plugin's masking ability. Then, I added a bit of selective sharpening to the areas that my cloning etc had dulled. Fun little project.:D

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Nice framing and beautful colour on the BG. Like the repost with the BG smoothed out a bit. Well done!

[Nagesh Mula]

Thanks a lot for your suggestions and advice.
I too liked Dan's version very much. I'll try to learn O Toole's Qm technique.

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Nagesh,
Very sharp details and colors. Good advise given by the BPN family...looking forward to more of your captures...:cool: