From raw:



.. to retouch:



(old retouch: http://i37.tinypic.com/2uzymwn.jpg)

Removed unnecessary shit in the background and on the ceiling to try to make Albert and the piano the focal point of the picture, basically. Along with other slight color enhancements and sharpening.

I'm completely aware of my lack of photography skills, but it's all good. And yes, roflmao @ trying to copy what only a professional camera can shoot.

C&C greatly extremely supremely super-duperly welcome.

Oh wow I didn't even notice you took out all that stuff until you said so haha. No but seriously, it looks like you used a DSLR. I like it a lot. It really does look pro. I just think you blurred out the ceiling too much. But other than that, it looks great!

Haha, thanks. Hm, so should I blur the ceiling a little less than I blurred the walls?

Dude. I'm not laughing at this. It looks REALLY GOOD. Like, uuber professional.

The wall, on the right side, above the piano. It bugs me how it goes straight from the window being clear to everything else being blurry. That's like, the only thing, to me at least.

But really. This looks really great. Reeeaaalllyyyyy great.

Yeah, just a bit. Well maybe I'm say it because I know you used photoshop. I DK!

technicolour -
Thanks, thanks. Yeahh, I noticed that too! In fact, I had to do that step twice. But I guess I'll redo it a third time and see if I can transition the blur more smoothly. Thanks for bringing it up!

manny-the-dino -
Okay pokay!

LOL I didn't mean to seem like a nudge. XD It just irked me, a bit. But still, it looks amazing. In fact, you can just leave it. I doubt any other people would notice.

<-- Kristina, btw. Surely you remember me?

Ahah don't worry, you didn't come off as a nudge! I just tend to follow nit-picky criticism so my work can be closer to perfect. Lolol.

And yes, I remember 'technicolour', though not your real name. So hi, Kristina.

not bad, original was a little blurry < hate when that happens.
the retouch looks pretty good, although you blurred it too much in the back. usually slrs have a more gradual fade of crisp to blur. Love the contrast and how smooth the walls look though.

LOL Perfectionist? And your sig, btw, makes me bust up laughing. Hysterically.

And hi Mark.

And I will 86 the convo now.

Um. I sort of love this.

I'm a great believer in faking things on Photoshop LOL. Sorry if y'all are against that. Agreed with the blurred bit though, but nothing a little fixing won't, er, fix.

Sort of wish the faux vignetting was a little more natural instead of seeing clearly that it's just a reeeeeally feathered out selection filled with black. Maybe try some different layer options with it?

I love the colouring of it too. :D

Thanks guise.

Amanda -
Thanks for the c&c. I do realize how blurry the original is. In fact, I just realized that the glass shelves along the right wall are more focused than him and the piano. :[ But yeah, I'll go back and lessen the blur a bit. Btw, what did you mean by "a more gradual fade of crisp to blur"?

Kristina -
Yep, that was a much better way to word it - I'm a perfectionist, hahah. Btw, .. 86? /noob

Gigi -
Hahaha, don't worry. I'm a believer in using Photoshop to fake things too. But yeah, thanks for the c&c as well. I'll see if I can google for some tutorials of adding natural faux vignetting .. unless you have any tutorials or tips you can suggest .. ? :]

Well if you look through my topics and find the one that says "damn, that's nasty", you'll see the first picture, it has the vignetting?

I pretty much took the rectangle lasso tool, set it at a VERY HIGH feathering (I think 250px, since the original image is very large), then just selected the entire image. Then I did Select--> Inverse, and either messed around with the curves or copied that selection on a new layer and set to "Multiply", with opacity lowered of course.

Thanks for the advice, guys. Updated the topic post. I followed Gigi's method for the new faux vignette, so hopefully that looks better. Also lowered the lens blur in the background by a notch, and tried to transition the blur smoother on the right wall. And made the ceiling-blur a little less than the blur on the walls. Made a few more extremely-slight color adjustments. Oh, and airbrushed(?) the face and arms.

Sorry about the noise everywhere, especially on the left wall and the floor.

Kill, get rid of, etc. Kristina was ending the chitchat.

This is really good! I think that the second window from the right still looks a bit unnatural because half of it's blurred and the other half isn't, but that's about it for flaws.

nice editing

Thankyouz.

I noticed that too, Cristy, haha. But thanks. :]

crips < what the camera focuses on.
blur < the opposite, its more gradual
example

i got another one if your still not sure what i mean

^ Jw, is that the original? Because for some reason, that looks a bit artificially blurred to me.

On a side note, I LIKE IT MARK! [:
Maybe for the blurring on top of the piano, you can lower the blur opacity of the brush more and more as you go?

GOSH, your friend looks so pro playing that piano. ):

^ thanks, bb. :]

And I now get what you mean, Amanda. I'll try to edit the focuses more realistically.

^ doesn't have to be as drastic as my pic... i was using some pretty big ass macro lens for that pic... but was the best example for what i meant.

That looks so cool 0:

The first picture looked mad cheesy, but the second one is a lot better.

Thank youu, pooonani (name?). :D
And yeah, the original did look pretty cheesy, haha.

Not bad, people have said most of my critique but the color balance is really off. It's too magenta.