advice on photo PP

I recieved a new to me lens today.. (55-300 D-al) Thanks to MarkLj. So I was keen to get out there with it.. I post a couple of shots, that as a beginner im pretty pleased with. The question I ask is. Im struggling with the post processing. Im using photoshop CS5. Though to be honest not really understanding it to well at present. Can anyone shed light on how I can improve my images. (no I cant take them again...lol)

I'd be pretty pleased with those too if they were first shots from an unfamiliar lens, nicely done. TBH I still use CS3 because it loads faster than CS5 (32 bit anyway) and only use the RAW cnverter, a little smart sharpen 200-300% @ 0.5 and maybe noise reduction if needed with Topaz Denoise. Other than cropping, levels tweak and saving different formats PSD, jpeg etc thats about it for me. If you've not already done so I might try a little smart sharpen to bring out the fur/feather detail a little.

John

Thanks for the comment John. Not sure what you mean by the above statement, could you (or anyone else.) explain a little more..Sorry but im a little thick..But I want to try and take my photography to the next level

Hi Stuart,

From the filter tab in PS, scroll down to Sharpen>Smart Sharpen, from the pop-up screen that appears:

Amount: 200%
Radius: 0.5 Pixels
Remove: Lens blur

[IMG]http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac49/johnwhit24/5577140398_bbd49374de.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac49/johnwhit24/5577127482_c310d4dd9a_z.jpg[/IMG]

John

Not bad at all - I think a lot of people dismiss the 55-300 as a kit lens when it can produce a very reasonable image.

PS - You had better let Tozza know that you have found Cyril. I think he was a little concerned.

Cyril's got a new dad now link. Sorry Tozza!

..........and perhaps a little noise reduction in the background

[IMG]http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac49/johnwhit24/5577127482_c310d4dd9a_z.jpg[/IMG]

John

John, they both look the same! Ideally you want to sharpen the subject while leaving the background unaffected, and de-noise the background while leaving the subject unaffected. Using layers would facilitate this.

Or for sharpening which will not affect the background, you can use unsharp mask, and set the threshold level at the point where the noise is not sharpened (and therefore worsened).

Hi Will,

I've only applied a little de-noise to the bakground, maybe I've been a liitle too restrained. I'm back off lunch now, I'll have another go when I get home, very little software to play with here

John

Much appreciated. These really are great pointers..

It's the over-sharpening that caused the noise !

Maybe they're jpegs straight from the camera and already sharpened, I generally only work with RAW, besides the basic advice is still relevant, it's up to the individual how they process their images.

John

200% sharpening is way to much in any situation! Seriously, if you print that it will look even more weird than it does on screen!

It produces some really bad artefacts, look at the background twigs! That is not supposed to have sharp lines.

You need to balance the sharpening, detail and masking. I find that 100/30/60 tends to be a simple all rounder but depending on the subject masking will change a lot.

You lost me with that comment, Dan Yes they are Jpegs. almost straight out the camera. They have had exposure tweaked. Cropped and levels set. That is my skill level im afraid.

That explains a lot, there is probably some in-camera sharpening, depending what your default settings are.

John