Advice required. Please read :)

[Diego Garcia]

OK, so having taken and processed a lot of abstract portraits of late, I need to focus on vanilla shots with life like look and feel. Here is a test of a shot pp'd and pretty much left as it was other than usual tweaks such as level, contrast and a couple of adjusted layers.

Shot at f8 for sharpness of whole face.

Comments welcome... I think the catch light in left eye as we look could have been burnt back a touch but not too bad.

I ask as I am shotting some children stuff next in the next few weeks so need accurate well pp'd pictures that reflect the child and not my CS2 meanderings :D

Probably be converted to black and white if any one has a decent workflow they can share as I tend to use gradient map or desaturation tools for this. Five examples below.

Thanks in advance,

Diego.

In colour

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8255/testsmall9ge.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

using black and white gradient map

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/bristolpete2005/Testsmallbadnw.jpg

using desaturate tool

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/bristolpete2005/Testsmalldesat.jpg

Channel mixer 60.30.10

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/bristolpete2005/Testsmallchammelmixer.jpg

Gradient map and channel miker as advised by Scott Kelby.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/bristolpete2005/Testsmallchammelmixerandgmap.jpg

[matty]

the last is the most striking, im not really very good at picking out 'natural' looking, so i would say #2?

[Boon]

i would say the scott kelby method myself.

[mrgubby]

Standard desat for me but with the highlights knocked back by 10%.

Gives a more natural look but still with a certain "gritiness" (is there such a word ?)

imo etc :)

[Marianne]

I agree with Mr Gubby, the desturation tool appears to work best although it looks a tiny bit over exposed to me. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve. I love children photography, let them play, watch them playing and line up your shot, call their name and they look straight at you, I love those shots :)

[P-E]

I would say no2.

[Venomator]

Desatch here too ... imo ... :p

[Sean_Mcr]

I don't think you had Convert to black and white pro by the time you did these Diego, but as you now know it's the best conversion plugin on the planet and is oen of Luminous landscapes top 3 must have plugins

One of the things to consider when converting a shot is if it's actually suits conversion. Sometimes they simply don't convert well, the lighting's all wrong the moods all wrong

Moods important, the moods all wrong with the above shot, there's not much gained


So think about the mood, check the lighting, light and shadow convert well.


Some shots really suite colour http://www.pbase.com/sean_mcr/image/55278029

Light and shadow make for a good conversation
http://www.pbase.com/sean_mcr/image/62068926