Critique Before and after using LR (3rd edit added)

[Fatheadedlizard]

I tend to steer away from editing pictures to much, so i've been practicing in LR just doing minor changes.

The shot was taken in a pub at a bday meal last night, with the light coming from the window behind

So does this look over cooked?

Phoebe Before by Alan Cook, on Flickr
Phoebe After by Alan Cook, on Flickr
Phoebe After RT by Alan Cook, on Flickr

 

[paul.w]

The original looks fresh and natural, the skin tones look reasonably correct and overall it's a very nice picture of a young child who's having a fun time.
The rework looks like an arty fatty poster type abomination of a flat skin toned child with bright pink lip stick on ! (But then again I do tend to dislike too much post production)
The real answer is which do YOU like best, that's all that matters.

 

[Digisatman]

I would of kept it slightly more nature, but I'm still learning
View attachment 40719

 

[Fatheadedlizard]

The original looks fresh and natural, the skin tones look reasonably correct and overall it's a very nice picture of a young child who's having a fun time.
The rework looks like an arty fatty poster type abomination of a flat skin toned child with bright pink lip stick on ! (But then again I do tend to dislike too much post production)
The real answer is which do YOU like best, that's all that matters.

Thanks Paul, yeah I was looking at the 'Arty Farty Poster look' I only added a bit of +20 saturation to her lips so she doesn't actually have any lipstick on but can see how it may look.

I would of kept it slightly more nature, but I'm still learning
View attachment 40719

Thanks Shaun. The before is SOC with no adjustments and shot in RAW, your edit is more natural.

 

[Morbid]

Personal view is the first shot is fine, perhaps a little too shallow DOF, and if the edit was just for practice its nice but you've over lightened her eyes, to the point where you've lost a lot of the blue from the iris. It looks like you've increased the saturation of her whole mouth and though you've got pinker lips, you've also ended up with a slight yellowing of the teeth. I don't use LR but in PS with masks and layers you can be more selective, in ACR you can use selective adjustments.

The edit above is closer to how I'd have edited this, though the original looks fine so I wouldn't have necessarily bothered.

ETA, may be wrong about the teeth.

 

[Fatheadedlizard]

Thanks for the critique @Morbid,

I've not touched the eyes, but found a filter I had applied has increased the luminance and decreased the saturation of the blues resulting in losing the depth in the blue.

I edited the teeth and mouth separate with a brush, so it it just her lips and just her teeth that were effected.

 

[Morbid]

No problem at all. Latest edit looks good to me, it helps when you have such a great shot to start with.

 

[paul.w]

Second edit is better.

 

[Nawty]

They are a little overcooked for me but the real distraction is that the DoF is too thin and the focus is on the eyelashes and eyebrows, not the eyes...

 

[snap-happy]

Less is more always.

 

[MidnightUK]

I really like the image and depth of field, lovely image of an appealing child

I think the colours look a bit overdone on the edits, paler or less saturated would be better, but its all personal taste. Maybe I would have just warmed up the colour temperature of the original a tiny little bit as it looks a tiny bit blue in tone on the screen I am viewing on, but then, this screen is not calibrated.

I like both your choice of crop and the orig format. Both nicely framed. Well done.

 

[grove39]

The problem with LR is that it gives us too much scope to really ruin a photo. I think that the original with a few adjustments here and there would look better than making it look too over done.

 

[UaeExile]

Original crop with editing somewhere in between would be where I'd take this image.

The close crops don't work and if printed in any decent size would look quite imposing.

 

[Fatheadedlizard]

Thank you all for your comments, points duly noted,I don't tend to cook the pictures and the comments above are why, however I still want to have that skill in the bag if needed.
So all the feedback is massivly appreciated.

@UaeExile - I dis-agree with the imposing crop comment. I've had 2nr 20 x 16 (Brother and sister) of a similar crop, done for a customer, and they are 2 of the best canvas prints ive had done although they were in B&W and they are still hung in their house, I think it comes down to your relationship with the subject.

I think need to get a proper editing monitor and calibrate it to get the colours right.

 

[UaeExile]

Thank you all for your comments, points duly noted,I don't tend to cook the pictures and the comments above are why, however I still want to have that skill in the bag if needed.
So all the feedback is massivly appreciated.

@UaeExile - I dis-agree with the imposing crop comment. I've had 2nr 20 x 16 (Brother and sister) of a similar crop, done for a customer, and they are 2 of the best canvas prints ive had done although they were in B&W and they are still hung in their house, I think it comes down to your relationship with the subject.

I think need to get a proper editing monitor and calibrate it to get the colours right.

Disagreeing is fine Alan. I'd just be wary of using a clients reaction and willingness to hang a photo of their kids as a measure of your success. The problem with cropping this image is how evident it is that you've mis-focussed.

I'd be surprised if anyone even noticed mind, but that's not really the point.

 

[Fatheadedlizard]

@UaeExile - If somebody paying for my work isn't a good measure I don't know what is!!!

The focus is missed slightly but like you say this is my daughter so im not in the slightest bothered.

I shot this single handed with a pint in my left hand at a birthday meal in a pub, without looking through the viewfinder,

I do not believe sharpness is everything in a picture, I see plenty of missed focus shots that are beautiful, but understand how in most paid circumstances some people expect super sharp photos.

Ps im only doing this part time at the moment, until I have the confidence to go at it properly hence asking for critique on the editing as I think that skill will come in handy at some point.

 

[UaeExile]

@UaeExile - If somebody paying for my work isn't a good measure I don't know what is!!!

The focus is missed slightly but like you say this is my daughter so im not in the slightest bothered.

I shot this single handed with a pint in my left hand at a birthday meal in a pub, without looking through the viewfinder,

I do not believe sharpness is everything in a picture, I see plenty of missed focus shots that are beautiful, but understand how in most paid circumstances some people expect super sharp photos.

Ps im only doing this part time at the moment, until I have the confidence to go at it properly hence asking for critique on the editing as I think that skill will come in handy at some point.

I totally get what you mean about sharpness not being the be all, end all. I posted a couple shots of my son the other day and neither are tack sharp on the eyes. Like yours, a quick grab more than anything else.

Id have to strongly disagree on people willing to pay for your work as a measure of success. There's lots of terrible photographers out there making a living from taking crap photos. This is often spoken about on here when people get negative feedback on a shot and they respond with something like "oh well, the client is happy so I must be doing something right". Totally the wrong way to look at it if you want to progress and get better, which I assume we all do