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Creating a Black and White High Contrast Portrait Edit in Lightroom

17 Nov

Introduction

The Following is an excerpt from the SLR Lounge Lightroom Preset System v5 and accompanying workshop from the Lightroom Workshop Collection v5. The Lightroom Preset System is designed to take you from Ordinary to Extraordinary photos in just a few seconds and clicks within Lightroom 4 and Lightroom 5.

Overview

In this tutorial we’re going to go over how to turn a regular color portrait into a nice high contrast black and white image. For this tutorial we have a portrait of a baby out in a field. The overalls, details in the field, and overall background blur will be complimented by a high contrast black and white edit. The SLR Lounge Lightroom Preset System v5 has presets specifically for high contrast black and white portraits which we are going to apply to this photo. If you don’t have the preset system, we’ll list all of our Develop settings so you can achieve the same look.

Here’s what our photo will look like before and after we’re done with the edit.

Unedited Photo on Left | High Contrast Black and White on Right

Lightroom Preset System v5 Mixology

For those who have the Preset System, you can follow the Mixology Recipe below to get to the same results. If you don’t have the Preset System, please read the article or watch the video below to see exactly how this look was achieved.

Develop Mixology

01-10 BASE – SOFT: 13b. Light Crush – B&W
03-70 ADJUST – VIGNETTING: 71c. Neutral – Zeroed

Written Tutorial

Step 1: Checking The EXIF Data

exifdata

We press “i” to pull up our EXIF data so we can see exactly how this image was shot. This image was shot with a 50mm lens at f/2. We want to keep in mind that the depth of field is shallow, and we may have to add sharpening to this image.

Step 2: Apply Preset

We’re starting with our “01-10 BASE – SOFT: 13b. Light Crush – B&W” preset, and after we lower the Exposure to -0.10 we have a nice high contrast black and white look. Then we apply a “03-70 ADJUST – VIGNETTING: 71c. Neutral – Zeroed” vignette preset so we can get a subtle edge darkening.

In the develop settings the Contrast was raised and the Shadows and Blacks have been dropped. This is giving our nice deep shadows and blacks, and adding to the high contrast look we’re editing for. The Highlights and Whites have also been dropped in order to bring the highlights in the skin closer to the mid tones.

developpanel1

With Settings Zeroed Out

Here’s what our image looks like with a simple black and white conversion (convert by hitting “V”), without the adjustments in Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, and Tone Curve.

Before High Contrast Settings

With High Contrast Settings

Here’s our image with Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, and Tone Curve adjustments applied.

High Contrast Develop Settings

In the image below you can see a huge difference that the adjustments make. The eyes stand out, there’s more details in the hair and grass, and there’s more texture in the clothes. All these subtle details combined add quality to an otherwise flat black and white image.

All Settings Zeroed On Left. High Contrast Adjustments on Right

In our Sharpening settings our preset applied our standard amount, but the image is still a bit soft because of the shallow depth of field caused by shooting this image at f/2.0. To get a nice sharp portrait we raise the Amount, Radius, and Detail. The preset also adjusted our Noise Reduction settings, giving the subject in our portrait nice soft skin. All of the “SOFT” presets have this standard amount of Noise Reduction applied in order to soften and smooth out skin without going so far to kill fine details.

sharpening settings

Here’s what our image looks like before and after our presets are applied.

Before

lightroom-5-tutorial-high-contrast-b&w-newborn-0001

After

lightroom-5-tutorial-high-contrast-b&w-newborn-0002

Watch the Video Tutorial

If you would like to see exactly how all of the settings and adjustments were applied, please watch the video from the SLRLounge YouTube Channel.

Conclusion and Learn More

We hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. If you are interested in learning more or purchasing the SLR Lounge Lightroom Preset System v5 or the newly released Lightroom Workshop Collection v5, please click any of the links in this article.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Creating a Black and White High Contrast Portrait Edit in Lightroom

The post Creating a Black and White High Contrast Portrait Edit in Lightroom by Post Production Pye appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Matching the Production Style to the Image – High Energy Means High Contrast

31 Oct

Introduction

Overview

One thing that we like to do within our studio is match the post production style to the overall emotion and story within the image. We feel that doing so leads to a much stronger overall image.

So in scenes that have a lot of energy, we want to emphasize the excitement with a colorful, high contrast production style. For this tutorial, we are using this sparkler exit photo which should be well complimented by the high contrast edit. The SLR Lounge Lightroom Preset System v5 has presets specifically for high contrast portraits which we are going to apply to this photo. Not to worry, we are going to demonstrate all of the settings below.

Here is what our image looks like before and after our presets are applied.

beforeandafter

Lightroom Preset System v5 Mixology

Develop Mixology
01-10 BASE-SOFT: 14a. Heavy Crush – Skin Desat

Local Adjustment
Radial Filter: 03 Burn (Darken) -0.5 Stop (watch video tutorial for reference)

Written Tutorial

Step 1: Checking the EXIF data

Screen-Shot-2013-08-12-at-3.40.04-PM

The first thing we generally do is take a look at how the image was shot. Doing so, gives us a lot of information on things we need to look out for when post producing. To check the EXIF data press ”i”. This image was shot with a Nikon D700 at ISO 6400. This is important to keep in mind because Nikon cameras tend to shoot skin tones slightly green, and this high of an ISO might also present a noise issue.

Step 2: Apply Preset

After we adjust Color Temperature and Tint to taste, we apply the “01-10 BASE-SOFT: 14a. Heavy Crush – Skin Desat” preset. This preset adds contrast to the photo and makes adjustments to desaturate skin tones. The Contrast is being raised and the Shadows and Blacks are being dropped in order to boost overall image contrast. To flatten out the highlights over skin tones, we have dropped the Highlights and Whites. In the Tone Curve we have a subtle “S” shaped contrast boosting tone curve to add a bit of contrast back specifically where we need it.

Here are the final Basic and Tone Curve Panel settings:

developpanal

We have our standard Sharpening and Noise Reduction adjustments applied to this image. Even though this image was shot at a high ISO,the D700 takes such great photos at ISO 6400 that we don’t have to raise any of the Noise Reduction Luminance beyond what we already have.

In the HSL our Reds and Oranges are slightly dropped in order to desaturate heavy reds and oranges that can appear within skin tones when we are doing a high contrast edit.

developsettings1

Step 3: Add Radial Filter

The last thing we’re going to do is add a Radial Filter to this image. This filter is unique to Lightroom 5, but Lightroom 4 users can get the same effect by adjusting the vignette settings, or by using an Adjustment Brush and painting around the outside of the image.

radialfilter

We’re pairing the Radial Filter with our “03 Burn (Darken) -0.5 Stops” preset to get a nice vignette around our couple. We adjust the Feather to 70 to make the effect more subtle.

radialfiltersettings

Some people may comment that shadow details are being clipped, but that’s okay for this image. Remember, we edited this image to fit the mood and energy, not for it to be technically “color correct.” Making this high energy photo a high contrast one is a stylistic choice, and we love the way it looks. Here’s what our photo looks like before and after our edit.

Before

lightroom-5-tutorial-high-contrast-portrait-0001

After

lightroom-5-tutorial-high-contrast-portrait-0002

Watch the Video Tutorial

If you would like to see exactly how all of the settings and adjustments were applied, please watch the video from the SLRLounge youtube video channel.

Conclusion and Learn More

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Matching the Production Style to the Image – High Energy Means High Contrast

The post Matching the Production Style to the Image – High Energy Means High Contrast by Post Production Pye appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Colour Contrast: Making the Most of Orange and Blue

29 Jun

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

One of the principles behind using colour in photography is that of using contrasting colours. To understand the concept we need to look at a colour wheel – a type of diagram used by designers to show the relationships between colours:

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

Diagram by Wikipedia contributor Jacobolus

Contrasting colours are those that appear on opposite sides of the colour wheel. Today I’m going to look at two specific colours, orange and blue.

Why these two? They happen to be very useful colours to work with because they appear a lot in nature (even though you might not be aware of it). It’s all to do with the colour of the ambient light, which ranges from cool blue to warm orange, depending on the light source.

Incidentally, this is reflected by the colour temperature slider in Lightroom. One end is blue, and the other is orange:

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

Blue light

In low light, in fog or rain, or at twilight the natural colour of the light is blue. In these conditions, any photo you take has a blue colour cast.

The easiest way to see a colour cast in your photo is to set white balance to daylight. If the colour of the light is blue, then it will come out blue in your photo.

If you use auto white balance the camera will warm the photo up to compensate for the blue colour cast of the light. That’s useful sometimes, but it’s not desirable if you want to create a moody image.

Blue light is atmospheric. That’s because some colours evoke an emotional response, and blue is one of them. It is a cold colour – it connotes cold, misery, bad weather, even depression.

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

I took this photo in thick fog.The natural colour of the light is blue. The blue colour cast in this photo creates mood.

Orange light

Orange coloured light also occurs naturally. Light originating from the sun in the late afternoon, early evening or at sunset has an orange colour cast. So does light emitted by tungsten bulbs and burning flames.

Anything lit by these light sources will have a warm orange colour cast. Again, you will see it clearly if you set white balance to daylight.

Orange is another colour that evokes emotion. It is the colour of warmth and energy. It reminds us of things like the heat of summer or emotional warmth. Like blue, the psychological effect can be quite powerful.

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

The light source in this photo is the tungsten bulbs inside the lanterns. The natural colour of this light is orange.

You can see that blue and orange are opposites in many respects. They are opposites on the colour wheel, and also in the emotions and feelings that they represent.

Combining blue and orange

One way to show contrast between two things is to place them together. There is a famous photo by Annie Leibovitz of a jockey and a basketball player, side by side (you can see it here). Placing both sportsmen side by side emphasises their respective height, and the difference in stature between them.

It’s the same with blue and orange. Include both in the same image to add to the power of this colour combination. The coldness of the blue tones emphasises the warmth of the orange ones, and vice versa. Here are a few examples:

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

Most of the scene is lit by fading daylight, which has a natural blue colour. There is some warm light coming from the right, where the sun has set. The orange streak of light over the horizon comes from a plane flying by during the exposure.

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

This photo was taken when it was nearly dark. The landscape is lit by the fading light, which has a natural blue colour. My model is whirling a burning object around. The light from the fire is orange.

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

Finally, here is a photo created using the steel wool spinning technique. It’s taken at dusk, and the landscape is lit by the blue coloured light of the fading daylight. The light from the burning steel wool is orange, and so are the lights from the distant city buildings over the water.

If you want to try steel wool spinning yourself, click the link to read an article I wrote about it on my website. Please pay attention to the safety instructions in the article – steel wool spinning is potentially dangerous.

Mastering Photography

Colour contrast: using orange and blue

My latest ebook, Mastering Photography: A Beginner’s Guide to Using Digital Cameras introduces you to digital photography and helps you make the most out of your digital cameras. It covers concepts such as lighting and composition as well as the camera settings you need to master to take photos like the ones in this article.

By the way, the cover photo is another great example of using the orange and blue colour contrast. The building and flag are lit by the setting sun, so they have an orange colour cast. The summer sky is deep blue. You can take this sort of photo just about anywhere during the golden hour at the end of the day.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Colour Contrast: Making the Most of Orange and Blue

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Improving Composition with Tonal Contrast

18 Jun

A contribution by Andrew S. Gibson author of Understanding EOS: A Beginner’s Guide to Canon EOS Cameras.

Tonal contrast 1

If you were to ask me for two ways that you could improve the composition of your photos, the first piece of advice I would give you is to keep the composition as simple as possible. Eliminate anything that isn’t part of the story from the frame.

The second part of the answer is to focus on tonal contrast. Now, many discussions of composition tend to concentrate on the basics, such as the rule-of-thirds, leading lines, use of colour and so on. Not many people seem to be talking about tonal contrast. That’s a shame, because it’s an element that can really improve your composition.

What is Tonal Contrast?

Tonal contrast is created when light tones and dark tones lie alongside each other. Here’s an example:

Tonal contrast 2

The tonal contrast in this photo is created by the difference in brightness between the white flower and the dark green background.

In any photo it is natural for the eye to go straight to the highlights. That is what is happening here – the viewer’s eye is pulled by the lightest tones in the image, the flower, and then travels slowly around the rest of the image, taking in the detail. It sets up a kind of visual dynamism between the light and dark tones.

Here’s another example of tonal contrast in action:

Tonal contrast 3

Here, the tonal contrast is provided by the difference in brightness between the white parts of the waterfall and my model’s clothing, and the dark tones of the water and the rocks.

Working in Black and White

Tonal contrast is the basis of many successful black and white images. Indeed, if you need help to see the tones in your colour photos an easy way to do so is to open them in Photoshop and reduce the colour saturation to zero. This is what happens to the two photos above when we do that:

Tonal contrast 4

Tonal contrast 5

It is easier to see tonal contrast in black and white images because there is no colour to distract your eye from the brightness values within the photo.

You will also notice that the composition of these images is very simple. Simplicity helps improve composition by eliminating distractions.

Let’s look at another example:

Tonal contrast 6

This is a photo that I took in an antiques market in Shanghai. You can see my two principles of composition in action here:

Simplicity: I moved in close to concentrate on the dominoes.

Tonal contrast: The ivory coloured dominoes are offset by the dark tones of the box they are in.

Tonal contrast 7

Here is the desaturated version. The tonal contrast is even clearer in this image.

There are a few more points I’d like to make here:

Tonal contrast is a great basis for a successful black and white image. The desaturated versions of the above photos all work fairly well. It won’t take much more work to turn them into striking monochrome images.
Images with strong tonal contrast tend to work well in both black and white and colour. An interesting exercise you could try is to go back through photos that you have already taken and select some that feature strong tonal contrast. Then convert them to black and white. I think you will be able to create some strong monochrome images if you do this.
Keeping your compositions simple helps make the most out of tonal contrast. If you include too much within the frame, the impact of any tonal contrast is lessened.

Finally, please note that reducing the colour saturation to zero is usually not the best way to convert a colour image to monochrome. The aim here is purely to make the tones easier to recognise by eliminating the distraction of colour.

Does that mean that every image requires tonal contrast to be successful? No, it doesn’t. It is merely one tool of many at your disposal. The key concept to understand is that learning to recognise and utilise tonal contrast helps you create stronger photos.

For example, if you have arranged a photo shoot with a model in a location with a dark background, you could ask her to wear something light in order to set up tonal contrast between her clothes and the background.

Lack of tonal Contrast

There are times when tonal contrast is not evident in a photo, yet the composition is still successful. Here’s an example:

Tonal contrast 8

Now let’s look at the desaturated version:

Tonal contrast 9

You can see that there isn’t much tonal contrast. Yet the photo works because the purple flower is complemented nicely by the green background. This is called colour contrast and in this image more than compensates for the lack of tonal contrast.

Andrew S. Gibson is the author of Understanding EOS: A Beginner’s Guide to Canon EOS Cameras. He is a professional writer and photographer based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Improving Composition with Tonal Contrast

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Colorful Contrast: Geometric Street Paintings in France

18 Jun

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

Geometric Street Paintings France 1

A broad stripe of bright paint in a zig-zag pattern contrasts with muted, understated urban surroundings in the latest urban art installation by artist duo Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann. Working together since 1990 as Lang-Baumann, the artists bring unexpected visuals to public spaces. Street Painting #7 in Rennes, France will be visible in the heart of town until May 25, 2014.

Geometric Street Paintings France 2

Geometric Street Painting France 6

Geometric Street Paintings France 3

The installation was applied directly to the asphalt using road marking paint, introducing a new sense of vibrancy and modernity to this historic city block. The painting obliterates expectations for the type of public art that’s acceptable for this kind of setting.

Geometric Street Paintings France 4

Geometric Street Paintings France 5

Six previous geometric street paintings have graced smaller, even quainter communities like the picturesque Vercorin, Switzerland, as well as major cities like Moscow.

outside-stairs-stairway-heaven

Other works by Lang-Baumann are similarly disruptive, including inflatable parasitic sculptures clinging to the sides of buildings, and terrifying stairs to nowhere that will make your stomach drop just from looking at the photos.

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Fixing Images with Contrast Masks in Photoshop

05 Dec

contrast_masking.opener.jpg

Many of the fixes we commonly apply to images come from darkroom processes. Contrast masking is one of those fixes and it can be used to fix an image which is under or over exposed.

Contrast masking is a relatively simple process and it can work wonders with your images. I like it because it generally doesn’t require you to make selections and there is a lot to like about fixes that don’t involve selections.

Here’s how to use Contrast Masking to fix an under exposed image:

Open your image and duplicate the background layer. Target this duplicate layer in the Layers palette.

Desaturate this layer by choosing Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. Right now the default convert to black and white is just fine.

Alter the blend mode of this layer to Overlay.

To invert this black and white layer choose Image > Adjustments > Invert – this gives a negative of the image.

Adjust the layer opacity to suit.

Convert the top layer to a Smart Object by choosing Filter > Convert for Smart Filters.

Now blur this layer by choosing Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Adjust the Radius to adds some sharpening back to the image. Check the preview to get the best result for the image.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Fixing Images with Contrast Masks in Photoshop

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Cheapshooter.com – Quick Levels Contrast Fix in Photoshop

31 Oct

The levels dialog in Adobe Photoshop is a great way to increase contrast and check exposure on a photograph. We show you how. Check out Cheapshooter.com for more photography tips, tricks and tutorials.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Fixing your horizon in Photoshop.

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Posted in Retouching in Photoshop

Enhance Color, Apply Lomo, High Contrast Effect in Photoscape

18 Oct

Make you photos look more prefessional by enhancing color and apply high quality color, contrast effects like cross-process etc. in Photoscape. Details : www.snaphow.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com Twitter: www.twitter.com Ask TutCast: www.tutcast.com This video will show you a few ways you can repair old photos in Photoshop! Music: Kevin MacLeod – www.incompetech.com Photo by Carolyn Williams – www.flickr.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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