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Digital Post Processing - Step By Step Instructions
The Digital Post Processing of a Grasshopper
Below is an original photo of a summertime grasshopper on the left - and the results of post processing on the right. After the eye adjusts to the photos, we can easily determine the differences in the photos. The second photo appears sharper and has way-less noise than the original. In addition, unsightly areas of the photo that were distracting from the star of the photo - Mr. Grasshopper, were removed via simple cloning. A kicky frame was applied and the half-eaten leaf at the positioned near the legs was repaired.
Let's go through the post processing of this digital photo - step by step.
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Step 1 - Begin by making a copy of your original photo.
Step 2 - Apply noise reduction to remove any distracting noise if necessary. In our example - it was necessary, so the results are shown below. Another way of achieving this if you don't have a good noise removal program is to create a duplicate layer, perform a smart blur, then erase the areas of the photo that you wish to remain clear. Finally, combine the layers.
Step 3 - Because the image is quite sharp, I chose to focus on sharpening only small areas of the photo. Using a variety of brush sizes, I sharpened the antennas and eye. This was the result:
Step 4 - Notice the stems and leaves to the right of the above photo as well as the flawed leaf near the 'feet' of the grasshopper. Using various sized brushes, these areas were cloned into the background and a new leaf was created. No - it's not the best leaf in the world, but our frame will help camouflage that a bit later. The photo below is the result of the cloning phase:
Step 5 - The original photo contains a yellow cast and the colors are a bit off. Working with the Tone Curve and/or the Color Balance Function can work towards correcting color issues. In addition, if your post processing program contains a hue adjustment option, that too can impact overall color.
Step 6 - Let's resize the photo from its original size, then give it a frame. I chose a simple line to frame this shot and a light color which I felt complimented the existing colors more than a darker color might have done. Upon a more detailed investigation it appeared that the eyes needed a bit more work - so they were sharpened a notch, and the overall contrast was tweaked a hair.
Step 7 - Because I wasn't totally thrilled with my end results, I performed a quick Auto Equalizer. This was the result:
Step 8 - Next, saturation and brightness gets an adjustment. And - let's sharpen the photo just for the heck of it. Okay - this is as far as I'm choosing to take this photo. But let's play around just a bit more with filters and other fun photo effects that exist in most post processing programs.
Here we have applied a dreamy effect via the blur function.
Next - a version that was accomplished by splitting the RGB channels which might be my favorite. This version works well in hiding the little/many imperfections.
Finally, we have a cameo version accomplished with the Vignette Effect:
Well, that wraps things up. I hope these examples have helped you a bit in polishing your post processing skills.
Thank you for looking!
Sky
