January PSE challenge Part II

So the first challenge was rather easy and I was just getting you tuned up! Here's something that's a tad more challenging. I know that you can do this in PSP as well as PSE. I just don't know anything about any of the other photo ediitng programs. YOu will be entered in the prize drawing for your edit in the first part of the challenge and you will be entered a 2nd time if you complete this challenge. I will be posting a picture of the prize in a separate thread in a few minutes.


THE CHALLENGE!
Select a photo that has an object or person that needs to be enhanced so that you can see the features of that object. This enhancement can save a picture that's mostly worthless. Post before and after edit pictures. The challenge closes at midnight, February 11 and I will draw a winner that weekend.

Today*s challenge will involve using the Quick Selection Tool. We are going to use it to lighten the person (me) in this image so that we can see the features of the person in the photo as well as the landscape. The Quick Selection tool looks sort of like a wand with a dotted circle attached. In my photo, it is the 4th tool down on the inside column.



The Quick Selection Tool is used to select parts of an image that you want to adjust.
Follow these steps:
1. Go to Layer, Duplicate Layer, to create a layer where we will make our adjustments.

2. Working on the background copy, click on the Quick Selection tool. Above your picture you will see some symbols. The firstis the "normal" selection brush. Make sure you click on this one to start with. The 2nd is the add to your selection brush and the 3rd is the subtract from your selection brush. (See the + and - symbols.) The next box is how you chose the size of your brush.
3. Now use your brush to outline the subject you want to enhance. In my photo I would like to lighten my image so that you can better see my face. I am going to use the first brush tool and outline my entire body.



4. Note in the screen image below that I have selected more than my body on the right side so I am going to use the subtract brush and click right at the outside of my sleeve and hand.

5. Now that I have the image selected the way that I want it, I can adjust the lighting to bring out my features.





6. As we did in the previous challenge, go to Enhance and correct for lighting and color.

7. You can press Ctrl+ D and the "marching ants" line goes away and your chnages are set. Don't forget that you can go to Edit, Undo if you don't like your results.

8. Now over in the layers box, you can hold down the control key and click on both your layers and then right click and select merge layers to put your layers together. After I did this, I worked on the color and lighting of the overall picture.

And the finished edit!

Here are better views - hard to see within the PSE frame.

After editing:


Before editing:

If I have not explained this such that you can understand it, please ask questions!!!

That looks easy... hmmm... must get this on my computer toot sweet!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the push Maggi! And you look marvelous in both photos!!!

Great challenge Maggi - must go back and do part 1 though too

I tried this but I don't have some of the options that you do, sorry I failed this test but I am still learning more about my program. Thank you for that.

Colleen wrote:

I tried this but I don't have some of the options that you do, sorry I failed this test but I am still learning more about my program. Thank you for that.

And that is all that really matter Colleen, is to learn something!

This is great! Thanks! I took a Photoshop class & paid $25 & I didn't even learn this!!! A lot of what I learned, I already knew! I will get on this tomorrow.

oh man... I am going to have to write this all down!!!

I did do one but will try another one with not such a dark background... here is my first attempt. She looks a little scary in the edited photo... those eyes are too light...!!

YOu could just select the eyes now and tone the brightness of them down. She is a cutie BTW!!

She is a cutie!!!!!

maggi43 wrote:

YOu could just select the eyes now and tone the brightness of them down. She is a cutie BTW!!

that is a good idea... don't know why I didn't think of that.... and btw... your tutorials are great... easy to follow and I will hopefully remember!!

I definitely have some pics from our Christmas trip that need some help... I'll have to try this technique to see if I can get a better copy than I've already gotten... I KNEW there was a reason I saved the original pics! Hehe!

katesmum wrote:

maggi43 wrote:

YOu could just select the eyes now and tone the brightness of them down. She is a cutie BTW!!

that is a good idea... don't know why I didn't think of that.... and btw... your tutorials are great... easy to follow and I will hopefully remember!!

Thank you thank you, Lois! I was wondering if I was making any sense at all! I think I am going to put them on my blog for others to use also. Making the tuts helps me to learn the process and REMEMBER it!!

Here's my before pic



Here's my after pic



The only thing I kinda had trouble with was my computer selecting areas that were around the same color as the object I was trying to select. I lowered the tolerance levels but it got a little tedious trying to add & subtract to the areas I wanted so I just moved onto another picture.

So Cool Stephanie!!

Cool Stephanie!!

Just thought of something, do you all know that you can greatly increase the size of the area you are working on so that you can tell what you are doing? That is a big help when trying to pick out your subject.

You mean like with the zoom button Maggi? If that's what you mean, yes, I can do that.

Yes, you can also set your preferences so that you can use the whell on your mouse to increase/decrease picture size.