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Photography

Digital photo editing - enhancement or detraction - a matter of taste ?

In the fall when trees are changing, cameras come out to capture the spectacle. One of the intriguing aspects is the play of light on leaves - radiant in sunlight, defiant in shadow, alluring in fog. Light filtering through leaves creates a shimmer and draws us to the scene.

A challenge of the new world of digital photography is the ease with which it makes us editors. Most computers now house photo editing software. And if not, then Google or other familiar providers offer sophisticated free tools for editing.

The images below have all been digitally edited. You may see the results as an enhancement or a detraction as matter of personal taste. These were worked on in Photoshop CS. The abstracted ones on the left are derived from the smaller ones on the right in an effort to capture and magnify the light, colors and patterns that entrance the eye.

Here are the steps used to modify the original images:

Creating the small images on the right:
1. Adjust brightness (lighter or darker) by 10%.
2. Adjust contrast by +10% to +15%.
3. Compress image horizontally to create a square format.

Creating the larger images on the left from the ones on the right:
4. Apply a filter called "palette knife" to remove detailing and enhance structural and color patterns.
5. Rotate or flip image for preferred visual balance.

Both images:
6. Save as TIFF image for archives and printability.
7. Save as JPEG image for web site use.

These modifications barely scratch the surface of the professional editing powers of Photoshop.
Web Link - Adobe Photoshop
Web Link - Tutorials