Comments on: Avoid Over-Processing by Cleansing Your Visual Palate

By: PhotoNetCast #7 - Editing and Processing in Photography | PhotoNetCast

PhotoNetCast #7 - Editing and Processing in Photography | PhotoNetCast — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:17:28 +0000

[…] Avoid Over-Processing by Cleansing Your Visual Palate […]

By: Tim Solley

Tim Solley — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:46:44 +0000

Thanks man. I like that shot on the swings too. Not only did I partially desaturate that one, I added a brown (at least it looks brown to me!) tint to the whole image. Kind of like the movie “300″. I like this look a lot…and should mention that they stole the idea from me for the movie. I mean naturally they would :-)

By: Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:00:26 +0000

Cool, thanks for the info :)

I’ve always wondered about that kind of thing. My eyes are fine color-wise, but I wear pretty strong contacts. I haven’t turned anyone green yet, but I’ve been guilty of over-saturating the red in someone’s skin more than once :/

I do like the partially desaturated look on some of your photos quite a bit, especially this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainquin/1316757336/

As for seeing through someone else’s eyes, it may be creepy but they’ve at least made a start on the technology:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/471786.stm

By: Tim Solley

Tim Solley — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:07:58 +0000

Hey Andrew, don’t mind at all.

From what I understand, the world and the colors in it look much more vivid to a non-colorblind person. I personally lean toward images that are B&W or partially desaturated and with lots of contrast. This could be because the high contrast pops better for me, whereas color photos don’t because color doesn’t pop like it does for someone else. This is all speculation of course, as I’ve never looked through a normal person’s eyes. Whoa would that be creepy…

When I have to do any corrective work in post, I usually attempt to get the photo looking the way I think is best, then I have my wife take a quick look to make sure I didn’t turn anyone green.

By: Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:47:15 +0000

@Tim: I didn’t know you were colourblind! I never would’ve suspected it, even having looked at a good portion of your photos.

If you don’t mind me asking, do you find that it affects whether you choose to take photos in b&w or colour?

@John: I never used to do that, but with the one-touch feature to do it in Lightroom, I do it all the time. You’re absolutely right, I’ll often find that I’ve overdone it and it’s time to tone everything down.

By: John

John — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:52:50 +0000

I find it useful to take a look at the original photo again and make an honest clear-headed opinion of whether the changes I’ve made have actually improved matters. Incremental changes add up and at the end of the process, I’ve often found that I preferred the original! Cue another round of editing and settling for less dramatic changes.

By: Link Roundup 09-08-2007 | Epic Edits Weblog

Link Roundup 09-08-2007 | Epic Edits Weblog — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 05:38:46 +0000

[…] Avoid Over-Processing by Cleansing Your Visual Palate goldengod Great tip for clearing your head while photo editing. Things always look different when you step away for a few minutes. […]

By: Tim Solley

Tim Solley — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:08:29 +0000

You normal eyed people make me so jealous. My eyes were reset at birth, but the wrong button was pressed and I came out colorblind. It really sucks for a photographer, especially when those red skinned people look green after I’ve overdone the PP but didn’t realize it because alas, I’m colorblind.

I wish a walk around the block could fix it. In all seriousness though, I do find that I need a little reset occasionally.

By: Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:30:16 +0000

Agreed, taking a look at things outside in natural light helps move your brain out of the space where we compensate for strange lighting.

I used to try and do this by spending time in different rooms in my apartment, until it dawned on me that my living space is a nightmare for light. I have mostly tungsten, with large east-facing windows in every room letting in daylight, and fluorescent in two rooms.

I’m thinking of making some attempt at standardizing my lighting, making it easier to take photos in my home, and writing about it.

By: Brian Auer

Brian Auer — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 07:23:39 +0000

I’ve noticed this same phenomenon too. It never fails — you step away, come back, and find that you’ve overdone it again. I find that going outside and looking at real colors for a little while really helps.