China Doll

[isxzz]

hi seniors,

this is my maiden effort.....

pls give u'r constructive comments extensively.

millons of thanks...

Pic 1 : zoom:x3.0, focal length:107.4, aperture:3.5, shutter:1/3, manual mode.
me trying to do the DOF thingy here..... is the compostion alright with the focus on the doll & the ship in background? how abt light metering?


Pic 2: sepia toning using PS. is the brown toning too much?


Really like to sincerely thank Togu & Digipix for their "Fun with Photoshop" postings. couldn't have tried out pic 2 without their magnanimous contributions to this forum.......

really hope to see more of such help in clubsnap to guide newbies like me.

[roygoh]

Nice idea. Would be great if this idea can be applied to a real person!

Some comments:

1. Use the healing brush to touch up the face and hands of the doll - get rid of the marks to improve her complexion.

2. Adjust the levels to increase the contrast.

3. I can make out that the object behind the doll is a ship. It would be better if the background is blue to simulate sky colour.

[roygoh]

Here's my attempt:

[cheesypoofs]

The crop is too tight on her right elbow, quite distracting.

[isxzz]

Originally Posted by roygoh Nice idea. Would be great if this idea can be applied to a real person!

actually, these r common items found around house. the doll is actually part of a lighter and the ship is not even proportional in size to the figurine.

Originally Posted by roygoh 1. Use the healing brush to touch up the face and hands of the doll - get rid of the marks to improve her complexion.

really appreciate if u can further explain how i can do this in PS. what's a 'healing brush'? i'm using PS ver5.5. Is the'healing brush' a new tool in PS ver7?

Originally Posted by roygoh 2. Adjust the levels to increase the contrast.

u r right. it is so much more better. my original image looks flat. millon thanks.

Originally Posted by roygoh I can make out that the object behind the doll is a ship. It would be better if the background is blue to simulate sky colour.

actually i've thought of taking the shot outdoor, but it was raining then. i've overlooked this point. i will bear u'r guidance in mind.

[isxzz]

Originally Posted by cheesypoofs The crop is too tight on her right elbow, quite distracting.

actually i was trying to apply the 1/3 rule of composition.
thanks for pointing out the short comings.

any views on the sepia toning. is it too much?

[roygoh]

Originally Posted by isxzz really appreciate if u can further explain how i can do this in PS. what's a 'healing brush'? i'm using PS ver5.5. Is the'healing brush' a new tool in PS ver7?

The healing brush is a new feature in PS7. It is an improvement over the clone tool as it tries to blend the texture of the samples area with the texture of the area you are tying to fix.

From Adobe's PS7 - Classroom in a book: "The new healing brush and patch features in Photoshop 7.0 go one step beyond the capabilities of the clone stamp and pattern stamp tools. Using their ability to simultaneously apply and blend pixels from area to area, they open the door to natural-looking touchups in areas that are not uniform in color or texture."

Since there isn't complex texture on the skin then the clone stamp tool should do a good enough job.

Originally Posted by isxzz u r right. it is so much more better. my original image looks flat. millon thanks.

Glad you liked it.

[cheesypoofs]

Originally Posted by isxzz actually i was trying to apply the 1/3 rule of composition. thanks for pointing out the short comings. any views on the sepia toning. is it too much?

The sepia tone is a bit underexposed actually. A bit more dynamic range (more highlights perhaps) would make it more interesting.