A Perfect Picture

Thank you iHeartfaces and Marshall from f/11 for helping me with this photo. Your advice was taken earnestly, I really wanted to save this photo!

Marshall was very gracious and generous with his time and he offered to fix the photo for me but I thought I’d be a trooper and try it myself first.

It went from this…

…to this.

I tried several black and white treatments, including the standard Image>Adjustments>Desaturate.  It was ordinary so I ran a couple of actions but decided on TRA’s Bitchin’ B&W. It’s not a nice word but it’s just a name.

Then I used levels to add contrast which I really like. I like a lot of contrast in black and whites. I lightened it, using curves. Then I ran TRA’s Burn Out action to add a vignette. I’m obviously very much in love with Mr. Boutwell. I reduced the opacity of that vignette layer quite a bit to about 40% I think. Oh, and I cropped it per Marshall’s advice.

It’s not perfect for someone else, I could have masked out my fly-away hair, I can see it sticking out from the back of my head. I could have run some kind of skin smoothing action. I would if I was a real photographer and for someone else’s photo. But I think it’s as perfect for me as it’s going to get. It’s going on my nightstand.

This is what I do on a Saturday morning. Now I actually have to do some housework.

Thank you so much Marshall…very nice of you to comment and help a frustrated photographer wanna-be.