Help with an Image Please

Keltic Ice Man

Keltic Ice Man

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Name
Allan
Edit My Images
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Last weekend I was asked by some friends to take a group photo of some dancers who were getting dance medals. Unfortunately my flash was playing up (it just didn't like the batteries that were in it!) and this is the best of the shots that I took.

Can anyone please help me try to get an acceptable photo out of this.

Thanks

Allan

smalldancenight0110nl.jpg


Link to Larger version of the image http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7027/1mdancenight0116gv.jpg
 
That orange cast is typical of a tungsten light shot with the wrong colour balance set. If you'd set the WB for tungsten and asked the group to sit still, then even with the longer shutter speed without flash, you'd have got a more natural looking shot. You'd also have done better to take the shot from a lower viewpoint, there's a lot of foreground there you don't really need, although a crop would improve things a lot. :)

I've tried to get you a more natural looking colour balance...

group.jpg


The only thing is, that even at 12mb the image quality is very poor - very 'blocky' and typical of some compact camera sensors, so I don't think there's a great deal you can really do to improve it.

If it's an important shot, then PM me your e-mail addy and I'll send you an edited copy of the full size image.
 
Thanks for your help with this CT.

The local paper failed to turn up for the evening do, so they asked me to take a shot.

On seeing what the paper did with the afternoon shot I think I should send them your comments CT. Theres look far worse than mine (if that is possible) all the kids out of focus and most of them moving.

Thanks

Allan
 
I've done a similar shot Allan for my kickboxing group. One thing to notice, which is easily fixed in PP, is that your flash will have more effect in the middle than at the edges so the peeps at the sides are a lot darker than those in the centre.

To fix it add a brightness adjustment layer if you have Photochop and apply a graduated mask that has little to no effect in the middle but strong effect at the sides. Should help to even it out a bit.

:)
 
I assume you have Photochop?

Just add an adjustment layer for brightness, bump up the brightness a bit.

The layer will have a completely white mask by default, what you want is black in the center gradually moving to white at the edges. It simple to do, just make sure you have the mask selected, set the tool colours to black and white, and then use the graduated fill tool.

It has a couple of options on how to do the fill, shown as tick boxes jst under the menus. One has a center fill graduation. Then just click on the center of the image and then drag to the right/left probably about two thirds of the way across and it should put the fill in the mask.

:)
 
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