What would you do to improve this edit?

bass_junkie83

bass_junkie83

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Dave
Edit My Images
Yes
Not just the usual tweaks on this one. Instead I am trying to make a whole new image, which is not something I have really done before.

This is an old photo from my other halves family, the old couple are her long deceased great grad parents (grandads side).
As it turns out, her grandad has no photos of his parents at all, other than this one and one thing that he has always wanted was a photo of just the two of them.

So I got asked to see if there was something I can do.

This is the original print, which I scanned in.
002.jpg


Looking at it, the right side edge of the guy is pretty well intact and he is slightly forward of his wife. So my idea was to lose the bride, bring the couple closer together and overlap the husband on top of his wife to obscure her left side which has been lost behind the bride.

This is what I came up with.

great+nan+_amp_+grandad.jpg


I'm pretty happy with it, but there is something I can't put my finger on that is making it not look quite real.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to improve it?
 
Try softening the edges of the join around the heads slightly (maybe the blur tool?) and see if it looks better. To me as is they look a bit too " cut out", but I'm sure the family would love it.
 
That could well be it. The original print is a little soft, and my cutting has given the impression of sharp edges that don't exist elsewhere in the photo.
 
I think its the shadow on her. Theres a dark hard shadow on her hair/ear which doesn't follow the shape of his head.

And as said I'd lose the trees above his head too.

Its a cracking edit though! I don't think I could have done it!
 
I think you've done a cracking job, I'm sure the family will love it.

If I were bing picky, the thing that looks odd to me is the ladies face is a little soft, even though it looks on the same plane of focus as the mans, but I doubt theres much you can do about that.
 
Thank you guys. Taken all comments on board and done what I can in my round about way of doing things.

Lost the tree, lightened the shadow on the ladies hair/ear, soften the shadows from the tree on the building to the right, and tried to slightly darken and sharpen the ladies face.

Think it's much better now and good enough to get printed. :D

great+nan+_amp_+grandad2_001.jpg
 
Very good work Dave - I'm impressed with that and he will be very proud to receive I am sure.
 
Thanks guys. Got it printed yesterday and gave it the final test by showing it to a couple of the guys in the office.

No one noticed anything untoward so that's job done. :)
 
I think its a good effort, maybe its the unusual aspect ration htat makes it look a little forced rather than the normal 3:2?

As a photographer if something is not 3:2 i tend to look for what they have cropped off and why..I'm not sure non photographers worry about it tho?
 
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It is a superb edit. I know you have got it printed, but here are my thoughts. The lady's right shoulder is too bright (more like the colour of her hair than the coat). You would expect her shoulder to be darker. Think I may have blurred the background a bit (at least to see what it looked like). This would make them stand out some more. Finally I would have put a vignette on this mainly to darken the house and direct the eye to the people.

But as I said - superb edit.
 
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