How do you edit a picture to make it look?

Question

Pretty much perfect? Like the lighting and everything. I know you have to have a good camera, which I do, but what do you use to edit it?? I know most people use photoshop but how can you make a picture look like this..

http://es.tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2lvel2t&s=4

pretty much perfect lightening and everything. If you use photoshop what do you use on it. If you don't use photoshop what should you use?

Answer 1

For sure Photoshop Elements 6.0 its cheaper and does the job, also you want to smooth the picture.

There is a awesome program for Face closeups that will take wrinkles and blimishes away on face and will make you look like a model, its called  Portrait Professional Max. Let me know what you think?

mrhootal

Answer 2

If you're using photoshop, I would use the brightness/contrast option.  The shot in your example photo was taken with high exposure, lots of light from every direction.  You want more brightness and less contrast.  Try that out and see what your results are.

Photoshop can do some amazing things, but the best work comes from a quality, well taken shot to begin with.  So if your composure needs work, or you're not really feeling that you're dealing with a professional quality shot, I'd start reading some photography books and getting to the base of your issue.

Ever hear the expression 'You can't polish a t**d'?

Yeah, you can make the t**d look shinier with photoshop, but you can't just take a really bad photo and make it look like the one in your link.

I wouldn't recommend much other THAN photoshop for photo manipulation.   Even photoshop 7 has some really great options.  You can find the program on ebay pretty cheap.   But the long and short of it is, you're either willing to spend the money and time on practice and a good program, (with some god given talent)  or you're not.   I wish you luck, and I'd like to see what you come up with.  Play with the  brightness, and color balance, that's the best you can do, in a nutshell, to enhance a photo per your example.

Answer 3

I'm not trying to be snarky, but you learn photography as a craft, develop as an artist, light and compose pictures properly, and that's how you make a picture look perfect. There's no shortcuts or Photoshop tricks that will make c**p lighting look good. A good photograph starts with a technically competent capture in-camera, and then can be enhanced through any number of post-processing tools.

The picture you linked to (which I don't think is a particularly strong image) has very little post-processing. I see one diffused light source in the picture, coming from the upper right of the frame. It may very well be lit by something as simple as a single bounced strobe. There's really nothing obviously Photoshoppy going on.

Answer 4

I always do this to my photos, and no, you dont need a good camerato do it!>

try:   www.photobucket.com

sign up then upload your pictures. you can change colours,  background, and loads more!... try it

Answer 5

Over all you can't fix lighting with photoshop or any other program. All you can really do is remove lighting. The image you posting being really small is hard to tell but looks like  a flash hit off a blue wall giving a blue highlight over the image that wouldn't be easy to do with photoshop or any other software. That is to make it look realistic without it looking like some junky filter.

gimps is a good program if editing. I would spend 500 dollars on light maybe a few off camera flashes and umbrellas other the buying photoshop.

Answer 6

I use photoshop

and I think you

could change the

brightness/contrast

Answer 7

Truthfully?  The best way to achieve a "perfect" photograph is to use equipment that you are familiar and comfortable with.  

If you're not comfortable with Photoshop, learn to use it or use something else (ex. Gimp, http://www.gimp.org/).  Use digital media if you know how to use it properly.  Use film if that's what you know.

But to start off, get a good exposure.  If you don't have a good exposure, there's nothing Photoshop will do if your exposure is totally off.  Expose to the shadows so that you can have details.  Develop (ie Photoshop) to the highlights so that you can bring out any details that may have become over exposed in the shooting process.  Understand this and you're pictures will come out great.

Answer 8

photobucket.com

Answer 9

Mmm, I use Photoshop.

Here's a tutorial I used :D

http://www.createblog.com/tutorials/tuto...

Answer 10

I use photoshop, but that is a mostly unedited photo.

You just something get lucky with that sort of thing.

A good camera with high megapixel power works wonders though.

So does an adjustable lense, sometimes normal digital cameras just don't focus on the right things.

Answer 11

Actually the picture as regards lighting etc is far from perfect! I don't think they have used any photo editing software! Make sure you have the camera setting to adjust for your light source eg:daylight, tungsten etc and make sure you have good focus!  

Answer 12

I use Adobe After Effects CS3, it's more for digital design, but there is this thing under "color correction" called "curves" that will do the job. That "perfect picture" of yours probably had some light and color edited to look like that.Hope this helps

Answer 13

to tell you the truth that picture doesn't look edited at all....the prob. had good soft ligting right in the front of her leaving the shadow of the curtin still in the pic.  it is just a good contrast of colors imo