Opinions please

[dutchgirl]

I've been playing with a photo I took a couple of weeks ago. I would love some opinions on these. While I really like the vibrant colours of the original, I also like the handpainted look. But is it better to keep it simple, just my daughter's dress and shoes in colour, or add the roses in. What do you guys think?

simone

[Wino]

Personally, I like the one without the roses.

[beclectic]

I like the one without the roses. Additionally, I find that the building has taken on prominence in the B&W version of your photograph because the value is so high. Is there any way to tone it down or make it go away?

[Gypsytoo]

Hi Simone. Original is pretty, of course. Photo without roses is more appealing, as the roses are too dominant.Can you make the buildings fade out somehow? Others will be expert on how to do that. Like the photo...little girl on tippy toes! Cute.

[dutchgirl]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I agree that the building is a distraction in this peaceful little scene. I've cloned it out but wonder if it looks too fake perhaps? Here is the updated version.

[beclectic]

I don't think it looks fake but perhaps a little empty. Is there a way to fade the building without totally removing it. Or you could put something faint in it's place.

For some reason, in my eye, the scene has taken on a fantasy air without the building. Like maybe she is looking into otherwhere.

[Windy]

Simone I hope you don't mind I did a little adjustment on your image. I felt that to take the building away made the image lack a little focus. I tried lightening it, but this then clashed with the brightness of the dress. I agree with everyone else about the roses being distracting.
What I did was lassooed her and then feathered the selection, inverted the selection and then used levels to darken the background area. Some areas were still a bit lacking so I then used a soft airbrush, balck and low opacity set mode to colour burn and went over some of the areas.
This is what I ended up with

Hope this meets with your approval.

[dutchgirl]

Wendy, I never mind if people want to play with my pics. I always hope I can learn something. I like what you did with the photo, it makes the main subject pop a little more too.

[Windy]

I am so glad you did not mind. I thought it made her pop too! I tried it first by lightening and felt it did not work. Isnt it great we have programs that allow us to play without ruining the originals.

[Patty Brown]

Here is my go at it! What bothered me more than the building was the softness over to the right of the picture, were you trying to clone something out of that corner too? Anyway I did some cloning and here is what I came up with...




The second one I was just playing around to see what it would look like with a little more red on the right side too. Hope you don't mind...

[kaleidoscope eyes]

I love the tinted b&w Simone, I think the last one that Patty did with the roses on the right really balances the shot ~ lovely

[VeldaJ]

A lovely picture, Simone. I prefer the one with only the child tinted and I like the way Wendy darkenned the surrounding background to make her pop.

[Windy]

As you can see Simone, there are many ways for it to be "right", it depends who is looking, what you have to do is make it "right" for you.