r/postprocessing • u/OfffensiveBias • 1d ago
After/Before with the funky ass guy
Feedback is appreciated - I am newer to editing in general and I would love to keep improving. I like this, but I can't shake the feeling that it feels slightly sterile.
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u/PetrichorClay 1d ago
He looks a bit like he's been photoshoped intk the after, the light seems wrong for him to be inside
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u/RDJ2000_ 1d ago
Rule of thumb, subject should never be brighter than the source of light
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u/OfffensiveBias 1d ago
ah yep haha good to know. I'm new editing so this is something I will forever remember
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u/smoothinto2nd 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's a neat photo with a really challenging starting point.
I think the main reason it's feeling off is specifically the the Highlights/backlighting on his shoulders and sides of his face. To be clear I think they look great, BUT, our brains then see the back ground which is darker and sense there's nothing back there that is making that light and think 'something's wrong'.
A couple ideas to play with.
How does he look on a white BG? You've already got an edge selection.
Another idea is try keeping him where he is exposure wise and bringing the background back up and seeing how that feels.
Thirdly, you've pushed it far, they subject is a cool funky, keep going. Make some light to explain the Highlights. Go back to the background and make those white spots in the corners bright light sources, or maybe the same with the Lights above the guy. Consider locking a point on a curve on the back wall (like between the windows) and then selecting a bright spot in the rafters and bringing the rafter point up bright enough to where it passes as something that could be causing the Highlights on the side of his face. Or maybe do the same but use the white points lower on his arms for the fake light sources.
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u/OfffensiveBias 1d ago
Thank you for your detailed feedback, really appreciate you taking the time. Definitely see that this stuff is going to take a while and I'm gonna suck for a good minute haha. That's OK, definitely something worth learning!
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u/PleaseBmoreCharming 1d ago
I'm surprised so many people are mentioning the lighting and not the weird crop. Cropping it right to just cut off his elbow was a really weird choice, imo.
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u/DasTomasso 1d ago
The background is a little dark for me… Can I ask, why wouldn’t you have used lighting for this shot?
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u/OfffensiveBias 1d ago
Yeah honestly it was a spur of the moment thing. I had my camera while walking around and I just asked him if I could take a picture lol
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u/NeumannFTW 19h ago
What kinds of edits has been applied here ? This isn't something you can achieve with Lightroom no ? Is it photoshopped ?
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u/JediMaster_221 15h ago
He looks superimposed onto a greenscreen. He also looks like he's gonna fiddle me in my dreams
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u/arnoldinio 1d ago
You gotta get a flash if you’re trying to end up with the result you’re going for. This looks awful.
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u/FlyingRocketman 1d ago
bit too much exposure difference between the subject and background i feel. it almost looks a bit cardboard cutout.