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Well, I understand a bigger backdrop LOL! Just was wondering if there was anything else that might be helpful. I ordered the largest size seamless backdrop I could find too. 

ok, how is this? That was a tough edit. Also, do you have any advice for how I can shoot this better next time around? How could I make this easier on myself in the future? I will have more of this group to shoot over the year, so hoping I can improve how I shoot a large group, before I even have to open PS. 

Damien, I am stuck. I have no idea what to do from here. I am trying a gradient after I do the selection with the poly tool. I don't understand this. First off it takes me forever to use the poly tool, because It takes me like 20 times to just make a selection, because it will just close up the selection on its own after a couple clicks and I have to keep starting it over. I finally got a selection, doing sort of like the video, not being super particular about getting right around all the nooks and crannies of the subject. Then I go in make the gradient linear, set at 0, like yours was in the psd file. Then I choose the color gradient,and go through and sample them all so they all turn some sort of shade of grey. But how am I supposed to keep trying to blend the gradient when it doesn't change anything in the selection? I mean I still have flooring and such showing inside my selection, so am I supposed to get a closer selection? I am lost.  I started working on a second one just using a brush, and zooming way in, and pixel by pixel going around the edge of everyone coloring in with the gradient. Which is major time consuming and imperfect too. 

ok, so I am going in and trying to use the poly tool to select around the group. However when I do the gradient I have too much not being filled in. Did you use the poly tool or paint in the gradient with a brush? I watched the video, but I am struggling a lot with my selection with my poly tool. I can't get close enough to the people, or when I try just going on the outside of them and not being too particular, like in the video I have too much being not affected by the gradient. In your edit I see your selection got everything but the group. 

Oh, I just watched that video about the banding today and using gradients. I will definitely need to watch that a few times.  I will look at the psd file. Thank you again very much Damien!

Oh my gosh! I love it! That is exactly what I wanted for this photo. You are awesome Damien! So how do I learn how you did this now? Thank you for your help.

Preferably go. The dog had problems being able to sit on the paper without sliding, she needed the mat under her, and I would love to know how to change that out as well. Thank you for asking!

Great! That is helpful too. I always have to click convert my working space to srgb( the pop up in PS whenever I open from ACR to PS), and now I have changed that in ACR. So now this photo is in sRGB. I was told long ago, as you said in your article, that Adobe RGB is best, but I have found that to not be true, especially when printing, so I have always had to convert when I was finished editing. Now I understand this better, and the football analogy makes perfect sense. I seriously can't wait for an opening to your RAW class.

I have looked into those products, but not quite in the budget right now. It is something I am looking into making a purchase this year, but not at the moment. OK, so I am not sure what else you want me to do, before we can work on the background issues. I read the articles about noise and sharpening. They were very helpful to learn from. I used the techniques, and the results are much better than the top/first image  shared. I did not do anything to the color this time, so there should not be any issues with blues anymore. I also upped the exposure on the image, so they weren't all so dark. Does this work? 

Oh no, I feel really bad, and I know I need to understand more about properly editing in RAW. Your response both made me laugh, feel like a such novice ( which I am in RAW editing), and are helpful too.  I will read over the links, and come back to this. Thanks again for your direction, and I am looking forward to an opening in your RAW class! I need it!

I didn't know about that list, but I am on it now. Thank you. I like the first one better too. Ok, so do you want to just work with the first image I submitted then? That one I did bump the the exposure on, and it got really noisy, and then I went over the kid on the left with a brush, I forget what it is called, the targeted one I think it is called. I was able to fine tune that one to bring the exposure back down on him. On that first image I submitted. Maybe that is why it looks better? Also i didn't do anything to the color with that one. 

Well, I don't do a lot in RAW. My biggest focus right now is to figure out what to do with the background mess. Is there something else you need me to do beforehand? Or I can redo this in RAW. Whatever will help work best. If I up the exposure in RAW to lighten everyone, then the people on the left, especially the boy get way to bright. I don't know what to do with that. I am confused about this whole image. Like I said,, shooting a large group isn't my thing, nor something I have done. so I know it's a mess. I don't see the blue that you see though, so not sure what you mean by everyone looking blue.

Thanks Damien,

Would you like me to load the PSD file or a jpeg?

Hi Damien,

I am not even sure where to start on this image for making the whole image one grey background. As you can see there is a light, wood floor, the sides around the group. I have never shot a group this large before, and I honestly am not sure where to begin with editing it, so it is a seamless grey background with just the group. Thanks so much for any tips/help. This is sooc.