Damien Symonds

Do your prints match your screen exactly? Because the photo you posted above is grossly dark, and I went to your page, and almost ALL the photos are grossly dark. I very much fear your screen is badly too bright. She's either pulling your leg, or not telling you the whole story. Either way, it's BS.

Also, I really need to know the answer to this question.

The very nature of cropping is deleting pixels. That's why we do it. Cropping (removing parts of a photo) has been part of printing for as long as photography has existed. It's completely normal, and absolutely nothing to stress about. Maybe you could show me some screenshots to explain your concerns? A screenshot before cropping, and after.

Hi @Chelsea.corrine, this should answer your question: https://www.damiensymonds.net/2014/03/how-aggressively-can-i-crop.html I'm obliged to ask - do you print many photos? On either canvas or normal photo paper?

Gosh, good work.

Thanks. So now if you're game you can try cloning over that remaining white area on her top eyelid. I'd suggest using a different blank layer for it. Work with a low opacity brush. It'll be darn difficult.

Absolutely the best way, yes. May I see another 100% crop now?

Done.

Oh, sorry! No, delete that layer. Use a blank pixel layer ABOVE the channel mixer layer, for the cloning. And make sure to look at the Options Bar when you choose your Clone Tool, and make sure it's set to "Sample: Current & below".

How's it going, @pennylacy?

Cool. Now maybe gently clone the other iris across?

The best (simple) solution I can offer is a Channel Mixer layer. Go to the Green channel, and change the values to 0, 0, +103, +10.

What kind of adjustment do you want to make to the highlights, exactly? Are you sure about that? Make sure you remember to Shift-click the mask thumbnail to temporarily turn the mask off and on. You'll probably find that your mask is actually working.

It sucks because it's destructive. I wish wish WISH Photoshop would make it an adjustment layer!

Oh, phew!

Hi @Priscillacork, you'd better start by re-calibrating. Your monitor profile might have been messed up by the update.

Of course.

You could try this Channel Mixer layer: R 0, +100, 0, +23 G 0, +100, 0, 0 B 0, +100, 0, -10 If that's not satisfactory as a quick fix, then it'll have to be patient cloning.

I'm so sorry, I don't see any clever "tricks" for this. Just careful cloning.

Hi @pennylacy, sadly the instructions that come with the X-Rite are feeble. Follow my step-by-step directions here: https://www.damiensymonds.net/calibration-instructions/

Sure, if that suits you.

That's why I need you to post in class.

For the love of God make sure you post the raw edits in class.

Fair enough.

And save them as 16-bit TIFFs or PSDs, yes. Are you sure you even need to? Remember, "merging to HDR" is only for people who don't know how to edit raw files; or for cases where one raw file genuinely doesn't capture the entire tonal range. I know you're not the former, so is the latter true?