newbornphotog

Thank you so much for this tutorial... I will use your technique and post my completed image soon

I sent you the full sized jpeg. Thanks can you post the link to the tutorial here when its available?

Yes teach me lol that looks much better than any of my attempts.

Yes... Here's the link to it http://cindysart.deviantart.com/art/Merry-Christmas-my-friends-190247491

Yes, I have googled for over a week... Literally. I have found nothing that looks real like the one in this picture. I have tried several fairy dust brushes and they all look flat and fake. I have googled different word combinations trying to find an overlay. For example, Fairy dust trail, christmas magic, and magic dust trail. The only thing that shows up in brushes or flat looking overlays. I can make a pixie dust trail with the color yellow or white but it looks nothing like this. I wish I could find a gold sparkling magic overlay. Deviant Art had a picture with magic that did have the effect I was looking for but it had no link to what they used to create it. Its hard to explain but I want it to look bright shiny gold and not like I took a color sample of yellow... Hopefully that makes sense.

Awesome I'm glad you found it. They may have showed up in a different order for you.

In the link I posted above yesterday you will see in the 6th image down in the middle a picture where Santa has gold like pixie dust coming up out of his hand. That's meant to be "magic". Do you know how to create that affect in Photoshop? I tried to post links to specific images in the past and you were unable to see them so this is the best way I can show you.

I'm happy with the white balance on my end. Maybe once I have the "magic" in the picture I will feel different I was hoping to get to work with some different magic ideas if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the right direction. I have experimented with brushes and inner and outer glow but nothing looks good so far.

I've been looking at my computer too long... I tweaked my white balance some I think it makes the image look better.

After experimenting with the Nik Collection that you recommended I finally created a preset of my own that I gave me the look I was hoping to achieve. Its not exactly like the images in the link but I like them a lot and am very happy with the results Now I am trying to figure out how to create a magical affect but I'm not having any luck. My attempts look extremely fake and tacky Can you show me how to create it. If you look on the first page of comments you will see where I tried to post links to specific images several times and it wasn't working. So I gave you the link to her Santa page where you were able to view the images. The images that has the magic that I'm trying to create is is the 6th image down in the middle. Here's the link again if you don't want to search back for it http://clarksvillesanta.daphnesportraitdesign.com/?load=html#!/page/275593/experience-santa- Its similar to the image of mine that I have attached. Thanks

I wasn't asking for work flow advice but thanks for your opinion. I have mentored with two highly respected photographers in the industry and have been taught post processing by them. Clearly they haven't made it that far having serious problems. May I recommend you adding to your guidelines of posting to have taken your RAW class prior to posting because obviously that's what you are trying to do is just sell your classes. This was a waste of my time.

Are you unable to help me achieve a similar edit with the files given? (My style is darker and my setup is different so again it won't be exact and I'm ok with that.)

I don't edit in LR so my Raw file isn't going to be perfect. I have attached a JPEG of how I would do clean edit of the picture in PS. I understand that its not going to look exactly like the other photographers edit. But could you try with the JPEG image? I feel its a lot better than the RAW image I produce in LR. If not could you tell me how to turn the whites tan with the NIK program because I have tried and tried and can't figure it out.

I can make the picture look good... I just don't edit in LR and you asked me just to lighten the shadows. Which is what I did. I've been playing around with the nik plugin and just with its sliders you can adjust the contrast and shadows to go from one extreme to the other. I'm not quite sure what you are wanting me to give you to start with. If you want a raw file I can't give it to you edited perfectly I would have to do it in Photoshop which would be a JPEG or PSD. If you want a clean edit with the floor and backdrop extended, vibrant colors and edited skin I can do that just let me know. Would you need a bright edit or dark edit?

Is this what you are wanting to see? The info on the right is all that I did to the picture to lighten the shadows some on the Raw...