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... 

The Nik plugin can make your pictures look bright or dark... I haven't even come close to figuring out any settings that make it look similar to the style in the links I posted.... 

All I had done in the last raw file I sent was increase the shadows like you asked me to. The JPEG I posted above would be my Lightroom edit before moving to photoshop. 

So I'm a little confused... I may be wrong but I don't think you can save an image in photoshop as the original raw you have to save it as JPEG, PNG, Tiff, etc. So that would make me unable to clone and fix the back drop and still give you the raw file. However in LR I am able to increase the shadows which is the main part I think you are wanting done and I can save it as the CR2 (original) file. I am far from a photoshop or LR expert so please let me know if I am wrong... I am trying  I have sent you the CR2 file with the shadows lightened. Thanks Again for you help.

12 hours ago, newbornphotog said:

 

I had cloned and cropped in PS then I saved it as a PSD. When you said lighten the shadows I went back to that file... I thought the PSD was the raw file. Obviously it's different   Sorry

You should have the correct file this time  As you will see I had cropped the picture and done some cloning to the left side to extend my backdrop... 

Sure... You should have it now

I took the saturation down some in this picture...

Is this better? I know I don't have the complete setup exactly like hers... I do want mine to be somewhat different. But I will have my tree decorated more, presents will be under the tree and santa will be in the picture as well on the session day.

Thanks for all of your help  I went to my studio today and took a picture of my youngest with a simple setup hoping that I could use it to practice this editing technique used in the pictures in the links above...  I have downloaded the Nik Collection you recommended but I'm still having trouble getting the desired look. Could you possible use the image below that I took and see what you can come up with? One of the big things I liked about the editing was that any white in the image changed to a tan/vintage look. I am so far unable to achieve that...  I really appreciate all of your help.