Photoshop Query / Help

.Longshanks.

I'm new to the photography forum and am looking for a quick help. Basically i am wondering if anybody can tell me how the below effects were created?

I borrowed the pics from a different forum so help clarify my query and they were all produced by the same person. Its not so much the car but the overall effect, particularly the first two. How did he vary the blues in the sky and make the car appear so vivid?

I'm a bit of a beginner to photoshop, but would like to think i have got my head around the basic concept!

Thanks in advance

Images;

5uspect

Looks like lots of curves adjustments, contrast and perhaps some dodging and burning (especially around the sky).

ThOnda

In my opinion, the sky looks too much processed. Handprocessed.
Saturation looks also boosted. I like that colour scheme, but the sky is very distracting.

.Longshanks.

Thanks for the replys. I see what you mean about how the sky could be distracting but i really like the effect and have been trying, without success, to replicate it!

Shiny

Looks like he did a curves and then set it to the colour burn option.
He then may have lowered the opacity.

The amount of dirt on the sensor is also extremely apparent in the first
photo. 2 seconds with the heal tool could have sorted that.

I like the last one alot but the first two are poorly processed imo. (mainly sky)

.Longshanks.

Shiny wrote: »

Looks like he did a curves and then set it to the colour burn option.
He then may have lowered the opacity.

The amount of dirt on the sensor is also extremely apparent in the first
photo. 2 seconds with the heal tool could have sorted that.

I like the last one alot but the first two are poorly processed imo. (mainly sky)

Can the above be done with Photoshop elements?
I think I understand the burn option does but can't seem to use it to desired effect?
Thanks

ThOnda

Colour burn can. Burn less likely.

Thoie

The first two skies look like a gradient fill to me, but I'm really not an expert by any means.

YogiBear

Just to add to the other suggestions, blending modes like Overlay / Multiply / Soft Light etc (vary the opacity) would also give this contrast effect.

88show

looks like layer changes to colour burn or just burning at a high %
lots of diff layers with diff layer masks for each effect, lots of them

.Longshanks.

So basically, although the photo isn't technically perfect - the user was very skilled in photoshop? Dunno if i'll be about to replicate the effect , ebing a bit of a beginner.....

5uspect

I wouldn't say skilled. Proficient, perhaps.

.Longshanks.

5uspect wrote: »

I wouldn't say skilled. Proficient, perhaps.

Anybody care to post a step by step guide to create a 'Moody Sky' in elements 6?
I know that i need to playing with the levels etc but i can't create anything that enhances a photo. My efforts all look crap! (I'm currently messing with a picture of the evening sky with some dark clouds in it....)

Shiny

Longshanks100 wrote: »

Can the above be done with Photoshop elements?
I think I understand the burn option does but can't seem to use it to desired effect?
Thanks

Sorry Longshanks, I honestly don't know. I have never used elements.

Post up one of the photos that you want to make moody as a new thread
and we will all have a go and say how it was done ? Perhaps ?

5uspect

I haven't used elements either. What approach are you taking?

.Longshanks.

Cheers guys, the original of the photo is attached ( the original is too large to view properly online).

Its by no means a great photo, but its one of the better ones i have. I don't even think looking at it full size if it properly in focus:o It was taken shortly after i was passed on a camera by my Dad. 3 months later i've started a photography evening class to try and figure out how to use the camera properly:D

I'm hoping somebody can point out a way of enhancing it. Looking for (any) effect that looks cool - but also that is evident it was photoshopped i.e. not just the standard auto levels, contrast, sharpen etc. if you know what i mean....

All suggestions / attempts welcome!
Thanks

5uspect

Well thats a fine photo as it is. You want it to feel photoshopped? Hmm, there's lots of over cooked effects you can try but there's not much in this image to play with since there's a lot of blown out light and a lot of shadow.

here's a couple of quick attempts, nothing spectacular and a bit badly edited.

Grainy B&W, lots more noise added and a bit of messing about in converting to black and while to give a bit of an old film look.

Cross processed is a preset in Photoshop (so I haven't done much work) that wouldn't be in elements since it relies on curves. Tho you can get plugins apparently that give you the ability to do curves adjustments.

have a read of this:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/photoshop-curves.htm

I'm sure someone familiar with elements will help you find those plugins.

softlight is a blend of a duplicated layer (which is heavily blurred) onto the original layer. It give a quite dreamy look.

.Longshanks.

5uspect wrote: »

Well thats a fine photo as it is. You want it to feel photoshopped? Hmm, there's lots of over cooked effects you can try but there's not much in this image to play with since there's a lot of blown out light and a lot of shadow.

here's a couple of quick attempts, nothing spectacular and a bit badly edited.

Grainy B&W, lots more noise added and a bit of messing about in converting to black and while to give a bit of an old film look.

Cross processed is a preset in Photoshop (so I haven't done much work) that wouldn't be in elements since it relies on curves. Tho you can get plugins apparently that give you the ability to do curves adjustments.

have a read of this:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/photoshop-curves.htm

I'm sure someone familiar with elements will help you find those plugins.

softlight is a blend of a duplicated layer (which is heavily blurred) onto the original layer. It give a quite dreamy look.

Oooh, i'm living the dreamy version.
It would look well on the bedroom wall! I'll have a look at the linked wesite you gave me this evening after work.
Thanks!

.Longshanks.

Oh, and how do ya properly remove the little green lens glare circle closer to the tree?

5uspect

In photoshop I'd use the healing brush or clone stamp set to colour mode. I'm fairly sure elements has a clone stamp.

smelltheglove

Thanks to my paint shop pro. First and last slight decrease of saturation and clarifying.

Middle curves and filter.

Shiny

This is my attempt in Photoshop CS4.
Didn't (Couldn't) do much to it really.

Just
Shadow & Highlight
Cooling Filter (20% Blue) + Tree/Land masked out
Saturation (10%)
Some selective blurring to reduce the noise in the dark regions.

This is the type of situation that warrants a HDR.



A screen shot of it in CS4



Sorry for the large size but you cannot make out the filters used if it is any smaller.
Doesn't look as dark at that size either.....