How can I get rid of this distracting shadow

swingking

I am looking for a way in Postprocessing to get rid of this stupid shadow on the childs head.

Its the harshness of the shadow that ruins the shot

Thanks

5uspect

I don't see any image.

Anyway I would suggest looking at the dodge and burn tools in Photoshop for dealing with shadows. They're basically brighten and darken on a brush.

They've also been significantly improved since CS3/4 to protect tones.

Usersname

<No advertising of own company please - helping out users here and offering assistance is fine.>

DaireQuinlan

I'm going to go out on a limb here, at least compared to most of the photoshop enthusiasts here, and say it can't be done. At least not without it looking really obvious, or the kid looking like a weird bubble head or something. Was it not obvious when you were taking the shot ? Sometimes you just gotta get that shot right in-camera ...

Usersname

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

I'm going to go out on a limb here, at least compared to most of the photoshop enthusiasts here, and say it can't be done. At least not without it looking really obvious, or the kid looking like a weird bubble head or something. Was it not obvious when you were taking the shot ? Sometimes you just gotta get that shot right in-camera ...

It's actually fairly easy to do in photoshop if you are an 'enthusiast'

Homer

Usersname wrote: »

[link removed] you could use this free service and have it done for you.... for free...

Why on earth would somebody advertise a free photoshop service? It takes a fair amount of time and not insignificant cost to get proficient with photoshop? You could end up bombarded with silly requests all day long? Don't get me wrong, it's admirable that someone is offering the service but I just can't understand why?
I agree it's probably going to be difficult to get that photo looking perfect but I'm not an expert in PS so could stand to be corrected!

Heebie

Here's the easy way... many might call it cheating.

Usersname

Homer wrote: »

Why on earth would somebody advertise a free photoshop service? It takes a fair amount of time and not insignificant cost to get proficient with photoshop? You could end up bombarded with silly requests all day long? Don't get me wrong, it's admirable that someone is offering the service but I just can't understand why?
I agree it's probably going to be difficult to get that photo looking perfect but I'm not an expert in PS so could stand to be corrected!

Well I have been using photoshop since I was 11 and I'm 23 now. So yes it does take a fair amount of time to get proficient with photoshop but it doesn't really cost anything if you can teach yourself.

Yes, I could end up being bombarded with silly requests all day long. But apart from the satisfaction of helping strangers I would also gain experience and a portfolio.

The only reason this photo might take longer than 5 minutes is the fact that the child's hair makes up part of the outline of his head. I will do it later anyway and post results.

Usersname

Here's my attempt. It was a tricky one that I could do better if I put more effort in, but here's what I got done in the 30 mins I spent on it

swingking

Thanks for that.

I'm am very interested to know how you made that work.

Usersname

swingking wrote: »

Thanks for that.

I'm am very interested to know how you made that work.

Well, I used several layers and masks. The tools I used were brush, smudge tool, clone tool and liquify.

There's no way to just tell you exactly how I did it. I would have to write an essay. But I'll try in a few words...

First, duplicate the original pic and use brightness/contrast to match the light of the shadow to the rest of the face. Then, make a mask and with the brush tool edit it so only the corrected shadow appears over the original pic. When you have done this, the line of the shadow will still be visible but only minimally if you used the brush tool at 30% opacity ont he layer mask and use Shift+[ to make the brush feathered. Merge the layers and duplicate again. Now you have to use liquify to stretch the lighter part of the head beyond the line. Likewise with another duplicated layer, use liquify to stretch the darker shadow part down past the line. If you use these two layers and another mask you can more easily blend them together. Keep making copies along the way. When you reach a stage when it looks really close, but the line of light/dark is still slightly visible, it's time to whip out the paints. Use the brush tool, sometimes with lighten/darken instead of 'normal', the clone tool, and the smudge tool (never use smudge at 100%, sometimes all you need is 1%). Using these tools and a critical eye, you can correct the look of the picture as you would a oil on canvas. That's pretty much it. Sounds complicated but it's a lot easier with a graphics tablet and apt knowledge of the tools at your disposal. Years and years of experience also helps

squareballoon

Or five minutes using curves and patch tool

Usersname

squareballoon wrote: »

Or five minutes using curves and patch tool

Lies!

squareballoon

ha, ha, wanna bet?

ETA Well holy God, you're right! It only took 2 mins 45.
I made a recording of how i did it but it feels funny posting it with someone else's photo so I've taken it down.

Usersname

squareballoon wrote: »

ha, ha, wanna bet?

ETA Well holy God, you're right! It only took 2 mins 45.
I made a recording of how i did it but it feels funny posting it with someone else's photo so I've taken it down.

No need to post proof, I believe you, I'm just pointing out the fact that it should take a lot less than 5 mins using patch tool