Photography discussion
Photoshop
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message 1:
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Carmen
(new)
Dec 26, 2008 08:21AM
I do photography as a hooby. I usually take my photo's on choir tours. I wanted to know all the photographer's view on using photoshop to enhance photo's.
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I'm all for it. I've done some fun enhancements.. Hell, even traditional film images can be manipulated, so digital changes (albeit more extreme) should not be pooh-poohed, especially when stated as such.Have fun. That's what the software is for. Create!
Yah. Even if you just want to basic brightness/contrast stuff, photoshop is a LOT easier.
I believe it is a very good tool. Heavy changes could make photos as designs but for the color enhancement, I feel very OK to use it.
The way I see it, Photoshop and other editing programs (I use GIMP, PS Elements, and a number of other programs) are essential. Digital photos are inherently soft due to antialiasing filters and (in conversion) Bayer de-mosaicing. At the very least, you need a photo editor to sharpen them, add contrast, correct color.By way of comparison, film photographers use filters when shooting (for color correction or to manipulate the colors/characteristics of a scene) and/or apply changes in the darkroom or add color washes. I agree with Cheryl that film images have long been subject to similar manipulations as digital.
On the other hand, I will say that I do believe there is a point at which a manipulated photo ceases to be a photo and becomes more of a digital painting or a work of the "graphic arts." It is hard to draw a distinct line between which is a photo and which is a design. But I do think that people who can use Photoshop to make a unique or highly stylized creation out of a base photo, deserve some credit as graphic artists. I am not one of those people (I do very little other than add sharpening and contrast to my photos, and resize them for the web).
Thanks for all the feedback. After I have posted the first time here, I had seen many photos which was clearly enhanced but still looked wonderful. And some of the best photographers even do it. I have compared many photos and the ones which is enhanced has a wonderful, lively feel to it where is the others lack something of that brilliance. And Matt what you said is true, and I think that is the only downfall to enhancing your photographs, to over do it.
