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Workflow Tips

Lesson 11 from: Bring Out the Best in Every Image with Photoshop

Chris Orwig

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Lesson Info

11. Workflow Tips

Lesson Info

Workflow Tips

Last image um this image was an accident a friend um I had this tall ladder I said let's go down to the ocean put the ladder in the ocean you climb up it and jump off and you know, just play darfur's do that and he was up there with this red umbrella and an umbrella dropped and I was like, oh my gosh that's the image you know but again this is more just kind of showing you given you encouragement and boost that this is the original file you know when you're like well, how is the image you open up oh man like I thought it was so beautiful in the ocean was so perfect and so the work flow if we zoom in on our floating umbrella here is retouching it's not rocket science people it's clone stamp told healing brush just a little details patients right? But those things happening to happen first then the umbrella had this bright white spot over here so that was just filling in with color make a selection clone in something else really easy easy work and then finding the color tuning the color ...

tuning I would think is really important like I added more than it took a little back and I took a little back and then it it has a little bit of this muted color palette and you're gonna feel for for that image and with this type of work flowing with your own work is always asking yourself you know, what is it you want to communicate? What do you want to convey that how can you use when I'm calling? I hope you guys agree with this relatively simple steps like nothing in here is like oh my gosh like like even this image that guy's amazing up it's like I did cloning and healing and basically like, you know, cup whatever couple color adjustments but it's a cool image right and it's bringing the best out of it it's seen that through and being committed to that all right, well, that officially wraps what I have to say is there anything else grab a mike if you hear anyone else in the background, I've got a question chris yeah, that is ah, do you follow a specific sequence or checklist and you're processing steps that you do crop first and then adjust the color temperature and then go on to the hughes or yeah to also that of, like, putting it together the workflow, which is a great question because a lot of what I'm doing is jumping around. So yeah, what I tend to dio is I'll do some really rough basic adjustments to try to figure out the images even gonna work you know, whether it's my exposure close enough for or something like that just to try to get it there and then I do get into composition I consider that a real stage not a task and try to say you know what's going on with this image like the umbrella shot didn't need that you know I liked the openness in the space of that and then after that you know I'm listening to my gut and trying to figure out you know, if it's if it's going somewhere then I begin to experiment and test with those different things we did next so a little bit of basic composition almost better word than composing or than cropping thing a composition like a musician he's like composing the song you know and most people like you had cropped and I took that off in this fine and I'm like no no look you can't do that you know that's like you know so so in addition tio workflow question is does the order of the adjustment layers affect the overall image that's back when we're in photo shop yeah the order I think it does maybe in the sense of getting the small detail work done first because even if there's a blemish on someone's face and you take a blue color than that climbers turns a little bit blue and that won't look good but it's okay if like her hair turned blue but not the blemish so I think the order is getting some of those things taken care of and then having fun with the color as far as the stacking order of that one with a lot of players, that was more just fun, you know? I'm just trying to say, well, let's have fun with what could I do with the color and what could I do with the color that can't do in light room? Because light room I couldn't have done that there's no way and the image would have looked like a digital photograph, but that one you can't quite place it on dso, you know? So I don't think I think it matters just from not that there's a wrong it just matters from great intent. Great. Thank you, it's been kind of the theme here right now has been that, yeah, ok, we're going back some intense into what we're doing. One more question, wendy, since you do teach a lot of students, if we are just starting out with all these new skills that we're learning, are we better off choosing one photo and practicing all of these things that we've been learning on that image? Or should we be using multiple images? What what's kind of your theory of, how to take care of these tools and the best way to learn? Yeah, and I'll add a couple things to that as well. One is getting feedback is huge critique is huge having taught it a photography school of the thing that I've seen make students really really excels when they get feedback what tends to happen is people send me images which it's really fun but they'll say hey, what do you think I'm like? I don't know you know because I need to know what's the intent is this supposed to be flattering? Is it supposed to be moody and dark? Is it for fine art gallery? Is it for doing corporate photography? You know because if it's like fine art but it looks like corporate than I could talk about that and so getting feedback but soliciting it with intent meaning I want to create portrait's that air more timeless and powerful and you feel this deep, soulful connection with the person and I'm like great we can talk about that you're postproduction here's your so close what if you did that? So coming up with ways to get to solicit feedback is really important friends, family, whoever it doesn't matter where I want images that are more believable or more serie a or whatever it is so do that and then the second thing I think with working on images is the fastest way to get good at photography this is like the secret of secrets are you ready for? You have to love love love the photograph you're working with so so for example, I really wanted to photograph kelly slater I think I showed it in one image for it took me years, you know, to get to know him and to do all that and finally I get my portrait so when I'm doing re touching on the image, it really, really matters but it was like, oh yeah, you're standing model snapped that I'm kind of like, well, I don't know like ok that's fine or whatever because I'm not committed there and so my thing is is to find a way to be committed to the work is one image enough no, I mean you have to find more commitments and part of that is you know, that the secret I was talking with steve mccurry, once the famous photographer about photography he said, you know, most people say they want to be better photographers, but they really don't they just want to go watch their football games. I was like, well, you know, that's kind of a strong statement, but what he was saying is that we had like the idea of photography but not the art and act in the fight of getting there and he said to get good at photography if you like football it's the photograph football so it's to find a way to blend those two things together because I don't like football and if I go and shoot that and try to work on my images, I'm kind of like, I don't like it any way, you know. I mean, I'll make it good, but it's never, you know, it's, I don't have the connection, so again, anyone listening to you guys as well, you know, try to figure out how to do more of that. I've seen too many students lose their passion for photography because they were shooting stuff that didn't mean anything to them. And so trying to add meaning, even if it's like my dad's meaningful, I'm going to shoot him or this tree in my backyard I grew up with, I'm gonna shoot that even if the world doesn't think it's interesting, because the more particular you, khun b, the more idiosyncratic them or you you can be, the greater the chance that it will mean something to other people.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Chris Orwig - Bring Out the Best in Every Image with Photoshop - Reference Guide.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Steve61861
 

Chris Orwig has long been near the top of my most admired photographers list. I own his books, have watched almost all his courses, and naturally purchased this course from CreativeLive. As always, in a short time Chris covers new and unique material in his wonderful professorial manner that is always easy to understand. Great material, great class, great Orwig, and highly recommended. But I must add a short addendum for other Orwig followers who may be considering this course. Chris is easily the most philosophical, metaphysical, feeling photographer I know. He is a poet with words and images, and he teaches that you should produce images that resonate with your own higher self. Great! But I almost fell off my chair when this class started and Chris now has a very long beard. Okay Chris, I am a follower! You are not only my favorite instructor, but my guru of all things photographic!

Noemi Rav
 

Great class as usual by Chris Orwig, a gentle mix of useful teachings (it goes fast, be prepared to take notes or rewatch video) and wise guidance. I particularly appreciated how practical the course is, you get to learn things you can apply right away versus a general Lightroom or Photoshop class. If - like me - you know your way around a little bit the editing tools but want real life exemples on improving the edit of your images, plus appreciate it coming from a great teacher, definitely watch this course.

creativelive student
 

Chris is brilliant in the depth of his knowledge as well as his teaching skill. He can talk sliders and deep emotions in the same sentence. So many photo teachers are "self-taught" with giant holes in what they know, or they think that 7 years of experience is a lot. Chris is one of those pros that just gets better and better, with skill and with heart. This particular course goes fast and you have to pay attention to the arrows to see what he is doing. But listen up - it's Chris - what he says can go deep instantly, or be a big terrific new skill.

Student Work

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