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Hi folks! Can anyone give me some tips on how to have a more polished look to my photos? I have a really good camera and while I have good lighting in my studio, I know I'm missing something. :confused: Some of the photos posted on SCS have almost a professional appearance and I wonder if it's an editing program or what? I'm about to start doing some selling of stamps, supplies, etc at craft fairs, Trade Days, etc and while I'll have handmade items for sale, I'm wanting to work up a little portfolio to function as a gallery also. I'm so excited about this venture! BTW, if any of you have any ideas as to good places to show handmade products/supplies, please let me know. I've got several ideas but there are probably some I haven't thought of! Thanks in advance!
Jamie in Texas
__________________ My only regret is there aren't enough hours in the day to comment on every submission, as they all have their own beauty! ~Jamie
Lighting is very important, I purchased a light tent and small lights on ebal for about $50. Also an editing program can make dramatic changes to a photo, it will fix problems you don't even realize you have until you see the before and after. I use Photo Shop Elements 6 $81 at Sams Club. So worth it!!! And Yes the macro setting no flash!! I still have a long way to go but these things have helped sooo much!
Hi folks! Can anyone give me some tips on how to have a more polished look to my photos? I have a really good camera and while I have good lighting in my studio, I know I'm missing something. :confused: Some of the photos posted on SCS have almost a professional appearance and I wonder if it's an editing program or what? I'm about to start doing some selling of stamps, supplies, etc at craft fairs, Trade Days, etc and while I'll have handmade items for sale, I'm wanting to work up a little portfolio to function as a gallery also. I'm so excited about this venture! BTW, if any of you have any ideas as to good places to show handmade products/supplies, please let me know. I've got several ideas but there are probably some I haven't thought of! Thanks in advance!
I have found that editing your photos make a huge difference especially when it comes to contrast, brightness and sharpening. You can get an account at photobucket and then upload your pictures there. Then, you can edit them using their editing tools. All for free! Or you can use a program like the one here in my link.
Hope that helps!
Hugs,
Gina K.
__________________ Be polite to those who are rude to you. Not because they are nice, but because you are.
Owner- Gina K. Designs
Here are some photo tips for you that I've seen in my past experiences.
1. I have a program called Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.2. I use it to adjust lighting and to crop the photos.
2. I find that the photos usually look better if I take them from about five feet away, using the zoom and flash. This way, it's not too bright or too blurry.
3. I usually put the card on top of a gray sheet of cardstock and prop another sheet of grey cardstock up on a box behind it. This way, the background is not distracting. I like to place a stamp, marker, ribbon, or something else I've used in the card next to it in the photo.
4. I also put a white rim around the photos after I edit them to make it look more framed. Sometimes I put a signature or date on the card in white lettering, also.
__________________ Hannah | Gallery | Flickr | Blog Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. -- Albert Einstein
Hi Patti, I really appreciate any help I can get. Looks like you're going in the right direction for sure. Isn't it great when you finally get the hang of things! Thanks so much!
__________________ My only regret is there aren't enough hours in the day to comment on every submission, as they all have their own beauty! ~Jamie
Wow Gina!! It helps a LOT!! I so appreciate the heads up about photobucket -- I didn't know about it. I believe I'll try that first, then if needed I'll try your program. What a good example in your post of the difference it makes. Right now, mine are the "befores" - LOL! I love things simply explained and this I can get my hands around. Thank you so much!
__________________ My only regret is there aren't enough hours in the day to comment on every submission, as they all have their own beauty! ~Jamie
Hello, Hannah -- now THAT's what I'm hoping my photos will look like, brighter and cheerier. It makes all the difference! Can't wait to dig in on these suggestions. Thanks for your reply!
__________________ My only regret is there aren't enough hours in the day to comment on every submission, as they all have their own beauty! ~Jamie
I'm not sure if my photos are considered great, you can check my gallery (although the ones in my blog are better... higher resolution quality) and see what you think. When I shoot, I shoot in RAW format. I use Photoshop CS3 to edit. I have a tutorial in my blog (go to digi tuts menu on the top and it'll say RAW shooting and editing) that you can watch.
Also, when I shoot, I use a very low aperture. It gives it the fuzzy background. I have no backdrop and I am too lazy to set one up. I just use my desk for the background. Gives my card some color I have a few pics that has a white background. I took the pics at my lss. I put the cards on top of white bins with the white walls behind it. With the lower aperture, 2.0 or 2.2, I got an almost white backdrop looking effect.
to the OP: it looks like your only lighting from one source, and you need to have minimum, good ambient light, and then again at least one close-up light..
__________________
{Gallery}{Blog}
I design for: Stampendous!, There She Goes, Technique Tuesday,
SRM Stickers and Deconstructed Sketches.
I don't think you can make a silk purse from a sow's ear, which is to say editing won't work miracles on a bad photo, but it sure can make a good photo better. I'm afraid I put more effort into my non-card photography. I guess I am more of an outdoor photographer, and fiddling with lights doesn't do it for me.
When I switched to digital last year, I was surprised to discover that almost every photo is improved by basic adjustments like auto levels for colour. And it's not just my camera, the friend who gave it to me when he bought a high-end pro one still finds it with his new one.
I use GIMP which is similar to Photoshop but free.
If you use Photobucket, use a good password. Someone uploaded photos into my account, and they were not photos I wanted there!!!
Photography tips?
