High contrast beach pics - options for post-processing ? (RAW/JPG)

[driver8]

I've got some beach pics from a few weeks back - the shooting conditions were far from ideal, so I snapped in RAW (for a change) as I expected difficulties in processing. Sure enough, if I adjust for the faces I'm losing most (or all) the background details (white sand).

The pics are nothing special, but want to make the most out of them. I usually process in Picasa (jpg, with OK results) and have just started playing with Lightroom and Canon DPP (and Photomatix for HDR). I've never really got on with PS and layers and all that, but I've a feeling now's the time I may need to start !

So I'd like to ask
1) firstly what is the easiest method to adjust these ? and
2) secondly what would be the ideal workflow ?
3) what would the relative effectiveness be of each technique ?

I've got an idea as to the answers -
1) easy: RAW to TIFFx3 for pseudo-HDR [60% effective]
2) best : masking & layers, dodging & burning (?) in PS [90% effective]

but would like some advice before investing time learning some new techniques. :)

[Coolhand]

If you're just looking for quick and dirty, develop for the background then use the adjustment brush in LR to up the exposure on the faces, like a digital version of using a reflector

The ideal workflow would be to get it right at the beach!

[miraclemaxx]

A very quick fix in PS is to use Image > Adjustments > Shadows and Highlights. Then use the sliders to suit.

[tdodd]

If you're just looking for quick and dirty, develop for the background then use the adjustment brush in LR to up the exposure on the faces, like a digital version of using a reflector

The ideal workflow would be to get it right at the beach!

+1.

@driver - If you don't mind uploading a raw file somewhere (if you don't have your own webspace then you could use yousendit or rapidshare or similar) I'll happilly have a stab at it in Lightroom and see if I can do anything useful.

[AndyWilson]

in lightroom: reduce the exposure, add fill light to get the face right then some recovery if that loses you detail in the sand. You might need to add a little black to "pop" the photo.

this works for most of my "underexposed face with overexposed background" shots and only takes a few secs....

[driver8]

thanks for the replies, everyone - I've only ever worked with my images as a whole, and never made selective adjustments like this before. So for all your suggestions, this will be the first time I'm trying these, so bear with me !If you're just looking for quick and dirty, develop for the background then use the adjustment brush in LR to up the exposure on the faces, like a digital version of using a reflector

The ideal workflow would be to get it right at the beach!OK, I got this to work, but I see what you mean about dirty, but not so quick for me ! I'll need a mouse to get this method accurate, too (I'm using laptop trackpad/nipple) - difficult to get the edges right, so more of a special effect, in my hands at least ! Be good for the occasional touchup though, but I've got about 30 of these to work on !

As for getting things right at the beach, what would you suggest, given the array of post tools at our disposal nowadays ? Previously, I'd always spot meter for the face, and just let the background blow, but it's supposed to be easier/better to recover from shadow than restore from over-exposure, right ? So on-camera would you expose for background, and recover the darker faces ? (I was experimenting on the beach, so have a few images like this to play with also). Or are you suggesting using a reflector, or flash fill-in, or some such ?A very quick fix in PS is to use Image > Adjustments > Shadows and Highlights. Then use the sliders to suit.Yes, this is more like what I'm after ! Within seconds of never having done this, the effect is so much better than I can achieve with Picasa (processing the image as a whole). Will need to play with this more, to get the best looking result whilst retaining the realism.@driver - If you don't mind uploading a raw file somewhere (if you don't have your own webspace then you could use yousendit or rapidshare or similar) I'll happilly have a stab at it in Lightroom and see if I can do anything useful.thanks for the offer ! :thumbs: And if I'm stuck I'll take you up on it, but tbh I'm using these pics as a learning exercise for myself.in lightroom: reduce the exposure, add fill light to get the face right then some recovery if that loses you detail in the sand. You might need to add a little black to "pop" the photo. this works for most of my "underexposed face with overexposed background" shots and only takes a few secs....hmmm ... started off well with this one, Andy - to get the required background detail I ideally need -4 exposure, followed by +100 fill light (or even more), but the problem then is the colours go all screwy, most worryingly the skin tones ! I played with saturation & vibrance, but can't get them to look natural.

However, if I pull back to -2 exposure (giving some sand detail but not the most) I can use recovery/blacks as you suggested, and get a nicely balanced pic. Will need to play around more with this, as fill/bright/contrast can then be re-adjusted to get the most striking result. I'm then hoping that I can save the adjustment settings as a preset to apply to the rest of the series ! :thumbs:

[Coolhand]

OK, I got this to work, but I see what you mean about dirty, but not so quick for me ! I'll need a mouse to get this method accurate, too (I'm using laptop trackpad/nipple) - difficult to get the edges right, so more of a special effect, in my hands at least !

It is trickier with a trackpad! Try using the automask option to make edge finding easier. Like I say it's not the best solution for masterpieces, but ideal for a quick fix on a snap shot. Increasing the fill light can help too, but I find it makes eyes look very odd at high levels.
A simple and cheap way to make this easier is to get yourself a reflector, it can really help cut down on hours in front of the PC. Fill-flash is also pretty handy, but at the beach a reflector can double as a frisbee for the kids!

[aerosoulz]

...Big frisbee! :clap: