Photoshop: market testing

Crapaud

It's been a thought for some time now to start my own business. One of the few marketable skills I have is Photoshop, so I've been looking into that and I think I've got a workable plan (although it still needs quite a bit of work and research).

Before I go any further, the one thing that the whole plan hinges on is: can I cut it in Photoshop.

It's been a habit for some time now that I copy stuff that I come across on the web and play about with it. The big drawback is that I pick what I work on and do what I think needs to be done. So I'm asking myself: How will I fare being given your pic to do what you want? What problems will I encounter?

So if you've got a great photo, but it's ...hmmmm... just not quite right, a pic of the wife / girlfriend that you want glammed up (is that a real word?), a landscape where the foreground is too dark, an old print (you'll need to scan it yourself) that's damaged and in need of renovation or anything else, I'm offering to work on it for free, gratis, for nothing - well, maybe a bit of feedback.

Interested? E-mail your pic via my profile with a brief description of what you'd like done.

Here're a few examples:

I anticipate that the most common enhancement will be correcting colour casts. Correcting for casts can really give even the best of photos that extra boost (the top pics are the originals):







Some selective darkening can make the subject pop out of the photo ...



Correcting faded prints and staining ...




*sits back and waits for inbox to be filled with windups and pr0n*[/i]

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Crapaud, see the post I just made (I have an unusual request). I could possibly have a fair bit of work to toss your way!!

shouldbeinbed

not tp piddle on your chips but I'd get yourself along to a professional photo lab or graphic artist to see how much more there is to it.

I've scratched the surface and done a few courses, the Mrs is a Photoshop professional grade user and the level of skill and manipulation knowledge needed to do the job properly is amazing.

first off get to proper grips with Masks and Adjustment Layers, they'll make life a hell of a lot easier and make the results look professional beyond the scope of the enthusiastic tinkerer.

good luck with it

Crapaud

shouldbeinbed, thanks for the advice. IIRC I got to grips with masks in PS4. Adjustment layers (a godsend) came in in PS6, I think. Somewhere along the way I learned colour theory, colour modes, the black arts of the high pass filter, channel blending and annoying all around by going "izzy wizzy let's get busy" on the rare occasions when I use the magic wand thingy.

FWIW, my target market is the ordinary joe not Vogue, hence this thread. I know that there are many posters here who have taken some great pics. I also know that many of them can be improved dramatically and simply ('cos I've tinkered with them).

TheTalkingTurboTrainer, serious project! I'd suggest that you send a couple of pics to start with and we'll take it from there.

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Crapaud wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer, serious project! I'd suggest that you send a couple of pics to start with and we'll take it from there.

I'll send some through in the next few days mate. I am keen to have a play around myself a little after one of the other guys on here told me a few things and recommended a book oh Photoshop CS4 which arrives today.

berliner

My walls at home are quite bare. I need some art. I like the Graham Watson prints but they are pricey.
I've decided to to take some of my own photos with my digital camera. Mainlly landscapes of hills in my area that I climb regularly.
Problem is they look bit poor for framed posters. I dont have the time too learn all about photoshop. Could you offer a simple sevice to work some magic on one or two of my photos??

Crapaud

berliner wrote:

... I dont have the time too learn all about photoshop. Could you offer a simple sevice to work some magic on one or two of my photos??

You've just summed up what it is I'm aiming at. E-mail a couple through my profile, berliner.

sampras38

shouldbeinbed wrote:

not tp piddle on your chips but I'd get yourself along to a professional photo lab or graphic artist to see how much more there is to it.

I've scratched the surface and done a few courses, the Mrs is a Photoshop professional grade user and the level of skill and manipulation knowledge needed to do the job properly is amazing.

first off get to proper grips with Masks and Adjustment Layers, they'll make life a hell of a lot easier and make the results look professional beyond the scope of the enthusiastic tinkerer.

good luck with it

Agree with this, and I'm one of those enthusiastic tinkers and I can do most of the basic stuff, been on a couple of courses too, but I'm aware I'm only touching the sides of Photoshop.

I can do the sort of stuff you've done in those images no problem though.

joec1

Oh im out this weekend,

and wanna do the same. but get them printed to canvas (eventually lol) do you prefer photos in DSLR format or Jpg? as iirc the standard DSLR format holds more data for photoshop?

If all goes well i have a website you can do some pics for as well (and i will pay)

Howsat sound?

sampras38

joec1 wrote:

Oh im out this weekend,

and wanna do the same. but get them printed to canvas (eventually lol) do you prefer photos in DSLR format or Jpg? as iirc the standard DSLR format holds more data for photoshop?

If all goes well i have a website you can do some pics for as well (and i will pay)

Howsat sound?

I always shoot in RAW and save as high quality jpg if I'm sending to anyone else or getting prints online.

berliner

Will do Crapaud

dilemna

Photoshopping an image is just one part of printing images to sell. First you have to have a good correctly exposed image in the first place which will save loads of Photoshop work and secondly calibration of printer and inks to print what you have on screen and what the client actually wants and will be happy with. Dedicated manufacturers' inks cost a fortune as does a decent photo printer and paper.

The other problem if you don't actually want your images printed is controlling who can download them and copyright. So send off your prize images to this guy who will make a fortune from them :roll: .

mfin

Just in case you haven't seen it take a look at this software... the examples on there show had radically it can change someone's face before and after... it can do far more subtle versions of these effects though for really practical results, ...and its so easy to use it will make you smile....

http://www.portraitprofessional.com/