My name is Angelina. Before I get into this post, I'd like to give you a little bit of background on myself. I've always been interested in photography. My mom has done photography for some of my old school events which has shaped my interest for as long as I can remember. In 8th grade, I was also Editor-In-Chief for the yearbook. I took many of the pictures that were used that year using my mom's Nikon D3100 camera so I would consider myself experienced. Like any teenager in our generation, I take pictures on my phone a lot. Whether it be at a concert, family event, at home, or taking a selfie, I use my phone to capture important moments in my life. Personally, I rarely use filters (unlike my dad who is a middle aged man who uses them to feel younger) because I like seeing the natural beauty in things. Because of this, I decided to get a book this quarter that will help me improve my skills in editing pictures because I can only crop and maybe fix some red eyes. "iPhone Obsessed: Photo Editing Experiments with Apps" by Dan Marcolina explains how to edit pictures using apps and I love my phone so it's perfect.
The first chapter of this book discusses the basics of picture taking. This includes angles, lighting, the shape of the picture, dimensions, and so on. Within this, the author states, "If the shot is at eye level, it gives the viewer a feeling of first person, as though it is something he is experiencing from his perspective" (Marcolina 4). Using this quote, I laid down next to my dog and took a picture of him while he was sleeping:
Isn't he cute? Hehe. Ahem. Back to the editing. I currently have an Apple iPhone 5C which is what I used for the editing. For this first experiment, the author, "converted the image to black and white to bring emphasis to the light pattern... I layered a blurred darker version with a brighter sharp one..." (Marcolina 17). He used a picture of a crystal doorknob but I'm using a picture of my dog. I wanted to recreate what he had done using the same technique. The apps the author recommended for this were Photoshop Express and Iris Studio. I downloaded both of these but I had some trouble with Iris Studio because it required some sort of login. With this minor setback, I decided to go with a different app also recommended for this called DXP. (FYI: all of these apps are free). DXP has the same editing tools as Iris Studio so it's okay as a replacement.
The first step is to use Photoshop Express to "Create a dark, sharp black-and-white version" (Marcolina 17). Within the app, I used the "Silvered" filter. From there, I increased the clarity to 43 to sharpen the image.
Finally, using Iris Studio (DXP in my case), "Overlay blurred image on top of sharp version using soft light mode" (Marcolina 17). Once you're in the app, you must load the sharp image from your camera roll then load the blurred version using the "load for mask" button to get the final product.
Through this experiment, I have expanded my knowledge in several ways. First of all, I am now aware of how to use two new apps which can benefit me if I need to edit pictures in the future. I've also learned how to get the right clarity and blurred effect using these apps so that a picture isn't too hard to see but still is noticeably blurry. Finally, using the author's method of overlaying the two pictures created with one editing app to get one amazing new picture that is an enhancement of the original has fascinated me.
Here's the final process:
In our world filled with selfies, social media, filters, and more, how do you enhance the moments captured in your life?
Side Note: The collage was made and the numbers in the corner were added using the app PicsArt which is not mentioned in the book. I discovered this app on my own and it is free on the app store :).
MLA Citation: Marcolina, Dan. IPhone Obsessed: Photo Editing Experiments with Apps. Berkley, CA: Peachpit, 2011. Print.
Hi there. You did an amazing job going through your process as well as quoting your book. Although I'd like to know how the process would change if you didn't want a black and white photo? Also, what does it mean to layer the image in two different apps?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Maddie! If i didn't want a black and white photo all I would need to do is not use the "silvered" filter mentioned in step one. Everything else would remain the same :). What I meant by the layering in two different apps is that I edited the pictures using one app (Photoshop Express) then used the other (DXP) to overlap them (it literally just puts one picture over another). Side note though: DXP has more features than just overlapping pictures but that was the way I used it for this post.
DeleteI thought that your picture was very adorable! The process you did really did make the picture look a lot more clear and more aesthetic. Was this an easy process to go through? Also, does this experience with new styles of editing make you more likely to use filters and similar processes on more of the pictures you usually take?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment Renee! For me it was a fairly easy process. The most difficult part was tweaking the clarity and the contrast so that you can still tell what the picture is but also following the guidelines of the blurred version. This experience will definitely make me think twice about using filters and such but it was a lot of work so I think I'll stick with the natural picture :).
DeleteWow! this picture is so good! You did an amazing job, but I might be a little biased because I love dogs. I always have trouble in creating pictures that I actually want to share with others, but your process is incredible and I plan on using this on my own pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I take a photo I usually try to tie in a memory with my picture or add something special with each one, so it makes the picture more unique to me. I feel that whenever a memory is tied in with my pictures it makes the picture so much more special than the same picture without a story or memory with it. Anyways, that's probably not what you meant by enhancing my pictures, but that's how I see it. In the way I believe you are talking about I try to get good lighting on whatever I take a picture of, so I can have the object more focused on using natural lighting. How long did it take you to create the photo of your dog? Also do you have any advice for those who like taking pictures with color, like with lighting or certain things to focus on?
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your comment Hannah! To answer your first question, it took me about an hour and a half to edit that picture. This is only because I was having some technical troubles so it should probably only have taken about 30 minutes (or less). To address your second question, I would say that it really depends on the look that you're going for. General note though: it's always best to have natural lighting to brighten up you picture rather than forced lighting (unless you're going for a dark picture).
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