Friday, October 3, 2014

UST AB Photography: Editing Photos with the Computer - it's now in the hands of the photographer.

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday


Manila City Hall: edited version (top), and original photo. 

Barn Owl: edited version of the original photograph, respectively.


Edited and original photos of the submerged town of Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija which emerged during the 1981 drought caused by the El NiƱo phenomenon. Editing is obviously noticed, a problem often encountered in photo editing. Editing has achieved one important purpose here - the revelation of details, such as the ruins of the old church and those of the houses in the town proper. Subsidence of the lake is markedly clearer.

Mimicking the wind turbines at Bangui, Ilocos Norte. Editing improved expression of colors, lighting and contrast revealing details barely seen in the original (lower photo). 

Photo editing with the computer today enables amateur photographers to come up with professional works. Practical editing includes the following aspects:

* cropping and balancing
* color adjustment
* color to black and white or grayscale transformation, vice versa
* hues, intensity, light and shadow
* correction of distorted shape and figures
* lengthening or widening of subject
* retouching and restoration
* others, depending on the program

NOTE: Editing has limitations - technically, legally and ethico-morally. It should preserve as much as possible the originality of the photograph. Good photographs don't really need editing.

Poorly taken photographs, such as blurred photos, can't really be edited into quality photos.

(Canon EOS 350D normal lens; and Adobe Photoshop)

No comments: