Catharsis - Due to the lighting in my bathroom, the images came out looking quite saturated which didn't go with the theme of the photoshoot. I used the levels and the burn tool to darker areas of the images such as the eyes, hair and makeup. Using the colour balance tool I made the images have more of a blue and green tone to settle down the orange and red tones on the skin. I also used the saturation tool and toned it done slightly more.
I corrected some of the skin due to the water taking it off and smudging the lipstick. If I was to do this makeup another time I would change use a more water friendly and oil based product so it stayed on longer and wasn't as effected by the water.
I am happy with the editing of the images as I think they project the feel of the concept successfully. If I could edit the pictures again I would write down the exact things I did to change them all exactly the same as I feel some of the images look like they have a different tone and colour balance.
Caged - These images were shot by Hayley who used a particular setting on her camera so the images came out with a blue tone. The only editing I did on this was to brighten certain parts of the body and backgrounds they came out darker. For this I used the level tool and the brighten tool. I added a slight green colour balance to the images to add more character.
I love the tones of these images however if I was to edit these images again I would have increased the saturation as I feel when they have been printed they lost the colour of the lips. This may have been the format of the images though I could have changed this on photoshop too. I also wish I had edited the models tattoos out on her arm as I don't think they go well with this theme and seem unnecessary.
Estrangement - Originally I only retouched the face using the eraser tool and the airbrush tool. I removed the shadows under her eyes which could not be covered with makeup to make her look more fresh and innocent. I also turned down the saturation again to make the lighting more flattering and to bring out her eye colour. I kept the images similar throughout, though after having a meeting with Sharon she explained how I needed to change the images as the series goes on. They should reflect an on going and gradual change throughout.
I googled how to add a cracked effect on the face and found a youtube video was very helpful. I had ever done this before so I found it quite difficult at first.
I found an image on google of a cracked texture and then added a layer on top of my images. I merged the two together by changing the exposure of the cracked picture. I then realised that you could see the cracks on the background as well as the face so I selected the background and made a new layer. I then made the background around the face the top layer hiding the cracks underneath.
I think due to this being the first time I have ever edited my images like this before I did quite a good job though if I was to do it again I would get help from someone around me who could show me how to make it more realistic. It would also make the cracks around the eyes and lips look more realistic as I left a few cracks on the eyeball which I was unsure of how to remove.
Technology - This photoshoot was an added extra into the final edit of the magazine. I wasn't sure if I was going to include in the final edit after having a meeting with my tutors but I thought due to the influence which technology has on modern society and more importantly on our relationships. I wanted the angle of these images to be objective - I cropped many of the images so you could only see certain parts of the body and face. The image above shows how she is playing with the chord of the phone which symbolises anxiety and shows tensions. I cropped most of the images so they would on focus on specific things e.g. an eye, the smudged makeup. The colour was brightened on photoshop which reflects a virtual world. Technology opens us until another reality therefore the colour popping in these images contrasts strongly against all the other shoot within the magazine. I use the colour balance tool, the crop tool and also the levels tool to highlight and shadow specific parts of the images.
I think now I have cropped and edited these images to suit the theme, they look better as a series. If I was to reedit the pictures I would learnt how to make the background all one colour and remove the shadow as I think that is one thing that lets them down.
Distorted Memory - This was the first shoot I did, and really it is one of the most important due to it's dark nature. It is all about how breakup can take you to the darkest places you have ever been on an emotional level. It is one which is very personal to me due to the mental health aspect and also taking in what I have heard from others about their experiences with anxiety and depression afterwards. The word distorted matches the editing of this particular image.
Similar to the technology series, I cropped the images so you didn't see the model's full face but you got a feeling and emotion from the cropped image.
With this one I copied the layer and then used a tool to move it slightly to one side. I changed the transparency so it made the image appear blurry. I enhanced the colour of her lips and highlighted the skin and parts of the hair.
If I was to edit these pictures again I would have played around by merging the images together rather than merging two together so they have more depth and look more artistic.
Dream - The theme of this series was to create imagery of that represented a dreamlike state that you go in when you through a break up. I desaturated the images and enhanced the colours in the back ground. Due to his skin tone and bleach blonde hair the images came out which dark so I used the levels tool and airbrush tool to make his skin appear a tone lighter.
If I was to reedit these picture I was merge them together and play around with layers making him blurry, making the background blurry. I would also enhanced the eyeshadow around his eyes highlighting it making it stand out more as I lost of a lot of the colour due to desaturation.
Lust - I played around with the levels and darkened the eye makeup, enhanced the lip colouring and lightened her hair. Due to the model having quite bad skin on the day, I had to use the airbrush tool and clone tool over her spots around her chin and her forehead. I didn't want to overdo the editing on the skin though as I did want to still be able to see the pores and texture on her face. Like the edit above a cloned the same image and put them together to enhance the sexual nature and femininity of her facial expression and poses. If could edit the images again I would airbrush her arms and boobs. Due to the lighting reflecting off parts of her arms and her fake tan lines, it has caused a significant colour difference which I find quite noticeable.
Euphoria - These images explore the feelings of Euphoria you feel when you fall in love. I only edited the colour balance and levels on this photoshoot to enhance the pink of the hair. In retrospect I wish I'd have played around a lot more in post production for these images because due to the theme of them, I could have had a lot of freedom with merging and blending images together. I also put a lot of glitter over the skin which the lighting has covered up therefore I could have edited the pictures again I would have added glitter over the face and body to make it more interesting looking. I love the pink colour of the hair and how much it pops against her skin tone.
Renewal - To go with the theme of 'renewal' I only edited one of these images blurry to symbolise a change which maybe physical or emotional. Physically you may change your appearance, change your hair style or colour, or even after the trauma you may not have cared about your appearance before hand but you become more confident and take more pride in how you look. The other images I used the level tool and enhanced the highlights and shadows on the face and in the eyes.
If I could edit the pictures again I would have played around with edited the face, maybe using the clone tool to make the head look like it was opened slighty or made her eyes bigger so it was commenting upon the internal changes as well as the external.
INK - On these images I edited the skin as the model had quite a lot of visible pores around his nose. I also used the level tool against to highlight his tattoos along side the burn tool to make them stand out more against his skin. I changed the colour balance to enhance the colours within his tattoos also making them appear more prominent on his skin.
If I could reedit these pictures I would play around more with cropping making the focus completely on the tattoos and not so much on the back ground. I would also make the background one block colour as you can see the shadows behind him. I would also edit under his eyes less as you can see it has been photoshopped on his face.
3 Step Guide - Not a lot of editing went in to these images as the models skin was flawless, I just added highlights using the lighten tool and and shadows with the burn tool. Due to the theme of these images I didn't want to over edit them e.g. make the hair look tidier or take the darkness from under her eyes as I feel it adds character and personality to the series.
If I could reedit these ones I would made the nail varnish perfect as they look slighting chipped and uneven. Especially because these final images went to print for the front cover.
All around I have taught myself a lot about photoshop through the process of editing these pictures with merging, airbrushing and highlighting. There are changes which I would make now after seeing them and I would have asked the advice of someone more photoshop savvy than myself, although I am happy with what I have learnt doing them alone.
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