https//www.youtube.con/watch ?v=8kYmg-
This article summarizes a photographer’s unexpected and insightful experience editing a seemingly ordinary photo of a car’s chrome hood ornament in ON1 Photo RAW. What started as a casual experiment, driven by curiosity rather than ambition, evolved into a deep dive into photo editing techniques, particularly in black and white.
Here are the 10 key takeaways from this editing session:
- Focus on Details: Even a mundane detail like a hood ornament can become the central focus, transformed by careful cropping, composition, and monochrome treatment.
- Black and White is Built: Achieving a powerful black and white image requires a series of deliberate choices, including cropping, light shaping, tone adjustments, and finishing touches like borders. It’s not a one-click process.
- Embrace Experimentation: Editing “unimportant” photos provides a low-pressure environment for trying new techniques and refining one’s workflow.
- Curiosity Fuels Creativity: A small spark of interest can lead to significant creative exploration and learning.
- Practice Restraint: Knowing when to stop editing is crucial to avoid overworking an image.
- Utilize Bleach Bypass: The bleach bypass filter is an underrated tool for black and white photos, adding depth, contrast, and a cinematic feel.
- Subtlety Creates Impact: Small, local adjustments to light and shadow can collectively have a profound effect on a photo’s depth and direction.
- Not Every Photo is a Showpiece: The value of an image can lie in the learning experience it provides, not just its potential for publication.
- Transform “Throwaways”: With the right artistic vision and tweaks, even an initially unpromising shot can be transformed into a unique stylistic study.
- Color Isn’t Always Necessary: Removing color can emphasize other crucial elements like texture, tone, structure, and light, making them more impactful.
Ultimately, the author concludes that editing is about vision, not just visual effects. Every editing session, regardless of the photo’s initial promise, offers an opportunity for learning and creative growth.
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The Process Overview
Initial Decisions (0:03)
The editing process begins by focusing on the car’s hood ornament, chosen as the main subject due to its visual interest. The editor decides that converting the image to black and white will best highlight the chrome features, allowing better manipulation of light and contrast, especially by darkening reds and yellows.
Cropping & Framing (0:53)
The editor opts for a vertical 4×5 crop to direct attention solely toward the hood ornament. This crop maintains important reflections and sufficient negative space above and below the subject, enhancing visual impact and guiding the viewer’s eye.
Adjusting Light (0:53)
Local adjustments shape the lighting and tone of the image. A gradient mask darkens the overly bright upper section to reduce distractions. A soft brush adjustment further dims distracting reflections without removing their character, preserving the image’s realism and depth.
Enhancing Ornament (0:53)
To spotlight the ornament, a radial gradient mask brightens it, adding shadows and highlights subtly. Another mask, inverted from the first, darkens the surrounding area to enhance contrast, providing clear visual separation without appearing artificial or overly vignetted.
Tone and Contrast (0:53)
Further refinement happens within the black-and-white tone controls, aiming for a moody, dramatic look. The editor deliberately darkens blacks and brightens whites to boost contrast, moderately increases detail for clarity without making the image abstract, and applies a bleach bypass filter to enrich the blacks, adding depth and visual drama.
Final Touches (8:09)
A simple white border is applied to elevate the image’s presentation, followed by minor retouching to remove distracting specks. These subtle cleanups enhance the polished appearance of the photo, resulting in a clean, pristine final image.