In this tutorial we will work on editing a wedding photo. Today we will focus on working with Smart Objects . Agree that works created without the use of smart objects are no different visually from works created using smart objects. However, I think this lesson will show you a lot of new and useful things; perhaps the techniques shown will be new to some!
How to organize the transfer of photos to the newlyweds?
24. You can collect 3-5 weddings, write the photos onto flash drives, put the printed photos into boxes, add flash drives, photo books, business cards and accessories, and then send them to all customers by courier service. This saves a lot of time.
25. You don’t have to wait until you process a bunch of weddings, but hand over the photos to the couple personally as soon as they are ready. It will take more time, but sharing photos in person will give you the opportunity to reconnect with your subjects, see clients' genuine reactions to your work, and strengthen your partnership. Here it’s up to you to decide whether to save time at this stage or not.
Photo: Sergey Arinokhin
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Potential problems
The list of things that can go wrong at a wedding is endless. Everyone has a huge responsibility to make the day perfect and sometimes this can bring problems. You need to remain calm, not succumb to the pressure of problems and offer solutions when necessary.
It's impossible to predict every possible problem, but it's a good idea to create a checklist in advance that will help you cope if something terrible happens.
Expectations
It's a good idea to set expectations during the contracting and planning stages. However, if you are asked by friends or family to photograph their wedding, be smart about your capabilities and the results you can achieve. They may say that anything will do, but this does not mean that they will be happy with what they received after the wedding.
How to bring wedding photos to a single color?
14. Select and process (exposure correction, color correction, adding volume, cropping) one frame from a specific location with a certain lighting, and then apply these settings to all other photographs from a series of photographs marked with the same color marker. The following programs are suitable for this: Lightroom, CameraRaw, CaptureOne. Lightroom has presets that you can download or create yourself to quickly process a series. Name the presets so that they can be easily found later: banquet_flash, morning_sun_beach, registration_rain_shadow, and so on. These names will allow you to use these settings in the future by slightly adjusting the sliders.
15. Repeat the previous point for all locations. If in one location you have a couple of shooting points, without differences in light (bright sun, sun behind the clouds, shadow, sun again), then the number of these operations can be reduced to a minimum.
16. Scroll through all the photos and correct something if the preset doesn’t fit very well. Still, the shooting angle, perspective, point may change slightly, so small adjustments are often necessary.
17. Convert RAW file to JPEG. You can convert RAW files using Lightroom, CameraRaw, CaprureOne.
18. Open photographs in Adobe Photoshop that were intended for artistic processing and deep retouching. In Photoshop, we are already working on removing debris, retouching skin, adding sharpness, grain, glow, highlights and other effects.
19. Tint all photographs to give the series your own personal style. To do this, you can use your proprietary action - a set of settings that you usually set to get the desired picture.
20. Rename the photos so that they are called not DSC0009, DSC0010, DSC0011, but alena_alex001, alena_alex002, alena_alex003 and so on. This way the names of the photos will not be repeated on your disk, and the newlyweds will be pleased.
Inspiration
Newlyweds on the beach
Photo: Photodune
Although it is obvious that this photo is staged, the young people look very happy and relaxed. Lighting and composition are great for creating a nice, atmospheric photo.
Kiss
Photo: Photodune
A traditional kiss shot will always turn out great, but this one uses a low angle shot, the surrounding environment, golden highlights and purple tones add even more drama. The bride's bouquet works as a small bright element that attracts the eye to the newlyweds.
Carefree
Photo: Photodune
A brick wall and a small element decorated with metal ornaments are the perfect backdrop for a photo. I also love the look on the groom's face. I think the photo is a little flat, but if you soften the tones a little, you get a classic, timeless style.
Silhouettes
Photo: Photodune
You don't have to photograph the newlyweds the traditional way to get amazing results. These silhouettes against the sunset with grass in the foreground also look incredible.
Make a collage
Photo: Photodune
All the little details that you captured throughout the day are perfect for a collage like this. A photo of cufflinks or flowers may not look very good on its own, but when you combine them, you'll get a great story and the collage will also look great in a printed version.
How can a wedding photographer organize himself in order to deliver all the photos on time?
5. Buy yourself a fast computer. For a photographer, it is important that the computer has a large amount of RAM (at least 8 gigs), an SSD and a monitor with an IPS matrix for adequate color reproduction.
6. Enter into the calendar not only the shooting, but also the time for processing it. If you shoot on Fridays and Saturdays, and you process from Monday to Thursday, then think three times before taking another shoot on Wednesday.
7. Use task managers. Of course, you can use a diary or put all tasks in the same Google calendar as filming. But special programs and applications not only remind you that it’s time to start processing, but also show progress on tasks and make it possible to work together with a retoucher.
8. Use task trackers. These programs allow you to track the time you spend selecting photos, primary processing and detailed retouching. If some stage is sluggish, it may be better to take courses to learn and optimize the time spent on processing in the future.
9. Turn off your mobile phones, social networks, and the Internet in general. If during shooting you still manage to take a break from the Internet, then during processing there is a great temptation to go to Instagram to post a new photo, or check the number of likes, or respond to direct messages, or go to your competitors’ pages. This is a black hole into which all time flows. Plug this hole and you'll be able to process it twice as fast.
10. Take breaks. Work for 40-50 minutes, and rest for 10 minutes: warm up, look out the window, go to the kitchen and make yourself some coffee, and finally have lunch. But don’t dive into your phone—it will definitely take more than ten minutes.
How to speed up the process of selecting wedding photos?
11. First, all photos from flash drives need to be copied to your hard drive. Make sure the photos are copied and clean the flash drives. Otherwise, tomorrow you will come to the wedding with flash drives filled to capacity - and you will have to format them chaotically.
12. Use programs for cataloging and ranking photographs to view and select footage. If you first look through the entire series of 2000-3000 photos for marriage, and then to divide them into folders, and then for detailed retouching, you will need to scroll through them at least 3 times. To do all this in one viewing, use programs with a rating system (Adobe Bridge, Adobe Lightroom, etc.).
- Defective frames (shaky frames, blatant overexposure, missed focus, etc.) should be deleted immediately.
- Remove duplicates, choosing the most natural and emotional frame from the series.
- For example, mark portfolio shots for artistic processing and detailed retouching with five stars.
- For the rest of the pictures that will only need light and color correction, give four stars.
- Mark frames that you are unsure about with three stars.
- Mark shots by location and light conditions with appropriate colored markers (yellow near the window, green under the oak tree, etc.).
13. Select 3-5 best frames from those marked with five stars, immediately process them and send them to the newlyweds in a day or two, so that they can post beautiful frames of their wedding on their page on social networks. Efficiency is now highly valued, so be on trend and take care of your customers.
How to save wedding photos for printing and publishing on social networks?
21. Let the series rest. You should not immediately send photos processed at night to the printer or to the client without viewing them in the morning. Also, you shouldn’t send the entire series of photos to clients the next day, even if you managed to process it right away. There, the wedding is still in full swing, and no one needs your photos yet. In addition, do not devalue your work, because if you received the same amount in one day of shooting and a couple of hours of processing as the bride and groom earn per month, this may cause unpleasant feelings among the newlyweds. First, send a couple of photos, and deliver the entire series personally or send it by courier in 2-3 weeks.
22. Send for printing selected photographs that were initially assigned the highest rating and which have undergone artistic processing and careful retouching. If your service package includes printing paper photos, you can use online services to print photos and have them delivered to your home. This will save you time traveling back and forth to the printing point.
23. Open a template for layout of a photo book and make up a photo album, placing no more than three different photographs on one page. And then send the photo book layout for printing. Some photographers coordinate the layout with clients so that the book does not accidentally include a photograph where the bride does not like herself. But often newlyweds trust the taste of the photographer from whom they ordered the shoot, and prefer that the photo book be a surprise.
23. Open the folder with the renamed photos, for example, in Lightroom, and reduce all the photos to, say, 1600 pixels on the larger side. Select the photos, then execute the command File - Export. Select the path where to save the reduced photos, their naming method, jpg format, and size: Image Sizing - Resize to fit - Long Edge - 1600 pixels. Click the Export button and get ready-made photos in a reduced size.
Resources for Further Study
The ABCs of Photo Sorting: How to Turn a Stash of Photos into an Organized Collection : Have you ever found yourself in a situation where an important project feels overwhelming and you have no idea where to start? You put it off, don’t start it, and after a while it becomes a mental anchor, forever placed on your to-do list.
No Light, Low Light, No Problem: Night Portrait Photography : Photography is dependent on light, but can you take pictures if there is no light?
How to Create a Compelling Photo Story with Exposure : Exposure is an increasingly popular online platform for publishing photo essays and long-form narratives—stories that are told using a combination of photos and text. In this tutorial you will learn how to create an amazing photo essay using this service.
Skin softening
Probably every bride wants her skin to look perfect in her wedding photos. Retouch fine lines and similar imperfections on the skin using the Spot Healing Brush or Clone Stamp Tool, just be careful not to overdo it.
Duplicate the layer and invert it using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd + I. Then reduce the opacity and change the blending mode to Linear Light. After that, go to the menu Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur) and experiment with the settings.
