Shutter Sisters

Before, After and Beyond

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To date, we haven’t done a lot of editing reveals here at Shutter Sisters. We have discussed processing and presets but what about the simple steps we take to merely improve and intensify our images? I must admit I often look at the amazing shots in our Flickr pool and think not only how did they do that? but also, what did that image look like straight out of the camera? Editing our images to enhance them is a step that many of use take now in our own digital darkrooms and it seems like high-time time we show some before and afters!

 

In celebration of the release of Lightcrafts’ brand new intuitive and oh-so-easy to use photo editing software Aurora, we want to see your edits! Before, after, beyond or a combination of the above; it’s up to you! Just show us something before you edit it, then, work your magic and show us the end result. It doesn’t have to be fancy or some great departure from the original. Just something subtle that makes the image pop. Share your handiwork on your blog or at Flickr and then leave a comment with the link to your edit.

 

And don’t worry, your work will not be in vain because the fine folks at Lightcraft are generously giving away copies of the all-new lovely Aurora to 7 of our readers! That means that all of you that participant in our editing extravaganza will be eligible to win your own copy of the new Aurora photo-editing software. I have used it and it is smoooooth stuff ladies. Very nice! And super-easy and fun to use. You’ll love it. But, don’t take my word for it, you can try it out yourself for a week for freeeeeeee! And in case you wondered, Aurora is not just an editing tool. You can use it to organize, tag, name, view, share and publish your photos among other things. And there’s also an option to subscribe to an affordable online back-up plan. Hello brilliant.

 

OK, you’ve got until midnight on Sunday night to leave your comment and link here on this post to be in the running to win win win!

 

Ready, set, edit!

Comments

  1. Wow this is an easy assignment for me. I not only found photography but I also found photo editing.

    I’ve been playing along with the Lovely Laura of http://www.dolcepics.com/…
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/whats-your-play-no-42/
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/whats-your-play-no-39/
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/whats-your-play-no-37/

    I’ve also been playing along with the ladies from http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/its-friday-rah-rah-shis-boom-bah/
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/creative-cropping/

    And I’ve been playing by myself.
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/before-and-after-the-barn/
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/pse-tip-soft-light-for-faces/
    http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/pse-tip-creative-kaitlin-and-quick-edge-burn/

    It might seem like all play but really, I’m learning…and I’m obviously really excited about it. I may not win this contest but I think I win with the most time (unwasted) teaching myself photoshop and photoshop elements!

  8. I would love to use something a bit more intuitive for photo processing but I like the raw capabilities and workflow in Bibble (& the price). But I’d love to try out Aurora. I don’t play around with editing hardly at all, I will tweak WB and lighten the exposure from time to time. Can only spend so much time on the computer, what with 3 kids (homeschooled) and a home to take care, gardening, meals to cook and weekends spent hiking. I’m spending my creative time right now just trying to figure out how to take better photos to begin with.

    Sometimes I feel very alone in this when I see all the photos on the daily click (which I subscribe to) and many look obviously processed. Feel like I’m not part of the "in" shutter sisters photography crowd LOL!

    I ramble…

  10. Oh, I am partial to lab puppies. The cutest of the puppy world.

    I admit I do too much post processing sometimes. I’m still learning when to say when.

    I’m amazed at how it can transform images, but use it for small corrections as well. Here is a picture I wasn’t crazy about until I fiddled. Highlighted the subject matter, fixed levels and finally, greyscale. The final black and white is my favorite.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/12418609@N00/3467850535/

  23. I don’t have a good photo altering program just the one that came with my Mac so I haven’t really used one at all. I sometimes warm up tones a little or adjust exposure a little if I had metered at a proper exposure but want some thing over or under exposed for effect. And sometimes I adjust color to black and white but I try and do that when I’m shooting if at all possible.
    I love what every one is doing I just don’t know how to do it and don’t have the technology or skill. I don’t know digital photography at all really and have ended up just using my DSLR like my film SLR minus the film;), mostly for saving on cost. I still like film better I think for SOOC shots…so I tend to use SOOC shots out of my digital as well. Hopefully I will learn and grow as a digital photographer. That’s my goal anyway.
    Here’s a shot that I played with a little. I was waiting for my girls to wake up from nap so I could get some photos of them playing under some sheer material…I was trying out different settings on my camera to see what I liked best.
    Before:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sufferingsummer/3468524681/
    and After:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sufferingsummer/3469369062/in/photostream/

  29. I have to confess, I downloaded this earlier, and I hated it… *wry grin* I’m used to CS-3 now, and while it’s not as cheap, Aurora doesn’t seem to have even the capacity to do what Google’s Picasa has, especially for its file capacity. Maybe it was just the trial version, I dunno – but anyway. If you want a *free* editing/organizing software, I have to recommend Picasa! I used it for a couple years before I got Photoshop, and it worked beautifully!

  31. Ever since I discovered the capabilities of Picnik, I rarely post a photo that hasn’t been touched up in some way. The disadvantage is that I can’t get them printed in anything larger than a 4×6 because the resolution goes waaay down when I save it back onto my computer. (In Canada, we still can’t send to print directly from Flickr). If anyone knows how I can get around that, I’d be much obliged! I did get Photoshop Elements for my birthday, but haven’t even begun to tap into those possibilities. It scares me!

    Here are two examples of before & afters:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/3470030628/in/set-72157604073023608/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/3470053330/in/set-72157604073023608/

    jag xox

  33. Although I’ve done a few experiments with special treatments and vintage looks, mostly I post-process to correct my amateur’s shooting mistakes. In this case (using PS Elements 7, as always), I corrected the color cast, adjusted the levels to brighten the whole thing, cropped, and cloned out the redness in my daughter’s right eye, then desaturated the reds, which I think enhances the innocence factor.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/31866449@N04/3469395021/

  47. so this represents my very first attempt at photo editing. i’ve always envied the ability to crop a photo (i know, i am just that dorky) so i jumped at the chance to try this. i may be hooked.

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