Colour and Detail are important facets in the impact of any image. And as all artists and photographers know, red
is a powerful colour. A splash of red has the ability to inject life into an otherwise dull picture. It must be used sparingly and with care,
but when used effectively, it will bring an image alive.
The impact of the colours in an image must also be balanced with the
detail. It is important that the eye isn't distracted by unnecessary detail if colour is the main focal point - and vice versa.
This example will demonstrate how to control the detail and colour in an image.
The photograph I have chosen, as you can see, is very dark from the original scan, and fairly lifeless. This is as much a
result of the scanning process, as the original photo, although it was taken on a dull day. Either way, it needs some
attention. It was taken on cheap 200 ISO colour print film.
An oval frame is a possibility, although I feel a little clichéd for this type of image. It also has the
problem of forcing the inclusion of some of the background detail that is below the flower, and this makes
it looks clumsy and ambiguous.
Colour and Detail
This picture also goes against one of the rules of composition (more on this next example).
It has the main image slap bang in the middle. This is deliberate, as the only significant item in the picture is the
red rose. In fact the photo was actually taken with a plastic bag over the lens! (with a hole punched in the middle).
This has the effect of blurring the edges of the frame and reducing the detail. And it's very cheap to do!
So, right from the start, I was starting to
adjust the detail in the picture in order to create the desired balance.
Step 1 - Adjusting the Colour
The first step is to get some of the colour and contrast back into the picture. The main thing is to brighten it.
PSP provides two ways to do this, adjusting either the Brightness/Contrast or the Hue/Saturation/Luminance,
both of which are available on the Image: Adjust menu.
A brightness of +29% and Contrast increase of +50% gives the image opposite: strong and bold , suitable for general use.
However, for a punchy web image that's not what I'm after. Although the red is vibrant, the background detail is still too fussy,
compared to the flower.
Notice the effect of that plastic bag too!
This time I've adjusted the Hue, Saturation and Luminance by +4%, +60% and +100% respectively.
The slight adjustment in hue adds a
a small amount of blue into the leaves at the edge of the frame. Adjusting the saturation adds more vibrancy to the colour, and also
'warms up' the brownish tones towards the bottom of the frame. Finally, the increase in luminance brightens the picture, but keeps
some of the highlights on the rose petals more distinct than the Brightness/Contrast adjustment. The difference is very subtle,
but the tones in the second attempt are warmer, so we'll stick with that.
Step 2 - Adjusting the Detail: Framing
It's possible to adjust the colours further, but it's difficult to come up with anything more satisfactory with this particular image. The
strong red already serves its purpose, and trying to make it stand out more generally results in it standing out less.
The next stage is therefore to crop and frame the picture in an interesting way. There are a number of factors to consider. First,
where on the page is the image going to sit? For the purpose of this exercise, I'm choosing the left, and therefore
an immediate step is to choose the Image: Mirror command to swap left and right. This has the effect of ensuring that
the rose is now pointing into the page, rather than leading the eye out of it.
The choice of framing also depends on the intended context of the image. For a purely 'arty' image a long thin central slice is
quite pleasing, as it has an effect of blending from a light left-hand-side to a dark right-hand-side. Compositionally, however, this
is a bit weak, as the rose faces out of the picture. The cropping is done using the rectangular selection tool, with a
feather value of 10 (to provide the soft edge), and a white background colour.
After much experimenting I've opted for framing that is quite a tight crop: with the flower filling
most of the frame, and almost touching three edges.
This leaves two solid dark areas at the top of the picture to provide good contrast, although I've
deliberately allowed a touch of the bright green just to taint the top edge of the frame. This helps break up the expanse of dark
and provides a complimentary colour to the bright red. The detail in the picture now consists of the main central image with
a few simple areas of background colour to create interest. Distracting leaves and stones have been removed.
The picture opposite is 'full size'.
Step 3 - placing on the page
The image so far is already feathered, i.e. has a soft edge, so that it sits attractively on a plain background, and
gives it a more professional look. In some cases this can be further improved by giving the image a shadow, so that
it stands off the page. If you over-use the effect it will lessen the overall impact, but with judicious use, your images
will look extremely attractive.
I created the image opposite by taking the image from step 2, and taking the following
steps: