At the lake

[ladybugamanda]

Okay - I got it to upload...here is the lake photo.

[ladybugamanda]

Here is the original - color photo.

[ladybugamanda]

So, does the conversion to b/w work w/ the upper left corner? Is there a way to fix in PSE? And, lastly - is the focus sharp enough?

[mjs1973]

I like both versions. The B&W makes the blown out corner less noticeable, but it doesn't hide it from the viewer. There really isn't any way to fix blown out hightlights. you can't bring back detail, if you don't have any to start with. I think the focus is sharp enough. They eyes look good, and that is key for portraits. If you want it to look a bit sharper, you could apply some unsharp mask if you haven't already.

[ladybugamanda]

I like both versions. The B&W makes the blown out corner less noticeable, but it doesn't hide it from the viewer. There really isn't any way to fix blown out hightlights. you can't bring back detail, if you don't have any to start with. I think the focus is sharp enough. They eyes look good, and that is key for portraits. If you want it to look a bit sharper, you could apply some unsharp mask if you haven't already.

I wish it were possible to crop out the blown out portion - Next time I'll pay more attention to what around the edges of the viewfinder - rather than just the subject. How would I use 'unsharp mask'? I have PSE2 - but I'm not too good at using it yet.

[mjs1973]

To use the Unsharp Mask filter go to: Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. I usually start with a Amount-100, Radius-.3, Threashold of around 3-4. A good Photoshop book to get, would be one by Scott Kelby. I'm sure he has a PSE2 book.