Wasn't me.......honest

[ChowChi-Ching]

Here is a picture of my Chow, Chi-Ching(hence my screen name)He thought it would be fun to go digging in the rain with the big dogs........(my house stunk like wet dog for hours!)

[PuckJunkey]

Pretty humorous composition, but a little fuzzy. I would run a highlight and shadow on it to bring out a bit of contrast, and I'd run a Smart Sharpen or High Pass on it too to bring out the details in that face.

[ChowChi-Ching]

lol, I got part of what you said but I am still just starting and so I really didn't understand most of what you said. It sounded pretty simple but I have no clue what to do. I hate just learning, I wish I already knew what to do.

[PuckJunkey]

Oh... my mistake. Sorry about that. That was all Photoshop speak. Once you get a copy (and I highly recommend you do if you're serious about photography), my seemingly random gibberish will become more clear.

Basically you just need to find ways after the fact (the best way is always with the camera, of course) to sharpen the dog's face and shoulder fur a bit, and bring out a little bit more contrast since it is a fairly flat image. By flat I mean no strong highlights or shadow detail -- everything is kind of "in the middle" of the possible range of tonal values... hope that makes sense?

[ChowChi-Ching]

I have last years version(still have to install it) but I am also looking for the newest one at a reasonable price. I have been using Paint Shop Pro and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. I really like the Corel. I will try and get the PS installed and play with it a little bit. Thanks for your help. Also, what is your opinion of the other programs I am using??

[ChowChi-Ching]

Is this any better? I changed quite a bit and I think the contrast is quite a bit better, doesn't seem quite so bland now.