My MIL called tonight about the family photo we took on Thanksgiving. I set up the tripod and ran back and forth to hit the shutter for the timer (incidentally, the wireless remote trigger showed up from B&H the next morning since we were scheduled to shoot after Thanksgiving). It's for the Christmas letter and she's printing the copies tomorrow.

She says we all look pale.

Um... we're caucasian, blonde-haired, blue-eyed residents of overcast Seattle and it's the end of November. Of course we're pale. We're ALWAYS pale.

Well, dad thinks we look cold.

Um... it was 43 degrees, humidity is high and the sun had gone down. We WERE cold.

Could you make us less white or make us look warm, at least?

Here's were YOU come in. I've added a warming action but then I think we looked yellow and it turned the white barn nasty. Do you have a trick that will help? I'm heading out the door and will be back in a few hours. I'll be excited to see what y'all come up with!

Smooches!


P.S. She is considering ruining the image by adding a holiday greeting (I know, I know, I'm trying to talk her out of it). I don't think it'd work but if you DO, how would you go about doing that?

P.P.S. In case you can't figure out which one I am amongst my rail thin in-laws who all look alike... I'm on the left in the desaturated orange jacket (we were given the option of fall colors and I'm the only one that showed up in orange - stuck out like a sore carrot).

Like this, you mean?

Click to view attachment

Process:

Open in PS.
Boutwell's TRA: Warm it up Kris
Invert the mask, use the brush tool over the people, hay, and doors to warm them while leaving the white properly colored.
Kubota's Daily Multi Vitamin
Kubota's Edge Burner

Took about 5 minutes. The doors may be too warm using both DMV & Warm, so either use a second Warm layer & take it down in opacity, or just go with DMV. Of course, if you think you look too tan, do the same with the warm layer you use for the people.

Most of this can be duplicated without the actions. Use a photo warming filter on a separate layer with a mask, pop the contrast, etc.

No comment on the words. Great photo though--where was this?

LOVE this photo!! the barn rocks, and i can't believe you put all the little children up so high! i tend to like cool images, so i love your original...but warming it up shouldn't be too hard.

i like learning on other people's files more than i like learning on my own, so i thought i'd try a new technique.

(i made a before and after for fun, using the layer masking i learned last week).

for the warmer photo, i just made a levels adjustment layer, and then chose "red" from the drop down menu, so that it's only working in red. then i played with the sliders like i normally do.

then i took down the opacity of the layer because, as always, i went too far.

then i put a line down the middle, for the hell of it.

Yes, like THAT! Thanks for the detailed instructions (I need the step-by-step process for PSing).

This was between Kirkland and Redmond by 60 Acres Soccer fields. We know the guy that manages it, brought our own hay (it's not a working farm) and pulled the ladder out to fill the hole on the left.

Thanks; it's growing on me more as I keep getting compliments (we are our own worst critics).

The two kids up top are mine (7 and 4) and the little one on the ladder is 3. They were up there before I realized (I'm a freak about heights with my kids - don't want them getting hurt) then had too much to think about trying to get the tripod level and figure out my settings.

Now I get to mess with masks (never have) and try to duplicate what you did, Jilly Babe! I'm always up for new things

Thanks for saving my tail, both of you!!!

What I think you should try (and it is the easiest btw) is a hue/saturation adjustment.

Try this setting and tell me what you think:

in the Hue/Saturation/Lightness window -
Leave it on Master

Adjust the hue to +5
Adjust the Saturation to +25

Tell me what you think of that look.

Otherwise - try this setting in HSL:
Select 'Reds'
Adjust the hue to +8
Adjust the Sat to +30

They are close, but you retain the 'whiteness' of the barn more with the second way.

Try it out and post the results!

I was gonna suggest "Warm it up, Chris" from TRA, and someone beat me to it.
I think his is fabulous and easy (good for the lazy folks like me)

I tend to like warmer images, so I use this a lot.

In Kevin Kubota artistic pak1 there is an "B&W Enrichening Formula"- funny thing is, I never really use it on B&W's just color! It warms things up really nicely. So I used that with a little curves pop and here's what I got.Click to view attachment

It is a really fun family image! And as far as the text goes, I leave that up to my assistant cause she's a graphic designer

This is such a great picture!

This is a GREAT family photo! They should appreciate your creativity!!

At least you have a family photo....I haven't had time to do mine yet. Starting to think I might use pictures I've taken throughout the year. No time.

It looks great.

At least you have a family photo....I haven't had time to do mine yet. Starting to think I might use pictures I've taken throughout the year. No time!!

Hahaha This was actually a minor delima this year for me and my holiday card. No one wants a photo just of me! and those fishes just don't want to pose with me....haha. i ended using client photos, but for a while i was thinking...darn, maybe i should get married and have kids to make this whole christmas card thing easier.

Shannon, just make it B&W and tell her to buzz off!

I love the barn Shannon , I did our family photo with me running in and out of the pic ,I look awful . Needless to say I told everyone we are paying someone next time ,maybe my family will do what their told then

I think any time you have the people wearing heavy jackets and sweaters, they will look cold, because it obviously is/was cold out.

I punched the image up a little and in the process I think it makes it a bit 'warmer', IMO that's all it really needs. I wouldn't fool around with it too much:

Hi Shannon,
First off...I think this is a great capture of your family. The post processing you did is just the right amount in IMHO, as you retained most of the shadow detail in your picture. Additionally, you look GREAT in the picture as well so there isn't anything I can complain about.

However, figuring out the perspective of your MIL, I think a couple of things comes into play here. First off, hopefully your family members are viewing your picture on a calibrated monitor. Because most people's home monitor are going to be closer to 9300K, which is on the cool side. Secondly, I don't think it's only a matter of warm skin tones that is causing your MIL to feel that the picture is cold. I think the large white wall which is on the cooler side serves to make the tone of the image cool overall. So I think to change this impression, we can give it a touch of warm.

For my post processing, I duplicated the image, ran Image>Adjustment>Photo Filter and chose the warming filter 85 on the duplicated layer. Then set the layer's blending mode to overlay. Double-click on the layer to into the layer style dialogue where you can split the blend if mode to retain more of the shadow details. To do this, slide the Blend If "This Layer" to 25. Then hold down the alt or options key to split the marker and slide the right half to about 130. Afterwards change the layer opacity down to suit your taste. You can further retain a bit more of the shadow details if you go into the Photoshop shadow/highlight adjustment and adjust shadow to a value of about 30 or so.

Anyways, the goal is to add the warming color very subtly, including in the whites of the barn, barn door, grass, etc...to give an overfeel of warmth. And because the picture is so good already before, I would be careful to do to much more to it. Anyways, here's my rendition and I want to confess that I like my images more on the warm side.

Lastly, orange jacket or not...you know with your personality, you'll stick out regardless.

PHT! You think it's easier being married?! You can borrow mine for your cards but the deal is you keep him for at least a year and then we'll talk again

Shannon, cool photo. Love the barn & you did great organizing everyone. MIL's are always fussy (mine isn't but she does know everything!) and I think the pp looked fine other than a tweak or two with levels and curves! What's your little one on the ladder doing with her hands?!

I guess you are getting pretty much the same results from most of us:
Here is mine:



I darkened the shaddows, added a brown/orange warming filter and upped the contrast a little only in the highlights.

Here the one with the holiday greeting:

As for text, if it was me I'd add the text in the area on the barn above their heads, and make it look like it was painted on the barn. Taht way it doesnt stick out like sore thumb or detract from the photo.

just wanted to add that I love this family photo, I might try something similar some day when my kiddos get older, although we don't have as cool of a barn, but we do have an old family barn.