caterpillar

by Jannilynn
(Windsor Ontario Canada)

I was hoping to get more color out of the caterpillar. It makes the photo rather dull (it didn't have much color to begin with).

I tried different steps in PhotoShop but it didn't seem to work. Any suggestions?


I'm sure I've seen this one before somewhere, haven't I?

No matter. How can we get some more 'punch' into Jannilynn's shot?

First off – PhotoShop needs to be used properly to really get the best out of it. It's a powerful piece of software, but it's not always instantly obvious how to get the result you are after.

One of the first things to do would be to boost the contrast setting a little. After this, the saturation should be boosted a touch.

Both of these can be (and should be) done on separate layers. This means that if you mess up, you can just delete the layer. You won't change your photo at all.

It also gives you the option of reducing the effect of the contrast and saturation by reducing the 'opacity' of the layer.

Once the colours are as you like them, flatten the image, and apply a little sharpening. This will bring the caterpillar into sharp focus.

To find out a lot more about image processing give this downloadable course a try. There's a free demo available so it won't cost anything to look.

Thanks for the submission Jannilynn, and do try the steps above – it might just make the difference you are after!

Ed.