Dinner Time

[Lynnya]

Opinions please on this color correction.. basic levels, black and white points, and neutral gray (hard to find)..

 

[Shadow]

So ... we'll be watching to see how the color gurus guide you on this one!  ;)   Good luck. Know it'll be good.

[Jo Ann Snover]

I think that the flash was a bit bright in the original, even before the damage, but take a look at what I think this should look like



If you look at the layers, even after getting the color and overall tones right, I used a Curves Adjustment Layer set to Multiply blend mode to darken the foreground. I used a second one on the highlights of her face as it was so pale.

I looked for something to set a gray tone with - plates and her hair - until I found something that made her skin and the wood of the background table edge look pleasing. I see my layer's labels are missing in the screen shot



The curves adj layer set to Hard Light blend mode just brings back a little of the midtone contrast lost when the flash blasted her face into flatness.

I masked the background areas because this shot has mixed lighting - the kids' table from the window and the foreground from the flash. Different color temperatures of light in the original need different adjustments to avoid weird looking colors.

Does that help?

[Lynnya]

Yes it does help.. thanks Jo Ann.. I've been away for a couple of days.. that's all it takes these days to forget stuff.. like multiply ^-^

[Lynnya]

ok.. need help here.. I can't (again) figure out what's going on in front of the woman. I see she has a fork in her hand and probably a knife or more likely a straw which is in a glass by the other and I'm thinking that's a plate in front of her...can't figure out the mess beside the straw... could do with some of Jo Ann's magic lines here please...

[Candice]

Probably just a plate like the kids have in the background, Lynn.

[Jo Ann Snover]

I've used different colors for each of the "objects" in the picture. I think that there's a pepper grinder between the straw/knife handle and the plate. I've drawn the "food" outlines on the plate - I think there's a pile of some sort on the right side of the image, possibly of mashed potatoes?

The little girl's legs are behind the woman and the pepper grinder. You can see the curved edge of the chair next to her on the far left of the image.

You posted a very small image - is the original larger? Possibly might have more detail? On the other hand, this is largely background stuff, so as long as the perspective is right and colors blend in well...

[Lynnya]

Thanks Jo Ann.. that helps.

[Lynnya]

o.k... nose has been to the screen.. what needs doing here please gang..

[Shadow]

Beautiful cleanup Lynn. Might just be me ... is it a tad dark? Maybe check your black point and lighten the midtones a bit? Is that a bit of damage on the girl's face on the left side?  :up:

[Lynnya]

Yup Yup and Yup.. I wondered about the dark as I was loading it up.. Thanks Lyn.. will address and repost..

[Lynnya]

any better? what else..

[Shadow]

Hey girl, might just be me ... is this the same pic as the one above?  ::)

[Lynnya]

Who knows Lyn .. :funny: life is just a big mystery to me..

o.k.  this is not the same image.. girl in back has better lips.. blacks are lifted some.. what do you think..still too dark?

[Shadow]

Hey Lynn. Wondering if the blue is damage? Don't know so I tried this technique on your pic just to see how it would look.  https://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-editing/photo-filter/
On my screen the black point was still low so added a Curve layer and raised it to 15. Also raised the midpoint some and made sure the white point was ok.
This is real quick and just a thought.