Week 8: Light and Color Adjustments

We've been having gorgeous weather, so I took full advantage of it and have been shooting lots of photos this week.

This is Emma, who is usually my only willing subject.
The original:


This is after I adjusted light and color balance:



The steps I took (in Gimp) to get the look:

1. Colors>Curves>Adjust as needed. I usually start in the middle of the line and drag it in the direction of the upper left corner until I like the lightness of the photo. Then I add contrast by pulling up a little on the part of the line that's near the top right corner. You will have to adjust as necessary to get the look you want. I'm used to my camera's deficiencies at this point, so I already kind of know what spots to adjust in the curves line to make the photo look better.
2. Colors>Color Balance>Cyan/Red: 14; Magenta/Green: 9; Yellow/Blue: 0
   
3. Colors>Hue-Saturation> Hue: 0; Lightness: 3; Saturation: 12

Next up is a photo of some plants (daffodil, I think) pushing through the ground.
The original:


Altered in Gimp:

Steps:

1. Colors>Curves>Adjust as needed
2. Colors>Color Balance>Cyan/Red: 15; Magenta/Green: 5; Yellow/Blue:-15
3. Colors>Hue-Saturation> Hue: 0; Lightness: 0; Saturation: 5
   

Last one, for now. This was also done in Gimp.

The original:



Modified in Gimp:



Steps:

1. Colors>Curves>Adjust as needed
2. Colors>Color Balance>Cyan/Red: 5; Magenta/Green: 7; Yellow/Blue: -3
   
3. Colors>Hue-Saturation> Hue: 0; Lightness: -1; Saturation: 7