Read This First

This is the place to post if you are looking for peer review of your work, whether it is photo, vector, flash, video or keywording. Please follow these basic rules:

Do:
- Be polite
- Post a link to a watermarked full size version of your work (this is the only way to perform an accurate assessment).
- start your thread with PHOTO, VECTOR, VIDEO, FLASH, 3D, or LOGO in the title so the right people know what it is about

Don't:
- Rant
- Post examples of other people's work for comparison
- take things personally or make personalized comments (check ego at door)

Please discuss KEYWORD issues in the Keyword Forum.



If you ultimately feel that your work was rejected in error then please submit it to Scout.

If you haven't already you should spend some time with these articles:

Dealing With Rejection

Getting Into the Groove

Composition And Impact

Think Like a Designer

Are You Taking Snapshots?

When you're done with that make one last stop at the needed/not needed page.

If you have any questions about any of the above sitemail me.

(Edited on 2008-05-30 04:52:23 by sylvanworks)

(Edited on 2008-10-17 14:53:25 by sylvanworks)

(Edited on 2009-11-03 14:33:49 by donald_gruener)

In regards to how to post your full size images I thought this post nailed it:

I hope you don't mind me adding to this thread, Rob. I wanted to make sure this summary is in an easy to find location.

Originally posted: here:

ARTIFACTS AND NOISE PROBLEMS

1. artifacts come from input issues: camera shake (especially if it's vibration or very very little), poor glass, insufficient light for the motion combined with shake/mirror shake/poor glass (wrong exposure)

2. artifacts come from processing issues: if you don't see them yet and have the input problems, you can sure as heck see them after you start sharpening or increasing the exposure in Lightroom, Aperture, PhotoShop, DPP, Nikon's thingamininy, et cetera.

3. artifacts come from saving issues: compression artifacts come when you save your image as a jpeg when it has the above issues, or when you use too much compression in general (on an otherwise perfect image). Save at the highest quality, standard. DO NOT use optimized, nor progressive as a setting for saving as a jpeg. DO NOT resave jpegs (work in TIFF, Lightroom/Aperture, PSD formats instead, even if you shoot JPG). DO NOT use a lower quality setting than best when saving!

3. b) artifacts come from import issues: when using any RAW converter, make sure you have it importing with no alterations. Zero'd is the way to go. Then you control, 100%, the treatment of the image. Lightroom has a "zero'd" preset if you forget, as do other applications.

4. grain comes from ISO - the higher the ISO, the faster your shutter can open and close and get the same amount of light, but you sacrifice fidelity if there is insufficient light (and sometimes when there is). On the flip side, the longer your shutter is open, the more noise can be introduced because of the nature of the sensor, so long exposures also have issues.

5. grain comes from processing - when you alter the image in post-production and significantly change the contrast, exposure, dynamic range, the "grain" is essentially dithering to make up the missing information. Sometimes that is a wonderful effect. Sometimes it, well, simply isn't.

***

To avoid them:

1. shoot RAW -- this is my personal choice, others say, no way, just get it right in camera and shoot JPG. If you're shooting JPG and having problems, try shooting RAW + JPG for a time and see if you can resolve them. If you are already shooting RAW, see #3.

2. use Lightroom -- even if you ultimately go to using PhotoShop only for this job, the one thing that Lightroom does that really makes a difference (or Aperture), is that you have all the information right there where you can see it. Where you can see the effects, and you can see the effects of your processing as you do it so you get a faster feedback loop going.

2. b) Zero your import settings: when using any RAW converter, make sure you have it importing with no alterations. Zero'd is the way to go. Then you control, 100%, the treatment of the image. Lightroom has a "zero'd" preset if you forget, as do other applications.

3. get the exposure right in the camera -- Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is very helpful for understanding this piece. If you're getting a lot of issues with noise/grain and artifacting, you probably need more light when you shoot.

4. better glass, tripods, more light -- to get #3 right.

5. in camera settings to neutral/0 -- don't let the camera do the thinking for you. Shooting RAW, manual, no in camera sharpening, saturation, contrast help, with good glass and tripod will give you far better results.

6. Give us a look at your image, with the EXIF attached, in the Critique Forum. Often we find the settings are suboptimal when the results are suboptimal.

permalink to this post

(Edited on 2007-10-01 16:44:56 by zerocattle)

Help how do you upload a photo on the fourm

Sylvanworks, thanks for posting this information. It is very helpful not only for improving download probability but also as a general reminder to always work toward bettering my image quality and photographic skills as well.

OK, so how do I actually submit an image for review?

Sylvanworks gave an instruction: Post a link to a watermarked full size version of your work (this is the only way to perform an accurate assessment).


Now I really would appreciate to know how this is done in practice. Yep, I am really asking this.

Looks like others have the same quesion and problem, but there is no one to help. Ok. I´m going to have go and will post later...

Find a website you can post a full size image to, like vox.com, and link to it. Be sure to watermark your image.

eta: Did you read the second post in this thread?

(Edited on 2007-10-29 07:42:17 by sjlocke)

I created a vox account, now how do I create a watermark on my photo before it is uploaded? A REAL newbie to all of this.

Do you have photoshop?

This may be perfectly obvious, but ... you don't HAVE TO watermark an image you're uploading to vox. The ONLY purpose of the watermark is to prevent anyone stealing your photo from vox.


If you're not able to watermark your image, and it's only going to be uploaded for a very short period of time, I wouldn't, personally, be overly-concerned.

No reason to post really, I was just was tired of seeing his name every time I read in the forums.

Could iStock spare some server room for people to post 100% images; say two per person and time limited to maybe a week or 2 after which auto deleted? If done as part of the forums, it would limit it to iStock business use.


I know there is lots of ways to get an image hosted on the internet, but that sure seems to be a big problem for a lot of people; and one that iStock should be particularly qualified to solve.

Wow, It's seems incredible to me that istock can't handle uploading full size images in this forum! Certainly not a big deal to make it happen. What's up with that?

Yes, I am sure there are people like me who now know a bit about photoshop and cameras, but hardly like to admit they haven't a clue about links or getting an image hosted on the internet etc. etc. Where is best to learn the basics? The answers to questions here often start half way through the needed information, and I begin to think I must be the most ignorant half-wit on the planet!

No need to recreate the wheel.

hello

Sun in Cannes today, but clouds in my work!!!!!

I have a lot of rejects and i understand now why. (i look to my pictures in bigger size and i see....)

My Nikon had a lot of problems and my two years of traveling photos are not good for istock photo, sniff sniff, tears in english.

But i have to work better with my new reflex camera now.

I have a question about 2 pictures 5842160 5828992 we only see the back of the girls and it is impossible to reconize them, so why is it necessary to have a model or property release? or is it the golden palace and in this case is there a list of protected places and monument?

thank you for your answer FAFOU Cannes / France

Fafou, please start a new thread in this forum, and include links to the full sized version of your photos. Few people will see your question here.