Google+ Image Editing Contest, Day 3

The growth continues.

Thanks in large part to a mention by +Trey Ratcliff, (Mr. 50,000+ followers himself), I had another influx to the competition this morning. We’re up to 488 downloads of the original photo, around 200 requests to submit and 172 variations uploaded so far. It’s gotten intense.

“I wanna play, but I’m no good in Photoshop/Aperture/plug-ins” (or) “I wanna play, but I don’t have any of this software so can’t be creative”

I’ve seen a few statements like the above, and I commented back to one user that limiting the tools you have at your disposal can in fact foster and encourage creativity. Having too many choices can be hard. Limit your choices, and that’s when real creativity kicks in. Like in the kitchen… “how do I make an interesting meal with one potato and some dried herbs?”.

So for today’s personal submission, I decided to eschew the thousands of dollars in software I have at my disposal and instead see what I could just on the iPad. OK obviously not everyone has an iPad, but that’s not the point. I spent $9 on the software I used to make the following image, and I did everything on the iPad in a matter of minutes.

My version for Day 3, treated only on the iPad. Click to view in the Picasa galleryIn honor of Trey’s encouragement, I first used his own iPad app, 100 Cameras in 1 ($3.99). I used the “add effect” feature to keep piling on texture after texture until I got it where I wanted it to be. Then, I took the photo into Snapspeed by Nik Software ($4.99), where I added a border, defocused part of the scene, and added another border. I may have played with the colors a bit, too.

So, for a grand total of $8.98 in software, I was able to make (what I think is) a pretty interesting version.

Tomorrow, I’ll take a totally different approach to it. Stay tuned!

Morality

A conversation has sparked elsewhere on Google+ suggesting that what I’m doing here (allowing this photograph to be manipulated without oversight) perhaps isn’t ethical or moral, or if the blame isn’t with me, then maybe some users are to blame for being somewhat cavalier with the treatment of the images. I won’t publicly post the link to this discussion unless the host of it asks me to (I was only invited after speculation flew rampant about our, or my, intentions), but I will say a couple of things to hopefully easy the minds of anyone else who’s sentiments are going that way. 

1. I own this photo, I made this photo, and the subject gave me permission to make this photo. I was being escorted by the local aid organization and had full permission to be there, and only photographed what I was given the OK to (or asked to) photograph.
2. I haven’t transferred copyright to this image, but have granted creative commons (cc) for non-commercial use—so no one can run off and use this in an ad campaign with my, or the subject’s, permission.
3. Within 24 hours of realizing the potential impact of this contest, I reached out to my contacts in Thailand to see if we can turn this into a fundraiser or awareness campaign for their hospital/hospice. No promises, of course, but I’m doing what I can. If there’s any direct financial gain to be had form this contest (which was never my intention, but if there is), then the funds will have a place to go.
4. I’m not selling anyone else’s work here, and while some have suggested a book or ebook out of the results, if it goes that far, then see point #3.

You Have Until Friday

The contest continues until this Friday, Aug 05. So there’s still time to get involved! Head to the original post for all the instructions.

Google+ Image Editing Contest, Day 2

Well this sure got interesting.

I didn’t really know to expect, but as one user said, “this certainly shows the power of Google+”. I started this contest less than 24 hours ago, and so far nearly 300 people have downloaded the original image, and we have just under 100 entries, plus a ton of comments.

And most importantly, the different treatments people are throwing out are blowing me away. From simple B&W effects to turning the image into an ad campaign, making the subject look 40 years younger, and in at least one case, completely replacing the subject with someone much younger (funny!).

I’m loving seeing this, and where it’s going.

If you want to join in the fun, here’s the two links you need: 

• Instructions & Rules & Prizes
• Gallery to Share and Comment

The contest is done entirely by comment-count, so even if you aren’t submitting, you can still log in and leave a comment on your favorites.

Need a Google+ Invite?

Apparently G+ is in “trial” mode, so you need an invitation to get in. If you need one, let me know in the comments below (I just need your email address). I’ll keep inviting people until they cut me off! If you don’t want your email address public on here, just say so when you leave the content. I have to approve all contents, so if you request, I’ll just delete your comment without publishing once I send you the invite.

I said I’d share too

Since this isn’t a contest that I’m judging, I’m going to post a few of my own as well, just for fun. Here’s a B&W created in my favorite plug-in, Silver Efex Pro II. I started with the custom preset I built and have made available for free, and tweaked slightly from there.

 Click to view larger, along with the entries, on Google+

Image Editing Crowdsource (Contest!), Day 1

I mentioned this the other day on Google+, and I quite like the idea and how it evolved in my head, so let’s try it out and see what happens… it’ll be an interesting experiment on crowdsourcing and the reach of Google+!

Google+

Let’s get some basics out of the way… if you haven’t circled me in Google+ yet, head to my profile and circle me up.

To be able to submit to the contest, you need to be in my Google+ Photographers circle. I have to add you, so all you have to do is add a comment on the Google+ post, and I’ll go through regularly and ensure you’re in my Circle.

Concept & Contest

I find it fascinating how people respond differently to a photo depending on how it’s treated. If you take the same photo and make it saturated and bright, or B&W and dark, it’ll evoke completely different emotions and reactions. The treatment, or “look”, is up to the artist, and that look is often what separates a good photograph from a great one. Obviously you need a good photo to start with, but a good photo treated appropriately can quickly become great. It can also quickly become awful, or even confusing. A bright, colorful, saturated photo of a dark and depressing scene, or a dark and dismal rendering of a supposedly happy scene can be visually confusing—but still, neither is right or wrong.

As it is for all of us, adjusting a photo and creating a look for it is a process. Sometimes you know precisely how you intended to treat it when you shoot it, and other times, you’re looking at it on your computer screen weeks or months later thinking “what the heck do I do to this…”. You may try a variety of things until you have that “aha!” moment—but of course there’s no “right” treatment, and giving the same photo to 20 photographers will give you 20 results.

And that’s what I want to do here.

Below, I’m showing the original, untouched photo, and also my first variation of it. I’ve created about a dozen versions already, and will pick a different one to share every day for about a week. But I’ve also included the original, RAW file for you to download, and treat yourself, and share with the world!

I want to see what YOU do with it.

I decided to make this a contest, too… judged by YOU! And there’s a nifty prize at the end. Well, I think it’s nifty. But we’ll get to that. 

Guidelines

• You can use any software, plugins, presets, or combination thereof to treat the photo. Color, B&W, HDR, whatev’s. Crop it or don’t. It’s up to you!
• Share the post on Google+ so we can get as many people involved as possible! The more people that contribute, the more interesting it’ll be.

Submitting 

• When you have a result to share, upload it to the shared album Image Editing Crowdsourcing Contest. (You have to navigate to it through Picassa to be able to upload, so just use that link).
• Upload the photo at 1920 pixels wide, so we can all see it big.
• In the photo caption:
  • Put your Google+ name, such as “by +Joseph Linaschke”. The Google+ view of the Picasa album doesn’t show the creator/uploader’s name, so this is important. You can see the creator through Picasa, but most people will be viewing through Google+.
  • Explain in as much detail as you can how you created your version. Unless it’s your secret sauce, but come on, this is all about sharing.
• Submit as many versions as you like. No limits. But if you submit more than one, do make them utterly unique. No “this one is 0.1% darker than the other” versions, m’kay?

Judging/Voting

• If you see a version you like, comment on it! Each comment counts as a vote.
• I will look for the photo with the most comments, and *bam* that’s it, we have a winner.
• Please don’t comment on the same photo 200 times to spike the results. I’ll see that and won’t let that photo win. My contest, my rules.
• I’ll run this contest for a week, ending at the end of the day on Friday Aug 05, 2011.
• If I’ve totally overlooked some obvious thing I reserve the right to update these rules and guidelines. 

The Prizes

Yes, this is all stuff that I’ve made… hey, this is my own little contest, not sponsored by a Big Company™, so this is what we’ve got to give! If the prizes don’t appeal (i.e. you aren’t an Aperture user, don’t shoot Canon and don’t have an iPad), you can always give the prizes to a friend. Participate for fame, not fortune! :-)

• Work Like a Pro Photographer in Aperture 3 “learn by video” training
• All three ApertureExpert’s Preset Pack collections
• Killer Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Canon Camera ebook
• Across America Bonus Edition Wallpaper Pack

Enough Already, Let’s See the Original!

Download the original RAW file here (shot on a Panasonic GF1)

This is what it looks like.

The original, untouched photo. Taken in Bangkok, Thailand. Click to view larger.

My First Variation and How It Was Done

This is my first variation, and again I’ll continue to add more to the gallery, just like everyone else. But no, I can’t win. That’d be silly.

Treated in Aperture, using a preset (details below). Click to view larger.

This photo was treated entirely in Aperture 3, utilizing one of my own ApertureExpert presets, ApertureExpert PresetPack#1 Looks : Desaturated Film Look. This preset desaturates the image through a custom grain mask, which varies the desaturation based on the value of the mask. The saturation is actually set to zero, but because of the mask, some color remains. The mask looks like this:

This is a screenshot of the custom grain mask built into the preset

The preset also adds contrast to the image using the Curves tool, by creating an “S-curve”. This darkens the darks and brightens the lights while leaving the mid-tones the same. The curve looks like this:

Simple s-curve adjustment made in Aperture

That’s it, no further adjustments made.

Bring it on!

Ready to participate? Download the original photo, and upload your version. I can’t wait to see what you do!

Slovenian Mists

This photo was made, if you can believe it, through the bathroom window in my girlfriend Alenka’s family home in Slovenia. I woke up one morning just as the sky was getting light, went to the cold bathroom to do what you do first thing in the morning, and saw this view. Goodness. I quickly shivered back to the room and got my camera.

Such a gorgeous part of the world.

This is made using the same preset in Nik’s Silver Efex Pro II as yesterday’s post. Again, you can download the preset for free here.

(I really thought I’d shared this photo before, but couldn’t find it… anyway, if I did, sorry!)

As always, click to view the photo larger. Thanks!

Slovenian Mists @ October 2010 | Canon EOS 5D Mk II & 24-70mm ƒ/2.8L @ ISO 100, ƒ/6.3, 1/250

Great Wall of China

An opportunity to walk the Great Wall is not one to pass up. Last year while in China as part of an education project, I was asked to lead a photo walk on the Great Wall. Cool!!

The day was intermittently overcast and cloudy, which of course always makes for more interesting skies. The wall is a dull brownish grey, which unfortunately blended in all-too-well with the surrounding greenery. The original color photo is a bit m’eh, but a little black and white magic goes a long way.

If you’re a Silver Efex Pro II user, feel free to download the custom preset I made, called “Slovenian Mist”—named such because the first time I created and used it was for this photo from Slovenia (how very odd… I can’t find the photo I’m referring to, so I guess I never posted it! OK, that’s tomorrow’s post decided, then!).

Great Wall of China @ May 2010 | Canon EOS 5D Mk II & 50mm ƒ/1.2L @ ISO 1600, ƒ/14, 1/50