I would like advice on how to improve my images.

[Beta0]

@Maximilian You're welcome.

 

@Ego Eram Reputo I had to bookmark it... X]

[hippiechos]

@Humility - Another trick, which does take some trial and error and a bit of patience, is to use dodge and burn. I like to draw on paper, take photos of the pictures (since I don't have a nifty scanner), and then play with depth using dodge and burn. Once you understand the direction of light, you can try these methods to see if you like the results.

 

First you have your base image. 

Add a Burn layer

Add a Dodge layer

Choose dark gray to add highlights to the Dodge layer (the lighter the color, the brighter the highlight) and a lighter gray to add shadows to the Burn layer (the darker the color, the darker the shadow)

Use Gaussian blur to smooth out the edges (play with the levels to see what works best for your image)

Then erase around the edge of your base image to clean up shadows and highlights that extend beyond it

 

Play with the Opacity slider on the dodge and burn layers to adjust if they are too bright/dark. 

 

Unfortunately, I have no talent for drawing background for my people, so I have no advice there. But since these past few posts were about shading, I figured I'd chime in. 

[Seerose]

@hippiechos! Thanks for the good tip.  

[LionsDragon]

@hippiechos fantastic! I think you could make this into a tutorial.

 

 

[Humility]

Thank you, Im going to look and try all thesevoptions with my next image.

[Maximilian]

Nice technique, @hippiechos. I second LionsDragon above; it's a clever tute

[hippiechos]

@LionsDragon @Maximilian - I think I will make a tutorial. My first!  

[Maximilian]

13 hours ago, hippiechos said:

@LionsDragon @Maximilian - I think I will make a tutorial. My first!  

I'll be on the lookout