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jhuls · Joined: 02 Jan 2012 Posts: 1046

So Sunday I had a load of rejections, I guess I may have gone a bit too far with my processing but I really wanted to have a dreamy sort of look to them. So I went a bit farther with my editing and vignette than I normally would. I had 6 images similar to this one rejected for uneven lighting due to blown highlights. I checked the images before submitting and there were no blown highlights except the ones I did intentionally to the right of the pillow for copyspace. I know technically I don't need copy space but I like to show the customer the possibilities and they can crop it out if they don't like it.

Anyway, here it is, and the next one is the original. I did check them both and there are no blown spots on either (except to the right of the one I submitted) There are some really white spots but they are not blown.

So what would you all do? redo them without the white vignette and copy space, or leave them as is and just resubmit and hope to get a nicer review?

wiml · Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 896

Yeah Jenn, although I like the vignette microstock does not, did they get accepted at FT and IS? I bet not.

Just go without or a lot less of vignette and brighten up the right side to get the lighting more even (just to make sure)

Good luck mylady ;)

PaulCowan · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 4181 Location: Evolving

I think the view is that a designer can easily do a selection to fade to white if they want to, so by doing that for them you are just making the pic less useful to those who wouldn't want it faded.

dlovely · Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Posts: 626

If the image was of the little girl sleeping peacefully, say with a smile on her face, perhaps the concept of "dreamy" would have worked for the reviewer. As it is, she looks upset or ill and so showing the whole scene to include the pillow makes more sense to me.

She is adorable btw!

kellythorson · Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Posts: 697 Location: Canada

I find looking at the thumbnails is a good way to assess the lighting. If there is a clear difference between one side and another I suspect you will get hit for lighting. With the amount of pictures the reviewers go through I would suspect that is one of the first things they notice. You could always put a note in for the reviewer explaining your thoughts I guess.
It's a nice image and once you get it accepted I suspect it will sell well.

jhuls · Joined: 02 Jan 2012 Posts: 1046

Thanks everyone, I think that maybe I will redo them without such a strong vignette. I think that may have been what got me and not the white space I left for copy space. I have a series of both her and a friend either pretending to be sick or sleeping. The sleeping ones the dreamy look makes more sense but the sick ones I think I definitely should ease up. I was processing them all at the same time and I didn't think about that the two should look a bit different.

mauijon · Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 4279 Location: Maui, Hawaii

Jenn, I think if you had written COPY SPACE on the vignette part it would have sailed through. As is, it looks odd.

scheriton · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 735 Location: London, UK

The vignette in the first shot makes her camera-left arm look a strange grey colour, and it also affects her hair.

rinder99 · Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:14 pm

hey girl, Looking unhappy or sick is Just fine, Perfect actually. The arm is what got the reviewer. the fade to white doesn't bother me That much . Could it better and a bit more Lower level adj. Yes.

kellythorson · Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Posts: 697 Location: Canada

Did you clone in her arm?

jhuls · Joined: 02 Jan 2012 Posts: 1046

Thanks again everyone, yes I did clone the arm. It wasn't quite right(because it was from another image that didn't line up exactly) so that is partly why I chose the fading. I can see now the fading didn't help. I have decided the best thing to do at this point is to do a re-edit before submitting.

robhainer · Joined: 03 May 2010 Posts: 2746 Location: Dallas, GA, USA

You may already know this,but you can get a dreamy effect by reducing the clarity in lightroom or ACR. Sometimes it works nicely while keeping the eyes sharp (or you could do it in layers and do the eyes separately.)

dustine · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:16 am

Can you mover her more to the corner to hide most the left arm. These guys are a top seller and that's what I did to hide an ugly fence they were partially hidden by.

And then maybe put "Your Text Here" to the right?