First try at posting through Pixentral.

[BrendaC]

I had asked earlier today if anyone had any suggestions about how to fix lens flare. I did not take this picture. My niece, the blonde in front, asked them not to take it at this time of day but......http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1TQ3popZJsQPDLzYJ3U9qPpJoPYDvw_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1TQ3popZJsQPDLzYJ3U9qPpJoPYDvw)

Did I do that right? Let me know if you can see it. Thanks
Brenda
Wow I did it!! It worked. Can you tell I'm tickled with myself?

[chas3stix]

Brenda,
You did a fine job posting the photo. Lens flare can be cloned out for small spots. Your photo has highlights blown out and I don't know if that part of the photo can be salvaged short of replacing the whole sky.
Chas

[Daviskw]

Good job Brenda

As chas says you can clone most of the flare area out in the grass. But for the face I would make a feathered selection of her face then open a levels adjustment layer. Use the center slider to reduce glare and move the black and white slides to try and equalize contrast.

You may need to use a Hue/saturation adjustment layer to reduce some of the yellow in her face and hair. Change the edit drop box to yellows...Pick the eye dropper with the plus by it... then click a few times in the yellows you want to remove... Now move the saturation slider to the left watching your picture... play with the hue and lightness if you want... use the attached mask to limit the color change to just her hair and face.

I used levels to brighten the picture overall as well. I did not worry about the sky I just concentrated on the family.

You did not say if you have Grants tools are not. If you do, you can use the selective color tool. Open selective colors and choose whites in the color box... be sure absolute is checked. Then move the cyan slider to the right... you may want to adjust the magenta as well. When satisfied with the color press OK. Then choose a black brush and click on the selective color mask... the box on the right... then paint out the blue where you don't want it.

That is the procedure I used in my quick example below and used some cloud brushes to make the clouds.

If you don't have Grants tools let me know there are other way to fix the sky.

Butch


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1IUhCvbwDS8477yupekWvwLrLw9fHm1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1IUhCvbwDS8477yupekWvwLrLw9fHm1)

[Rusty]

Brenda, I couldn't begin to do anything even close to what Butch accomplished -- so, I simply started with his image :)

I then followed the slick routine that Kimi posted several days ago: "You Must try This!!" I did exactly what she outlined and see a pretty nice effect on the sky. I followed her exact six steps and then adjusted the opacity of the duplicated layer because the people didn't 'look right'

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1G88gmJY6mmJpKaW4Q4283YAFCkLgT1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1G88gmJY6mmJpKaW4Q4283YAFCkLgT1)

Rusty

[Daviskw]

Just in case you don't have Grants tools or just want another method try this;

Open any picture that has a sky you want to use.

Select all then edit copy.

In your family shot... Edit>Paste

Now change the pasted layers blend mode to darken as in the example below.

Now click on the move tool and move or resize your sky picture.

Then get an eraser and erase where you don't want the sky.


I wish I had used this sky in the first example I like it better. I just placed a sky I did not address the flare in this example

Good Luck

Butch

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1gDFmQWCCBB4OXetFoTSn8PFtZBbpl0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1gDFmQWCCBB4OXetFoTSn8PFtZBbpl0)

[Daviskw]

Hi again

Here is yet another way to add a sky;

Make a marquee selection to include all the sky... it is ok if you get some people.

Press Ctrl(PC) command (Mac) and J to put the selection on its own layer.

Pick two shades of blue... a light and dark

Then select the gradient tool... click on presets .. the edit box...and make sure foreground to background is selected.

Then in your new layer pull a gradient from the top to the bottom.... or from bottom to top... which ever you want.

Now change the layers blend mode to darken as in the previous example.
The reason the darken blend mode works is in this case the sky is mostly white... when you choose darken Elements compares the pixels in the sky layer and the layer below and displays the darker pixels. Since the blue sky will always be darken that the white sky it replaces it. The lighthouse stays in the foreground because it is darker than the sky replacement.

As before grab an eraser and erase the gradient where you don't want blue.

You could always attach a mask rather than erase if you have that feature. Or group and hijack an adjsutment layers mask.... if you don't know how it is worth learning... it will save you a lot of work.

One of these should work for you... if not there are more ways...:D

Butch

PS looks good rusty

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/13F5JPp2zWf41lgUkf3RZT3EGHF3Y_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=13F5JPp2zWf41lgUkf3RZT3EGHF3Y)

[chas3stix]

Butc,
Are you sure you're not Lance Burton?....:)You did a magical transition on that photo!
Chas

[w7vp]

Nice shot Brenda. It is very important when you are taking backlit pictures that you look at the entire scene to (1) eliminate lens flare and (2) provide fill flash if needed. Here is my try at the scene. A little more work would do wonders for the lens flare though.:) :) :)
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1Qb61XrGPnuk6jUko2C1vr53Hc51_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1Qb61XrGPnuk6jUko2C1vr53Hc51)

[BillandCat]

Hi, on using the gradiant for the sky, the horizon is almost always lighter than over head, especially on wide vistas such as beach scenes. So I usually go from dark to light ( top to bottom}. BillandCat:)