How to get pictures to look like this??

[grundy]

I'm adding some photos to a custom home builders website. I noticed all pictures of homes look almost fake, everything is so clear and soft. I know the photos were done professionally but how are they making the photos look like these:

Examples here:

http://www.tollbrothers.com/

(slide show in middle)

http://www.ryland.com/

http://www.sandyspringbuilders.com

http://www.khov.com

 

[tviman]

Photos like those you show are marketing photos. These are, as you say, professionally done. This also includes a lot of airbrushing to make them look like they do. Very expensive but very effective, also.

There's always a better way. The fun is trying to find it!

 

[mscallisto]

The "ryland.com" photo looks like the sky was cut-out and replaced with a sky generated using a gradient fill.

The curves may also have been tweaked to get it looking "picture perfect".

For this particular pic it's not too difficult if you simply start with a decent photo or digital pic.

 

[webpager2]

First, start with a well lit, clear picture. Scan it at about 300 dpi. Using PS, I would do Auto contrast, auto levels. Then, go to filter, and click on dust and scratches (I think that's the name of the filter). If you're using a 300 dpi scan of a 4x6 photo, set the # to 1 or 2 pixels. Then tweek the image for color and contrast manually. If you need to darken the outdoors, use a screen. Don't try to change individual colors.

From there, resample to about 72-96 dpi. Then size it to what you need. Save it, and I would suggest nothing lower than 8 for quality (if saving as jpg).

There is more of course, but this should be a basic start to getting better quality digitals from printed originals.

Good luck,

Marc
Webpager2