Selective color?

[Betty LaRue]

Some photographs can be made quite interesting when selective color is used. It actually might grab the eye of a buyer. Or not?

My way of thinking is this. Present the image in full color and let the buyer process it for selective color if that's what he/she wants.

Instead of presenting the image to a small percentage of buyers who might like what you've done, your image is there for 100% who are looking for your subject matter, and the few who might want it in selective color can process it.

Am I using wrong thinking? Anyone actually selling selective color images?

I think selective color would best be used in conceptual commercial images only.

 

I developed a family portrait using selective color that worked splendidly. A man holding a baby girl. All in dramatic black and white except for the colorful large yellow sunflower the baby wore on her headband. But that was for family.

 

Interested in your opinions.

 

Betty

[Matt Ashmore]

The same debate could be made about selective cropping. Leaving a photo as 'original' as possible gives the buyer the most editing choices of their own... assuming that they have the tools, skills and time.

 

But it's a double edged sword.. You have to attract the buyer's attention in the first place and ignoring keywords, this comes down to how striking and stand out the preview version looks when seen amongst all of the other search results.

[John Mitchell]

Why not just upload both versions, full colour and selective colour, if you think the image warrants it.

 

BTW, be careful with selective colour. I had one fail for "over manipulation." I have to admit that it did look a bit splotchy. Also, I'm not sure how well selective colour images sell on Alamy. None of mine have. Don't remember any being zoomed either.

[hdh]

Why not just upload both versions, full colour and selective colour, if you think the image warrants it.

 

BTW, be careful with selective colour. I had one fail for "over manipulation." I have to admit that it did look a bit splotchy. Also, I'm not sure how well selective colour images sell on Alamy. None of mine have. Don't remember any being zoomed either.

 

For Crops I actually do it that way; create a 6-Mpix crop (smallest allowable size) and add the full picture ID into the caption of the crop.

That way a client can decide to buy the crop or crop themselves (Example below).  

Same could work for selective color images - point them to the original, that is the best starting point for editing. 

BTW: I had to look up what selctive color means - always learn something new  

 

FW62FJ Description: Kite Surfer(s) at Brouwersdam, 4323 Ellemeet, Netherlands Crop of FW62F5

 

 

Original Image:

[fotoDogue]

Selective color generally strikes me as gimmicky though I guess it depends on the market you're going for. It might work for greeting cards or even some book covers.

 

I tried selective color with two Stockimo submissions where I felt background color added nothing to the image, or even distracted from it.

Both images were rejected.

 

Since going from DX to FX I do find myself cropping more often especially when shooting with wide angle lenses. If modest cropping improves the image, and I have 70mb files to work with, then why not?

Cropping to 6mp or 18 mb does seem a bit excessive though.

 

fD

[rigsby8131]

I can't speak for this site as it is my first week as a contributor.  On the other sites I contribute too I have had varied success.  On one site,  a selective colour image is by far my best seller with 225 downloads in 10 months.  However,  I have other images on the site the same length of time which have not sold.  I agree with John,  upload both versions.

[Matt Ashmore]

For Crops I actually do it that way; create a 6-Mpix crop (smallest allowable size) and add the full picture ID into the caption of the crop.

That way a client can decide to buy the crop or crop themselves (Example below).  

Same could work for selective color images - point them to the original, that is the best starting point for editing. 

 

I really like that idea... I might have to borrow it!

[Matt Ashmore]

I tried selective color with two Stockimo submissions where I felt background color added nothing to the image, or even distracted from it.

Both images were rejected.

 

There's a world of difference between Alamy QC and Stockimo QC.. With Stockimo QC, I think for one moment I understand it and then have a string of failures and reckon that maybe I don't. A small change in tone can be the difference between 2/4 and 3/4. It often feels like overworking pictures is the way to pass Stockimo QC.

 

I think Alamy QC is far more consistent and doesn't call for the same level of "editing" to pass. The images that failed Stockimo QC might well have passed Alamy QC.

[fotoDogue]

There's a world of difference between Alamy QC and Stockimo QC.. With Stockimo QC, I think for one moment I understand it and then have a string of failures and reckon that maybe I don't. A small change in tone can be the difference between 2/4 and 3/4. It often feels like overworking pictures is the way to pass Stockimo QC.

I think Alamy QC is far more consistent and doesn't call for the same level of "editing" to pass. The images that failed Stockimo QC might well have passed Alamy QC.

 

 

 

Quite true. Stockimo is far more subjective while Alamy QC is technical.  As long as an image, selective color or not, is technically good, it'll pass Alamy QC. If Stockimo just doesn't like it it fails with very little explanation as to why.

It's possible Stockimo doesn't like selective color. It's also possible they just didn't like these particular images.

 

fD

[Betty LaRue]

Back to the point....I'm talking about regular stock. Stockimo is another animal. One I haven't tamed

 

I think hdh has hit upon the perfect solution. One selective, if that bug hits you, one without.

One cropped, one uncropped.

Brilliant, hdh.

[hdh]

I really like that idea... I might have to borrow it!

 

 

Back to the point....I'm talking about regular stock. Stockimo is another animal. One I haven't tamed

 

I think hdh has hit upon the perfect solution. One selective, if that bug hits you, one without.

One cropped, one uncropped.

Brilliant, hdh.

 

Thank you both. the idea dawned on me while I was cropping and thought, what if the client likes the picture, but needs a different crop, say for some more copy space. 

Unfortunate it is not possible to add a link into the caption (or I have not found out yet how 2 do that), so the client needs to search for the picture id from the caption, to find the original. 

 

Not always go I down to 6Mpix, only where feasible - and the kite surfer pictures allowed this.   

[Betty LaRue]

After both images have been assigned an image number by Alamy, can't you cross reference those numbers or your own file numbers in the caption or description? I think I did that in the discription a few times long ago.

[hdh]

I cross reference in the caption with text (see FW62FJ) but cannot make this appear as a hyperlink. 

So the client needs to copy and paste the image number into the search box to get to the full size image. 

 

I would prefer the client had a hyper link from the crop to the full picture, hence they could just click and go to the full size. 

 

 

[Matt Ashmore]

I cross reference in the caption with text (see FW62FJ) but cannot make this appear as a hyperlink. 

So the client needs to copy and paste the image number into the search box to get to the full size image. 

 

I would prefer the client had a hyper link from the crop to the full picture, hence they could just click and go to the full size.

 

Perhaps it's one to add to the 'suggestions' area of the forum?

[hdh]

 

I cross reference in the caption with text (see FW62FJ) but cannot make this appear as a hyperlink. 

So the client needs to copy and paste the image number into the search box to get to the full size image. 

 

I would prefer the client had a hyper link from the crop to the full picture, hence they could just click and go to the full size.

Perhaps it's one to add to the 'suggestions' area of the forum?

 

Very valid point - done : 

http://discussion.alamy.com/index.php?/topic/5645-adding-a-hyperlink-for-modified-images-to-the-original/

[Allan Bell]

I have uploaded both and in the caption of the selective colour color image, FWDM6T for example, I start with Similar to XXXXXX. Whatever the Alamy code is for the full colour image.

 

BTW thanks for the reminder. I now have to go through all my selective colour images and add "Selective colour" to the keywording.

 

Allan

[Matt Ashmore]

I have uploaded both and in the caption of the selective colour color image, FWDM6T for example, I start with Similar to XXXXXX. Whatever the Alamy code is for the full colour image.

 

BTW thanks for the reminder. I now have to go through all my selective colour images and add "Selective colour" to the keywording.

 

Allan

 

And you might also want to add "Selective color"  (American spelling of colour) 

[Betty LaRue]

 

I have uploaded both and in the caption of the selective colour color image, FWDM6T for example, I start with Similar to XXXXXX. Whatever the Alamy code is for the full colour image.

 

BTW thanks for the reminder. I now have to go through all my selective colour images and add "Selective colour" to the keywording.

 

Allan

 

 

And you might also want to add "Selective color"  (American spelling of colour) 

Yes!

[Allan Bell]

 

 

I have uploaded both and in the caption of the selective colour color image, FWDM6T for example, I start with Similar to XXXXXX. Whatever the Alamy code is for the full colour image.

 

BTW thanks for the reminder. I now have to go through all my selective colour images and add "Selective colour" to the keywording.

 

Allan

 

And you might also want to add "Selective color"  (American spelling of colour) 

Yes!

 

 

 

 

Yup!

 

Allan

[hdh]

 

 

 

I have uploaded both and in the caption of the selective colour color image, FWDM6T for example, I start with Similar to XXXXXX. Whatever the Alamy code is for the full colour image.

 

BTW thanks for the reminder. I now have to go through all my selective colour images and add "Selective colour" to the keywording.

 

Allan

 

And you might also want to add "Selective color"  (American spelling of colour) 

Yes!

 

 

 

 

Yup!

 

Allan

 

... two countries separated by a common language ..... 

 

.... Now, while I wait for the lift in the subway, I need an American fag - 

.... Nooo, not what you mean, I speak British, where a fag means a cigarette - most of which are american makes

[Martin P Wilson]

 

I cross reference in the caption with text (see FW62FJ) but cannot make this appear as a hyperlink. 

So the client needs to copy and paste the image number into the search box to get to the full size image. 

 

I would prefer the client had a hyper link from the crop to the full picture, hence they could just click and go to the full size.

Perhaps it's one to add to the 'suggestions' area of the forum?

 

 

But shouldn't the other image come up in "similar images" in a search or zoom anyway? But then I suppose it depends on the buyer looking at them ...

[John Mitchell]

 

 

I cross reference in the caption with text (see FW62FJ) but cannot make this appear as a hyperlink. 

So the client needs to copy and paste the image number into the search box to get to the full size image. 

 

I would prefer the client had a hyper link from the crop to the full picture, hence they could just click and go to the full size.

Perhaps it's one to add to the 'suggestions' area of the forum?

 

 

But shouldn't the other image come up in "similar images" in a search or zoom anyway? But then I suppose it depends on the buyer looking at them ...

 

 

One would think so, but it could be moot. "All of Alamy" appears to show no customer searches for "selective color" or "selective colour" during the past year.

[Allan Bell]

 

One would think so, but it could be moot. "All of Alamy" appears to show no customer searches for "selective color" or "selective colour" during the past year.

 

 

 

No rush to do the job then.

 

Allan

[John Mitchell]

 

 

One would think so, but it could be moot. "All of Alamy" appears to show no customer searches for "selective color" or "selective colour" during the past year.

 

 

 

No rush to do the job then.

 

Allan

 

 

Seemingly so.

[Betty LaRue]

One would think so, but it could be moot. "All of Alamy" appears to show no customer searches for "selective color" or "selective colour" during the past year.

 

Ah, that sort of backs up my original point. Give them the color image, then let the buyer (art director) perform selective color if that's what's wanted.