Exposing for Sky and Forest?

Eia

I tried my best to expose this picture for the sky AND forest. In pp I tried to balance both but am finding this very difficult. I want the picture to have the sky in the cropped version; that is how it looked. But, when I pp the sky it tends to get an artificial look to it. Suggestions appreciated.

Dave Clee

Well let me first start by saying you captured a great sky....Love the detail there.

In photoshop this is actually a pretty easy process, especially with these 2 photos. I opened them both up, dragged the bright foreground photo on top of the dark foreground photo. Added a layer mask and used the gradient tool to blend it in. Literally took about 2 mins and this is the outcome.

I didnt take any time to line it up, just wanted to show the exposure...using the layer mask and gradient tool.

Now my other suggestion is this would of been a good candidate for a graduated neutral density filter. I always carry a few of them in my bag for exposures like this. Yes its more $$ but it allows you to capture this scene in camera instead of having to do it in post.


Hope you dont mind...If you do I will take it down.

scole

Looks like Dave's got a better answer but if the photo was shot in RAW, you could play with the Fill Light slider in Adobe Camera RAW..

Eia

Dave Clee wrote:

Well let me first start by saying you captured a great sky....Love the detail there.

In photoshop this is actually a pretty easy process, especially with these 2 photos. I opened them both up, dragged the bright foreground photo on top of the dark foreground photo. Added a layer mask and used the gradient tool to blend it in. Literally took about 2 mins and this is the outcome.

I didnt take any time to line it up, just wanted to show the exposure...using the layer mask and gradient tool.

Now my other suggestion is this would of been a good candidate for a graduated neutral density filter. I always carry a few of them in my bag for exposures like this. Yes its more $$ but it allows you to capture this scene in camera instead of having to do it in post.


Hope you dont mind...If you do I will take it down.

Wow, thanks for the detailed answer; I appreciate that. Please keep it up, I do not mind at all. The only problem is - - I do not use Photo Shop. I use Capture NX. And...I could kick myself; I have an ND filter but left it in the truck since we were looking for wildlife. A lesson learned to be prepared.

Eia

scole wrote:

Looks like Dave's got a better answer but if the photo was shot in RAW, you could play with the Fill Light slider in Adobe Camera RAW..

actually, I did shoot in RAW. I'll go back and see what else I can try; but as I mentioned earlier I don't have adobe, I am using Capture NX. Thanks for the suggestion, I do appreciate it.

schmoo

I have nothing to add but WOW! Perfect light on those clouds and I think our fellow Dgrinners have provide some really great technical feedback. Thanks for sharing, everyone

Eia

Thanks Schmoo - and All. Here is a reworked version but something just isn't right. It looks 'flat' to me.







cropped:

Awais Yaqub

Amazing photograph ! I like it the last version is great too !

Nyte

Eia wrote:

Here is a reworked version but something just isn't right. It looks 'flat' to me.

It is beginning to look a bit flat, but when you recover detail from underexposed areas of an image you sometimes pay a price for doing so and noise can become quite apparent too. You've also got a very obvious straight line across the horizon where it looks as though you've joined the different versions of sky and forest together.

The method Dave Clee outlined is one that works well in photoshop, but the point of using a gradient on a layer mask is to blend the two images together without an obvious join. I don't know if the same's achievable in Capture NX as I've never used it.

I do know Capture NX (the more recent versions, anyway) allows you to set control points so adjustments affect only the area of the image you want them to and I believe it also has the option to refine the edges of selections so any alterations blend in. One of those options might give you the results you want.

scole

Thought I'd just add a post about my suggestion of Fill Light adjustment in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR). ACR is available in Photoshop Elements ($100) as well as the higher priced Adobe products. In fact, I'm using it with Elements. I just used this tool for a shot I took over the weekend.

This is the JPEG (from the RAW + JPEG) straight from the camera. This shot was taken about 15 minutes after sunset and I was hurrying to get this off and start my hike out in the dark:



Obviously the foreground is way too dark. I wanted to lighten it but wanted to preserve the sky and lighting on the mountain (much like what you want to do with your photo). My attempts to make adjustments with my camera's RAW adjustment program wasn't giving me what I wanted. Using just the Fill Light adjustment in ACR, I came up with this:



Granted, it's not the best photo in the world but I hope it shows you what this adjustment can do..