Old Barn

ulrikft

Still trying to get the conversions right I have a few improvements in mind for this one, so expect the thread to be updated:P C&C as always welcome!

(I'm quite happy with the barn itself, and the grass in front.. But i have to find another method than dodging/burning to get the sky right .. WAY too obvious now )

Llywellyn

I think you did fantastic with the conversion of the barn and grass, like you mentioned. The detail is spectacular.

The crop feels just a teensy bit off to my eye. I'm wondering if shaving a little off the right and bottom would help or hurt this piece.

As for the sky, how are you currently dodging/burning it? I'm a big fan of a neutral gray soft light layer for this purpose--it looks less obvious and allows a subtle, gradual build. Another option is to create a slightly more underexposed version for the sky and then blend in.

Interested to see what you come up with.

ulrikft

Llywellyn wrote:

I think you did fantastic with the conversion of the barn and grass, like you mentioned. The detail is spectacular.

The crop feels just a teensy bit off to my eye. I'm wondering if shaving a little off the right and bottom would help or hurt this piece.

As for the sky, how are you currently dodging/burning it? I'm a big fan of a neutral gray soft light layer for this purpose--it looks less obvious and allows a subtle, gradual build. Another option is to create a slightly more underexposed version for the sky and then blend in.

Interested to see what you come up with.

Glad you liked it! I'll try the dodge/burn-tip (i was just using the "normal" tool, since my use of layers kind of got weird in the tree/sky-transition). Thanks for your tips!

Llywellyn

ulrikft wrote:

Glad you liked it! I'll try the dodge/burn-tip (i was just using the "normal" tool, since my use of layers kind of got weird in the tree/sky-transition). Thanks for your tips!

Nikolai shared a neat tip on helping that transition in this thread. Using a gradient to fill in the mask helps smooth that line. Look at this post in particular for a good example of the type of gradient mask he's talking about.

schmoo

Hi ulrik,

I can see where you're trying to go and I like it. I agree with Kerry about the sky - I think manually dodging/burning might be too much work and very risky. A separate exposure/layer mask would work better or I think even a simple dark vignetting over your final image would look nice too.

You also have something odd going on along the roofline of that barn. Not sure what it is exactly but if I squint I can see paintbrush strokes.

A lovely image, regardless! I like your conversion because it has a tasteful amount of contrast and detail, especially in the grass.

ulrikft

Llywellyn wrote:

Nikolai shared a neat tip on helping that transition in this thread. Using a gradient to fill in the mask helps smooth that line. Look at this post in particular for a good example of the type of gradient mask he's talking about.

I'll look into it! Thanks a lot!

ulrikft

schmoo wrote:

Hi ulrik,

I can see where you're trying to go and I like it. I agree with Kerry about the sky - I think manually dodging/burning might be too much work and very risky. A separate exposure/layer mask would work better or I think even a simple dark vignetting over your final image would look nice too.

You also have something odd going on along the roofline of that barn. Not sure what it is exactly but if I squint I can see paintbrush strokes.

A lovely image, regardless! I like your conversion because it has a tasteful amount of contrast and detail, especially in the grass.

It is paintbrush/blur-tool strokes *blush* The sun shone on the worn out metal top of the ceeling, made it shine, so looked a lot like a halo :P I'll put up an updated version after work! (14 hour shift today )

ulrikft

Trying again:



Got the sky right on this one, not sure on the barn and the crop, but the grass came out ok :P I think I'll have to prepare for a few years of practice in this field too

Llywellyn

Well the sky looks much better, but now the barn doesn't seem to pop as much as it did in your first version. And that's way more crop than I was suggesting. Looking at your first version, maybe a quarter- to half-inch from the right and bottom is all I was curious about. I agree that your new version loses something when cropped that heavily.

Getting there!

schmoo

Ulrik,

I apologize if you have already seen it but your efforts imply to me that layer masks are in your future. Have you see this tutorial? It was a huge eye-opener for me.

ulrikft

I try to do something like this:P But i do have a lot to learn:)

schmoo

ulrikft wrote:

I try to do something like this:P But i do have a lot to learn:)

Woot!! Even as a small screencap that looks fabulous! Dramatic, surreal, and ominous.

ulrikft

schmoo wrote:

Woot!! Even as a small screencap that looks fabulous! Dramatic, surreal, and ominous.

Thank you!

Llywellyn

Okay, that looks awesome! Fantastically eerie and decrepit. Haunted. WTG!

ulrikft

Llywellyn wrote:

Okay, that looks awesome! Fantastically eerie and decrepit. Haunted. WTG!

Thank you!

(btw, you have to give me a few tips on irish photographing must-see-areas. Flying to scotland/ireland costs like next-to-nothing from norway, so I have planned a trip this summer or autumn - that is, if you have any good tip from over the sea :P )

Llywellyn

ulrikft wrote:

Thank you!

(btw, you have to give me a few tips on irish photographing must-see-areas. Flying to scotland/ireland costs like next-to-nothing from norway, so I have planned a trip this summer or autumn - that is, if you have any good tip from over the sea :P )

I'll send you a PM about Ireland. I studied abroad there for six weeks, and my maternal grandparents are from County Kerry (hence my name). Schmoo could give you some Ireland pointers, too, I bet.

Scotland I won't know until I return from my own trip there this summer!

Kudos again on sticking with this image and stretching your skills a bit. The results speak for themselves.