Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited June 15, 2009
Great light
Great subject
Great exposure and post production
Good composition
First glance, I really like this image. Upon closer study I cant help but wonder what all that steam might look like near the sun and up higher in the sky?
You have framed it well with the main geyser off center and closest to the bright of the sky, creating a nice first read of it However, having been in similar situations with steam and fog swirling, the additional blue of the sky up high might have added an expanded color palette to this scene, also by making this portrait the snow bank in the FG might add even more additional texture?
By any chance do you have other exposures with more sky? If so please post em.
Wow Marc! Thank you so much for reviewing my photo; it is such an honor. I found one other photo from that particular shoot. I have photos of Castle from other times.
Kristine
"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!" ~John Muir
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited June 16, 2009
This is better.
I cropped a bit off the bottom and right.
Now I can see the blue sky and more steam I think the snow in the FG has better form.
compare with
This is great that you shot in vertical and horizontal. Now as you see them together your eye can begin to understand what becomes a quicker read.
As I compare the two, I also notice a bit more contrast in the vertical, even in the geyser but mostly in the FG.
I prefer the fog and less contrast of the horizontal, at least around the geyser, but prefer the FG with the contrast of the vertical.
For this reason as well as the nice column of steam in the horizontal I still believe that the optimal image would be a vertical with the FG of it and the BG of the horizontal
I was taught in my very first photography class when I was a kid that my camera had more than one angle (horizontal AND vertical). The only other shot from that particular shoot that I kept is a horizontal like the vertical shot. Thank you so much for the advice
Kristine
P.S. Love the new site; gorgeous photos.
"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!" ~John Muir
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited June 23, 2009
This is very mysterious. The mood is wonderful
I am intrigued to look at this image long enough to figure it out, but like a closed gas station in the middle of the desert there is nothing to keep me around.
The stars are wonderful.
The exposure is fine.
It appears to be a bit noisy and light is creeping in from the source on the right, maybe there is a way to flag the lens during the exposure?
The POV is too low, hiding what could be valuable information in front of the distant rocks.
The horizon is dividing the composition.
Is this a swimming pool overlooking the ocean?
If it is a swimming pool why is the edge so very rough?
What is the light from on the distant rocks?
I am very curious to know what is going on. Can you get back to this location?
Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited July 7, 2009
Great exposure, and I'm not only talking about the camera exposure:D
Composition is GREAT
Color cast is too blue
Blacks are a tad blocked up in FG
This is a great image showing the steeps and the distant peak at dawn
I know how difficult it can be in situations like this to get the camera out of the pack, well worth it though
It is a bit tricky to get a full sense of the scale with no reference in the FG.
To compensate for the intense blue cast we used to use UV filters for high altitude photography back in the day, but now a quick adjustment of the slider in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom would do the trick to warm things up. In particular the color balance slider!
This looks like a very fun route and the conditions look ideal. I did Liberty Ridge years ago and dropped one leg through a thinning crevasse. Glad I had a pack on to distribute the weight and not break through:whew
This image brings those memories back.
If you are able please re-post without the blue cast.
Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited July 16, 2009
Good HDR on the building
Color is good, not over saturated
Point of view is good, the top of the building breaking up the skyline helps
The sky has too much contrast and looks a bit like a scene from "Close Encounters" decreasing potential depth.
Assuming you ran the bracketed exp through Photomatix or CS4 to compile your HDR, and the adverse effect of these methods is always the highlights, I would recommend dropping a sky in from the normal exposure. This does require some knowledge of manual masking in Photoshop though. If you dont have the program or ability, I would suggest looking into methods for manual masking and layering files in Photoshop. This will allow you the ability to combine certain manual overrides to the auto HDR results. The sky can be dark but..... with less contrast.
Regarding your composition, the tree on the far right should not be against the edge. Might you have a composition with more space on the right? I am thinking this would bring the tree in and create some depth with more perspective.
Regarding luminance, since you have gone with a certain look by using the HDR technique you could also add some graduale difference between the contrast and brightness of the large building and the distant smaller buildings. This could guide the viewer through the image
If you are interested I will make some corrections to this file and post with directions!
Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 4, 2009
Back from vacation and time to go to school
I did not hear back from the last few in the previous gallery so I am moving on to the 4th round.
I would like to take the moment to let all of you know how fantastic your images are. The bar has been set higher and the variety is incredible, keep it up
Great sunstar
Incredible location
Good exposure
Needs clouds
I would like to crop the bottom off like this,
However, I think the hole in the middle is just to big. There are several ways I am guessing this could be improved, clouds, tilt the camera to get the sunstar in the lower left corner, change the composition to include some branches in the FG. I think this is worth some time if you can get back
This is one of the few photographs of mine I truly love, thank you in helping me see how to improve it! Excellent point on composing the star to the lower left corner, why didnt I think of that?... oh, ya I remember...cuz I have no idea what im doing! ()
Thanks for the advice! And yes, I will be back there this Sept with a rented 14mm 2.8, (Im so close to Zion but yet still so far away!) anyway, I dont know how much wider that 14mm will be over this 16mm image, and I dont know what the star will even look like compared to the 16mm. so stay tuned for updates...
(Oh, and cross-fingers for clouds!)
I will also return there in Oct. and again I will rent a super-wide lens depending on how I like the 16mm to the 14mm.....
after this all gets figured out maybe I can tackle a night shot of this comp..
Aaron Nelson
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
I will also return there in Oct. and again I will rent a super-wide lens depending on how I like the 16mm to the 14mm.....
after this all gets figured out maybe I can tackle a night shot of this comp..
Farm it
Take as many different images as you can throughout the entire day, working the different light, lenses and clouds if possible. Dont forget to take some brackets for possible HDRs too. Oh, and if you decide to stay for the stars, bring a large flash light for lighting up the canyon walls.
was standing right near the waterfall base of the upper Emerald pools (which was running dry this day.)
Aaron Nelson
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 6, 2009
Wonderful composition
Well processed
Interesting subject
I think its a tad too yellow and the top of the trees are to dark. This may be from a split ND filter or just a photoshop mask. I dont mind the trees in the distance being so dark but the large tree in the FG should be as light on the top of the trunk as it is at the bottom.
Did you use a split ND?
Also, there appears to be some fringing around the leaves against the sky. This usually occurs from programs like Photomatix but can occur in single image files because of ghosting.
I would like to see the path at the bottom left a bit darker as well, in hopes of bringing more attention to the broken section of the wall.
If your interested I can show you a way to bring out some of the detail in the top of the trunk, even it this is the only exposure.
Intersting image[/quote]
First of all thank you for choosing one of mine for comment, I am well thrilled and yes I did use a nd grad. The fringing was horrible when I tried to sharpen the image initially, so I used Ron Bigalow's method as posted on his site which helped some. I've just looked at the raw file and it's there :cry. Why would that be and how can I avoid it in the future? Finally, yes please show me how to bring out more detail.
Guy
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 9, 2009
Lets do this in two steps.
1. Fringing
2. Tree trunk
Can you post a small section of the image containing the leaves against the white sky at 100%. I will need that to work on in Adobe Camera Raw.
A jpeg version is fine to get the point across.
Here is a section of the leaves Fringing.jpg
and oddly enough the fringing is not as visible as it is on ps.
I believe the apparent fringing is from over sharpening for the web. When images are downsized and sharpened it is way too simple to create edges that end up looking like fringing in areas with high contrast.
Because the leaves are not sharp in your original, the only way to add sharpening is by increasing the radius thus making the contoured lines even larger.
Since you have a version of the file saved without the sharpening, try another method.
First downsize the file to the same size as your first file posted.
Then convert to sRGB if need be.
You may also need to convert from 16bit to 8 bit.
Now duplicate the background by typing "comd + j" for Mac or using the icon at the bottom of the layers palette.
With this new layer highlighted go to "Filter" menu and choose sharpen and sharpen.
Now that the sharpening is on a separate layer you can adj the opacity or even mask out sections that have been over sharpened.
This should not take more than 30 seconds, once you repeat it several times.
When viewing your web sharpened file make sure it is at size. Toggle the layer on and off to get the compared visual.
Post one the same size as your first one posted here and we can compare.
Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 10, 2009
Yes it is quick and works well.
However, I'm not sure what else happened to your file
It looks as though a couple other things changed too.
It also looks as though you have more detail in the top of the large trunk in this version. Can you post a 800 pixel jpeg version of the file with no changes? I will use it to demonstrate the masking needed to bring out the tree trunk.
It looks as though a couple other things changed too.
It also looks as though you have more detail in the top of the large trunk in this version. Can you post a 800 pixel jpeg version of the file with no changes? I will use it to demonstrate the masking needed to bring out the tree trunk.[/quote]
Sorry about that, I used the RAW file. Here is the original.
Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 12, 2009
No worries!
It looks like I will need the RAW file to make this look good. If you are willing, try this link to get me your file and use the address marc@muenchworkshops.com email for me.
If not no worries, I will demonstrate all the steps to select the trunk and lighten with this file. However, it turns out like this:cry because of the compressed file I am working with. That green section is not the mask
The RAW file has been sent. It is an Olympus Raw File.
Many thanks
Guy
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 13, 2009
I will do this in two posts because of the number of steps.
This will be about what I do in ACR and the next will be photoshop.
The file actually has quite a bit of detail in the shadows and is a good exposure
Here is the file as it appears in ACR unedited.
About the exposure settings:
If your on a tripod, shoot at the optimal sharp point of the lens. This is usually two stops down from wide open. This applies when you dont need maximum depth of field such as F.16 or more, which appears to be the case here.
Change the ISO to 100 and take a longer shutter speed.
Here is what I would change in ACR. Keep in mind I am trying to match the color and contrast you have created in your posted version.
I changed the color temp, exp, recovery, fill light, blks, clarity and vib sliders.
There is no way to retain all the highlight exp so I only under exp it by half a stop/-.55
The rec slider will help include a bit of detail in the areas around the leaves, making a slightly smoother highlight transition into the darker tones.
The next change in ACR is in the Lens correction tab.
Here is a enlargement at 300% to show you the before and after.
after changes
I believe this will make a big difference when we sharpen later
The remaining changes can be made in PS, which will be in my next post.
So far the file looks good for 400 ISO and there is actually minimal chromatic abortions compared to many wide angle lenses I have seen. This looks like a good camera
I am following you up to this point. What did you do to the settings in the Lens Correction Tab, as they look the same?
The next change in ACR is in the Lens correction tab.
Here is a enlargement at 300% to show you the before and after.
after changes
I believe this will make a big difference when we sharpen later
The remaining changes can be made in PS, which will be in my next post.
So far the file looks good for 400 ISO and there is actually minimal chromatic abortions compared to many wide angle lenses I have seen. This looks like a good camera[/quote]
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 14, 2009
Part 2
Once all the sliders are complete in ACR click open image.
Here is the comparison following the different settings I used in ACR. The new version is on the right.
After comparing the two I have made a decision to add contrast first. This is normally my first step when working an image in PS.
Because I want to achieve a very similar look to your original but only retain more detail in the FG tree trunk I will add contrast to the entire image, than subtract that contrast from the FG tree trunk.
I used a curves adj layer to add more contrast.
Now I want to remove some of this edit in certain areas that became too dark. Because I made a adj layer which contains a mask, I can easily remove part or all of the curves edit by painting away the layer in the mask.
First I select the mask in the adj layer. This is the white rectangle just right of the layer icon.
Then I choose a brush and begin painting away the layer in those areas.
You must make sure that you are painting away the mask by choosing the FG color which is blk in this case. Then I like to make the opacity of the brush 50% and make multiple strokes. Also, I alter the diameter of the brush with the [ ] bracket keys, making it smaller for the smaller limbs in the tree.
Here is what the painted mask looks like.
You can now see more contrast in most of the image but nice shadow detail in the areas masked.
The next step is to adj the contrast in the FG stone wall a bit.
To make this move I will enter quick mask first and paint a section I think needs more contrast then make the curves adj.
I click the letter Q to enter quick mask.
Then I click the letter B to select the brush tool.
Then I click the bracket keys [ ] to make the right size brush.
I also make sure the brush is 0% hard meaning as soft as can be. This makes a gradation all the way to the center of the brush.
Here is what the quick mask looks like
Regarding the quick mask tool, I always use these settings
This is found by double clicking the quick mask button on the tool palette.
Once the chosen area is complete and still red, I then click Q again to leave quick mask.
There will be crawling ants as Adobe calls them, around the masked area. With this selection active, I then create a curves adj layer. I usually click on the symbal at the bottom of the curves palette and choose curves.
Here is the change I made in the curves palette.
Ok, only two more moves
First, I need to make a selection of the top of the tree trunk to make it equal luminance equal bottom to top, which is the very reason we are doing all this:ivar
For this selection I will use the quick select tool by choosing the letter W.
There is a method to use this tool.
First, the diameter can be altered by using the bracket keys as well []
Second, the diameter effects the sensitivity of the tool
Third, by holding down the opt key the tool subtracts from the selection.
I enlarge the file to see the trunk better and begin dragging the tool over the area to select.
There are areas of the leaves selected, so I have to subtract those regions to get my selection like this.
Now that I have a hard edge along the trunk, I need to gradate or soften the edge in the middle of the trunk.
For this step I change the selection into a quick mask by clicking on Q which enters quick mask.
The selection should look like this.
Now I choose the brush tool by typing B and make the diameter match the size of the trunk by using the bracket keys.
Because I want to gradate the line in the middle of the trunk I will need to paint on the FG and the BG off and on. I use the X key to switch between FG and BG.
I needed to change the opacity of the brush to 20% to make the fine gradation.
Here is what the mask looks like following the gradation.
Next I click Q to exit quick mask
Then I choose the symbol at the bottom of the layers palette to create a curves adj layer
Here is what change I made in the curves palette.
Notice, I took the Blue channel down adding Yellow and added a tad of Red. This was done in addition to lightening to match colors of the bottom of the trunk.
Here is the change
Here is what your layers palette should look like.
Ok, now the last change
The color
For this move I chose to use a Hue and Sat adj layer. Because the greens were to cyan and the colors needed a bit more sat this tool makes those two changes very easy.
First I chose the Yellow channel because greens are mostly Yellow.
Then I moved the Hue of the Yellow channel to the left making them warmer.
Last I bumped up the sat.
Here is the final side by side with the hue and sat change.
There is one more change I would like to make, but for that I will make a third post which will demonstrate the power of adj layers and masks.
I also understand there are many moves here so please let me know if you have trouble and I hope to correct any missed details.
Wow thank you, a master class indeed. There is a lot in there I will have to practice and experiment with. I have followed your instructions and the image is a whole lot better than my effort. One thing I noticed however is that I don't have "defringe all edges' in ACR, probably because I have ACR4. As a result I have retained some of the purple fringing. Looking forward to the final steps .
Guy
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Marc MuenchRegistered UsersPosts: 1,420Major grins
edited August 15, 2009
Your correct, you must spring for CS4 to get the latest ACR:cry
Last step
I noticed that the large tree limb protruding from the FG trunk is as dark as the trunk used to be. I would like to match the luminosity of that limb to the trunk, otherwise is looks kinda weird. This will be very simple because I still have all the adj layers.
First I need to click on the layer with the trunk mask and make sure I highlight the rectangle within the mask as shown here.
With this highlighted I choose the brush tool.
Then I make the diameter of the brush smaller than the limb.
Then I like to make the opacity about 30% and use multiple strokes until I get the luminosity that I like.
Make sure when you are painting on a mask within a adj layer that you realize whether or not you are adding or subtracting the layer by pressing the X key on and off, which alters FG to BG.
Here is the limb after the change.
I made a Yellow arrow showing the change to the mask.
Dont forget the power of these layers and masks are that you can add and subtract until you get it right
One last tip, If you think the adj you made in your curves palette is too sever, just change the opacity of the entire layer.
I actually thought it looked better at 80% which is what I did here for the final
For this final, I did all my normal internet moves.
flatten the layers, size down to 800pix wide, copy BG layer and sharpen (for this image -changed opacity of sharpen layer to 50%), conv to sRGB profile, change to 8bit, save as jpeg.
Here you go!
What you now have is a image taken with a split ND to darken the sky and then a mask to undo the density in the tree trunk only. A hybrid It may seam like many steps but it sure does beat etching that shape out of your ND grad filter
Comments
Great light
Great subject
Great exposure and post production
Good composition
First glance, I really like this image. Upon closer study I cant help but wonder what all that steam might look like near the sun and up higher in the sky?
You have framed it well with the main geyser off center and closest to the bright of the sky, creating a nice first read of it
By any chance do you have other exposures with more sky? If so please post em.
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Thank you so much for reviewing my photo; it is such an honor. I found one other photo from that particular shoot.
I have photos of Castle from other times.
Kristine
I cropped a bit off the bottom and right.
Now I can see the blue sky and more steam
compare with
This is great that you shot in vertical and horizontal. Now as you see them together your eye can begin to understand what becomes a quicker read.
As I compare the two, I also notice a bit more contrast in the vertical, even in the geyser but mostly in the FG.
I prefer the fog and less contrast of the horizontal, at least around the geyser, but prefer the FG with the contrast of the vertical.
For this reason as well as the nice column of steam in the horizontal I still believe that the optimal image would be a vertical with the FG of it and the BG of the horizontal
Now, do you have one of those:D
Great images
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Thank you so much for the advice
Kristine
P.S. Love the new site; gorgeous photos.
This is very mysterious. The mood is wonderful
I am intrigued to look at this image long enough to figure it out, but like a closed gas station in the middle of the desert there is nothing to keep me around.
The stars are wonderful.
The exposure is fine.
It appears to be a bit noisy and light is creeping in from the source on the right, maybe there is a way to flag the lens during the exposure?
The POV is too low, hiding what could be valuable information in front of the distant rocks.
The horizon is dividing the composition.
Is this a swimming pool overlooking the ocean?
If it is a swimming pool why is the edge so very rough?
What is the light from on the distant rocks?
I am very curious to know what is going on. Can you get back to this location?
Overall, interesting image
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This image is so interesting.
The processing is good
The exposure is good
The colors are good
The contrast is good
I really want to know, Why did you leave that horizontal branch through the middle of the composition?
The path is definitely the subject but has not been treated as though. Maybe you have a vertical of this scene?
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Great exposure, and I'm not only talking about the camera exposure:D
Composition is GREAT
Color cast is too blue
Blacks are a tad blocked up in FG
This is a great image showing the steeps and the distant peak at dawn
I know how difficult it can be in situations like this to get the camera out of the pack, well worth it though
It is a bit tricky to get a full sense of the scale with no reference in the FG.
To compensate for the intense blue cast we used to use UV filters for high altitude photography back in the day, but now a quick adjustment of the slider in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom would do the trick to warm things up. In particular the color balance slider!
This looks like a very fun route and the conditions look ideal. I did Liberty Ridge years ago and dropped one leg through a thinning crevasse. Glad I had a pack on to distribute the weight and not break through:whew
This image brings those memories back.
If you are able please re-post without the blue cast.
Muench Workshops
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Good HDR on the building
Color is good, not over saturated
Point of view is good, the top of the building breaking up the skyline helps
The sky has too much contrast and looks a bit like a scene from "Close Encounters" decreasing potential depth.
Assuming you ran the bracketed exp through Photomatix or CS4 to compile your HDR, and the adverse effect of these methods is always the highlights, I would recommend dropping a sky in from the normal exposure. This does require some knowledge of manual masking in Photoshop though. If you dont have the program or ability, I would suggest looking into methods for manual masking and layering files in Photoshop. This will allow you the ability to combine certain manual overrides to the auto HDR results. The sky can be dark but..... with less contrast.
Regarding your composition, the tree on the far right should not be against the edge. Might you have a composition with more space on the right? I am thinking this would bring the tree in and create some depth with more perspective.
Regarding luminance, since you have gone with a certain look by using the HDR technique you could also add some graduale difference between the contrast and brightness of the large building and the distant smaller buildings. This could guide the viewer through the image
If you are interested I will make some corrections to this file and post with directions!
Muench Workshops
MW on Facebook
I did not hear back from the last few in the previous gallery so I am moving on to the 4th round.
I would like to take the moment to let all of you know how fantastic your images are. The bar has been set higher and the variety is incredible, keep it up
Great sunstar
Incredible location
Good exposure
Needs clouds
I would like to crop the bottom off like this,
However, I think the hole in the middle is just to big. There are several ways I am guessing this could be improved, clouds, tilt the camera to get the sunstar in the lower left corner, change the composition to include some branches in the FG. I think this is worth some time if you can get back
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Thanks for the advice! And yes, I will be back there this Sept with a rented 14mm 2.8, (Im so close to Zion but yet still so far away!) anyway, I dont know how much wider that 14mm will be over this 16mm image, and I dont know what the star will even look like compared to the 16mm. so stay tuned for updates...
(Oh, and cross-fingers for clouds!)
I will also return there in Oct. and again I will rent a super-wide lens depending on how I like the 16mm to the 14mm.....
after this all gets figured out maybe I can tackle a night shot of this comp..
Farm it
Take as many different images as you can throughout the entire day, working the different light, lenses and clouds if possible. Dont forget to take some brackets for possible HDRs too. Oh, and if you decide to stay for the stars, bring a large flash light for lighting up the canyon walls.
BTW, is this in the upper grotto?
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was standing right near the waterfall base of the upper Emerald pools (which was running dry this day.)
Wonderful composition
Well processed
Interesting subject
I think its a tad too yellow and the top of the trees are to dark. This may be from a split ND filter or just a photoshop mask. I dont mind the trees in the distance being so dark but the large tree in the FG should be as light on the top of the trunk as it is at the bottom.
Did you use a split ND?
Also, there appears to be some fringing around the leaves against the sky. This usually occurs from programs like Photomatix but can occur in single image files because of ghosting.
I would like to see the path at the bottom left a bit darker as well, in hopes of bringing more attention to the broken section of the wall.
If your interested I can show you a way to bring out some of the detail in the top of the trunk, even it this is the only exposure.
Intersting image
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First of all thank you for choosing one of mine for comment, I am well thrilled
Guy
1. Fringing
2. Tree trunk
Can you post a small section of the image containing the leaves against the white sky at 100%. I will need that to work on in Adobe Camera Raw.
A jpeg version is fine to get the point across.
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Fringing.jpg
and oddly enough the fringing is not as visible as it is on ps.
Because the leaves are not sharp in your original, the only way to add sharpening is by increasing the radius thus making the contoured lines even larger.
Since you have a version of the file saved without the sharpening, try another method.
First downsize the file to the same size as your first file posted.
Then convert to sRGB if need be.
You may also need to convert from 16bit to 8 bit.
Now duplicate the background by typing "comd + j" for Mac or using the icon at the bottom of the layers palette.
With this new layer highlighted go to "Filter" menu and choose sharpen and sharpen.
Now that the sharpening is on a separate layer you can adj the opacity or even mask out sections that have been over sharpened.
This should not take more than 30 seconds, once you repeat it several times.
When viewing your web sharpened file make sure it is at size. Toggle the layer on and off to get the compared visual.
Post one the same size as your first one posted here and we can compare.
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Broughton 1 Muench.jpg
However, I'm not sure what else happened to your file
It looks as though a couple other things changed too.
It also looks as though you have more detail in the top of the large trunk in this version. Can you post a 800 pixel jpeg version of the file with no changes? I will use it to demonstrate the masking needed to bring out the tree trunk.
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It also looks as though you have more detail in the top of the large trunk in this version. Can you post a 800 pixel jpeg version of the file with no changes? I will use it to demonstrate the masking needed to bring out the tree trunk.[/quote]
Sorry about that, I used the RAW file. Here is the original.
Path 2.jpg
It looks like I will need the RAW file to make this look good. If you are willing, try this link to get me your file and use the address marc@muenchworkshops.com email for me.
If not no worries, I will demonstrate all the steps to select the trunk and lighten with this file. However, it turns out like this:cry because of the compressed file I am working with. That green section is not the mask
Cheers
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Many thanks
Guy
This will be about what I do in ACR and the next will be photoshop.
The file actually has quite a bit of detail in the shadows and is a good exposure
Here is the file as it appears in ACR unedited.
About the exposure settings:
If your on a tripod, shoot at the optimal sharp point of the lens. This is usually two stops down from wide open. This applies when you dont need maximum depth of field such as F.16 or more, which appears to be the case here.
Change the ISO to 100 and take a longer shutter speed.
Here is what I would change in ACR. Keep in mind I am trying to match the color and contrast you have created in your posted version.
I changed the color temp, exp, recovery, fill light, blks, clarity and vib sliders.
There is no way to retain all the highlight exp so I only under exp it by half a stop/-.55
The rec slider will help include a bit of detail in the areas around the leaves, making a slightly smoother highlight transition into the darker tones.
The next change in ACR is in the Lens correction tab.
Here is a enlargement at 300% to show you the before and after.
after changes
I believe this will make a big difference when we sharpen later
The remaining changes can be made in PS, which will be in my next post.
So far the file looks good for 400 ISO and there is actually minimal chromatic abortions compared to many wide angle lenses I have seen. This looks like a good camera
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The next change in ACR is in the Lens correction tab.
Here is a enlargement at 300% to show you the before and after.
after changes
I believe this will make a big difference when we sharpen later
The remaining changes can be made in PS, which will be in my next post.
So far the file looks good for 400 ISO and there is actually minimal chromatic abortions compared to many wide angle lenses I have seen. This looks like a good camera
Sorry about that. Once I made the changes shown below, I only clicked the preview on in the 2nd graphic.
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Once all the sliders are complete in ACR click open image.
Here is the comparison following the different settings I used in ACR. The new version is on the right.
After comparing the two I have made a decision to add contrast first. This is normally my first step when working an image in PS.
Because I want to achieve a very similar look to your original but only retain more detail in the FG tree trunk I will add contrast to the entire image, than subtract that contrast from the FG tree trunk.
I used a curves adj layer to add more contrast.
Now I want to remove some of this edit in certain areas that became too dark. Because I made a adj layer which contains a mask, I can easily remove part or all of the curves edit by painting away the layer in the mask.
First I select the mask in the adj layer. This is the white rectangle just right of the layer icon.
Then I choose a brush and begin painting away the layer in those areas.
You must make sure that you are painting away the mask by choosing the FG color which is blk in this case. Then I like to make the opacity of the brush 50% and make multiple strokes. Also, I alter the diameter of the brush with the [ ] bracket keys, making it smaller for the smaller limbs in the tree.
Here is what the painted mask looks like.
You can now see more contrast in most of the image but nice shadow detail in the areas masked.
The next step is to adj the contrast in the FG stone wall a bit.
To make this move I will enter quick mask first and paint a section I think needs more contrast then make the curves adj.
I click the letter Q to enter quick mask.
Then I click the letter B to select the brush tool.
Then I click the bracket keys [ ] to make the right size brush.
I also make sure the brush is 0% hard meaning as soft as can be. This makes a gradation all the way to the center of the brush.
Here is what the quick mask looks like
Regarding the quick mask tool, I always use these settings
This is found by double clicking the quick mask button on the tool palette.
Once the chosen area is complete and still red, I then click Q again to leave quick mask.
There will be crawling ants as Adobe calls them, around the masked area. With this selection active, I then create a curves adj layer. I usually click on the symbal at the bottom of the curves palette and choose curves.
Here is the change I made in the curves palette.
Ok, only two more moves
First, I need to make a selection of the top of the tree trunk to make it equal luminance equal bottom to top, which is the very reason we are doing all this:ivar
For this selection I will use the quick select tool by choosing the letter W.
There is a method to use this tool.
First, the diameter can be altered by using the bracket keys as well []
Second, the diameter effects the sensitivity of the tool
Third, by holding down the opt key the tool subtracts from the selection.
I enlarge the file to see the trunk better and begin dragging the tool over the area to select.
There are areas of the leaves selected, so I have to subtract those regions to get my selection like this.
Now that I have a hard edge along the trunk, I need to gradate or soften the edge in the middle of the trunk.
For this step I change the selection into a quick mask by clicking on Q which enters quick mask.
The selection should look like this.
Now I choose the brush tool by typing B and make the diameter match the size of the trunk by using the bracket keys.
Because I want to gradate the line in the middle of the trunk I will need to paint on the FG and the BG off and on. I use the X key to switch between FG and BG.
I needed to change the opacity of the brush to 20% to make the fine gradation.
Here is what the mask looks like following the gradation.
Next I click Q to exit quick mask
Then I choose the symbol at the bottom of the layers palette to create a curves adj layer
Here is what change I made in the curves palette.
Notice, I took the Blue channel down adding Yellow and added a tad of Red. This was done in addition to lightening to match colors of the bottom of the trunk.
Here is the change
Here is what your layers palette should look like.
Ok, now the last change
The color
For this move I chose to use a Hue and Sat adj layer. Because the greens were to cyan and the colors needed a bit more sat this tool makes those two changes very easy.
First I chose the Yellow channel because greens are mostly Yellow.
Then I moved the Hue of the Yellow channel to the left making them warmer.
Last I bumped up the sat.
Here is the final side by side with the hue and sat change.
There is one more change I would like to make, but for that I will make a third post which will demonstrate the power of adj layers and masks.
I also understand there are many moves here so please let me know if you have trouble and I hope to correct any missed details.
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Guy
Last step
I noticed that the large tree limb protruding from the FG trunk is as dark as the trunk used to be. I would like to match the luminosity of that limb to the trunk, otherwise is looks kinda weird. This will be very simple because I still have all the adj layers.
First I need to click on the layer with the trunk mask and make sure I highlight the rectangle within the mask as shown here.
With this highlighted I choose the brush tool.
Then I make the diameter of the brush smaller than the limb.
Then I like to make the opacity about 30% and use multiple strokes until I get the luminosity that I like.
Make sure when you are painting on a mask within a adj layer that you realize whether or not you are adding or subtracting the layer by pressing the X key on and off, which alters FG to BG.
Here is the limb after the change.
I made a Yellow arrow showing the change to the mask.
Dont forget the power of these layers and masks are that you can add and subtract until you get it right
One last tip, If you think the adj you made in your curves palette is too sever, just change the opacity of the entire layer.
I actually thought it looked better at 80% which is what I did here for the final
For this final, I did all my normal internet moves.
flatten the layers, size down to 800pix wide, copy BG layer and sharpen (for this image -changed opacity of sharpen layer to 50%), conv to sRGB profile, change to 8bit, save as jpeg.
Here you go!
What you now have is a image taken with a split ND to darken the sky and then a mask to undo the density in the tree trunk only. A hybrid
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Guy
Nice point of view
Good dappled light on the center green hills
The colors are too saturated
The contrast should be reduced in the distance to show depth
As much as I like the depth in this composition, I believe it could be better
First I would crop some of the plowed field like so,
Next I would darken the plowed region with a mask.
If you took another with more sky that might work even better.
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