Post Processing Challenge Saturday 23rd Sept 2017

Another weekly challenge.

 

If anyone else would like to post next week please give it a go, upload a High resolution jpeg. Just indicate by Wednesday next in this thread if you are willing to try.

 

Remember there are no rules you can do what you wish in your interpretation, but if you can give information of the steps taken and software used to add interest.

It is not meant as a competition just a bit of fun.

With such a complex photo, I decided to use Topaz Simplify, crop, and a run through SNS-HDR. Thank you for the practice.

Lightroom to adjust shadows and highlights. Added tonal contrast filter from NIK software.

Thanks for posting these challenges, Gerald—they’re a lot of fun, and I learn something new with each.

 

As with Tom, I wanted to simplify the image, and I also chose to crop, but in the other direction. I went into Photoshop to mess with the colors a bit—I wanted the lights on the building to warm up so I could make the color there contrast with the white of the boat. I did that by increasing saturation in yellows using curves in Lab mode (and without thinking it through, I also increased saturation in blues, which came back to haunt me). I then used Image—Adjustment—Replace Color to turn the green bridge lights into something more like the now-warm lights on the building. I went back to Lightroom and started playing with adjustment brushes to make sure the whites in the near boat became cool enough to contrast with the warm lights of the building and bridge, to lighten the lower right corner, to reduce saturation in what had become radioactive pink fishing floats on the Sarah Louise, and to deal with the distressingly bright and oversaturated sky that I had accidentally created. Turning the clock to a bit closer to night helped there. The color replacement was totally new to me and I was surprised at how easy it was, but I did have to use a white-balance adjustment brush in Lightroom to mop up some residual greenishness that lurked in unexpected places.

crop, b/w, levels and curves, highlight and shadow adjustments . . .

After several attempts to make something of this source I noticed the bottle on the harbour wall. In this element of the image I thought I saw an opportunity. All adjustments done in LR, after the crop several adjustment brushes were used. Selected localised exposure and white balance adjustments made followed by noise reduction and sharpening. Finally a vignette added.

 

I wanted to simplify the photo by removing the right boat. So, I did a lot of cloning in Photoshop CS5. I then used a soft focus filter in NIK ColorEfex to blur some of my clumsy cloning, cropped similar to Leslie's version, darkened the image, and desaturated the color green.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Glenn McCreery

Lightroom to adjust shadows and highlights. Added tonal contrast filter from NIK software.[ATTACH=full]1210717[/ATTACH]

 

Bill, did you also use HDR Efex?

My initial decision was to retain GC's original crop, because I liked the challenge image's composition. Then I went to Silver Efex. After the initial conversion to b&w, I used manual tonal settings to adjust highlights, midtowns, and shadows and to add structure." I used control points to provide slight emphasis on GC;'s bottle and the two human figures in the top right area, and others to add selective further sharpening.

Bill, did you also use HDR Efex?

Michael...I did NOT use HDR Efex.

My version...

 

Michael...I did NOT use HDR Efex.

 

Thanks, Bill. I asked because the colors are so vivid, and the detail seems exceptionally sharp.

Thanks, Bill. I asked because the colors are so vivid, and the detail seems exceptionally sharp.

Michael...I adjusted color by moving Highlights and Exposure sliders in LR. Then used Color Efex 4 and added the Tonal Contrast filter.

Michael...I adjusted color by moving Highlights and Exposure sliders in LR. Then used Color Efex 4 and added the Tonal Contrast filter.

 

I had noticed these steps when I first viewed your version.

Playing with Redfield & Flaming Pear Filters (Tom R - I finally saw your request)

Thanks for a great file to work with. It was properly exposed and well composed.

 

I did very little in DxO Optics Pro 11.4.2. I cropped it 5:4, leaving out most of the dock activity. I tried adjusting the white balance and preferred the warm interpretation, so I warmed it up a bit more. That's it.

 

PN Photo Challenge 09-23-2017 by David Stephens, on Flickr

Leslie, I enjoyed your summary and the rich colors in the photo. Dang, those fishing floats look like edible berries! Tom

Leslie, I enjoyed your summary and the rich colors in the photo. Dang, those fishing floats look like edible berries! Tom

 

Agreed!

edible berries!

Agreed!

Thanks, guys! And that is so funny about the berries—it had struck me that way, too, and I had happened to take this photo just a few hours before I saw Gerald’s challenge photo:

I came very, very close to subbing in the berries for the floats.

Thanks, guys! And that is so funny about the berries—it had struck me that way, too, and I had happened to take this photo just a few hours before I saw Gerald’s challenge photo:

[ATTACH=full]1211067[/ATTACH]

I came very, very close to subbing in the berries for the floats.

 

I don't know, Leslie. Do berries normally float? :)

GC, ordinarily, I'd be happy to take a turn. But . . .

GC, ordinarily, I'd be happy to take a turn. But . . .

Michael, it's a message a bit to cryptic for a simple soul like me. If your posting let me know otherwise I can find something............Best regards GC.

Michael, it's a message a bit to cryptic for a simple soul like me. If your posting let me know otherwise I can find something............Best regards GC.

 

GC, sorry about my message. Bottom line - I can't post the next challenge image. (PS Please don't sell yourself short.)

Late to the party, as usual.... :rolleyes:

 

This reminded me of another time and place (many do) and had a French feel to it. I was taken to see it as Brassai might have, so this is what we have!

 

Steps were conversion to BW, diddling about a bit with levels & gamma. A bit of tinkering with localized contrast as well. Some dodge & burn on the shadows and midtones--and a jump over to NIK for a bit of graduated fog. And those damned cars--POOF! A little fine tuning again with contrast, curves, and final dodge/burn. Twenty minutes later to Paris in the late summer of 1938...:cool: