Post Processing Challenge 25th November 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.

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.

[ATTACH=full]1220796[/ATTACH]

Newbie try...

LR to crop image. Then used Warming Filter in PS. 3rd step was to use Detail Extractor and Tonal Contrast in NIK

Having a straight horizon in the photo made it easy to select the sky using the polygon lasso tool in Photoshop CS5. Then I could adjust the sky and the foreground separately. I darkened and saturated the sky and mostly lightened the foreground, except that I darkened the breakwater to make it appear almost black. I added a hint of orange to the foreground white color to help make it appear to be reflecting the more vivid sky. A nice image to work with. Edited November 25, 2017 by Glenn McCreery

PN-DDChallenge11252017_DxO by David Stephens, on Flickr

 

Processed with DxO PhotoLab

2:1 crop

Huge Contrast increase

Futzed with color, still not happy, but gave up

PSE 14, levels, haze reduction, colours, artistic filter applied, saturation reduced.

Desaturation, Topaz Simplify 4, some blurring and minor adjustments.

Initially, all work was done in Silver Efex - the conversion to b&w, sharpness and tonal adjustments. Then, in Color Efex, I used a preset vintage film tool to finish.

Desaturation, Topaz Simplify 4, some blurring and minor adjustments.[ATTACH=full]1221022[/ATTACH]

 

Tom, as an abstract, I do like your version.

Tom, as an abstract, I do like your version.

 

Thanks, Michael for your comment. There were so many nice color versions posted that I decided to experiment with a b/w/gray version which I never do.

Thanks to both Gerald and Michael for giving us photos for practice! Most of my daily post-processing consists of slight retouching and enhancing family and family sports photos...not much call or need for the retouching, effects and filters that I get to mess with here.

 

I like the black and white versions. So, here is another approach, keep the color version of the sky, and use monochrome split toning in NIK SilverEfex, with a purple cast to the lighter regions on the bottom half of the image. I also change the aspect ratio of the image.

Edited November 27, 2017 by Glenn McCreery

Here's my attempt such as it is up against a very high standard.

Straighten horizon and crop in LR. Selective White balance, selective exposure and colour adjustments in HSL also in LR.

After seeing Glenn's version I opened in Elements and silhouetted the groyne (breakwater).

As I am now about to post I can see I should have taken more care with the selection along the lower waterline.

GIMP: Curves, light USM

 

Gerald- your colors are more pleasing than mine.

Gerald- your colors are more pleasing than mine.

 

Glenn, in comparing your version with GC's, I wonder why you added a purple cast instead of a lighter orange or a blue. Understand that I'm not questioning your judgment or skill; I'm just interested in learning.

Michael, I was going by the purple cloud color. I thought that it looked good in isolation from seeing other results, but, after posting, I think that orange would look better.

Glenn, in comparing your version with GC's, I wonder why you added a purple cast instead of a lighter orange or a blue. Understand that I'm not questioning your judgment or skill; I'm just interested in learning.

Michael in asking Glenn about his choice to show the purple in the clouds has prompted me to add. The purple was there in the original so the question may be why did I suppress it. I find when photographing sunsets you never know how they are going to develop, on many occasions after waiting I've been disappointed. At the time the sun reaches the horizon clouds appear to ruin the effect, fortunately that didn't happen in this case but the colours recorded are subdued compared to my memory. I find that sunsets need a bit of help, in this case that included selecting the sky to reduce exposure and push WB towards warm. But I didn't stop there I re-selected the top fifth and pushed WB back towards blue which maybe the difference between mine and Glenn's version.

Sorry when I started this reply it was only meant to be a couple of lines...............................GC.

Thanks, Glenn and GC.

I went a bit overboard with this one. But I so would have liked to get rid of the glare because it is so distracting.

 

Photoelements 6

burn sky and some foreground

dodged highlights in water

air brush highlights in water

air brush highlights in sand

color temp

reduced brightness

increased contrast

Congratulations for such a great challenge image, Gerald. And congratulations to the participants!

Congratulations for such a great challenge image, Gerald. And congratulations to the participants!

Thanks Michael I'm about to post the next challenge...........GC.