Post Processing Challenge July 11, 2020

There are no rules as to how you apply your post processing to this image; but, please let us know what you have done so we can all learn.

If you would like to post a candidate image next week, please ensure it is of sufficiently high resolution for manipulation by the participants (3000px on the long side, 300dpi for example).

 

Out for our late afternoon walk; sun low because it was 4:30 and it is winter here; spot interesting plant; only good camera is the one you have on you AKA cell phone; can't isolate plant using DOF etc; Harry tugging on lead and wants to go, so slight motion blur; ugly wires (ubiquitous); scaffold; etc. etc.

 

After all, it is a challenge.

 

Have fun!

 

Focus is on plant. Square crop in LR then HDR Efex Pro 2 in NIK

Focus on Plant. Square crop in LR and this time used Silver Efex Pro 2 in NIK

Photoshop: Removed pole, scaffolding, power lines, and cropped. Luminar: AI Accent, AI Sky Enhancer, Foliage Enhancer (arch and cactus). On1: Dynamic contrast and Big Softy vignette.

I started by removing the building and other man made objects using Topaz Remask5 in Photoshop. Then I pasted the results on a cloud background and flattened the image. This left various shadows and other objects that I removed with cloning plus dodging and burning. Another fun image to play with.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Glenn McCreery

On first seeing the photo, I fell prey to a very engaging illusion, and I decided to run with it. Most of the work was just a lot of cloning in Photoshop, but then I decided the flower stalk didn’t show up enough against the background, so I used the new Lightroom adjustment brush HSL tool to try to redden up the gray bricks behind the base of the flower stalk; I also lightened the stalk there. On the other side I darkened the flower stalk, and I desaturated and lightened the patch of red bricks over there so they wouldn’t be distracting. I had started off with some minor Lightroom exposure adjustments, and realized too late that I should have waited on those until after the PS cloning marathon so that I could modify them more easily.

 

#1 PSE2020 - Cropped out bldgs & arch. .Increased contrast using levels. Boosted sharpness 15%.

 

 

#2 Again, all steps in PSE. Kept original crop. Adjusted tonality with levels. Inverted, then solarized, followed by color adjustment in sky. Used color slider to boost saturation.

 

 

Topaz Mask AI to cut out plant. Luminar 4 to add space background and planet. Color adjustments in PS. Final run through of SNS-HDR at default settings.

 

Couldn't resist this idea. @PuntaColorada, your photos sometimes bring out the worst ((the dark side) in me ;). I should add that I'm a wel adjusted senior adult with absolutely no interest in the weird or macabre. Still, maybe some of your photos trigger something lurking in my subconscious! My compliments that your your photos are open to so many interpretations!

 

What I personally found interesting about "photo-shopping" this photo was how it gradually evolved (for better or worse). Looking at the photo, I immediately had the idea of a "predatory plant".. But it went through quite a few edits (mostly removal) before this one.

Sorry Mike. A chipmunk and a plant "sometimes bring out the worst ((the dark side) in me ;)"?

 

I'm glad I didn't post any day-old chicks or kittens (yet).o_O

My compliments that your your photos are open to so many interpretations!

 

Well said, Mike. Punta, you definitely have the knack for identifying images for the PPC.

A black and white version.

Basic channel and curves contrast adjustments.