Weekly Post-processing Challenge - Jan. 4, 2015

<p>Back to me again since no one else volunteered to post. I don't think we've had a wildlife image yet, so here's one from last fall. Enjoy!</p><div></div>

<p>And the large version for editing ...</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>A quick try...</p><div></div>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17937695-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="510" />Here is my offer</p>

 

<p>Here's mine.</p><div></div>

<p>http://jdcdemo.com/turtles.html<br /> Here's my two cents worth. It is a very nice image to start with that gives some opportunities to make it even better. I masked off the shell tops and darkened in the CC2014 Camera Raw filter with increased blacks, contrast adjustment and lowering the exposure. Then did a partial gradient mask copy of the top and bottom of the darkened layer. Then took out some flotsam and jetsam. Then converted to LAB and adjusted lightness and color. Converted back to RGB did a few color tweaks, sharpened and saved.<br /> Thanks for posting this image for us to "fool with."<br /> Thanks,<br /> Joe<br>

PS: My apologies for the link. I kept posting it as a url in the picture dialog box but it wouldn't work</p>

<p>PSE11 - cropped from right and top, adjusted levels<br>

NIK Color Efex Pro 4 - applied pro contrast, low key, darken/lighten center</p>

<p>PSE11 - cropped from right and top, adjusted levels<br>

NIK Color Efex Pro 4 - applied pro contrast, low key, darken/lighten center</p><div></div>

<p>My version is more like Joe's, above. I just cloned out some distracting elements, boosted the saturation a little, and cropped. This is typical of what I do with my images.</p><div></div>

<p>Hope I didn't break any rules by doing this, but I took the liberty of downloading Joe's version then resizing it to post in-line because I thought it made for much easier comparison to other versions. </p>

<p>Moderator, if a rule was broken, please just remove this entry vice closing the thread.</p><div></div>

<p>Not much I can add, but just for fun...</p><div></div>

<p>A new take on Mutt and Jeff, Sarah?</p>

<p> .</p><div></div>

<p>Line, that's just crazy!</p>

<p>Enjoying all of the variations, as usual. I find it very interesting, and enlightening, to see how different and similar our preferences are. And I just gotta learn how to blend shots, though I'm not sure my imagination is up to par with the more creative folk.</p>

<p>I like Sarah's and Line's creative versions. I was looking for something subtle, with the turtles distinct, but the background fading into mist.</p><div></div>

<p>Very sinister, Line! ;-) Reminds me of when I would feed crickets to frogs. Sometimes a crickets would perch atop a frog's head, and the two of them would sit there as content as could be.</p>

<p>At my university, there was a turtle pond zoologists had set up outside one of the buildings. They were interesting to watch as they sunned themselves atop rocks (like these two little guys are doing). When I first saw them, I thought they were bronze sculptures. Good rocks were in short supply, so often one turtle would crawl atop another turtle to get more sun. Then when a third turtle would try to pile on, the three of them would fall into the water and start over. </p>

<p>Ooooh crickets. I used to have an iguana, and when I first got it, the petshop guy said to feed it crickets. The iguana did not care at all for them, but those crickets sure made my nights miserable. As for the edit... I got myself a Wacom tablet for the holidays and needed to pratice pen pressure for blending.... that is probably one of the sweetest toy I have bought.</p>

<p>I never did warm up to my Wacom tablet. Perhaps I should make that one of my PP challenge objectives: Dust the thing off, and get serious about using it!</p>

<p>A stone(d) gator, Line?</p>

<p>Anyone willing to post next week's challenge, please step forward. I know Michael will do it if no one else does, but don't be shy.</p>

<p>You know me well, Bill. Just let me know.</p>

<p>Guess you're on again Michael.</p>

<p>OK . . . will do.</p>