Subtle

What caught my eye and I must say that I had never noticed before was

the design that each leaf had within its borders. I was also taken the

by metallic look that these leaves were displaying. All the leaves

were pretty much the same color but they seem to vary upon just how

much light they were receiving. First of all, I adjusted the WB to

included just a little bit more blue, which not only gave me better

separation of values but lent more to that metallic look I saw. A

curves adjustment layer added contrast and even more separation of the

similar values but I wanted to separate the inner design from the rest

of the leaf even more. A great trick for adding local contrast is to

use an Unsharp Mask with high radius. In this case I use 20 as the

amount, and 60 as the radius. Bam, instant separation of the design

from the rest of the leaf. Another curves layer was added to make

small adjusts to compensate for the effects the Unsharp had on the

image. The leaf on the left was pretty much the same brightness all

over so I added a gradient to darken the left edge, which not only

leads the eye into the image but has the added bonus of making the

leaf appear rounded. I did the same thing at the top to "push" the

viewer into the image. Finally I used some dodging and burning to make

the inner leaf designs even more prominent. This is how I

previsualized this photograph and I am very happy with the way it

turned out. Questions and comments are always welcome.

This is a cool interpretation of the plant, Leo. I like that the tones are "off" from normal, because it adds confusion and interest. I like seeing the linear details.

A wonderful, thoughtful composition. The cool, peaceful colour of the plant, the sharp little barbs are interesting. Thanks for giving us the details on how you achieved this effect. Best wishes, Linda

Thank you Liz and Linda for your kind words.

A wonderful result. Thanks for explaining. Ciao.

Thank you Rita!

Another work of art! Thanks for taking the time to explain your technique. I wade through PS & Lightroom tutorials and get the mechanics, but you tell us how to apply. Aloha!

Thank you Dominick, I appreciate you stopping by.

this one should be surely seen in large format to fully appreciate the post-production. Imho this could be a bit too much dark in the top left. Great work, ciao, Giuseppe

what a great abstract !!!!!! cheers Jana

Thank you Giuseppe and Jana