Storm Coming

Fantastic!  that's what you do with a sky.  Man!!!  Really.  This could be the best picture you've ever taken.  It says stuff.  j

P.S.:  Is it better than "Yadkin Junction: Franklin St. Buildings from the Railroad Side?"  I don't know, but both are utterly sublime - much better than you probably believe you can do.  I encourage you to make a presentation of photos I like.  I think there are more of them.  Why not??

Thanks, Jamie.  I am truly pleased that you like it. 

It is the same file as the other two, of course, but in this posting it is uncropped.  I dd take out the two pieces of trash on the right side of the road for this version. 

--Lannie

 

Here is more detail on the left side, just left of center.

--Lannie

Here is more detail down the road.

--Lannie

Left of center, 100 percent crop, unsharp mask at 100.

--Lannie

Left of center, 100 percent crop, unsharp mask at 200.

--Lannie

Down the road, 100 percent crop, unsharp mask at 100.

--Lannie

Left of center, 100 percent crop, unsharp mask at 200.

--Lannie

The question for me is what to do with a slightly soft image.  How much Unsharp Mask is just right?

Use of USM above was at 100 and 200 for each picture, respectively, as labeled.  (The threshold was zero, and the radius was one pixel, in both cases.)

Suggestions about sharpening would be greatly appreciated.

--Lannie

FEEDBACK ON PROPER APPLICATION OF UNSHARP MASK TO A SOFT IMAGE WOULDBE APPRECIATED. (Please notice the inline photos at 100 percent cropsfor comparisons.) All comments welcome.

 

--Lannie

Lannie, when I'm trying to establish the proper level of sharpness in a photo (which is very dependent on the size the photo is going be shown), I have to flip back and forth between the unsharpened and sharpened photograph.  I try to find the level of sharpness that starts to become visible at 100% when I do this flipping back and forth.  Once I can see the difference, I don't want to go any further, even though the difference will become even more pronounced.  Too much sharpening will often have negative effects (a "gritty" feel to the photograph).  I look for this sharpness in elements that have well-defined edges, such as the tops of deciduous trees in your photo; I don't look at the edges of clouds.  I also don't expect sharpening to correct any amount of blur in the photo, whether the blur is due to motion of the camera, being out-of-focus, or poor lens quality.  It's really hard for me to say anything about your static examples you've included here, because I can't actively compare them to each other or to the unsharpened original.

Check out some of the photographs of Martyn Fox (http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=3914927), especially his "Under the Tree" photograph.  You won't cut yourself on these photos, but they still have a very appealing quality to them (IMO!).  I'd guess that Martyn uses different levels of sharpening in different parts of the frame, and that's a level of refinement that can be very beneficial.  In the photo I mentioned, to my eye the branches silhouetted against the sky look more defined (i.e., sharper) than the individual blades of grass, yet both seem very appropriately defined in the photograph taken as a whole.  I'm quite sure I would have sharpened Martyn's entire photo with one setting, and I believe that would have negated much of the appeal Martyn's photo has for me.  That's probably more of an issue for a photo like Martyn's that has detail throughout, in comparison to your photo that needs sharpness primarily in a band through the trees, but it's something to keep in mind (IMO, again).

Thanks for those suggestions, Stephen.  Yes, his photos are remarkably appealing.

--Lannie

Love the light variations in the clouds!

 

Its a beautiful image Lannie......beautiful sky here! Thanks for your comment on my ladybug :) Much appreciated! Regards Ellen.

USM is a trick, in my opinion.  It may be a good trick, but it's still a trick.  Figure out the right amount and then dial back by at least half.  It will look more visible and more tacky as time passes.

how about the jamie favourites presentation?!?!?!?? jamie