Arches (6-2-12)

[Digital]

Welcome C&C. One aspect of this photo I do not like is the blown sky in the upper left corner. Bruce




Is this any better?

[Mike Buckley]

I really like the composition and the sky is fine for me in the second one.

Perhaps you were going for an intensely saturated image, but the greens and blues are a bit too much for my taste. Even if you like the greens that intense, considering reducing the blue tones in the trees in the area of the sky that you treated.

[Digital]

Mike, thanks for your comments. I toned the blue, and green down in LR. Bruce

[Daisy Mae]

It is a really nice image Bruce and the natural colouring suits it best.... let's the eye move more easily around the picture.

[Digital]

It is a really nice image Bruce and the natural colouring suits it best.... let's the eye move more easily around the picture.

Thank you for your comments Sharon. Bruce

[Mike Buckley]

The last one definitely works best for me. Congratulations on a very nice image!

[dje]

Very nice image Bruce. Your re-edit is better IMO. Could I also suggest you play with Shadows/Highlights (reduce the highlights and increase the shadows a bit. Also I would add a bit more sharpening and/or Local Contrast Enhancement. This will bring out the textures in the bricks and floor boards.

Dave

[Digital]

Dave: does this look any better? Bruce

[Daisy Mae]

i like it!

[dje]

Bruce I probably would have liked to see the Highlights reduced a bit more but I suppose it depends on the software you are using. Out of interest, what are you using ?

Nevertheless, it looks good.

Dave

[gregj1763]

Hi Bruce,
#4 is my pick. I don't think there is anything I would change in it.
Well done.
Greg

[Digital]

Bruce I probably would have liked to see the Highlights reduced a bit more but I suppose it depends on the software you are using. Out of interest, what are you using ?

Nevertheless, it looks good.

Dave

Dave, I am using Lightroom 4. Bruce

[dje]

Bruce I use ACR/CS5 rather than Lightroom but I think Lightroom is similar to ACR in terms of basic adjustments. I presume you used the Fill Light adjustment or whatever it is called in Lightroom, or perhaps a tone curve. I prefer the Shadows/Highlights adjustment in CS5 which gives more flexibility in the tonal ranges affected by the control. It is used to raise the shadows and reduce the highlights separately and can be applied to quite selective tonal ranges.

Anyway, let's not lose any sleep over this. I don't want to detract from a fine image.

Dave

[Digital]

Dave, thanks for your comments. Bruce

[MrB]

Bruce, I like this shot and your last edition is almost there - just two more small adjustments needed, in my opinion. The first might be my monitor - the red flowers glow, more like red lights, so I would tone them down but only slightly. The second - I would rotate the image clockwise through a very small angle, to make the sides of the middle arch vertical.

Philip

[Digital]

Phillip, any better? Bruce

[MrB]

Still doesn't look quite vertical, Bruce. An easy way to test during editing is to temporarily superimpose a rectangle over the bit that should be straight - e.g. use the selection rectangle or the crop rectangle. It should be fairly obvious if lines on the image are parallel with the lines of the rectangle. Here I have straightened #5 and drawn a rectangle over the middle arch to illustrate the point -



Cheers

Philip

[Digital]

Thanks Phillip. Bruce

[Rhoads238]

Still doesn't look quite vertical, Bruce. An easy way to test during editing is to temporarily superimpose a rectangle over the bit that should be straight - e.g. use the selection rectangle or the crop rectangle. It should be fairly obvious if lines on the image are parallel with the lines of the rectangle. Here I have straightened #5 and drawn a rectangle over the middle arch to illustrate the point -



Cheers

Philip

i never thought of doing that. I always just try to eyeball it. That's a good tip, thanks