Maquam Creek

[djg05478]

I took this a couple of weeks ago. In the rain, handheld (tripod was warm and dry and forgotten in the car). The sky is blown, mostly, wish I had more pixels there and I wish I had the tripod it would be a bit clearer. C & C welcome. 35 mm, 1/250 @ f/3.5.

[jeeperman]

Debbie, what a nice spot to catch the colors. I see you said the sky was blown? I don't think it is really. There is detail there and even in this small image I could brig some out. I hope you don't mind but I had a little try. I only adjusted the sky slightly....very slightly and touched nothing else. However I think if you wanted you could go further than I did with the sky.

[jeeperman]

I forgot to give you a hint as to what I did. I used the adjustment brush in LR4 and took exposure down just a little and added even less contrast along with a very small bit of added clearity. I made very minor adjustments but could easily take it to a dramatic level, the detail is there, well as much as serious overcast gives. I did go back and have another go with the rest of the image and there are some really nice colors in here.

[djg05478]

Thanks Paul. I knew there was a bit of detail left in the sky.....I guess I just wish I had more.

All I have for software right now is LR4. I used the adjustment brush to get the sky to the point that its at now, maybe I could have done more? My monitor is my weak point right now, I need a better and bigger one that is worth calibrating.

Anyway, I'm glad you like the composition. Thanks for your comments and help. Much appreciated.

[ScoutR]

Hi Debbie, another thing you could try is the graduated filter in LR 4. Start it at the top and pull right down to the bottom. Then lower the exposure till the sky is how you like it. This will darken the whole shot but should be much darker at the top. You can then lighten up the bottom by adding some fill light or lighten the shadows on the tone curve OR you could even use another grad on the bottom. It's worth playing around with. I didn't like the graduated filter when I first used it because I could never get the effect where I wanted it, but it's just a matter of playing with it. Make a virtual copy and try it out. I use the grad a lot now especially for shots like this.

Wendy

[djg05478]

I didn't like the graduated filter when I first used it because I could never get the effect where I wanted it, but it's just a matter of playing with it.

Wendy

Thats exactly what happened when I tried it! I just need to spend a few minutes and remember / relearn how that tool works in LR4. Thanks for confirming I was on the right track.

[ScoutR]

This Julieanne Kost video is really good if you're interested. Have fun. It really works when you get used to it

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-comple...-lightroom-4-/

[kdoc856]

Something else that might be helpful, Debbie, is to nudge down the highlights slider a bit more, then add a touch more contrast. Leaves reflect a lot of luminance, and playing with (generally nudging down) each of the luminance (green, red, orange and yellow) channels individually may duplicate what you saw more accurately. Nice image overall.

Kevin

[jeeperman]

I too like the graduated filter and was what I went to first here. Problem is I could not keep from darkening the upper portion of the trees and found the brush easier as I could make it small enough to get between the leaves.
Last night I had another play with this but did not have time to post it. This time I adjusted color slightly as well. Actually fairly close to what Kevin described.