A few from my Florida trip...for C&C please...

Thanks Dave for the added comments...I am trying...it will be a good thing to practice today as the sun is shining...I was trying a technique I found in a video two days ago and can't get it yet...but I will...

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Originally Posted by Dave Humphries

Yup, you should know better by now Izzie :) :D



Being serious, yes, I can see that the lake, planking/deck and handrails all have different 'level's - esp. when judging handrails at the edges of frame. I accept some of these may be 'real life' problems and hence unavoidable.

Possibly this could have be mitigated by shooting slightly off center - that's if you were 'on center' in the first place - this is another aspect where shooting with the UWA is VERY unforgiving of camera position with regard to foreground objects - half an inch (12mm if you're metricated) often makes a huge difference. It is learning to be very aware of this when looking through the viewfinder that is key to successful composing with UWA lenses.

Don't forget to get it level either, both in terms of lens axis rotation and pointing lens slightly up/down with respect to the horizon's vanishing point - that's where the hot shoe level helps, since what's in the viewfinder may not give sufficient information to get it right.

Keep at it, you're doing well and 'practice makes perfect'.

Cheers, Dave

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shadowman

I tried the white vignette before and to me it's more inviting; where the black vignette seems to be more foreboding. I like the effect you've presented here, try looking for more scenes that you can apply the vignette to; there won't be many but once you've found it...magic. I like the use of leading lines but you might try enhancing the horizon a bit.

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Got it! John (2) got me inspired with this negative vignette thing and I like for its dreamy scene. Of course not all scenes can have this effect...maybe dependant on the mood of the moment...I had very little shots in my Florida trip compared to my other trips.

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The other two are fine, consider enhancing the lights/darks to get a more 3-D effect.

Nice efforts.

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Thank you John...I am getting as much feedback as I can from all your your comments and suggestions and make me busy in the meantime while waiting for the eagle trips...appreciate the extra comments and suggestions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ziggy

Nice series. Like the acorn shot.

I have a very large red oak in my yard and it is raining acorns now.

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You should take advantage of showing and sharing with us your acorn shots...if you will...thanks for the comments.'Appreciate it very much...

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Originally Posted by Mike Buckley

That's a good point that brings up the distinction between a hot shoe level and the camera's electronic level (at least my camera's electronic level, which may not be as sophisticated as Izzie's). My camera's electronic level only indicates whether the camera is tilted horizontally, not up and down. A hot shoe level ideally would indicate both.

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I remember using the lines I don't know what it's called, but I don't think we have such a different of the camera's electronic level. I was actually kicking myself for not bringing it with me...so if it is only the horizon that line that I mentioned works very well too...:p

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For those who are not used to using the camera's electronic level, consider that I use mine almost all of the time. When I'm shooting handheld, I use the level displayed in the viewfinder. When I'm using a tripod, I use the level displayed in Live View.

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Thanks Mike for the extra comments...'Do appreciate your putting me to right at times...but Dave is harsher so I like him better...:D

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Originally Posted by bnnrcn

Hi Isabel. Sorry for being a bit late but I'm away from home and I don't have a good internet connection where I'm now. I just want to say that your shooting and processing skills are improving from day to day. All nice images :)

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Thank you so much Binnur for adding CiC to your schedule and commenting. I truly understand and sometimes, we got to do what we gotta do and disappear for a while...

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Originally Posted by Wavelength

I like all the three images.... i will name the first one 'memories'.....
The way you focused on the corn is fine; and about that winca rosea, i would love to clone out the thing from the right bottom corner... :)

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Thanks for your comment, Nandakumar. I preferred to leave that thing at the right hand corner to remind me where I got that shot and how hard I tried to reach that little flower...:p

Thanks for commenting DAve and sharing me your preference. I do appreciate it very much...

And now for some corrections...

1 this is the original shot with suggested correction...nothing special really but just a correction of the black and white point...I hope this is enough crop...

http://i65.tinypic.com/29ys8x0.jpg

2 This is another version of the same bridge...

http://i63.tinypic.com/2093x8o.jpg

3 This is my big problem image...look at the railing...everything is level except that...

http://i67.tinypic.com/zko5s6.jpg

Thank you all for another look...I'd love to learn how to correct that railing...if you may want to teach me...

I did have a think about the acorns. Maybe something like this?

http://i67.tinypic.com/352gewl.jpg

That railing would probably take far too long to do anything serious with it.

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Originally Posted by IzzieK

3 This is my big problem image...look at the railing...everything is level except that...

http://i67.tinypic.com/zko5s6.jpg

Thank you all for another look...I'd love to learn how to correct that railing...if you may want to teach me...

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Hi Izzie,

I take you mean you want it to be straight, not curved?

TBH, I wouldn't worry about it - I don't know that place and for all I know the rail and concrete below might really be curved like that.

If you were to try to straighten it (by warping), it would probably have undesirable effects everything else in the lower left corner (getting worse towards the edge of frame). To combat that you'd have needed to duplicate a layer of the uncorrected image, plus the warped layer, then mask so that the best bits of each show through where necessary, hoping to get away with the joins being invisible in the concrete deck, sky and people, with a bit of cloning to fix any 'double appearances'.

Likely too much work to be worth it in my opinion.

Although you could try as a learning experience of course ;)
It would be an iterative process and I can't really give any better guidance than play with it and see how you get on.

HTH, Dave

PS Good job on the acorns Geoff

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Originally Posted by Ziggy

I have a very large red oak in my yard and it is raining acorns now.

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Acorns .... and leaves! Can't keep up with the raking....:rolleyes:

I like them all!

Hello, Izzie. Although vignetes are a personal taste (some will love them, while some will just hate them), I think they worked in this image (#1), drawing the viewer's attention to the bridge line, which is the subject of the image.

On #2, as some fellows mentioned, it lacks depth of field. Even so, it is a beautiful image.

Nice colours on #3.

Thanks for sharing and nice job!

Cheers,

Izzie, sorry for the lateness in replying to your PM but the site has been unavailable for most of today. However, for what it is worth...........

The distortion in the railing in your restaurant image can't really be corrected using the push/pull adjustments in the PS Edit/ Transform options. You will have to resort to using Edit/Puppet Warp. Something like this:

1.Open the image in P.S. and duplicate it as a second layer (either in the Layers drop down menu or right click on the layers dialogue on the RHS of the screen).

2. Lasso a rough selection around the rail. Include the supports.

3. Go to Edit/Puppet Warp and select it.

4. Using a left mouse click, pin those parts of the rail that you want to straighten. I selected the top and the bottom plus the centre of the kink. Pull the pinned points just sufficient to straighten the rail. In this case I found the most effective way was to slightly move both the kink and the rail at the base of the image.

5. looks something like:
http://i64.tinypic.com/2q9dlr9.jpg

6. It may take several tries but eventually the rail will straighten. Take care that you don't bend the rail supports.

7. once the rail has been straightened, select the whole image and use Edit/ Transform/ Distort to straighten the verticals on each side. Do this at the top of the image so that you don't disturb the rail. You can also stretch the top to take out some of the height distortion caused by angling your super wide slightly upwards.
http://i66.tinypic.com/ea1lkn.jpg

8. Finally, you can correct some of the WA elongation in the side of the restaurant using the same process.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2wcmstc.jpg

9. That should give you something like this as a final image:
http://i64.tinypic.com/28s3gag.jpg

Hope all this helps.

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Originally Posted by Geoff F

I did have a think about the acorns. Maybe something like this?

http://i67.tinypic.com/352gewl.jpg

That railing would probably take far too long to do anything serious with it.

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That is a more beautiful edit than I thought I have done, Geoff...I did try to edit that railing but I went nowhere...appreciate the added comments and the edit...thanks.

New additions are splendid :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dave Humphries

Hi Izzie,

I take you mean you want it to be straight, not curved?

TBH, I wouldn't worry about it - I don't know that place and for all I know the rail and concrete below might really be curved like that.

If you were to try to straighten it (by warping), it would probably have undesirable effects everything else in the lower left corner (getting worse towards the edge of frame). To combat that you'd have needed to duplicate a layer of the uncorrected image, plus the warped layer, then mask so that the best bits of each show through where necessary, hoping to get away with the joins being invisible in the concrete deck, sky and people, with a bit of cloning to fix any 'double appearances'.

Likely too much work to be worth it in my opinion.

Although you could try as a learning experience of course ;)
It would be an iterative process and I can't really give any better guidance than play with it and see how you get on.

HTH, Dave

PS Good job on the acorns Geoff

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Yes...he did a good job on it, Dave...I really like it...I suppose that means superimposing the sharp one for the blurred one and brushing it on the blurred areas...just guessing here...

The road is actually going downwards from the sidewalk slightly. I cannot correct what is natural. What I need help correcting is the rail itself. I know it can be done in Photoshop but I forgot how to. I was using the distort tool without going anywhere...:(

Kris...thank you for the comment and the sighs...I am glad it is not in my backyard...and even so, the boys will not let me rake leaves because I get frustrated using the rake like using a fork to do my garden, when they have this leaf blower and cruncher to take care of it...most frustrating is that when I do use the rake, they just watch me until I get PMS raking it...and the fun begins, for them that is...so I stopped doing it. ;) :p

Thanks Joe -- it seems I cannot do anything wrong in your eyes when it comes to my shoot.

Thanks all for the edits, the comments and the chuckles...appreciate it very much, especially this morning...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Otavio

Hello, Izzie. Although vignettes are a personal taste (some will love them, while some will just hate them), I think they worked in this image (#1), drawing the viewer's attention to the bridge line, which is the subject of the image.

On #2, as some fellows mentioned, it lacks depth of field. Even so, it is a beautiful image.

Nice colours on #3.

Thanks for sharing and nice job!

Cheers,

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Thanks Otavio...appreciate your passing by and commenting...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John 2

Izzie, sorry for the lateness in replying to your PM but the site has been unavailable for most of today. However, for what it is worth...........

The distortion in the railing in your restaurant image can't really be corrected using the push/pull adjustments in the PS Edit/ Transform options. You will have to resort to using Edit/Puppet Warp. Something like this:

1.Open the image in P.S. and duplicate it as a second layer (either in the Layers drop down menu or right click on the layers dialogue on the RHS of the screen).

2. Lasso a rough selection around the rail. Include the supports.

3. Go to Edit/Puppet Warp and select it.

4. Using a left mouse click, pin those the rail that you want to straighten. I selected the top and the bottom plus the centre of the kink. Pull the pinned poits just sufficient to straighten the rail. In this case I found the most effective way was to slightly move both the kink and the rail at the base of the image.

5. looks something like:
http://i64.tinypic.com/2q9dlr9.jpg

6. It may take several tries but eventually the rail will straighten. take care that you don't bend the rail supports.

7. once the rail has been straightened, select the whole image and use Edit/ Transform/ Distort to straighten the verticals on each side. Do this at the top of the image so that you don't disturb the rail. You can also stretch the top to take out some of the height distortion caused by angling your super wide slightly upwards.
http://i66.tinypic.com/ea1lkn.jpg

8. Finally, you can correct some of the WA elongation in the side of the restaurant using the same process.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2wcmstc.jpg

9. That should give you something like this as a final image:
http://i64.tinypic.com/28s3gag.jpg

Hope all this helps.

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I have taken note, John and I am copying your message in Word so I can follow it step by step till I got it. I completely forgot about the Puppet Warp to tell you the truth.I was using the Distort and Perspective to no avail, so I just dumped the whole image, found something worthy to share and added the image I needed correction to badly...

Yes, this helps me a lot to do some more practice on the Warp tool too...I have learned a lot from you too -- so much.

Thank you .... thank you... thank you again for the helping hand...I do appreciate it very much. I had wanted to respond this post earlier but CiC system was down for a while...