PP challenge

[crisscross]

further to 'Aperture' overview request post 10
Here is kit for seeing how your PP skills and software work out on a tricky landscape
This URL will get you a download of the original .CR2 file from Canon 350D camera and a description of what caught my eye, a fairly ambitious package perhaps, but rejoice that I had a Sigma 50-150 on the front not a 10-20. It should just download - 7MB

http://www.evendine.eclipse.co.uk/images/smoke.zip

[Daniel Salazar]

Hi Chris,

what about his. it's not perfect and could be improved, however let's give it a try!

http://homepage.mac.com/daniel.salaz...g/large-2.html


Cheers,
Daniel

[crisscross]

Hi Chris,

what about his. it's not perfect and could be improved, however let's give it a try!

http://homepage.mac.com/daniel.salaz...g/large-2.html


Cheers,
Daniel

Thanks for trying Daniel, but I prefer your own 2 originals on the web-site, very interesting light on the background right of no 3.

If you don't mind my saying, your take on mine confirms what I nearly always find on landscapes edited as a whole frame (if it was), that by the time you have sorted the sky, the landscape is 'dead in the water'

[Daniel Salazar]

Hi Chris, I agree with it. Just could you explain me what did you do with yours to take all this fog out? I'm using the plugins from NIK, so they use the same technology as the one used by your Nikon program.

Cheers,
Daniel

[crisscross]

Hi Chris, I agree with it. Just could you explain me what did you do with yours to take all this fog out? I'm using the plugins from NIK, so they use the same technology as the one used by your Nikon program.

Cheers,
Daniel

I tried and intensely disliked NIK/Effex filters a month back (see NX2 thread). I found it necessary on this particular frame (after converting using Aperture 2, then using NX2 standard tools) was to divide it into 4 zones , some with quite accurate mask edges. In the sky zone I used equivalent of doubled up ND grad filters at different angles

[David]

Hi Chris - Having re-read this post, I'm a bit confused as to what we're meant to be doing. Here is my take on your zip file of the CR2 file.



If this is of interest I can go over what I did.

Cheers

David

[crisscross]

Hi Chris - Having re-read this post, I'm a bit confused as to what we're meant to be doing. Here is my take on your zip file of the CR2 file.

If this is of interest I can go over what I did.

Cheers
David

Thank you David - my 'shopping list' for what should be included in processed file was in the .rtf that came with the CR2 in the zip and my own efforts in
'Aperture' overview request post 10.

You seem to have done quite well on the sky except the upper cloud should be pure white and have done great work on the foreground, where I let it be. But not keen on the cabbage soup in between! It looks as if you have done quite a lot of sharpening, or is it mask edges? - but do say what you did in what progs, thanks

[Daniel Salazar]

Hi Davi, it's really green!

[David]

Chris - Having found the rtf file, here is a second go:



My technique for these two efforts is the same. I created three different TIFF files directly from the CR2 file, one for the foreground, one for the sky and one for the mid ground. I then layered these in the GIMP and applied a simply layer mask on two of the layers to create the overall image. These layers were then merged and tweaked (for white balance etc.) and then slightly sharpened with a new filter, peculiar to the GIMP, called wavelet sharpen. On this second attempt, as you were not so keen on cabbage soup, I kept the mid ground to much as it was in the original.

I'm off to Morocco tomorrow for a few days. More posts when I return.


David

[crisscross]

Chris - Having found the rtf file, here is a second go:

My technique for these two efforts is the same. I created three different TIFF files directly from the CR2 file, one for the foreground, one for the sky and one for the mid ground. I then layered these in the GIMP and applied a simply layer mask on two of the layers to create the overall image. These layers were then merged and tweaked (for white balance etc.) and then slightly sharpened with a new filter, peculiar to the GIMP, called wavelet sharpen. On this second attempt, as you were not so keen on cabbage soup, I kept the mid ground to much as it was in the original.

I'm off to Morocco tomorrow for a few days. More posts when I return.


David

That is pretty good David, the foreground (which I left to the wolves) much better & the sky pretty good. I possibly spent longer on the masking of the background bits and main middleground, the latter to get the autumn golds up and smoke differentiated.

I have not come across the GIMP lately, last heard of during mac OS9-10 transition to overcome printing problems. I didn't realise it had serious editing and layering capabilities. I think you are on PC? There seem t be 2.4.7 and possibly 2.6 around fro mac which maybe I ought to look at - or maybe we can do a shared version.

Meanwhile enjoy your time in Morrocco and I am sure you will come back with some superlative stuff - my son David took school geog parties there a couple of times and returned again with his fiance, now wife, so I have previews.

[atvinnys]

I just gave it a try with LR2: start with the Dirrect POsitive preset, then bump the fill light some to bring the foreground out of darkness...
then gradient on sky
then select with the brush the smoky middle and crank up the clarity on it....

kinda my first time at LR (I ususally use Dxo) so I am sure that can be improved big time..

The result is similar to what David has...

tryLandscape-1.jpg

[crisscross]

I just gave it a try with LR2: start with the Dirrect POsitive preset, then bump the fill light some to bring the foreground out of darkness...
then gradient on sky
then select with the brush the smoky middle and crank up the clarity on it....

kinda my first time at LR (I ususally use Dxo) so I am sure that can be improved big time..

The result is similar to what David has...

Quite impressed for a 1st try with LR2 (not that I know it) - perhaps the 'smoky middle' should have been protected from the overall fill light or whatever......then there are the tiresome little background bits. We live in such a small scale landscape in UK that we have to savour every little hump and ridge

[atvinnys]

just a side note: by LR2 I meant LigthRoom 2 (from Adobe..) and yeah, I am still a rooky at using it..
probably need to get the middle section correct then tweak the rest to convenience..