[carrrlangas]

Here's my attempt, done in LR.

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Last edited by carrrlangas; 10-15-2017 at 02:03 PM.

[Arizona Dave]

Thanks for playing along this week! I'll try to comment a little on each first.


Tas, Thanks for hosting last week. Your sepia and antiqued version was well-executed.


nosliwmit, At these sizes, I don't even notice the halo you referenced. Other than the color balance being a little less appealing to me, I really like everything you did here. Excellent choice of crop.


capmazariegos, That's a bold choice of colors and dark mood you've created there. Excellent crop.


johnc, I really, really like almost everything you did in your first entry. This looks very similar to some of my own bolder HDR creations. You came back later with a less saturated and dramatic version, but I preferred your first one. I say "almost everything" because I found the light dusting of snow in the canyon to be an odd choice.


JHfwp, You said your entry was "rather dull and dark", and initially I agreed. However; you came back and made some massive improvements to arrive at a natural-looking and fun scene. I mentioned to someone this week, I had never seen a pink Pterodactyl before. Of course, I was reminded I have never seen one before at all! Ha ha!


bakerking31, I actually really like the colors of your version, but for some reason I feel like I'm looking through a scope of some sort. Nice try.


astonm, It's apparent you like your green tints - being from Washington State, and all. Your take was quite dreamy and light.


ZeljkoS, There's GOLD in them thar hills! Ha ha. I enjoyed the much warmer take.


Lars, I like it. Nice way to stand out with the square crop.


carrriangas, Whoa! When trying to critique your entry I found myself wanting a little more breathing room around the river bend, but then I looked at my original shot and see I didn't leave any more room for you. Thanks for the composition idea. I'll definitely get a telephoto shot of something similar if I ever make it back out there.


Todd, Two very nice entries. It seems you always have excellent entries. I preferred your first entry the best. I thought your choice of crop was fine. The only little nit I would have is the appearance of over-sharpening in the foreground. You are in the coveted second place this week!


Glenn, Three excellent entries - including the only B&W conversion. I went back and forth between your first and third entries and my preference seemed to change depending on the monitor. (Final critique was done on a calibrated monitor.) Very nice natural color and well-executed sharpening in your first. It's clear, being an Arizona resident yourself, was an advantage to nailing to proper color balances. Where most tend for overly warm and green tints, you really nailed the color of the red canyons. You addressed the empty blue sky in the upper left two different ways. In the first, you added a handful of small clouds, and in the third, you cropped some of the sky out. I actually preferred the crop in the third, but in every other aspect your first entry was my favorite. Your first entry was very well done and is the winner of Post-Processing Challenge #209!






























Congratulations to Glenn5995 - The next host!


---------- Post added 02-10-17 at 05:25 PM ----------

This is how I saw the scene last October.













The wind was trying to blow us over the edge that morning.

[Tas]

Thanks Dave and congrats Glenn5995.

Tas

[Glenn5995]

Wow! Thank you Dave for hosting this challenge, taking the time to comment on the entries and the honor of hosting the next challenge. Congrats Todd on the coveted 2nd place! Well done everyone. Let me see what I can come up with for 210.

[todd]

The only little nit I would have is the appearance of over-sharpening in the foreground.

Thanks for the comments Dave. You caught me with the over-sharpening naughty which I was aware of and reflects a weakness/tendency in my current workflow, where I am fond of various sharpening methods in my initial conversion in Rawtherapee before I head over to Gimp/Nik. I should have produced another less sharpened copy in Rawtherapee to blend in more suitably over in Gimp but laziness prevailed because I realized the problem too late...

What a wonderful image from what looks like was a bountiful trip!

Thanks for hosting Dave and congrats Glenn!

[Glenn5995]

Challenge #210 is ready for your entries!

Post Processing Challenge 210

[JHfwp]

Thanks for commenting Dave and providing us with a remarkable shot to play with.

And congrats Glenn. I never noticed the work you did on the sky in your first entry until Dave pointed it out, but it really helps balance it. Nice job all-around.

I've got a tent similar to the Big Agnes in the background, Dave (love the easy set up), but I lack what looks like the ultimate way to explore the Southwest's back roads. Looks like a blast!

[johnc]

Well done Glenn!Thanks for hosting with such a great image, and taking the time to comment, Dave.

The (unintentional!) icing sugar look must have come from too much highlight boost in the canyon I think.

John

[carrrlangas]

@Arizona Dave, thanks for the comments!
I found your remark about the colors of the rock formations very interesting.

Congrats to the winner!