Landscape My attempt at RAW and Lightroom editing: The beach

Student · 02-19-2011, 01:07 PM

Hello everyone, can I have your opinions once again? I ceased by stubborn attitude, and shot in RAW today. I then opened my Lightroom 3 trial and played around (not really knowing what I was doing because I don't usually edit my photos.). I think even though the pictures themselves are boring today the editing isn't bad, but for some reason it looks like HDR *Scratches head*. Any input is very much welcome.

And yes, it was raining and a storm came soon after. My K-7 got soaking wet but it can take it anyway, I on the other hand lost my umbrella because it flew out of my hands!

Last edited by Student; 02-19-2011 at 01:16 PM.

**Fontan** · 02-19-2011, 02:14 PM

Do you want opinions on PP techniques??? or on pics themselves??

As a photograph, I really think that you have something on the second shot. It shows that you understand it is not just about scenary. As far as the need for PP on this shot - I am not sure if you can do what I would do with LR3. If you have NIK Vivenza you can. You can tone-curve the selected areas that are underexposed (there were few areas of that along the wall) to make it more uniformly under exposed to give it a definitive shape. The degree of contrast seems appropriate for the mood and I say this by looking at pebbles. If you took it up a notch, you lose more of the texture on the wall.

As for the 1st and the last . . . . sorry, they just didn't do it for me. If you wanted to demonstrate the PP techniques, it maybe helpful to put up the originals . . . .

Student · 02-19-2011, 02:36 PM

Originally posted by Fontan

Do you want opinions on PP techniques??? or on pics themselves??

As a photograph, I really think that you have something on the second shot. It shows that you understand it is not just about scenary. As far as the need for PP on this shot - I am not sure if you can do what I would do with LR3. If you have NIK Vivenza you can. You can tone-curve the selected areas that are underexposed (there were few areas of that along the wall) to make it more uniformly under exposed to give it a definitive shape. The degree of contrast seems appropriate for the mood and I say this by looking at pebbles. If you took it up a notch, you lose more of the texture on the wall.

As for the 1st and the last . . . . sorry, they just didn't do it for me. If you wanted to demonstrate the PP techniques, it maybe helpful to put up the originals . . . .

Opinions on both! I am not sure what NUK Vivenza is? What's that?

Student · 02-19-2011, 02:44 PM

Exposure increased to +0.65

Is this good?

juu · 02-19-2011, 03:13 PM

All of them look underexposed.

Student · 02-19-2011, 03:16 PM

Originally posted by juu

All of them look underexposed.

I was affraid of increasing the exposure too much because this was taken at around 6PM and it was quite dark already plus there was a storm coming. I think that if I went on exposing it a little more it would no longer be truthful to the conditions in which the shot was taken.

JeffJS · 02-19-2011, 10:43 PM

Originally posted by Student

I was affraid of increasing the exposure too much because this was taken at around 6PM and it was quite dark already plus there was a storm coming. I think that if I went on exposing it a little more it would no longer be truthful to the conditions in which the shot was taken.

Yes, but people don't see that. All they see is dark pictures. You need something else in the photos to put them more into context. A person carrying an umbrella or a photo including yours that flew out of your hand for instance. I understand wanting to stay true to the scene but you can lift the exposure a little bit without killing the mood of the photos.

My 2¢

ASa · 02-20-2011, 08:09 AM

The second one, in my opinion, is really good. What I would do (what I think Fontan suggested) is to add a bit of light to the very darkest areas on the fence. This could be done with "fill light" or via curve adjustments. The mood in the picture is already really nice, but it bugs me a bit that some of the detail on that fence is a bit lost due to the darkness.

For the rest two you're just missing that something on the photos. The first one could benefit from a tighter crop and a slight exposure boost.

And what I can say as a RAW-beginner myself, stick with it, it'll change your whole world of photographing!

**Fontan** · 02-20-2011, 09:13 PM

Originally posted by ASa

The second one, in my opinion, is really good. What I would do (what I think Fontan suggested) is to add a bit of light to the very darkest areas on the fence. This could be done with "fill light" or via curve adjustments. The mood in the picture is already really nice, but it bugs me a bit that some of the detail on that fence is a bit lost due to the darkness.

For the rest two you're just missing that something on the photos. The first one could benefit from a tighter crop and a slight exposure boost.

And what I can say as a RAW-beginner myself, stick with it, it'll change your whole world of photographing!

If you were to tone-curve it on LR3, you may not be able do that selectively on different parts of the photo to a different degree. That is why I think that NIK Vivenza software is sort of kind of useful at times.

C-Factor · 02-20-2011, 09:42 PM

Student I really like the second photo and as others have said it works on many levels. The other two don't really seem that interesting, bit the last one might be better if the houses colors were more saturated and perhaps exposed up a little. As for the second one try one of the following techniques. First a simple, although not precise method would be try using the graduated tool, which looks like a rectangle with two little half circles on either side. Set the first point below your frame and drag up until you see adjustments reach the top of the wall, which appear to be two thirds up. Then try bringing exposure, contrast, and perhaps a small amount sharpness up in small increments and see if you like the results. Another option is to use the adjustment brush and try just bringing the wall details into view with exposure adjustments. I have not used LR very much, but I found it was similar to Adobe Camera RAW that I use with CS5 so hopefully you can locate and try these methods. For those experts reading this, I know there are many other methods to do this with much more precision, but I was just trying to suggest a couple easy methods to try without needing much knowledge. My two cents

Student · 02-21-2011, 09:53 PM

The second one is what i really love shooting. Black and White Classic Photography. I hope to do portraits soon, this eye was made for portraits not landscape!

02-19-2011, 01:07 PM	#1
Student Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 234	My attempt at RAW and Lightroom editing: The beach Lens: Kit Lens Camera: Pentax K-7 Hello everyone, can I have your opinions once again? I ceased by stubborn attitude, and shot in RAW today. I then opened my Lightroom 3 trial and played around (not really knowing what I was doing because I don't usually edit my photos.). I think even though the pictures themselves are boring today the editing isn't bad, but for some reason it looks like HDR Scratches head. Any input is very much welcome. And yes, it was raining and a storm came soon after. My K-7 got soaking wet but it can take it anyway, I on the other hand lost my umbrella because it flew out of my hands! Last edited by Student; 02-19-2011 at 01:16 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
RAW file editing program?	enoxatnep	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	9	12-15-2010 11:29 PM
Raw editing and post processing software for dummies?	Sew-Classic	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	8	07-16-2009 05:53 AM
RAW editing in Bridge?	FHPhotographer	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	4	07-14-2008 02:31 PM
RAW format and Lightroom question	Bokeh	Pentax DSLR Discussion	3	05-06-2008 07:40 AM
Raw editing problem	florin	Photographic Technique	6	03-22-2008 03:51 AM

02-19-2011, 02:14 PM	#2
Fontan Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: 5th floor Posts: 1,610	Do you want opinions on PP techniques??? or on pics themselves?? As a photograph, I really think that you have something on the second shot. It shows that you understand it is not just about scenary. As far as the need for PP on this shot - I am not sure if you can do what I would do with LR3. If you have NIK Vivenza you can. You can tone-curve the selected areas that are underexposed (there were few areas of that along the wall) to make it more uniformly under exposed to give it a definitive shape. The degree of contrast seems appropriate for the mood and I say this by looking at pebbles. If you took it up a notch, you lose more of the texture on the wall. As for the 1st and the last . . . . sorry, they just didn't do it for me. If you wanted to demonstrate the PP techniques, it maybe helpful to put up the originals . . . .

02-19-2011, 02:36 PM	#3
Student Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 234 Original Poster	Originally posted by Fontan Do you want opinions on PP techniques??? or on pics themselves?? As a photograph, I really think that you have something on the second shot. It shows that you understand it is not just about scenary. As far as the need for PP on this shot - I am not sure if you can do what I would do with LR3. If you have NIK Vivenza you can. You can tone-curve the selected areas that are underexposed (there were few areas of that along the wall) to make it more uniformly under exposed to give it a definitive shape. The degree of contrast seems appropriate for the mood and I say this by looking at pebbles. If you took it up a notch, you lose more of the texture on the wall. As for the 1st and the last . . . . sorry, they just didn't do it for me. If you wanted to demonstrate the PP techniques, it maybe helpful to put up the originals . . . . Opinions on both! I am not sure what NUK Vivenza is? What's that?

02-19-2011, 02:44 PM	#4
Student Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 234 Original Poster	Exposure increased to +0.65 Is this good?

02-19-2011, 03:13 PM	#5
juu Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 680	All of them look underexposed.

02-19-2011, 03:16 PM	#6
Student Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 234 Original Poster	Originally posted by juu All of them look underexposed. I was affraid of increasing the exposure too much because this was taken at around 6PM and it was quite dark already plus there was a storm coming. I think that if I went on exposing it a little more it would no longer be truthful to the conditions in which the shot was taken.

02-19-2011, 10:43 PM	#7
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by Student I was affraid of increasing the exposure too much because this was taken at around 6PM and it was quite dark already plus there was a storm coming. I think that if I went on exposing it a little more it would no longer be truthful to the conditions in which the shot was taken. Yes, but people don't see that. All they see is dark pictures. You need something else in the photos to put them more into context. A person carrying an umbrella or a photo including yours that flew out of your hand for instance. I understand wanting to stay true to the scene but you can lift the exposure a little bit without killing the mood of the photos. My 2¢

02-20-2011, 08:09 AM	#8
ASa Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Tampere/Helsinki Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 218	The second one, in my opinion, is really good. What I would do (what I think Fontan suggested) is to add a bit of light to the very darkest areas on the fence. This could be done with "fill light" or via curve adjustments. The mood in the picture is already really nice, but it bugs me a bit that some of the detail on that fence is a bit lost due to the darkness. For the rest two you're just missing that something on the photos. The first one could benefit from a tighter crop and a slight exposure boost. And what I can say as a RAW-beginner myself, stick with it, it'll change your whole world of photographing!

02-20-2011, 09:13 PM	#9
Fontan Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: 5th floor Posts: 1,610	Originally posted by ASa The second one, in my opinion, is really good. What I would do (what I think Fontan suggested) is to add a bit of light to the very darkest areas on the fence. This could be done with "fill light" or via curve adjustments. The mood in the picture is already really nice, but it bugs me a bit that some of the detail on that fence is a bit lost due to the darkness. For the rest two you're just missing that something on the photos. The first one could benefit from a tighter crop and a slight exposure boost. And what I can say as a RAW-beginner myself, stick with it, it'll change your whole world of photographing! If you were to tone-curve it on LR3, you may not be able do that selectively on different parts of the photo to a different degree. That is why I think that NIK Vivenza software is sort of kind of useful at times.

02-20-2011, 09:42 PM	#10
C-Factor Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 113	Student I really like the second photo and as others have said it works on many levels. The other two don't really seem that interesting, bit the last one might be better if the houses colors were more saturated and perhaps exposed up a little. As for the second one try one of the following techniques. First a simple, although not precise method would be try using the graduated tool, which looks like a rectangle with two little half circles on either side. Set the first point below your frame and drag up until you see adjustments reach the top of the wall, which appear to be two thirds up. Then try bringing exposure, contrast, and perhaps a small amount sharpness up in small increments and see if you like the results. Another option is to use the adjustment brush and try just bringing the wall details into view with exposure adjustments. I have not used LR very much, but I found it was similar to Adobe Camera RAW that I use with CS5 so hopefully you can locate and try these methods. For those experts reading this, I know there are many other methods to do this with much more precision, but I was just trying to suggest a couple easy methods to try without needing much knowledge. My two cents

02-21-2011, 09:53 PM	#11
Student Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 234 Original Poster	The second one is what i really love shooting. Black and White Classic Photography. I hope to do portraits soon, this eye was made for portraits not landscape!

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search