[Zephos]

I am trying to improve my PP skills. I did this in rawTherapy, however in the process I discovered Darktable which seems to be more powerful and has a lot of features that I haven't found in rawTherapy. Anyone know if it is better? I can't afford Adobe products at the moment. Anyway, I am attaching the out of camera JPG and my own rendition. What do you think?



My Rendition:

[Kerrowdown]

What do you think?

Interesting image, but I find your PP result a little muddy, I hope you will not mind but I did a really quick tweak of the first image (out of the camera jpg) to show you what I mean.

[dadipentak]

Actually, I like the first image--a lot.

[Kerrowdown]

Actually, I like the first image--a lot

The OP says that's the the out of camera jpg, with no PP.

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Last edited by Kerrowdown; 02-14-2016 at 07:56 AM.

[Zephos]

Interesting image, but I find your PP result a little muddy, I hope you will not mind but I did a really quick tweak of the first image (out of the camera jpg) to show you what I mean.

Now that you mention it I think you are right. I'm going to try it again.

---------- Post added 02-14-16 at 10:37 AM ----------

Here's another shot at it. I don't know if this image is just not very good or if I suck at PP. What am I doing wrong?

[slowpez]

Try warming it up a bit. Looks like Kerrowdown toned down the blue and added some warm tones.

[Kerrowdown]

What am I doing wrong?

I'd tweak the white balance first and try to loose some of that blue.

[Kerrowdown]

Looks like Kerrowdown toned down the blue and added some warm tones

Aye... your spot on with that.

[wildman]

What do you think?

I think you need to learn to walk before you try to run.

It's very difficult lighting that requires a carefully exposed RAW file processed with
software and skill more demanding then is, apparently, available to you at this point.
Start with an image a bit more modest in difficulty and carrying on from there.

Good luck.

[Zephos]

I think you need to learn to walk before you try to run.

It's very difficult lighting that requires a carefully exposed RAW file processed with
software and skill more demanding then is, apparently, available to you at this point.
Start with an image a bit more modest in difficulty and carrying on from there.

Good luck.

Thank you. I have a bad habit of letting my ambition get the best of me and I often forget that Rome wasn't built in a day, so to speak. I will try to do something a bit more basic to improve my skills... and one day I will be able to process this image haha.

[mee]

Post Processing is incredibly subjective based on personal view.. some people like very very strong contrast and super saturated hues.. others like a softer, more subtle feel.. and some are color blind and don't realize it. hehe.. I mean this scene can change feel many ways just by altering the blue channel alone.

That is a gorgeous scene though. I couldn't help but to play with it myself.. That said, this forum seems to add it's own compression to the image, further softening/blurring the shot.

[Zephos]

Post Processing is incredibly subjective based on personal view.. some people like very very strong contrast and super saturated hues.. others like a softer, more subtle feel.. and some are color blind and don't realize it. hehe.. I mean this scene can change feel many ways just by altering the blue channel alone.

That is a gorgeous scene though. I couldn't help but to play with it myself.. That said, this forum seems to add it's own compression to the image, further softening/blurring the shot.

I could send you the raw file if you want. I'd love to see what other people could do with the actual raw image.

[TaoMaas]

I like the sense of mystery in the original shot and, to me, the subject is whatever is at the end of that stream. To that end, I like what Kerrowdown did in bringing out more detail and color in the stream because it allows it to act as a leading line towards taking the viewer deeper into the woods. However, I like the darker, cooler colors of the original so, if it were me, I'd keep those, but try to bring more life into the stream. I also think that a little vignetting on the sky would help keep things contained in the central area of the photo.

[Bruce Clark]

PP is a very individual task. You may already have come across the Post Processing Challenge on this forum where members submit an image for other to have a go at. There are often very striking and varied results obtained. These challenges are well worth a look to see what is possible and to try new skills. You have a good start with your image here judging by some of the edits. Learn at your own pace and don't afraid to experiment. Ask questions and don't be afraid to push the limits. There is no single "right" answer.

If I might offer some technical advice, check your software to learn how to set a white point and a black point. This will provide a good starting point for more adventurous edits.

[LeDave]