My original shot..



Burned areas in red



Dodged areas in red



Contrasted areas in red



Final



Is HDR necessary.. I think working in raw gives better results...

it will take a lot more work to get this ready to print... offered just as a proof of concept.

[daacon]

Brilliant Norn - I open Photoshop and feel like a 5 year old in a calculus class. I really need to take a course - this winter I think.

[Bob Harris]

The original is great, finished quite improved. Getting there reminds me of an LSD trip. Bob

[normhead]

Getting there reminds me of an LSD trip. Bob

The above statement brings up a number of questions...

Bob, when was the last time you were tripping on acid?
Would an HDR shot look better on LSD than if you were straight?
Would taking hallucinogenic drugs improve your PP results?

You made me think there for a minute or two Bob, but I'm OK now.

[charliezap]

The above statement brings up a number of questions...

Bob, when was the last time you were tripping on acid?
Would an HDR shot look better on LSD than if you were straight?
Would taking hallucinogenic drugs improve your PP results?

You made me think there for a minute or two Bob, but I'm OK now.

I just had some friends over that we were good friends back to the 60's and 70's and we did some "imbibing." tonight to relive those crazy years as Bob alludes to.The beauty is always in the eye of the beholder no matter what medium transports you there.---charliezap

[Jodokast96]

Is HDR necessary.. I think working in raw gives better results...
it will take a lot more work to get this ready to print... offered just as a proof of concept.

Looks pretty good, though I'm not sure if you missed it or not, but it is very easy for me to see the area you masked for contrast adjustment in the final image. I know how much of a pain it is (for me anyway) to mask off something as complex as that, but maybe you could use the same mask you used for dodging and invert it.

[normhead]

It's always interesting to have comments to consider. Tess and I usually discuss images as we work on them, it's like adding to the group. We do prefer not having a halo around the trees, it just looks odd to us.. and we're working in Aperture not photoshop... this is usually about how far I go before I decide if I'm going to print an image... if I'm going to print the image could very well end up looking like Schraubstock's, sans the halo, I usually make print files lighter, more contrast and more saturated....
that being said, the goal was to look at the necessity of using HDR functions.. this is shot with a K20D, the K-5 would have taken the range from 12 EV to 14 EV. I'm just having trouble for making a case for HDR, when there is so much information in a RAW file.

[Jimbo]

Norm, thank you for reviewing your process. Nicely done. JIM

[Rupert]

Everyone has an opinion, everyone has their own taste, but I like the processed version very much....it does beat HDR by a mile...in my eyes....the only thing I would change is the redness in the sky and lake reflection. I like the tones in the original sky better, but again, it is just a matter of preference. The finished product is very nicely done to my eyes.
I'm still just an Elements guy, with a lot of plug-ins, and hope to live long enough to move up to the "Big Gun" processors if I ever master Elements. Looks like you know what you are doing!
Regards!

[scatron]

Appreciate the tutorial, Norm. I like the result.

[manishved]

Nice variations....

[normhead]

A couple of comments Schraubstock, first, I was showing workflow, but, only the first 10 minutes... I can't possibly show all the little tweaks I would have gone through after this point, but, there are a number of points here in terms of just plain decency, I never said my version was in any way done, so inviting comparison between the versions is rediculous...I could work another hour on this hsot, and I probably will because I think theres a sellable print there, and come back and say "now which is better"

Point two.. while I know you love your version... a warning.. there is a lot of demand for what I call "Velvet Elvis" photography.. I know this was meant to turn the thread into a focus on my unfinished image and your criticism of it..however if you start messing with my images, without permission... I might as well tell you what I think. Your image is a Velvet Elvis version of my image..if you look at the two versions, you've lost shadow detail in favour of image contrast..to say that is more realistic is to not understand the whole photographic process. I wouldn't be comfortable displaying it or selling it. I should probably just leave it at that... except to point out that, the people who would buy my version of the print, might not like your version. Your alteration is such that it would determine my clientele. Whether or not anyone else thinks your version is better is irrelevant. As long as people are buying my less saturated , less contrasted versions , I'm happy, because they like what I like. Those are the people I want to sell to. The people who like what you like, they can buy their images from you. I don't see how either one of us has to change our style, decide what the better image is, or come to a common perspective. You made your case, you should leave it at that, forget the popularity contest.

The thread was about workflow... not about finished images, you didn't actually contribute to that.

[Schraubstock]

Hi
Normhead please accept my apologies I had no idea my posts would be so offensive to you. From some of your other posts I am aware that you know your business and my posts were not meant to question this. As I said several times in my posts they were not to be seen as a criticism but merely stimulate discussion. I obviously totally misread your post, so please do forgive me. I shall be more careful next time.

Greetings

[normhead]

No problem Shraubstock... live and learn. While I agree with the concept of starting discussion.. it's best to start a thread that's on topic. I've tried a number of times to start a thread on workflow.. it seems be not a favourite topic.. starting one on the values you are aiming for might be interesting, one that used different interpretations of the same image, but to me , that would turn into a discussion of personal values... which I'd avoid like the plague.. as opposed to technical issues, which I love... however there is a post processing challenge I bet you would really enjoy. Those guys are amazing.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/mini-challenges-games-photo-stories/15392...enge-46-a.html

[Jimbo]

Norm, love looking at how others handle work flow as we all approach it slightly different. I also think the work flow changes as you improve in your photgraphy. It is a challenge to keep the shot as natural as possible while adding just enough to make it stand out. Most are over kill when it comes to pumping up the image. I usually go to a certain spot and then back off just a little. Appreciate you taking the time to go through your process as any new approach is always interesting and helpful. Regards JIM