Post Processing Ideas

[haidergill]

Hi,

I don't have much post processing experience but have been given (a while back as) a present Photoshop CS2, Wacom Bamboo Fun graphics tablet, Pantone Huey and a book 'Photoshop CS2 For Photographers'. So here I am. I'm wondering how I can improve these two photos by using Photoshop. I just need a pointer really to get me started as I will be able to look in the book and use Google. The photos: -






Thanks
Haider

[fike]

Start with levels adjustment layers...one for the sky and one for the ground.  You will want to introduce a more pure black point to the color in the hills. 

To do this I would:
Step 1) Create a levels adjustment layer and adjust the sliders until the sky has a bit more pleasing detail. It will be a bit darker.  When I do this, the ground will look crappy.  I then would take a very large, very soft, very light airbrush with black and paint-out the effect in the foreground.  This might also be done with a gradient fill, but since your horizon isn't straight, you would need to do lots of hand cleanup, so you might as well start by doing it by hand with a brush.

Step 2) I would then create a second levels adjustment layer for the ground that should now look exactly as it did before you did step 1.  This second levels will probably need both the black point and the white point moved inward.  Ignore the actual histogram and look at your image. Pull those sliders in until the ground looks more lush and contrasty.  At this point, your sky is likely to look bad again.  So now you will do the inverse of what you did before.  You will again get the black paintbrush to paint-out the effect on this adjustment layer's mask.  Again a gradient may be good start, but you will need to fine tune it with a brush.

I have attached a rough draft of where I would start.

[Tim Lookingbill]

First off you need to know what you want to fix in the photo that doesn't please you. There's no rule you have post process every photo you see. You have to know why you need to edit an image.

The two you've posted look fine to me. I'ld just boost the saturation a bit and add some clarity with a Unsharp Mask setting of 20 Amount/20 Radius and adjust the sliders to taste.

[bill t.]

I personally like a very open look, because I do prints and those generally look a lot nicer (to me) with a lot of modulation in the darker areas.

Does CS2 have Shadows/Highlights?  I think so.  It's an inferior method to the masked curves technique that Marc demonstrated, but is a lot faster especially when you want to plow throw a lot of images at once.

Here's a screen grab.  Note the clouds are little crushed and the overall scene contrast still pretty low, but overall more information is available in the image compared to before.  An additional curves layers over everything could be to used bump things up a bit, depending on your aesthetic bias.

Note I dragged the histogram down into the screen grab area, nice to keep an eye on that when using shadows/highlights which doesn't normally offer a dedicated histogram such as the one you get from Levels.

Also note that Shadows/Highlights is a destructive edit in that it changes the data in the image in whatever layer it is applied to.  In Marc's masked levels technique you can fiddle with the contrast all day long without hurting your original.  Over on the right of my screen grab you can see that I saved a couple of untouched original versions to give myself the opportunity of going all the way to an undamaged original.  You could also have protected the original by first converting it into a "smart object," but that's a more advanced topic.

But basically, Marc and I are both trying to raise the shadow tones and increase contrast in the clouds.  Lightroom also offers and kinda-sorta-usually OK method for that effectively uses a masks and which is non-destructive.

[haidergill]

Thanks Guys I looked at you post and read some of the book. I like the idea of creating the masks and applying levels that way. See how I get on...

[John R Smith]

Haider

Normally I don't get involved in this sort of tech stuff (because I am no techie), but your pictures caught my eye because they look very much like my neck of the woods (Cornwall). In fact, picture #2 looks very like the entrance to Boscastle. But of course, I could be wildly wrong . . .

However, if I may make a suggestion. My feeling is that you need to worry less about post-processing and start thinking a lot more about "pre" processing. Rather than trying to make an essentially dull shot look better by mucking about with the file after the fact, spend more time making the shot work for you in camera. Your compositions are OK, but routine. The worst part of the shots is that the light is terrible - it is doing nothing for your picture, nothing is happening with the light. Dull, flat, uninspiring. And the sky, which needs to really contribute to this sort of coastal landscape, is doing nothing either. Messing about with some sort of horrible HDR effect in PS is not going to magically cure any of this and turn either of these into a great picture. Get back out there in some great light, dramatic weather and great skies and get yourself some better shots would be my advice. I often don't take a single frame for weeks because the light is just not there.

Please take all of this in the spirit of constructive (I hope) criticism. I take a lot of boring shots like this too, as we all do. But I am sure that you have it in you to do much, much better.

John

[bill t.]

The best Photoshop filter you can apply to a landscape is to show up at sunset or sunrise when light and color will often smile upon you and your camera.

The second best Photoshop filter is to scout out a set of scenes that are reasonably close, and go to them frequently, or at least when the clouds are pretty.

[howardm]

I think John absolutely nailed it. 

It's knowing *when* to press the shutter.  The challenge is the hit-miss quality of positioning, waiting and wasting time waiting for the right light.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I think John absolutely nailed it. 

It's knowing *when* to press the shutter.  The challenge is the hit-miss quality of positioning, waiting and wasting time waiting for the right light.

+1.

John is right on. I too have tons of great scenes in mediocre light. Postprocessing never fixes them. When the composition and the light are both working just right, then PP can enhance an image.

Eric

[fike]

I think you guys might be missing the point of some post processing.  While I agree that these photos will never be masterpieces of fine art landscape because of the limitations stemming from the moment of capture, they are nice photos and if viewed as travel photos, they can be part of a nice collection. There is certainly a good reason to maximize the quality of an image for putting in your photo scrapbook from a trip.  Travel photography rarely affords the luxury of waiting for the perfect light and weather conditions.  You do the best with what you get.

Intent is really what is most important.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I think you guys might be missing the point of some post processing.  While I agree that these photos will never be masterpieces of fine art landscape because of the limitations stemming from the moment of capture, they are nice photos and if viewed as travel photos, they can be part of a nice collection. There is certainly a good reason to maximize the quality of an image for putting in your photo scrapbook from a trip.  Travel photography rarely affords the luxury of waiting for the perfect light and weather conditions.  You do the best with what you get.

Intent is really what is most important.

Sorry I sounded a bit dogmatic. I completely agree with you, Marc.

Eric

[howardm]

Agreed.  More of a slight off-topic philosophical detour

[haidergill]

Sorry been a bit busy at work lately so I didn't get a chance to come back. A bit of backgrounder I have been reading books on composition and studying photographs and experimenting with elements in my compositions to see how they effect the feeling of the photographs. I'm really learning the rules at this point been reading and soaking up The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos. and The Photographer's Mind: Creative Thinking for Better Digital Photos. Once I understand the rules then I can attempt to successfully break them. If you guys know a good book I can read on lighting that would be great? The post processing bit is learning exercise too really...

[michael ellis]

Hi Halder-

You have some nice landscape to work with. I particularly like the rocks in the second photo. Both photos are pretty well focused and composed. While it is difficult to overcome adverse shooting conditions we often don't have the luxury of time and I have many photos of great scenes with less than great light, sky, etc. Making pictures is a learning experience.
I think, especially if you are learning Photoshop, it is valuable to work on less than perfect pictures. You will quickly learn how to use the tools and more importantly what you can and cannot fix. Photoshop allows you to do a lot to your images, including compositing in a new sky or removing objects you don't want in the scene. To do this so it looks "right' takes a lot of experience.

Try I-tunes pod casts and Adobe TV for help learning photoshop. The Luminous Landscape's  Camera to Print and Screen is a great guide to the whole digital workflow. Jeff Schewes Real World Camera Raw has also been very helpful to me.

Michael

[rambler44]

As pointed out that sky is too washed out. It could be darkened to create contrast.

Here is a quick way to do this.  First, create a duplicate layer by dragging the background layer into the New Layer icon.  (Or go to Layer at the top of the screen and select Duplicate Layer.

Now, in the Layer box area where it reads "Normal" click on the arrow to get the select box and choose Multiple.  Your image should suddenly be mostly dark.  Select a large soft paint brush and overlay and a percentage of opacity starting with a bit less than 100, but over 50.  Now just paint over all but the sky with the brush to lighten all but the sky.

It is probably best to get used to using the sliders in Camera Raw.  Try white balance options first, and also try Camera Calibration.  Try the choices under Camera profile like "camera vivid".

To darken the sky goto a minus number with the brightness slider, then increase the Fill Light to get the land mass brighter again. You can also drag the exposure button to the right and then increase the blacks to get back contrast and so it goes.  Check the histogram.  Your goal is to get both the triangles black.  If the right one stays white, click on it and you should be able to see where the highlighted problems are as they will be blinking red in your image.

Fiddle and diddle until you get an image that pleases you.  You can do a lot in Camera Raw.  Click on the icons and move sliders!

Someone mentioned using Smart Objects.  Research "Double Processing"  In short, that method takes one photo, makes two one with a darkened sky, the other with a correctly exposed foreground and combining the two.

PS  Remember the this is a thread asking about post-processing methods, and not about the merits of post processing.  Remember, too, that one of the best at post-processing and editing was his majesty, Ansel Adams.

IMO this is a very successful composition except for that sky.  I keep a sky folder, just photos of different skies and clouds at different focal lengths and lighting at various times of day.  I use them to replace blaah
skies in my images.  I have moons, too, some with blue evening or morning skies sometimes with black.  Never know when a photo might need a moon.