help w exposure blending

[bwana]

so i have this image of trees and above the horizon the branches seem darker.
https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/3asC5rHZSEOo8_RsIKsHiQ.LQ1qh6K_4NeDNjyGo7B7ix

 The second uploaded jpg(dsc_0877) is a direct conversion from the .nef without any lightroom adjustments. I think they appear dark because no reflected light from the ground is getting to them. I bracketed the exposure to get a less blown out background(the third jpeg dsc_0876) and merged them to 'HDR' in lightroom(the first jpeg dsc_0876-HDR). This merge however only accentuates the darkness of the branches above the horizon. Obviously, selecting the dark branches to lighten them is not a trivial task. I tried but my hand at luminosity masks but that was a disaster. Any suggestions?

[mcbroomf]

Is this the kind of thing you were looking for (original on top)?

PS ACR.  Brush over the branches with Auto mask turned on.  Shadows +100, Blacks ~+40, White ~-30 (sorry I didn't save the final output).  LR brush would be the same.

[Peano]

0876-HDR). This merge however only accentuates the darkness of the branches above the horizon. Obviously, selecting the dark branches to lighten them is not a trivial task. I tried but my hand at luminosity masks but that was a disaster. Any suggestions?

Sorry, I'm not clear on what you want to do with this. Do you want to lighten all of the dark branches so they don't contrast so much with the light branches?

My own preference (attached) would be to increase contrast between the light and dark branches, and also warm them up. But it's your image. Say a little more carefully, please, what you're trying to change and how you want to change it.

[bwana]

mcbroomf has the idea- lightening the darkness of the branch segments that rise above the horizon. I find it distracting that the tone of the branches change . But the settings you present, mcbroomf, Shadows +100, Blacks ~+40, White ~-30  would suggest that the brush should make them darker, not lighter.

[mcbroomf]

mcbroomf has the idea- lightening the darkness of the branch segments that rise above the horizon. I find it distracting that the tone of the branches change . But the settings you present, mcbroomf, Shadows +100, Blacks ~+40, White ~-30  would suggest that the brush should make them darker, not lighter.

+ means you're lightening shadows/blacks and - means you're darkening whites.  Just open ACR or LR and take a look at the slider values when you move them.  I'd suggest starting with the shadow setting only and do the brushwork, then adjust the black slider to get the level of grey you want on the branches. This combo will lighten the sky included in the brush even though you have Auto Mask on and might think it's not shadow or black, so then bring down the whites which will recover the sky but not affect the branches.  You could also at this point try to adjust the luminosity mask but I've not found that as good and it sounds like you tried it. 

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

That’s just ridiculous. Brunches above the horizon SHOULD appear darker, that’s a basic law of human perception. Lightening them makes them unnatural, HDR-grotesque.

[Peano]

mcbroomf has the idea- lightening the darkness of the branch segments that rise above the horizon. I find it distracting that the tone of the branches change .

Light gray branches backlit by the sky are going to look darker than if light is from the front. An exception  might be if the branches have ice or snow on them (which would catch and reflect the backlighting). But that isn't the case here, so darker seems normal to me.

[bwana]

well slobodan, with respect to your experience, I just wanted to 'decrease the distracting contrast' the dark branches cause. here is my latest try

[kers]

Looks good to me !