Twisted tree

KenCo

KenCo

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Name
Ken
Edit My Images
Yes
I like this pic but the colour version was pants IMO, the sky is very blown out and if anyone has any tips on rectifying this i'd like to hear. It was taken just outside Stanhope (not exactly Teesdale) a little place we sometimes go for a picnic. Tea time sun I'm affraid, with the 28-70.
Twisted_Tree.jpg
 
Superb shot... I can see how it works so well in B&W compared to colour & it's a cracking conversion... the whites up top seem a little too vibrant for my taste... to contrasty. Definitely a keeper... which wall is it going on?
 
Its a great shot Ken but as you say the sky is blown and very distracting. Is the photo a raw conversion or was it shot in jpg? If the first, then re-process it twice, once for all the detail in the bottom and the other for the sky, then combine the two to get a perfectly exposed picture.

This is definately stong enough to warrant the work it will take to get it right.
 
Thanks Hedgehog very kind, i'm affraid my wife is a Minimalist and the less she sees of my photography the better.
Steve it is a raw file, I took quite a few with different apertures and even took some A/B (3 exposures) but still can’t seem to blend them together. I will give it another go, this is just the one shot though.
ISO100
F/22
1/10sec. @28mm
 
I suspect you'll be having problems with the dark tree against the bright sky. I have had similar recently but I don't think I ever got around it so I'd be interested to see how you do.

:)
 
the way to do it is forget what the picture looks like as a whole and process it twice, the first for the sky, obviously the lower half of that shot will be almost black but as long as the sky is right it wont matter. Then process the raw file again abut this time for the lower half, here the sky will look horrible and be totally blown out but you only need this file for the lower half.

Then open both of them into your post processing software and overlay them, using a mask you can just expose the darker sky onto the lower half of the correctly exposed picture.

Or you can combine them using the method Matt has shown in his tutorial if you are using PS or the one Silkstone has written if you are using PSP.

Take your time with it as the end result will be made or broken by the small details.
 
I think this may be the issue, I expect it to be a fairly automatic process but it needs a lot of hand tweeking. :(
 
Yes and it will be good practice for him but I would hate for it to be too much and Ken to lose the photo through struggling with a difficult amount of post processing work.
 
Steve's right. Process the image twice in your RAW software.
The sky does look a bit extreme and, if thats the case, it might look a bit grainy using the above process.

Consider using ND grad filters like Cokin. Not expensive and work well.

I'm not a fan of pasting in another sky but in this case the foreground is so good I would consider it. :ponders:

Cameron
 
Garnock said:
I'm not a fan of pasting in another sky but in this case the foreground is so good I would consider it. :ponders:

Cameron
Click to expand...

That was my first thought. There's so much detail in the scene anyway, that a 'busy' sky isn't needed, so I'd go for as simple and plain a sky as possible. It's a super shot and would look great on any wall so it's well worth the effort.
 
Thanks Steve that's a kind offer, my email will only allow me to send 2meg. Anyway tried a few different ways, this is my latest and best attempt yet, I think. How's this for you?
twisted_tree_best.jpg
 
Thats 100% better, the sky is perfect but I feel the bottom could do with being a touch darker, with a little more contrast and not quite a much sharpening. the latter could be a result of the compression though when you reduced the size of the picture for web viewing.

Thats much, much better and shows how good the shot really is. :)
 
Actually I have just had a very quick play in PS and the problem is that your foreground is the same brightness as the sky, it should be 1 stop lower to look correct. Its also a tad over sharp which is making it look un-natural. If you can lower the brightness of the bottom slightly and then reduce the picture size before applying sharpening, you will get a great shot :thumb:

You do realise that you cant enter this into this months competition now though as eveyone will know its your work :nono: Its a shame as I am sure it would have done very well. :ponders:
 
great shot, really like that, definately a hanger!
 
Here you go.

twisted_tree_best.jpg


I have lost detail in the shadows with having to work with your low res version but at least you can see the difference and decide if you want to do the extra work I have suggested. I also applied a slight amount of blur on the bottom to take the edge of it.
 
Steve said:
You do realise that you cant enter this into this months competition now though as eveyone will know its your work :nono: Its a shame as I am sure it would have done very well. :ponders:
Click to expand...
Got something ready for this months comp????? And it's thanks to the comp that I had decided to go through some of my pics and try the B/W conversion for practice. It does turn a not so good shot into a better one lol.
I'm just having another play before the footie comes on, I thought it still needed adjusting darker.
 
Is it just me or is there a halo around the tree now?
Much better sky now though, really suits the scene!
 
SammyC said:
Is it just me or is there a halo around the tree now?
Much better sky now though, really suits the scene!
Click to expand...

Yeah there is a halo, but thats probably cos Steve worked on the low res version after compression etc ! :) hopefully when Ken has a play on the high res copy the halo wont remain there.

I really like that Ken, shot had potential from the start, but its really coming out of its shell now ! :) look sforward to seeing the completed version !
 
Thanks for all the help with this one and for all the feedback.
I think (at my present state of PS skills) this is about the best I can do. Don't know if the sky is to dark now? Maybe it is in my limits to lighten that a bit.

twisted_tree_best_1copy.jpg
 
I think you have got the balance just about right now, I bet it looks really good in high resolution and not compressed as we see here. :thumb:

I hope you have found the work that you have done both rewarding and useful. I am sure the finished picture alone will make you very happy especially when you compare it to the first version that you processed.

Well done mate, you've ended up with a stunner :)
 
Thanks everyone once again, I have learned a little from this....to take a better pic in the first place. I knew it had potential and that's why i've never deleted it. But i've never been able to sort the colour version so tried B/W just as a practice for the comp. The B/W looks much better than the colour. I have also converted a few others, this I thought was the hardest to do compared to the others and it's true some things do look better in Black and White. Ah yes it is a far cry from the first I submitted!
Ken.
 
I really am sorry to bring this back to the top again, I have been having another tinker with this again as I thought it still looked a bit flat. I really would like to know your oppinion on this...Have I gone to far?
Twisted_tree_copy2.jpg
 
IanC_UK said:
Ken, i think the ground looks too light for the sky now mate !

At the end of the day, its you that needs to be happy with it though ! :)
Click to expand...
Thanks Ian, I know what you say about me being happy with it but, I'd like to get it right though as I will use this as my free A2 print with epson. :)
 
I prefer that to the previous version, bit more dramatic :)
 
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