Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

I don't have Lightroom, and my version of Photoshop Elements doesn't include the dehazing tool. When reading Azpiclady's post "Trying to get where I want to go," the suggestions by R.G. on methods to achieve dehazing fascinated me. Many of my landscapes suffer from the lack of clarity produced by my skill level, both in pp and even the photography itself. The image here is one that I tried to apply his recommendations, and I am pleased with my results. A big thank you for his guidance.

I made a selection of the trees along the horizon, and I applied the adjustments according to R. G.'s guidance. For me they worked. Then I selected the prairie between the near trees and the far tree line. I adjusted this selection slightly for color curves and a bit of enhanced saturation and some slight bumping of contrast. I liked the sky well enough so I did nothing more than what I had done initially in ACR. I also made a selection of the road to adjust it so that it was brought to greater prominence and better its presence in the overall landscape.

I am sure that many will not care for this image in that they would crop it. I am guessing for many there is too much sky. Well, the sky in Oklahoma is so much of our sense of our place here - it contains the winds that come sweeping down the plains. For me it is a huge element of our life. So, I kept it the way I shot it.

If anyone would like to comment and suggest how this image might still be improved, let me thank you in advance. I have learned a good deal at UHH, and I expect to learn more. Thanks again.

(Download)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

That's so great to hear that you gained some useful tips and applied them to your satisfaction. R.G. has always been my favorite Scotsman

I am absolutely with you about loving big skies! In central WA (around Yakima) we have many long distant views and I always feel slightly claustrophobic if I crop too much sky out of my compositions.

Continued success and pleasure in your journey. Please visit PP Forum often and tell all your friends to come too!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

If it were my image I might crop it a bit, but probably crop some of the foreground out to emphasize the sky more. Not much, maybe just half of the tall foreground grasses or maybe a little less than that. They add something to the foreground but I like the sky most.

Chicflat Loc: Tulsa, Ok,

Intriguing idea; thanks. I will study the idea because it might well work.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

You're welcome. Glad I could help. It's hard to tell exactly what you wanted to achieve since we aren't shown the original and we can't tell what direction you want to take it in. You're using a process of selecting specific areas and adjusting them the way you see fit, so you are exercising your eye for what's needed, and determining how to give it what's needed. That is always a valuable exercise.

It sounds like you want a "wide open spaces" look and staying with a wide angle view is what's needed. The down side is that the smaller elements like the road have to stay small. It's hard to say what can be achieved to your liking with global adjustments and what requires local adjustments. If the contrast and saturation are to your liking then there's not much left to do. One thing I would suggest is a vertical stretch. If you want to see more of the plains then you need the equivalent of a higher viewpoint - which the vertical stretch will give you. You can go with the new aspect ratio to keep the extra sky and foreground or crop as you see fit.