edmixon Loc: Orange County CA

God job!!!👍

Xmsmn Loc: Minnesota

Nice work, shows patience. I too am a little over a year into Affinity; its capabilities are impressive but I am still a neophyte. Thanks for sharing.
Mark

AzYooper Loc: Sun Lakes AZ (Almost Phoenix)

Good job, but I would also clone out the two signs as long as you are at it. The white in them is distracting. I read your preference on leaving them in, but I think they detract more than the justification for reality. Without them, no one would ever say, aren't there signs there. If the pole and bin aren't needed for reality, I would dump the signs also. If it was mine, and we are all entitled to present as we see fit.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

A good point. I might go back and address this later. We here in the U.K. breed road signs so perhaps we would expect it to be there. But if I'm posting on a site with an international (albeit mainly U.S.) audience perhaps I ought to give more consideration to how others might see it.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

I've taken note of the previous comments particularly of Azyooper. Some sugestted toning the sign down a little but that would look wrong to those of us from these shores - so I took it out all together. I've taken the sign out as well, but not sure whether I've down the right thing here. If the road is tarmaced there's a good chance a lot of the Parishoners could read so should I have left it?
I've also cropped some of the bottom as also mentioned and tidied up some of the softer cloned edges.

Further comments welcomed. Especially if someone can tell me / how to change the shape of the clone brush.

(Download)

AzYooper Loc: Sun Lakes AZ (Almost Phoenix)

Looks much better. I think if this photo is for the enjoyment of a general audience, this is the best presentation. I, for one, have never been here and probably never will, so I think this is a very beautiful scene. If you are creating the shot for some more journalistic effort or historical value to the church, parishioners, or some local group, then I would be comfortable with the former. As a landscape photo I think this looks very good. Sometimes our artistic selves are too driven by our guilt to present reality. I don't think the pole, the bin, the signage, the road markings, contribute to the shot unless you work for the local newspaper. This modification is a wall hanger for the masses.

If an oil painter or sketch artist were to do this church, I'm sure it would look more like this version than your original, and people would be very accepting of their artistic license, so why not yours?

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

High praise indeed. Thank-you AzYooper, and all others who cared to comment and gave me the inspiration to try the final edit.

AzYooper Loc: Sun Lakes AZ (Almost Phoenix)

Great job. If I were to suggest one more tweak, it would be a little DeHaze slider in Lighroom, not sure how that translates to Affinity, just to put a little more punch in the sky and clouds.