DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

When you have a blown out area like I have on the right side of the attached photo what do you do? Do you mask it off and change the exposure or what? I do so little post processing I really don't know what would be proper. Feel free to show me.

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Or you could clone parts of the rest of the background onto that area.

I also selected the deer and very slightly increased color saturation and brightness.

As I mentioned in your photo gallery topic, it is really a delightful shot! And next time I think you should invite it inside :)

Colors look much different in download!

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Hopesfate Loc: NC

Hi,
This is my version of what I would do. I love this capture by the way.
I pulled it into camera raw and lowered Highlights all the way, Lowered Whites all the way, Opened up the Shadows. Then in PS I added a Brown Gradient to tone the blown area. I then selected the deer and did a levels adjustment on it just to bring back the detail.
Then I realized you were in Adobe RGB setting so I had to change setting to SRGB (Because that's what I've learned to work in) and it took a few minutes.

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veralisa296 Loc: New Jersey

What a charming photo...and I think Linda from Main did a terrific job!

Hopesfate Loc: NC

I actually love your edit Linda. I got a bit too carried away and took away the greenery .

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Thank you very much. I didn't know what would or would not be acceptable.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I re-did my entry :) As often happens when you help someone else, you learn something new...in this case I realized I could select the feeder, then do inverse to exclude it so that when I cloned, I wouldn't be touching the edges of the feeder. I'm sure more experienced pp'ers are going "well DUH" :)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I'm curious about your comment "what would be acceptable." Unless you're entering to a contest where they specify NO touch-ups, I think anything that improves an image for your own enjoyment, or to share with others, is A-OK!

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

To be very clear. I don't enter contests or sell photographs and I probably won't. I suppose I don't know exactly what I mean. I am just now, after a year of making DSLR photographs, getting into post photographic processing. I created courtroom exhibits for an engineering expert witness for 7 years. I had to be very careful not to over cook. I never altered pixel based images and did most of my artwork with vector based software. I mostly used Corel Draw and AutoCad. I suppose it is simply difficult for me to adjust a photograph much beyond my original vision. However, it looks like alot of fun and I don't have any trouble manipulating software. Just something I have to get straight in my mind.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

With the skills you already have, you will have a blast with post processing and you'll probably outstrip the rest of us in no time (well, maybe not Bob, he's pretty darned good). Your photos are yours and you can do whatever you decide, including make an utter mess of them. Digital lets you go a thousand different ways with the same file. On your deer, I took a different route since Linda has already produced a nice version with the bright spot filled in with greenery. I just used a few quick control points with NIK viveza to try to tone down the over-bright area and make it less of a distraction, same could've been done with camera raw. Fine tuning these adjustments to look more like in-camera blur would be more successful in the raw file. I also threw in a few control points to reduce the contrast in a couple of areas on the left side where the shadows were pretty blocked up so that your true blacks were on the deer's nose/eye and the bird feeder. Goal was: keep the eye on the deer.

So go with our blessing and experiment to your heart's content for the fun of it, and you'll find some tricks that work for you to accomplish certain things you want, and some recipes for outcomes you like to see in certain kinds of photos.

Once you get a set of things you know you can do well, you'll start thinking of edits that will help you reach your vision before you shoot. THEN you'll start shooting to shape the raw file to allow the editing you know you're going to want for your vision. You'll still be trying to capture the best file you can, but you'll have more tools to help you reach your vision. This is a great forum section to hang around in for fun and learning, very low key and friendly. Show us what you come up with!

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Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky

Nice job Linda!

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Thank you very much. I'm a software junkie and I have NIK, Topaz, After Effects 2, Perfect Photo Suite, Illustrator, InDesign, PS CC, LR5, Pisca and Aperture to mention a few. So I shouldn't have any problems. Your advise is sincerely appreciated.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

This is the best one posted so far but I would go a little further. Lighten the head a little, darken the background a little, and add a little negative vignette. In other words, little goes a long way.

MyPharo Loc: New Jersey

I tried to select the right side of the photo and adjust the light to dull it some but I did not think it looked right .. I did some cloning to cover it then I added a little blur to it . I did add a high pass filter to just sharpen it a little more. then I did a very night adjustment to the level and contrast as well as light levels.

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DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Thank you for your great responses. I appreciate your help.