Lions in the bush: I am certainly not an expert in Post Processing and 'make do' with PSE 10 and Topaz Adjust and would like some critique on the attached "Lion" photo. The original...

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Lions in the bush

Oct 14, 2015 10:52:21 #

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

I am certainly not an expert in Post Processing and 'make do' with PSE 10 and Topaz Adjust and would like some critique on the attached "Lion" photo.

The original was taken by some friends in Africa last month with a cell phone camera in late afternoon. Because of the red sun highlights on the branches behind the pair, I'm assuming it was taken looking west toward the setting sun.

I made several attempts to "improve" it using PSE including selecting the reddish highlights on the branches and reducing the intensity of the red, and ran it through several of the Adjust effects, but this is the best I could do. It seems to me as if the lion's fur is too grayish/brown and finally assumed that it may be due dust and dirt on their fur--this was taken in the "dry season". I realize the edited photo is cropped too tight which may be influencing the lack of sharpness.

Comments and suggestions will be gratefully accepted.

Original as taken

(Download)

After PP

(Download)

Oct 14, 2015 11:31:20 #

Bill Houghton Loc: New York area

Cell phone photo's don't give you to much to work with. Both in cropping ability and IQ (depth of color) due to the senor size. Perhaps you might find this to your liking.

(Download)

Oct 14, 2015 11:31:49 #

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

There isn't much more you can do with a cell phone image. There's not enough pixels to work with and it's a jpg image.

Oct 14, 2015 12:56:58 #

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

the biggest problems I found with this photo - out of focus, noisy especially color noise, white balance off. I took a crack at it in lightroom and blurred the background and darkened it, cropped it and then got a lot of the color noise out of the foreground and first lions body.. Best I could do

(Download)

Oct 14, 2015 16:08:28 #

R.G. Loc: Scotland

If you can't have sharpness, the next best thing is vividness. There are too many artefacts that the sharpening tool picks up on, and the details go from soft to lost beyond recovery. But there's always at least a little room for tweaking.....

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(Download)

Oct 14, 2015 17:24:27 #

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Bill, Lloyld2, and R.G

Thanks for the critique of the photo the and your revisions. I realized it was out focus when I couldn't get his mane sharp but had not seen the color noise(not that I'd have known how to fix it if I had!). There were so many colors of light, I thought that the AutoWB would probably do a better job than I could. Thanks for your help and information.

Jim

Oct 15, 2015 09:12:40 #

rborud Loc: Minnesota

JCam wrote:

I am certainly not an expert in Post Processing an... (show quote)

JCam
Here is my modest try, I hope it helps a bit.
RBorud