melueth Loc: Central Florida

At the risk of pushing my proverbial luck with you generous folks, i'm posting yet another waterfall shot here from my recent trip. In this one, i used LR to adjust all the basic parameters, and then tried the NIK Color efex filters suggested by Fstop12 in my last post. I've attached a link to a smaller TIF version in case you want to give it a try with your workflow. I'm now going to try another go using Jim-Pops' method. Thanks again for everyone's help on this project.

Marylea

TIF link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6h7eCVDIw9YZkE5MjNiTFRiS3M/view?usp=sharing

Original w. LR basics

(Download)

Using NIK filters

(Download)

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

This picture is much better than your last. Great color and composition. Looks so much better without trees.
I am not sure what is happening with your edit. From what you said you did and what I see I don't know why you are loosing all the sharp focus. This happened in your last post also. I have made my edits and will wait for your version using what I mentioned before but I will show you I mine. I used your tiff file and it is great to work with and supper sharp.
Jim

melueth Loc: Central Florida

I think i know what happened to the sharpness of each . . . i used Windows Picture Manager to compress these jpegs before posting them. This one was rendered straight out of PS, using the following steps from your last post to me:
- Made Duplicate layer, command J. Opened Camera Raw Filter under filters. I lowered highlight a small amount, opened shadows all the way, moved white slider to the right while holding alt/option key until a bit more whites started showing. I
increased blacks a small amount, added clarity a small amount. Moved on to sharpness and increased sharpness to 80 and used the Mask slider while holding alt/option key and watched the edges and made sure only the edges were strong.
Moved Luminance to 20. Took one last look and upped my exposure a very small amount.

I don't really understand the mask for strong edges. I love the method of holding the alt key with the slider to get the inverse effect, so i saw the image in black and white relief. The more i slid the bar, the more of the entire image would fill in, so i only used a little of this effect, thinking those were the edges only . . . ??

I really appreciate the time you're giving me on this. I loved this waterfall too. I had a tripod with me that day, whereas i didn't in the previous shot i posted. That's some of the difference in clarity as well i'm sure.

ML

GoldminePS

(Download)

melueth Loc: Central Florida

This is the NIK filters one again, using only Lightroom to compress the file for upload. I think it may be a better rendition because of that.

ML

NIK filters only

(Download)

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

This one looks great!.. The water opens up and you can see the rocks below the surface. Yours is better than what I got out of it using my method.
Get rid of Windows Picture Manager, it is not your friend.

melueth Loc: Central Florida

Thanks, Jim. I really liked this one too, but have learned so much tinkering with both methods. WPM is gone!!

ML

Mary Kate Loc: NYC

# 2 for me. Well done.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

Regarding the sharpening mask in Lr, I think you'll find that black areas are not affected and degrees of are gradual, until white is the sharpest.

melueth Loc: Central Florida

Hmm . . . i'll have to tinker with this to really see the differences. I didn't get much effect working for me when i tried it on this one. Thanks for the explanation though.

ML