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Post-Processing Digital Images
Editing Budapest Shoes Image
Apr 20, 2019 06:52:44   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
I took this image with my IPhone8+ when my wife and I were in Budapest last year. These shoes are a memorial to the Jews that were murdered by the fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. The memorial is along the banks of the Danube in Budapest. Granted, it's not the sharpest image I've ever taken, but you work with what you have.

Edits: 1. Opened Image in Photoshop and duplicated the background layer.
2. Applied the filter Candlelight from the Color lookup table. Lowered the opacity of that layer to 64%
to reduce the effect. Then, using a black paintbrush, I painted over the areas that I didn't want the
effect to be on. Some of the areas, full 100% opacity and some partial opacity. You can see the
what it looks like on the mask.
3. On the next layer, I went into the NIK Color Efex Pro plugin and used the Darken/Lighten filter to
Place a vignette around the shoes in the foreground. Bottom right part of the image.
4. Next I put a levels adjustment clipping mask above the Darken/lighten layer and boosted the
brightness of the layer, then reduced the overall layer opacity to 64%
5. Last, created a stamped layer of all the adjustments. Short cut key, CTRL, ALT, Shift,E or CASE.
Then I went into Nik Color EfexPro again and chose the Glamour Glow filter. using the first
default. I reduce the overall opacity of this layer to 80% and then using a black paint brush,
painted out the effect over the area on the foreground shoes.

Finished Image
Finished Image...
(Download)

Original
Original...

Screen shot showing layers.
Screen shot showing layers....
(Download)

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Apr 20, 2019 13:46:04   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
Excellent work! Appreciate the tutorial.

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Apr 20, 2019 15:49:33   #
artBob Loc: Near Chicago
 
Moving memorial. Was it your intention to have the eye go to the beautiful sunset illumination on the bridge and city?

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Apr 20, 2019 20:50:08   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
I like the composition very much. Low angle, the diagonal of the edge, and most especially the prominence of the shoes in the frame.

You've lost some detail in the shoes closest to the edge of the frame with the darkening, as well as in the exposure overall. For me that's a bit of a drawback given the compelling subject. The haphazard placement of the shoes, the remnants of roses and the single candle make a powerful statement.

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Apr 21, 2019 05:38:53   #
nanaval Loc: Cornwall
 
Very good..

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Apr 21, 2019 06:12:29   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
artBob wrote:
Moving memorial. Was it your intention to have the eye go to the beautiful sunset illumination on the bridge and city?


artBob, there wasn't much I could do about the lights on the bridge. I am open for suggestions on how I could have composed this shot.

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Apr 21, 2019 06:16:59   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
I like the composition very much. Low angle, the diagonal of the edge, and most especially the prominence of the shoes in the frame.

You've lost some detail in the shoes closest to the edge of the frame with the darkening, as well as in the exposure overall. For me that's a bit of a drawback given the compelling subject. The haphazard placement of the shoes, the remnants of roses and the single candle make a powerful statement.


Thanks for the feedback Linda. Given the history on this memorial it was a moving experience.

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Apr 21, 2019 11:46:41   #
magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK
 
Poignant photo. I can imagine it’s a difficult choice regarding composition - the background does give a sense of place, but is a distraction being so brightly lit. I might have cut to just the shoes. As I said, difficult choice.

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Apr 21, 2019 12:10:18   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
magnetoman wrote:
Poignant photo. I can imagine it’s a difficult choice regarding composition - the background does give a sense of place, but is a distraction being so brightly lit. I might have cut to just the shoes. As I said, difficult choice.



Thanks for the feedback. Here is another image taken there. First, it's an IPhone image in very low light so there is noise. I first used the Candlelight filter from the Color look up table, then I used the Crisp Fall Colors filter to bring out more warmth.



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Apr 21, 2019 16:56:28   #
magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK
 
Fstop12 wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. Here is another image taken there. First, it's an IPhone image in very low light so there is noise. I first used the Candlelight filter from the Color look up table, then I used the Crisp Fall Colors filter to bring out more warmth.


Ah, I’m glad you did that, it’s exactly what I would have done to cover all the possibilities! This one does focus attention on the subject well (excuse the pun).
Now, did you also cover more shoes but to the exclusion of the background? I’m sure it will have struck you as another possibility.

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Apr 21, 2019 17:34:42   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
magnetoman wrote:
Ah, I’m glad you did that, it’s exactly what I would have done to cover all the possibilities! This one does focus attention on the subject well (excuse the pun).
Now, did you also cover more shoes but to the exclusion of the background? I’m sure it will have struck you as another possibility.


I do have more images shot in the direction away from the lit bridge.

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Apr 22, 2019 10:34:27   #
srt101fan
 
Fstop12 wrote:
I took this image with my IPhone8+ when my wife and I were in Budapest last year. These shoes are a memorial to the Jews that were murdered by the fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. The memorial is along the banks of the Danube in Budapest. Granted, it's not the sharpest image I've ever taken, but you work with what you have.

Edits: 1. Opened Image in Photoshop and duplicated the background layer.
2. Applied the filter Candlelight from the Color lookup table. Lowered the opacity of that layer to 64%
to reduce the effect. Then, using a black paintbrush, I painted over the areas that I didn't want the
effect to be on. Some of the areas, full 100% opacity and some partial opacity. You can see the
what it looks like on the mask.
3. On the next layer, I went into the NIK Color Efex Pro plugin and used the Darken/Lighten filter to
Place a vignette around the shoes in the foreground. Bottom right part of the image.
4. Next I put a levels adjustment clipping mask above the Darken/lighten layer and boosted the
brightness of the layer, then reduced the overall layer opacity to 64%
5. Last, created a stamped layer of all the adjustments. Short cut key, CTRL, ALT, Shift,E or CASE.
Then I went into Nik Color EfexPro again and chose the Glamour Glow filter. using the first
default. I reduce the overall opacity of this layer to 80% and then using a black paint brush,
painted out the effect over the area on the foreground shoes.
I took this image with my IPhone8+ when my wife an... (show quote)



I've been hesitant to reply, concerned with coming across with too much negativity. But, .....

The image is striking and thought-provoking, and mysterious (without the background story!), and a great candidate for discussion on several levels.

But, for me the original image, i.e., pre-processing, is significantly better. Maybe it's the way they display on my laptop, but in the processed image the shoes are less distinct and too dark.

In my opinion, the shoes should be the primary visual draw. Since they are dark and somewhat indistinct, the bridge/lights become the focal point (seems like artBob had a similar reaction). Again, in the original, the shoes are lighter and more distinct and the image is "better".

The shoes should be the primary subject. But having another subject competing equally or more for attention creates a juxtaposition of two very different visual subjects. Can they be successfully connected in the visual "story"? I don't know....

I suppose the visual juxtaposition could be played down by subduing the lights and enhancing the shoes with post-processing. Or, going in the other direction, could the juxtaposition be emphasized by converting the memorial part of the image to monochrome? Would that create or enhance a story-line?

The image makes me think; thank you!

Reply
Apr 22, 2019 11:35:47   #
Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky
 
srt101fan wrote:
I've been hesitant to reply, concerned with coming across with too much negativity. But, .....

The image is striking and thought-provoking, and mysterious (without the background story!), and a great candidate for discussion on several levels.

But, for me the original image, i.e., pre-processing, is significantly better. Maybe it's the way they display on my laptop, but in the processed image the shoes are less distinct and too dark.

In my opinion, the shoes should be the primary visual draw. Since they are dark and somewhat indistinct, the bridge/lights become the focal point (seems like artBob had a similar reaction). Again, in the original, the shoes are lighter and more distinct and the image is "better".

The shoes should be the primary subject. But having another subject competing equally or more for attention creates a juxtaposition of two very different visual subjects. Can they be successfully connected in the visual "story"? I don't know....

I suppose the visual juxtaposition could be played down by subduing the lights and enhancing the shoes with post-processing. Or, going in the other direction, could the juxtaposition be emphasized by converting the memorial part of the image to monochrome? Would that create or enhance a story-line?

The image makes me think; thank you!
I've been hesitant to reply, concerned with coming... (show quote)


Thank you for taking the time to comment and give your views.

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