R.G. Loc: Scotland

Having got the shots I wanted from my outing I found I had this left over and decided to put it up for editing. Feel free to edit it in any way you think fit. And don't forget to share your results.
(JPG and TIFF).

JPG.

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TIFF.

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pecohen Loc: Central Maine

I used Topaz Studio only for this edit.

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fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

Had to give it a go. Don't know if the color is realistic. A B/W attempt also.

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mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

I'll give it a whirl !

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SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

Nice shot! The flowers add just the right touch needed to put everything else in perspective. I changed the view by stretching the canvas at right and bottom. Leveled the horizon. Added contrast, mostly to the rocks. The second shot is a black and white conversion with additional contrast to the rocks.

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

Pecohen, Mark, Mike and SonyA580, hope you all had fun. Thanks for joining in.

I'm seeing lots of clear, crisp detail and good strong colours (except the B&Ws of course ). Plus Mark's B&W brings out the roughness of the rocks and SonyA580's looks suitably dramatic.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Quite a bit of Nik Color Efex utilized here Thanks R.G.!

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anotherview Loc: California

First, I like your dramatic photograph of a seascape. The composition suits the subject, and your photograph does justice to it. The ruggedness of the foreground contrasts with the near-placid see surface. Your photograph qualifies for close attention to bring out its potential.

I see you exposed the photograph for the highlights using a low ISO. This approach leaves the sky intact without need for much processing of it. I had the most difficulty getting the horizon level. It now looks close.

I did a fairly straight processing of your photograph, avoiding effects. Leaving the exposure and coloration of the sea essentially unchanged, I used its presence to gauge the exposure and coloration of both the sky and foreground: The question of "Did they go together" aimed for a balance that flattered the subject. I also assumed an overcast sky softening the light on the foreground.
Overall, this method constrained processing.

I did leave the two small dark areas in the sea untouched although a distraction. If my photograph, I would've removed them for a cleaner view.

I lacked the visual experience of the moment you pressed the shutter button as a guide for trueness of expression. So I processed your photograph as if it were mine. I hope you like it.

Note: On my monitor, the foreground looks slightly underexposed. But I saved the JPEG file in the sRGB file format. Perhaps I need to calibrate my monitor again.

Keep up the good work.

And stay safe in this perilous time.

Edited Seascape

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

I find this a very interesting study in personal taste. All of the contributions seem to be striving for a natural look, but within that constraint it is interesting that there is such a wide range of interpretations.

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

I'll be very interested in what you think of this.
It was done using Lab Color

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

Yay - a brighter version! One should never feel obliged to stick with the original climatic conditions when processing photos of Scotland (it's a new rule ).

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Thanks for the detailed commentary, anotherview. The shot is SOOC and the metering responded to the bright sky, resulting in the foreground being a bit on the dark side. So your monitor should be OK . And your rendering is in keeping with the soft lighting of the slightly overcast day.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Like you I approve of the preference for a natural look. The simple fact is that nature is very varied and diverse, so "keeping it natural" leaves us with quite a wide range of possibilities. I'm the only one who knows what the reality of the situation was, so the others have had to interpret, which means that they have had to be guided by what they know are feasible possibilities. To my mind that's a valuable exercise because with that ability we can idealise the processing (as opposed to adhering strictly to an implied and therefore assumed reality).

R.G. Loc: Scotland

This is very similar to what I would have done. It was a bit overcast as shot, but I'm used to seeing it on brighter, sunnier days so I would have left the overall colour scheme (i.e. the WB) a bit less cool. That minor point aside, the brightness levels and contrast look very well optimised and balanced, as does the colour rendering.

Is Lab Color one of Photoshop's modes? Presumably it uses the LAB colour space which allows you to work on luminance (brightness/contrast) and chrominance (colour) separately. If that's the case it's definitely made for a well-optimised edit while maintaining a natural look. I don't have Ps but I'm hoping to find a way to experiment with LAB processing because I like the sound of it.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

😀
From your post in FYC you know I'm enamored with those rocks - as you described, ...considerable geological upheaval in the past. So I wanted to bring out their textures. But also, the calm sea and mostly soft clouds (with hints of localized rain showers), and those charming flowers, suggests to me a very pleasant and bright spring day.