Lincoln Memorial, before and after, from the Potomac River: I was bored this evening and processed this a few minutes ago. As the title states here are a before and after image of the...

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I was bored this evening and processed this a few minutes ago. As the title states here are a before and after image of the Lincoln Memorial. It was taken at around 5:30 PM a couple of days after the longest day of the year so it was still quite bright out. I changed the look to emulate the golden hour which would not have occurred until around 8PM. We were on a small tour boat moving fairly fast which is why the original was far from level. I removed distracting cars as well as a person on a bicycle. The "after" image has the same sky but I pulled more detail out of it. Please click download to see them at full resolution. As always this image was processed in my editor of choice DXO PhotoLab. Any comments, positive or negative, are welcome.

BEFORE

(Download)

AFTER
AFTER...

(Download)

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

mwsilvers wrote:

I was bored this evening and processed this a few ... (show quote)

Color before is far better.
Straight horizon is needed like the second shot.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Architect1776 wrote:

Color before is far better.
Straight horizon is needed like the second shot.

Thanks for the response. I'm not sure if you read the accompanying text. The before color, which is the unprocessed raw, did nit meet my goal which was to create a golden hour look. It was not straight because I was on a moving boat on the river. Perhaps you might prefer this one, done some time ago with late afternoon colors..

(Download)

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

mwsilvers wrote:

Thanks for the response. I'm not sure if you read the accompanying text. The before color, which is the unprocessed raw, did nit meet my goal which was to create a golden hour look. It was not straight because I was on a moving boat on the river. Perhaps you might prefer this one, done some time ago with late afternoon colors..

Much better.
I just thought the golden hour seemed a bit overcooked.
Either is good.
We ALL have preferences and none is better than the other.
Just different.
My preferences are frequently different from others.
No wrong or right.
Good job on both.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Architect1776 wrote:

Much better.
I just thought the golden hour seemed a bit overcooked.
Either is good.
We ALL have preferences and none is better than the other.
Just different.
My preferences are frequently different from others.
No wrong or right.
Good job on both.

Thanks. Everyone has an opinion of what works best for them. That's why I asked for comments either way, not just praise. Hearing what others have to say allows me to rethink my approach to things.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

mwsilvers wrote:

Thanks. Everyone has an opinion of what works best for them. That's why I asked for comments either way, not just praise. Hearing what others have to say allows me to rethink my approach to things.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Personally, I am a fan of #2. I've been there at Golden Hour (unfortunately without my camera) and your DxO magic looks much how I remember it. Really makes the obelisk stand out.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You have done a great job in that second one. To me it is more attractive than the first one.
Usually warm colors catch the eye first.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Six years living right outside DC and I don't think I ever boated on the Potomac! This is a great viewpoint, Mark. I'm seeing the "gold" as having a little more pink than I might prefer, though that could easily be my Chromebook.

An excellent demonstration, thanks!

RWCRNC Loc: Pennsylvania

Architect1776 wrote:

Color before is far better.
Straight horizon is needed like the second shot.

Agree

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

The straightened horizon is the only improvement in the second photo. The second one looks "forced" for some reason.
--Bob

mwsilvers wrote:

I was bored this evening and processed this a few ... (show quote)

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

cameraf4 wrote:

Personally, I am a fan of #2. I've been there at Golden Hour (unfortunately without my camera) and your DxO magic looks much how I remember it. Really makes the obelisk stand out.

Thanks. This was my first attempt at creating a golden hour look on a photo taken earlier in the day.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

camerapapi wrote:

You have done a great job in that second one. To me it is more attractive than the first one.
Usually warm colors catch the eye first.

Thank you.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Linda From Maine wrote:

Six years living right outside DC and I don't think I ever boated on the Potomac! This is a great viewpoint, Mark. I'm seeing the "gold" as having a little more pink than I might prefer, though that could easily be my Chromebook.

An excellent demonstration, thanks!

It was my first attempt at creating this look. Thanks for your comments on the amount of pink. The preset I created will respond a little differently depending on the image used. I will keep your suggestion in mind. I could always tweak the results after applying it.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

RWCRNC wrote:

Agree

Thank you.