Need suggestions for Processing or what to do differently next time (Page 2): it looks great! thank you for taking the time to post that. I am on my phone I can’t wait to see it on my...

JD750 Loc: SoCal

MosheR wrote:

How's this. I tried my usual method for perking up a dull photo. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

it looks great! thank you for taking the time to post that. I am on my phone I can’t wait to see it on my bigger screen.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

FYI apologies to those in gallery I feel this is the wrong category for this thread. I posted it in Analytics but ADMIN moved it here. 🤔

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

JD750 wrote:

I tried several crops of this image then I realize... (show quote)

Before looking at cropping probs I think you should be sorting the exposure. It is a difficult subject, with the light in all the wrong places. I ran your download through Smart Edit gallery and came up with the attached, which has auto adjusted from contrast to vibrance - so I cannot advise you of what to do in photoshop.

(Download)

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

JD750 wrote:

I tried several crops of this image then I realize... (show quote)

Great image!!!
The only change I would make is to crop the top about 1.5 to 2" It will increase the drama!!

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

JD750 wrote:

I tried several crops of this image then I realize... (show quote)

Hello JD,

Not being there to see the original scene, the first thing I noticed was the lack of contrast. The foreground and midground also seemed underexposed for the scene. I feel the composition is okay especially since the clouds interacting with the mountains was the subject. So increasing contrast and adding some clarity, especially to the clouds, increases the drama between the clouds and mountains. The next thing was to add a little dodge and burn, i.e. adding local contrast, complexify's the light on the scene adding visual interest. As a final touch, I added just a little touch of dehaze, using the Camera Raw filter (same as LR), to add just a little more drama. Be careful about blowing out your highlights in the clouds as you edit, I cloned in just a little detail in the clipped highlights in the center part of the clouds.

Hope this helps
Mike

(Download)

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Delderby wrote:

Before looking at cropping probs I think you should be sorting the exposure. It is a difficult subject, with the light in all the wrong places. I ran your download through Smart Edit gallery and came up with the attached, which has auto adjusted from contrast to vibrance - so I cannot advise you of what to do in photoshop.

While beautiful, the colors don't look real, and the drama of the original are gone!!

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

I will say that it's getting closer, Mel but my PP skills are less than steller.

We must wait for Jerry to put his two cents in.

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

nice

shackcf

Very interesting shot. Thank for asking the question. I decided just to download the jpg image you posted to see if I could make some changes that you may approve of. I used DxO PL elite to do the enhancements. This includes the local adjustments to target areas. I did crop out the closest foreground as to me it pulled you away from the mountains and the great sky. I added a bit of contrast to pull out some to the detail of the cliffs and brighten the right & left sides. I also played a bit with the luminosity of the lower elevations.

My power editor is Affinity Photo 2.2 but I did not use it. Thanks for leaving in the meta data so DxO could pull down the correct optics pack.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

JD750 wrote:

I tried several crops of this image then I realize... (show quote)

When I look at your image, it strikes me as all about the light. I see the sun shining through holes in the clouds on the ground in front of a mountain. But the mountain is rather indistinct as is the foreground. You are the only one who saw it with your own eyes and what you saw moved you to make this image. I can't see it through your mind's eye so I don't know what you what your ideal end point is.

Like Mel (MosheR) I played with the image and processed it in a fashion that works for me. In my opinion, you left a lot of the image behind, like the details in the foreground and in the mountains. I lightened up the image quite a bit and brought out details that you must have seen. Judging by the position of the sun, I'm guessing it must have been late afternoon and I'm sure that the whole scene must have been brighter than your image. All that being said, the attached image works for me but maybe not for you, that's what makes photography interesting these days.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Reuss Griffiths wrote:

When I look at your image, it strikes me as all ab... (show quote)

You are right on all counts. What i saw was sun streaming thru clouds creating dramatic light and shadow.

I shot wide and I underexposed a little to protect the highlights from blowing out.

Your interpretation is much like I remember it and thank you for taking the time to create and post it.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Reuss Griffiths wrote:

When I look at your image, it strikes me as all ab... (show quote)

Outstanding results

JD750 Loc: SoCal

joecichjr wrote:

Outstanding results

indeed they are!!

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

joecichjr wrote:

Outstanding results

Thanks Joe, all great minds think alike

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

JD750 wrote:

You are right on all counts. What i saw was sun streaming thru clouds creating dramatic light and shadow.

I shot wide and I underexposed a little to protect the highlights from blowing out.

Your interpretation is much like I remember it and thank you for taking the time to create and post it.

Just used Photoshop 2019 and the Enhance controls for Lighting