Black-necked Stilts in flight
Jan 11, 2018 23:31:44 #
I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated.
Jan 12, 2018 00:03:31 #
Jan 12, 2018 00:10:39 #
sujoncps wrote:
Pretty done looks natural.
Thank you so much, that is my goal.
Jan 12, 2018 00:58:34 #
Hey Roaddog / Sheepdog! I was editing some images today of Black-necked Stilts from a few zoos. I've never seen them in the wild nor in-flight. Excellent take-off capture! You mentioned developing LR skills and I have a few ideas on this image that you could revisit in LR. These are intended to be helpful for LR skill developments, not a tear-down of your image.
1. First, I'd start by creating a virtual copy of the current version so you have a before / after reference.
2a. I'd look at the sharpening and / or noise processing. Without the original image, I'm not sure which will apply. But, zoom in 100% and look at the grain. If your sharpening is higher than say 35, drop it back down to Amount = 35 and check for a difference. Look also at the Sharpening values of Radius, Detail and Masking. Try the following values: R=0.7 , D=55 . M=85 If the sharpening Amount is less than 35 already, just adjust the Radius, Detail and Masking values in this exercise.
2b. Look to at the Noise parameters. I don't shoot a D500, so these values for ISO-1000 are some ideas that may be too much or too little for your camera model in LR. Because you're working on a virtual copy from step 1, nothing about these changes will corrupt your original version.
Luminance = 10
Detail = 12
Contrast = 0
Color = 5
Detail = 12
Smoothness = 50
3. Use your spot removal tool and "heal" the following spots (zoom into the image to see the spots):
3a. There's 3 to 5 small white spots in the lower middle of the image, they seem to be either feathers or water drops.
3b. There's a bird entering the frame from the lower left.
If you haven't used the Heal spot remover before, for 3a using settings size = 20 , feather = 22, Opacity = 100 (select heal, not clone)
For 3b, increase the brush to 30. The 3b edit takes some practice / skill, but it looks like if you "paint" over just the bird, LR should pick some content to overlay and "heal" without more rework / customization by you.
4. Finally, create a crop that takes just the middle 14ish birds around the one in the best focus in the middle of the image. You'll have to move the crop around to see if you can avoid cutting off any of the birds. You might even need to "paint" one or a few of them out of the image if the crop cuts them in half. This is more complex edit and not something I'd try to explain in writing.
5. The warm look in the afternoon (?) looks good. You might back off the settings a little in the White Balance by say Temp = -3 and Tint = -1.
6. It looks like there's a slight vignette to the image. Was this added as at f/5.6, a f/2.8 lens shouldn't have a vignette. It gives the image a film like quality, but digital cameras and modern PP all remove these automatically so it seems a bit out of place.
At the end of the steps, use the full screen mode (just press key F) and view the image full screen and move back n forth between this version and the earlier edit. Use F to toggle back n forth from full screen. Use key = Z to toggle back n forth from Zoom mode.
Finally on the image capture, I'd look at a smaller aperture to capture more birds in focus say at f/8 to f/11. This is an artistic decision for each individual photographer to consider in their own work. And, you'd need a higher ISO for the same shutter speed. For me, I'd like a few more birds in focus around the one in the best focus. One reason would be to use in the cropped version suggested at item 4.
Keep up the good work! Also, there's a specific BIF section and a dedicated Post Processing section. Although "detailed", the above suggested LR edits are somewhat high-level and there's a lot of experts in both these specialized sections that might add a lot more expertise.
1. First, I'd start by creating a virtual copy of the current version so you have a before / after reference.
2a. I'd look at the sharpening and / or noise processing. Without the original image, I'm not sure which will apply. But, zoom in 100% and look at the grain. If your sharpening is higher than say 35, drop it back down to Amount = 35 and check for a difference. Look also at the Sharpening values of Radius, Detail and Masking. Try the following values: R=0.7 , D=55 . M=85 If the sharpening Amount is less than 35 already, just adjust the Radius, Detail and Masking values in this exercise.
2b. Look to at the Noise parameters. I don't shoot a D500, so these values for ISO-1000 are some ideas that may be too much or too little for your camera model in LR. Because you're working on a virtual copy from step 1, nothing about these changes will corrupt your original version.
Luminance = 10
Detail = 12
Contrast = 0
Color = 5
Detail = 12
Smoothness = 50
3. Use your spot removal tool and "heal" the following spots (zoom into the image to see the spots):
3a. There's 3 to 5 small white spots in the lower middle of the image, they seem to be either feathers or water drops.
3b. There's a bird entering the frame from the lower left.
If you haven't used the Heal spot remover before, for 3a using settings size = 20 , feather = 22, Opacity = 100 (select heal, not clone)
For 3b, increase the brush to 30. The 3b edit takes some practice / skill, but it looks like if you "paint" over just the bird, LR should pick some content to overlay and "heal" without more rework / customization by you.
4. Finally, create a crop that takes just the middle 14ish birds around the one in the best focus in the middle of the image. You'll have to move the crop around to see if you can avoid cutting off any of the birds. You might even need to "paint" one or a few of them out of the image if the crop cuts them in half. This is more complex edit and not something I'd try to explain in writing.
5. The warm look in the afternoon (?) looks good. You might back off the settings a little in the White Balance by say Temp = -3 and Tint = -1.
6. It looks like there's a slight vignette to the image. Was this added as at f/5.6, a f/2.8 lens shouldn't have a vignette. It gives the image a film like quality, but digital cameras and modern PP all remove these automatically so it seems a bit out of place.
At the end of the steps, use the full screen mode (just press key F) and view the image full screen and move back n forth between this version and the earlier edit. Use F to toggle back n forth from full screen. Use key = Z to toggle back n forth from Zoom mode.
Finally on the image capture, I'd look at a smaller aperture to capture more birds in focus say at f/8 to f/11. This is an artistic decision for each individual photographer to consider in their own work. And, you'd need a higher ISO for the same shutter speed. For me, I'd like a few more birds in focus around the one in the best focus. One reason would be to use in the cropped version suggested at item 4.
Keep up the good work! Also, there's a specific BIF section and a dedicated Post Processing section. Although "detailed", the above suggested LR edits are somewhat high-level and there's a lot of experts in both these specialized sections that might add a lot more expertise.
Jan 12, 2018 01:24:42 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
Hey Roaddog / Sheepdog! I was editing some images ... (show quote)
Thank you for your excellent suggestions. I am just beginning with LR so I will keep working at it. I did add the vignette in lightroom and I am not sure if I really like it in this photo.
Jan 12, 2018 04:01:35 #
If you don't mind me saying, I think you have your statement the wrong way round.
"I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated".
Improve your images first by mastering your camera and technique, then move on to
Lightroom or whatever.
Good composition by the way.
"I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated".
Improve your images first by mastering your camera and technique, then move on to
Lightroom or whatever.
Good composition by the way.
Jan 12, 2018 08:06:54 #
Leicaflex wrote:
If you don't mind me saying, I think you have your statement the wrong way round.
"I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated".
Improve your images first by mastering your camera and technique, then move on to
Lightroom or whatever.
Good composition by the way.
"I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated".
Improve your images first by mastering your camera and technique, then move on to
Lightroom or whatever.
Good composition by the way.
Jan 12, 2018 08:47:26 #
Leicaflex wrote:
If you don't mind me saying, I think you have your statement the wrong way round.
"I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated".
Improve your images first by mastering your camera and technique, then move on to
Lightroom or whatever.
Good composition by the way.
"I am trying to learn Lightroom and improve my images. Any c/c is appreciated".
Improve your images first by mastering your camera and technique, then move on to
Lightroom or whatever.
Good composition by the way.
Thank you for your input.
Jan 12, 2018 08:47:59 #
Manglesphoto wrote:
Thank you for the thumbs up. (Or was it for Leicaflex?)
Jan 13, 2018 09:52:49 #
Jan 16, 2018 00:21:23 #
Swamp-Cork wrote:
Very nice image, Roaddog, and have yet to see my first Stilt.
Thank you Swamp-cork. Hoping you will find one soon.
Jan 17, 2018 16:03:47 #
Roaddog545 wrote:
Thank you Swamp-cork. Hoping you will find one soon.
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