details... reflections in the windows, well done.

Each says something different. I remember the cardboard tubes we would spend time with as children, turning them to create different patterns with the fragments inside... then later we could look at things and turn them into Kaleidoscope images. Thank you Joe... we forget about simple things.

https://www.mehdiplugins.com/

Worse than "foreboding" the red prompts one to go back to bed and pull the covers over their head!! If the image were to be turned into shades of gray, then low impact, but that red... oh my!!!

The coloration and shading is superb and the image speaks loudly, anguish. This is the year 2077, and a Dust Bowl on Mars. The lower left and upper right are well competitively balanced. Bravo Linda...

If you showed this to a psychiatrist, they would put you on anti-depressant medication and take some themselves. I can imagine this projected onto a wall with the room heat turned up to 100, the viewer thirsty with no water, with an oscillating fan blowing the heat on the viewer.

Now that is the start of a beautiful sundial.

globetrekker there is a great discussion going on about this photo its vice is its virtue... it has serious problems and that makes it a challenge for the PS people and others like me who do not have PS.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-802747-1.html

Please globetrekker, will you permit us to use the photo for post-processing experiments? Do you have the as shot, straight out of the camera in raw and or JPEG that could be used? I you no longer have it, then can the as presented here be used?

The above comments are appreciated as being honest and backed by experience. I will concede that PS is the gold standard and that RAW with adjustment is also superior to JPEG or other compression variations.

I overstated saying that PSPro and Topaz combo was superior to Adobe... correction would be superior to the PS attempt by the poster.

I have since changed the sequence for better results ... the fact that the PS start was so bad was an excellent challenge. I will ask the poster if he will allow us to use his SOOC photo as an experimental test subject. If he agrees and ideally shot in both raw and JPEG how wonderful.

Adobe products are beyond the John Q. Public, JQP, need and the learning curve is steep. JQP is often discouraged by their attempt at PS or LtR. They are better off with Ashampoo brand easy quick fix ... to allow them to like photography.

For those who print large and exhibit as professionals... they are beyond the discussion for the 8x10 printer for the living room blank wall. When looking for noise and artifacts we should not utilize a microscope or 10x enlargement of a photo section...

Most of my shooting is with my Panasonic TZ100 pocket zoom with a 1" sensor. In a few days, I will be 88 and lugging around my bag of lenses and my Sony camera is less tempting. The TZ100 is easy and sufficient for 8x10 wall display. Lazy ... ya. Also, the in-pocket camera is superior to the world's finest camera that is home in the closet when an of-the-moment photo opportunity happens. What do you use for casual shooting?

We should keep in mind that JQP is cell phone addicted. If you ask them they will look bland and pull an earbud out and ask you to repeat what you asked. I have an UHH friend in England and she just bought a very expensive non-iPhone.. cell phone for photography. The reason... she went to Barbados and only used her iPhone and was happy with the results ... her full-sensor Sony 7 will gather dust.

The bird to me was a cull and that is why the keyboard has a delete key... the bird was not the last Passenger Pigeon no last Dodo bird.... he should have taken the time to go out and shoot a good start photo.

In the Photo Analysis section, a bird photo that should have been deleted by the photographer was improved by him using his Adobe Weapons.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-802502-2.html#14523912

I used my Paintshop Pro 2023 and my array of Topaz and the result showed Topaz to be the winner. Could I have done better, yes, but I did a quick job of demonstrating what could be done with Corel PSPro and Topaz. Be aware, PSPro in a lifetime license and reasonable cost for the program. I update when they make significant changes and the upgrade discounted and is reasonable.

Of interest to me was the "Tools for increasing the pixel levels are 1. Increase the image size using PSPro 2023 AI tool, 2. Topaz Gigapixel, and Topaz Photo AI. A full very detailed comparison of the two Topaz tools for "Upscaling" the pixels is given here:
https://www.hitpaw.com/ai-photo/topaz-photo-ai-vs-gigapixel.html

Agreed, the statues would be too visually "heavy" and would be looked at for detail ... the foliage is thin enough to not be competitive and just glanced at.

Your observation is correct... I checked my list of attributes and Yes, the subject is indeed a Female Earthling.
One thing on the checklist is "Particularly localized fatty deposits"... this image shows an abundance!!!

Globetrekker deserves credit for attempting the salvation of this image and admission it was still ragged. Globetrekker used Adobe to attempt photo improvement... is this work I did with Topaz a head-to-head with Adobe? Perhaps, if so in my opinion comparing the end result from Adobe and Topaz/PSPro for this image Topaz/PSPro is the winner.

Globetrekker used C1-setting... C-settings are a great automation of manual settings set up for specific situations. I have one of my C-settings for closeups of flowers using the flash to eliminate junk in the background... works well and is quick.

Yes, I spent the time because my first simple change was ridiculed "same only different." UHH is a place for sharing and education. If this had been in the bird section, then it would have been one of the photos that would be made perfect using the delete key. The basic photo was "crap."

Yes, it was a challenge to me, but more so a challenge to the Topaz software and basic Edit program Paintshop Pro 2023. Perhaps the self-education was the use of the special skills of the Clone-Tool. Specifically, the "darken" setting respects the already dark territory of the bird coupled with the "Smart Edge" setting which sees the edge of a color change. In retrospect, it perhaps may have been better if applied after deNoise and Sharpening. I have noted that the non-AI tools can give more control than the fast and efficient AI tools. The Clarity tool is fantastic... perhaps doing to JPEG images what we would find with RAW adjustments... What do you people think? Topaz Clarity adjusts the levels of contrast, white and black levels, and shade, saturation, and luminosity of the range of colors beyond the basic RGB.

Tools for increasing the pixel levels are 1. Increase image size a PSPro tool, 2. Topaz Gigapixel, and Topaz Photo AI. A full very detailed comparison of the two Topaz tools for "Upscaling" the pixels is given here:
https://www.hitpaw.com/ai-photo/topaz-photo-ai-vs-gigapixel.html

Was my time wasted working with this "ragged bird photo"... NO! It forced me to work with really challenging image problems. I did not make the Silk Purse from the Sow's Ear, but gave it a good try and with this series of image improvement details shared the use of tools available to all. As I have often said, for most people, the money people spend on Adobe PS is better spent buying one-time fee the excellent Paintshop Pro and the Topaz tools.

A comparison of the changes.

I am sure someone will say ... humph, no better, just different. Ignorance is Bliss.
https://betthr.com/ignorance-is-bliss/

Because the file was small for printing Topaz GigaPixel increased the less than 1 megapixel to 2.2 megapixels.

IMAGE INCREASED TO 2.2 MEGAPIXELS

(Download)

Process 5, was to use an older Topaz to adjust the various levels of contrast. It also tweaked the color saturation and luminosity to give them life from the mud. Perhaps, too much red, but that could have been changed with the slider.

Next is a comparison.

POST PROCESSED vs AS SHOT CROP

Next is to sharpen the image using Topaz Sharpen AI. Do make note of the brest and how the feathers are separated, also, the wing is improved.

Step 2 was to deNoise using Topaz Lab's deNoise AI still some gain remains in the sky, but vast improvement. Do understand that this is not my photo so the work was done without super-passion. Tweaking some of the settings or doing a duplicate processing may have been el perfect'0.

The Left side sky is as shot, the right side sky is cleaned...with deNoise ... Note the grain in the blue.
DeNoise has a before-after slider... I used Lightshot 5.5 to get this snippet. [Lightshot is a free program]