Anatomy of My Workflow…
Haven’t had much to contribute on a daily basis however I’ve decided to show you my workflow on a shot I took back in March. The result is not too bad and as a bonus I’ve experimented with a bit of split toning at the end. Please let me know what you think as there’s always a question in my head(as well as yours too?)……Am I done with processing this shot?
The 3 shots above are my original raw images with no adjustments. I was satisfied with the white balance values in these but in many other cases I will adjust the temperature before exporting to Photomatix. The next step is to export these to Photomatix. I’ve been testing the newest beta version of Photomatix and I really like the results generated by this version. The unaltered conversion is seen below…
My main thought at this point is to to restore depth and dimension to the shot because photomatix processing tends to even out the dark and light tones and leave the photo very flat. The foreground is a perfect example, the sand on my side of the rocks is much lighter than in the original, done to bring out more details, but needs to be restored to add realism back into the shot. This results of my processing can be seen below….
The above shot represents a normally finished product, however I felt like experimenting with the split tone panel in Lightroom and the result is featured below. I utilized a color wheel to assure myself that I had complimentary colors and a dramatic scene.
I personally like both versions although I could do without the slight glow around the warning sign. My attempt to minimize this glow was feeble so I decided to just leave it. Do you see it?
You know there are so many features in Lightroom that I never really get to play with them enough to really utilize each and every one to it’s full extent. Couple these with the 3 or 4 plug-ins I have there are endless possibilities. It’s hard to know when enough is enough. I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial and please let me know your thoughts, did I go over board?
Thanks for telling us your process, Mike. It’s very similar to mine, except for that split-tone effect – simply awesome. The glow is barely noticeable, but I know what you mean. I get it sometimes, too.
July 11, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Awesome as usual! That’s my bro!
July 11, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Terrifically executed demo Mate. I notice with that glow that it is minute but increases slightly with the split tones (Might be a clue) With your initial processing to restore the near sand you seem to have lost some rough texture that I found appealing. That being said- I wish I could produce any one of the three and I would be ecstatic. Your talent with this software is awesome.
July 11, 2011 at 5:38 pm
I really like the warmth of the last one, you had a great image to work on.
July 11, 2011 at 7:38 pm
When you created your bracketed shots, were you shifting by 1, or 2 stops? I recently picked up Photomatix and am experimenting.
July 11, 2011 at 9:55 pm
my thoughts:
edit #2 has less appeal, I get a cold feeling – of strange because of the warm tones & the glow around the sign is not bothersome.
edit # 1 has a warmer feeling and floats my personal boat / funny how blues give me a warm feeling here.
you get a five star rating from me for you image and insights:)
July 12, 2011 at 9:24 am
Thanks for sharing your process…I kind of gave up on the HDR’s but now you have inspired me to keep trying! My favorite is the split tone….I love the colors it added…just a bit more dramatic. I did not notice the glow around the sign until you mentioned it.
July 12, 2011 at 9:33 am
So what happened with HDR? Didn’t like it, too much processing? Thanks for the comments everyone!
July 12, 2011 at 10:34 am
I like both processing versions and as for the glow around the sign, I only notice it if I’m squinting and studying that area but it isn’t like a sore thumb. The perfectionist in you is showing! It’s always interesting to hear how you approach a photo.
July 17, 2011 at 4:43 pm