Post Processing suggestions?

[tasadam]

Gidday. It's been a while since I posted anything, though I have been lurking a bit.

I have been confusing myself with the brightness levels in images.

In PS CS3, editing the RAW, clicking on Auto gives mixed results, and I usually like to compare Auto and Default, then adjust myself to what I think the scene looked like.
I'm generally trying to recreate the image as I saw it rather than an edited look, HDR for example.

So there's this image. Here are two different edits of it, differences are brightness and contrast levels in the RAW adjustment, all other settings are the same in each.

My concern is that though it looked ok once I had edited it, once I uploaded it to my redbubble site, it looked a bit dark.





Which is better? Why? Any other suggestions?

[biggerry]

I prefer the lighter version, it feels like there is a bit more dynamic range in this one, but that could be my imagination. Also i use quite a dark setting on my monitor so that also comes into play.

I do a similiar thing when adjusting the contrast and brightness, select the 'Auto' option to see what it gives then go back and manually apply it based on waht i like, I rarely find myself using 'Auto' result since I find it a bit too contrasty and bright, however it is great for getting a 3rd opinion, in a sense?!

maybe consider applying the settings to only one part of the image, in particular the area of interest, the mushroom, apply brightness to this local area and keep the remaining background slightly darker.

hth a little...

[photohiker]

Just to be contrary, I like the first one. I'm finding the lighter objects in the second image to be too light and washed out, especially the leaves.

Are those leaves on the fungus Beech? How's the Fagus this year?

Michael

[tasadam]

Are those leaves on the fungus Beech? How's the Fagus this year?

Michael

Thanks for the replies so far.
The leaves are Myrtle.

As I said on the Redbubble description,

On the floor of a typical Tasmanian forst in Autumn. The mushrooms thrive at this time of year, and this location was no exception. This one was found growing amongst the Sphagnum Moss on the walk to Winterbrook Falls, northern Tasmania. The photograph is taken as the scene presented itself – naturally.
The Myrtle leaves give the mushroom some reference to size.
On Aptil 18 2009 when this was taken, it took me 4 hours to walk one direction, and 8 minutes to walk back, such was the photography subject content in this area.

Good Fagus discussion for 2009 HERE and HERE.

I took a Fagus photo last month, that can be seed HERE.
For those that don't know, Fagus, or Tanglefoot, or Deciduous Beech, are common names for Nothofagus Gunnii, closely related to Myrtle (Nothofagus Cunninghamii), and is Australias's only native winter-deciduous plant, only found in wet alpine areas of Tasmania. My redbubble image has got a link if you want to read more about it.

[colin_12]

On my monitor the first looks more natural and less washed out.

[big pix]

you could try to vignette each of the 4 corner's to make your subject stand out more......

[digitor]

First one looks better to me.

Cheers

[NeoTiger]

I'd also say first one is better on my monitor. The second one looks too bright.