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Art or Dreck?

Got a thin skin? Then look elsewhere. Post a link to an image that you've made, and invite others to offer their critiques. Honesty is encouraged, but please be positive in your constructive criticism. Flaming and just plain nastiness will not be tolerated. Please note that this is not an area for you to showcase your images, nor is this a place for you to show-off where you have been. This is an area for you to post images so that you may share with us a technique that you have mastered, or are trying to master. Typically, no more than about four images should be posted in any one post or thread, and the maximum size of any side of any image should not exceed 950 px.

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Art or Dreck?

Postby stubbsy on Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:54 pm

I'm unbelievably unsure about this. Sometimes I love it - other times I hate it. Taken on the long lens workshop @ Blues point with my new Nikon 12-24mm lens. Had the camera set wrong (yup newbie :oops: ). The larger version is in my pixspot gallery here

Give me your verdict - I can take it (I call the shot 2001)

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Last edited by stubbsy on Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby ajo43 on Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:57 pm

I like it. And I see why you call it 2001.

Can you bring the building up a little in PP.
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Postby sirhc55 on Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:58 pm

Interesting Stubbsy - Blues Point Tower has to be one of the ugliest buildings on the Sydney foreshore so I like this photo because it does not show its ugly glory. As an after thought you could deep etch out the building to another layer and play with lighting, hue etc.

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Postby Matt. K on Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:59 pm

Peter
The sky is stunning! Have you been able to process this in Photoshop? There are a few tricks that might reveal more detail in the building.
It won't work for me without a bit of extra PP. But good that you took the shot anyway...that's how we learn and grow.
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Postby stubbsy on Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:10 pm

ajo43 wrote:Can you bring the building up a little in PP

sirhc55 wrote:you could deep etch out the building to another layer and play with lighting, hue etc.

Matt. K wrote:The sky is stunning! Have you been able to process this in Photoshop? There are a few tricks that might reveal more detail in the building.


That's where I have a problem, guys. I'm not sure how to separate out the building & the background in PS to play with the two separately. I figure I need to create another layer (tried selecting a colour range then cutting & pasting but this didn't work). As it stands this has had minimal tweaking (pretty much looked like this to start with).

I tried playing with curves & brightness & contrast and either blow out the clouds or bring the building up so much it just looks like a building!
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Drek ?

Postby christiand on Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:15 pm

What is Drek referring to ?
If it is German for rubbish or dirt it is Dreck.

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Postby stubbsy on Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:22 pm

christiand

Oops. Knew the word, didn't know the spelling. Yes German for rubbish. Now fixed. Thanks.
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Postby gstark on Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:01 am

stubbsy wrote:christiand

Oops. Knew the word, didn't know the spelling. Yes German for rubbish. Now fixed. Thanks.


Also Yiddish, same meaning.
g.
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Postby the foto fanatic on Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:36 am

stubbsy wrote:That's where I have a problem, guys. I'm not sure how to separate out the building & the background in PS to play with the two separately. I figure I need to create another layer (tried selecting a colour range then cutting & pasting but this didn't work). As it stands this has had minimal tweaking (pretty much looked like this to start with).

I tried playing with curves & brightness & contrast and either blow out the clouds or bring the building up so much it just looks like a building!


Stubbsy

A trick I would try with this shot would be:
    open the image at least 1 EV lighter in PS
    open another image at the current EV level
    copy the darker image, and paste it over the lighter image
    use the eraser tool to rub away the "darker" building, exposing the lighter one beneath. The sky will remain the same. You can erase anything that you want to appear "lighter" than the top image.
    you may have to experiment with EV levels to find the right combination

Here are a couple of posts in dpreview describing this technique in greater detail.
http://www.pbase.com/nowhereatoll/post_processing_demo1
http://www.pbase.com/nowhereatoll/combining_two_exposures_

Good luck
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Postby atencati on Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:53 am

I love the sky but with the large shadow in the foreground it appears someone has taken scissors to your photo. It just seems flat to me....

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Postby Matt. K on Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:48 pm

Here's another way...and a favourite PS technique of mine...it's called a contrast mask and the stepS are pretty simple.
Open the image and create a Second layer...CONTROL+J......go to image adjustments/DESATURATE...this turn the copy into black and white...then...image adjustment INVERT....this creates a negative...then filter/blur and slightly blur the negative...then LAYERS, (FROM THE WINDOW MENU) AND TOP RIGHT HAND MENU..LAYER MODE...CHANGE IT TO SOFT LIGHT.
NOW TOP RIGHT HAND...CHANGE THE OPACITY TO SUIT THE IMAGE.

See if that works for you.
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Postby phillipb on Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:54 pm

...Or you could just do it the easy way with "levels" and a bit of color.

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Postby Greg B on Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:20 pm

Matt, interesting technique, I'm going to try it.

Phillip, nice work, good outcome.
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Using eraser tool

Postby the foto fanatic on Fri Jan 14, 2005 5:20 pm

or, one that doesn't look like it suffers from the dreaded pf :)
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