Hints on post processing!

[englishpremier]

No one mentioned the white balance in the original. The whites look grey. Other than that all it needs a bit a contrast, saturation (blues), and sharpening.

Really nice composition.

 

[Phal]

No one mentioned the white balance in the original. The whites look grey. Other than that all it needs a bit a contrast, saturation (blues), and sharpening.

Really nice composition.

I don't mind a slight greyness but I'm not sure it's white balance so much as exposure.

Here's another edit which I've done before on a shot with similar colours by just dropping the saturation. It seems a bit classier to me for some reason, a bit more subtle but I guess it depends what you're looking for.

Rework 2 by Phal44, on Flickr

 

[stument]

I think i have just done the same as everyone else! haha (Quality is a little low because of image host site)

 

[ChroniC]

I feel a bit rude saying this, as I know no ones perfect, but not a single person colour balanced or contrast controlled that image correctly. I know some might say that's a matter of opinion however. (except maybe the Op's as I can't see that, Imgur error)

Also handy hint for the OP.
1- If you draw a straight line across the horizon with the ruler tool, then use the "arbitrary" option in "Image Rotation" it will automatically give you the exact value to rotate it to level.
2- To get the perfect contrast/colour balance on most, use the threshold tool as a way of gauging the brightest and darkest areas of the image. By adjusting the slider to its furthest left or right you will be able to see the last areas to disappear, these are the areas you need to use in your levels. Hold down shift and select these areas, to leave 2 adjustment point targets. Then in levels, select them with the white and black droppers. (this may require some knowledge of Photoshop to understand)

 

[Phal]

I feel a bit rude saying this, as I know no ones perfect, but not a single person colour balanced or contrast controlled that image correctly. I know some might say that's a matter of opinion however. (except maybe the Op's as I can't see that, Imgur error)

I can't say I've ever tried to follow any rules when I process my shots! Personally I just do whatever I need to do in order to make it look how I like it.

 

[Street]

That looks amazing! A lot better than my attempt (all were better than my attempt).. I am a total beginner at Lightroom though, not long started using it. Would you be able to send me a hi res copy to print please?

My final version ended up like..

 

[ChroniC]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6176593/DSC00263large.jpg

 

[ChroniC]

I can't say I've ever tried to follow any rules when I process my shots! Personally I just do whatever I need to do in order to make it look how I like it.

That's fair enough, if that's what you like, no worries. However from the other side of the fence, black and whites have values, and it's important to get them to their minimum and max when dealing with contrast and under exposure in particular.

 

[Street]

Awesome, thanks!

I'll have to get myself a book on Lightroom and learn it properly!

 

[Ksanti]

That's fair enough, if that's what you like, no worries. However from the other side of the fence, black and whites have values, and it's important to get them to their minimum and max when dealing with contrast and under exposure in particular.

Whoever taught you has severely hampered your creativity, post processing isn't some objective fact where blacks have to blacks and contrast needs to be maximised. For example your version has blues /way/ oversaturated, the snow is slightly yellow and what the hell is that shadow. I understand you may well have your own opinion on post processing, but you're presenting it like gospel truth when it's a subjective, being frankly quite rude about it and that I take issue with.

 

[Phal]

I can't say I was offended but as far as how to PP, unless you're trying to re-produce perfect colours and shades for some kind of product photography or something, I don't really see any advantage in processing to certain fixed standards.

Photos are meant to look good so if they do so despite having Lightroom sliderbars in all the wrong places then who cares?

This photo was fairly normally exposed etc but when I moved a few bars around I found it looked quite funky as more of a silhouette so I processed that way instead. Might not be to everyone's taste but I don't take pics for them lol

North American F-86A Sabre by Phal44, on Flickr

 

[mr tommo]

I feel a bit rude saying this, as I know no ones perfect, but not a single person colour balanced or contrast controlled that image correctly. I know some might say that's a matter of opinion however. (except maybe the Op's as I can't see that, Imgur error)

Lol?

Photography is an art not a science. Surely it's down to everyone's personal preferences whether or not they have colour balanced or contrast controlled'correctly'. I'll assume you didn't mean to come across quite so arrogant. IMO (not that it matters at all) your version looks a little too worked on but then my taste on that particular image preferred a more natural, out of the camera look. Does that mean you've done something incorrectly?

Throw out the rule book

 

[ChroniC]

I can't say I was offended but as far as how to PP, unless you're trying to re-produce perfect colours and shades for some kind of product photography or something, I don't really see any advantage in processing to certain fixed standards.

Photos are meant to look good so if they do so despite having Lightroom sliderbars in all the wrong places then who cares?

This photo was fairly normally exposed etc but when I moved a few bars around I found it looked quite funky as more of a silhouette so I processed that way instead. Might not be to everyone's taste but I don't take pics for them lol

Fair enough, but what I think your misunderstanding! That looks better the way you did it, however an image of white snow and dark mountains are a different thing. Your image above has no white!! If you make white snow, blue, which it's not then it, welllllll its wrong.
If you want to set out to create something that isn't 100% realistic for artistic effect then fine, but if your trying to achieve a perfect realistic representation of the world, then it's a different matter entirely.

Lol?

Photography is an art not a science. Surely it's down to everyone's personal preferences whether or not they have colour balanced or contrast controlled'correctly'. I'll assume you didn't mean to come across quite so arrogant. IMO (not that it matters at all) your version looks a little too worked on but then my taste on that particular image preferred a more natural, out of the camera look. Does that mean you've done something incorrectly?

Throw out the rule book

That's fair, like I said in my post, some see it as a matter of opinion, but no paid professional would. What you take a shot (photography) of is an art, processing is the art of science an math.
Back in the day, it would have been an art form, pushing and pulling, getting things looking right, however digital work has removed that in a sense.
I didn't see anyone say " Ive processed this so that the shadows and highlights are a shade of blue and the blacks are slightly grey because I think it looks better for artistic effect".

I won't be throwing out any rule book any time soon, otherwise I wouldn't be getting paid either.

Whoever taught you has severely hampered your creativity, post processing isn't some objective fact where blacks have to blacks and contrast needs to be maximised. For example your version has blues /way/ oversaturated, the snow is slightly yellow and what the hell is that shadow. I understand you may well have your own opinion on post processing, but you're presenting it like gospel truth when it's a subjective, being frankly quite rude about it and that I take issue with.

You need to get your monitor calibrated, if your seeing any yellow in that, somethings wrong. Check the values!
There is absolutely no question about it, it's not even my opinion, it's just how a camera works, if your not going to listen to facts then you will never learn.

I remember now I why I choose to avoid this forum, was a mistake for me to come back. Excuse my intrusion it won't happen again.

 

[An Exception]

You need to get your monitor calibrated, if your seeing any yellow in that, somethings wrong. Check the values!
There is absolutely no question about it, it's not even my opinion, it's just how a camera works.

I remember now I why I choose to avoid this forum, was a mistake for me to come back. Excuse my intrusion!!

In your edit the snow is indeed too warm (even though it's technically neutral). The scene itself would naturally have a cooler bluer hue which you haven't taken account of.
This is also ignoring the fact that a cold scene would lend itself to a cooler white balance artistically speaking.

I don't know why you avoided this forum, but when your arrogance is greater than your intelligence, butthurt is a likely consequence.


"Why does snow sometimes look blue?

"When snow appears to be blue, it’s very pure. The phenomenon is called blue coloration in photography. Light has different wavelengths that we perceive as colours, and blue light is the light that goes through ice most readily. The same phenomenon makes the sea and the sky blue," says Jonasson."
http://sciencenordic.com/ice-makes-snow-white-blue-and-creaky

 

[Sh4rkie]

For me PP in 99% of cases is interpretation and artistic choice rather than 100% faithful reproduction but i do get your point. Most of the colour processing done above are colour cast but who am i to argue that wasn't their intention.

I know my processing was perfect in colour and tint, completely and utterly perfect . I'm just a sucker for mono and felt it was a stronger image converted.

 

[ChroniC]

In your edit the snow is indeed too warm (even though it's technically neutral). The scene itself would naturally have a cooler bluer hue which you haven't taken account of.
This is also ignoring the fact that a cold scene would lend itself to a cooler white balance artistically speaking.

I don't know why you avoided this forum, but when your arrogance is greater than your intelligence, butthurt is a likely consequence.


"Why does snow sometimes look blue?

"When snow appears to be blue, it’s very pure. The phenomenon is called blue coloration in photography. Light has different wavelengths that we perceive as colours, and blue light is the light that goes through ice most readily. The same phenomenon makes the sea and the sky blue," says Jonasson."
http://sciencenordic.com/ice-makes-snow-white-blue-and-creaky

There is no butthurt involved for me, since the darkest point is 255 and lightest 0 and very happily for almost all of the rest of the images sits very nice in the centre of the blue range.

The reason I avoid this forum, is this exact reason. To argumentative based on what people confuse as "subjetiveness". It's like arguing with religious people.

 

[An Exception]

There is no butthurt involved for me

We both know that's a lie.

Edit: to account for your edit.

The reason I avoid this forum, is this exact reason. To argumentative

You posted in this thread to both argue & as an attempt to feel superior (clearly not happened as expected). Hence the below statement.

I feel a bit rude saying this, as I know no ones perfect, but not a single person colour balanced or contrast controlled that image correctly.

If you were looking to assist Op in his quest for 'Hints on processing', you would have just included the following. (still a bit pompous with the wording, but at least some useful info)

handy hint for the OP.
1- If you draw a straight line across the horizon with the ruler tool, then use the "arbitrary" option in "Image Rotation" it will automatically give you the exact value to rotate it to level.
2- To get the perfect contrast/colour balance on most, use the threshold tool as a way of gauging the brightest and darkest areas of the image. By adjusting the slider to its furthest left or right you will be able to see the last areas to disappear, these are the areas you need to use in your levels. Hold down shift and select these areas, to leave 2 adjustment point targets. Then in levels, select them with the white and black droppers. (this may require some knowledge of Photoshop to understand)

 

[mr tommo]

That's fair, like I said in my post, some see it as a matter of opinion, but no paid professional would. What you take a shot (photography) of is an art, processing is the art of science an math.
Back in the day, it would have been an art form, pushing and pulling, getting things looking right, however digital work has removed that in a sense.

I won't be throwing out any rule book any time soon, otherwise I wouldn't be getting paid either.

Honestly?

From just reading posts on this forum I am aware of at least 3 of us in this very thread that get paid for our services. It means absolutely nothing and I don't claim to know better than photographers who do it just for fun.

You simply can't claim that a post processed image is wrong. You can hate it, you can think it needs something else doing to it, you can think the sky looks too vivid, there's not enough contrast etc.

If you were to say that the task was to replicate the image to portray true likeness to the OP standing there and seeing it with his own eyes, then yes I guess there can be a right and wrong. Still, I don't think that is what you were getting at.

 

[ChroniC]

Honestly?

You simply can't claim that a post processed image is wrong. You can hate it, you can think it needs something else doing to it, you can think the sky looks too vivid, there's not enough contrast etc.
If you were to say that the task was to replicate the image to portray true likeness to the OP standing there and seeing it with his own eyes, then yes I guess there can be a right and wrong. Still, I don't think that is what you were getting at.

I would have thought that's exactly my point. The OP asked for it to be processed to not to be made into an artistic representation of what you think it might look like. I said it wasn't correctly contrast or colour casted. Simple.

 

[ChroniC]

We both know that's a lie.

Edit: to account for your edit.



You posted in this thread to both argue & as an attempt to feel superior (clearly not happened as expected). Hence the below statement.


If you were looking to assist Op in his quest for 'Hints on processing', you would have just included the following. (still a bit pompous with the wording, but at least some useful info)

Excuse me for 1 helping the op, and 2 - apologizing for sounding pompous in my opening post because not everyone has been taught how to do things correctly. My mistake!!!

Jesus!

Feel free to go mental at me now as I will not reply, so you may have the last word.