IJsselmeer Sunset

Image Processing Challenge
1

An image taken earlier this year at one of my local sunset spots with my Nikon Z5 and 28/75 f2.8 @ 29 mm, f22, 1/30sec and ISO 1250. I do most of my processing in LRC but am now venturing into the somewhat intimidating world of PS. Here I experimented with adding more colour into the highlights in PS as well as some local painting here and there. I’d like to see how others might interpret or improve this.

Raw File

20230227_017.NEF (28.5 MB)

You may only download this file to demonstrate how you would process the image. The file is Copyright of the photographer, and you must delete the raw file when you are done. Please post a jpg of what you created, explain what you did, and why you did it.

My Edit

IJsselmeer Sunset
IJsselmeer Sunset2000×1335 284 KB

2

Beatiful picture and a place, so wanted to try and learn as well.

20230227_IJsselmeer Sunset-1_1500x1001_U_100_Long Edge
20230227_IJsselmeer Sunset-1_1500x1001_U_100_Long Edge1500×1001 979 KB

image

Main things I did:

  • Opened to PS as Smart Object and made a copy of it for dual processing. sky vs foreground
  • Wanted to get rid of some of the biggest foot steps etc. on the Sand so tried Frequence Separation where I used spot healing brush for the texture layer and some overall smoothening on the color layer.
  • luminosity mask guided dodge and burn both for dark and light areas, some of the light areas with boosted color dodging (pick a color from picture but then change it to bit more saturated and bright and dodge with that)
  • Some added highlight colors on ‘Screen’ mode layer
  • slight Orton effect with luminosity mask for highlights.

Edit: seems I bit over burned the right corner… Tried to darken it to guide the viewer away from it but could have done that better.

3

Hi Kasperi - thanks for taking the time to work on this image and provide your lovely interpretation. I like the overall softer look to the image as well as slightly more definition in the sky thanks to retaining the more natural colour as compared to my interpretation.
Have a great weekend!
Bill

4

My edit has no sharpening or edge burning and there are no local corrections (i.e. dodging/burning local areas). I wanted to blow the colors apart and this too could be blended back into the original

but I did this:

  1. open with no sharpening, dull
  2. R>RGB Lum

  3. curve R,G replace B with curved R

  4. SH

  5. Mult gamma 1,8

  6. adjust gamma

  7. CB+MFM

  8. A>L

  9. CB apply to sky

My intent was to brighten the sky and far branches (I sacrificed the “dreamy” look but you could blend some of the original back in to get it back somewhat)

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@bill_theis you should see the pen icon under your own posts/reply that allows the edit.
image

1 Like
7

I was also challenged about adding the image. I see that I can do this (sorry for the previous post with embedded image)

Theis_20230227_017
Theis_20230227_0173008×2008 2.41 MB

8

Thanks for your contribution Bill - you certainly achieved your objective. If not for the trees I would think it was in the Mediterranean rather than the Northern Netherlands :smile: Of course I can dream…

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if you need any information on some of my somewhat cryptic notation for the steps, let me know.

the heavy lifting was done by CB+MFM


Mediterranean eh?
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Indeed, while I could take a guess at some the acronyms, I admit that I’m not at all sure what you did. Perhaps a brief explanation of your acronyms would help a bit.
Thank you so much.

11

I use plain vanilla photoshop in a way that Dan Margulis worked out decades ago (I went to all his classes as he was developing the LAB techniques)… so these acronyms came from Dan.
R>RGB is applying the R channel to the RGB channel then change blend mode to Lum

curve R,G replace B with curved R is just what it says (in Lum blend)

SH is just Photoshops very own shadow highlight command

Mult gamma 1,8 is Dan multiply method where you drop contrast by assigning (not converting) the file to 1.8 gamma then duping the layer in Multiply blend with a blurred mask from one of the channels

after this I adjusted the gamma to taste

CB+MFM is color boost and MFM is the Man from Mars… I can give you a reference to the PPWF if you want

A>L is applying the A channel to the Luminosity channel in LAB in Overlay blend

then I thought the sky could use a bit of a boost so I did another round of color boost to it through a mask made from the B channel

done!

no selections and takes less than 5 mins.

complete documentation (and free actions) for the techniques are at Dan Margulis. Dan is in the Photoshop Hall of Fame BTW

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keltameri
keltameri2048×1461 1.01 MB

I processed quite a lot in ACR and in Photoshop I adjusted the rocks to be less saturated. Remove sky noises and sharpen the foreground. Some more small adjustments with Nik Color efex, e.g. dark contrast and detail adjustment

14

Thanks Jorma and to those I have already thanked for their contributions. This was intriguing to see the four different interpretations of the same image.