Any suggestions on how to avoid color separation in the sky? I am trying to work colors in a way that doesn’t produce the banding, i.e. using Split Toning in LR to bring the sky colors to appealing palette, as recommended by Ole Henrik Skjelstad in a blog article. Also using Camera Calibration initially in LR to pull up blue slider for deeper colors…then pulling back the sat on blue in HSL…in other words, trying not to stress out the skies too much so I get banding.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
All comments welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Sony A7R4, Metabones Smart Adaptor, Canon TS-E lens 17mm, ISO 100, 1/3 sec @ f/22.
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Hi Doug, I am having a difficult time seeing the banding you mention. I feel you have eliminated this through your post-processing. From the horizon to the top of the sky, there does not appear to be any distinguishable lines between the color variations. I tend to utilize the chromatic abberation removal as well as part of every post-production image I do. It is so subtle, it can be difficult to tell.
I really like the vertical feel to this image and the capture of colors provides a great range of light and color throughout. From the foreground plants to the top of the tree, the centering of this really does work. Very well done in my book.
Hi Doug, I like the shot a great deal. My only question concerns the slight addition of light from the front palm plant around to the right curve where there are small palms dimly and partially lit. I have enjoyed the shot very much.
Doug, I was wondering if you could provide a link to the blog because I don’t understand it. I think those are called palmetto trees, right? At first I thought they were backlit by the sunlight, but that’s not the case. I rather like the yellow ends to the leaves. However, I would desaturate the smaller leaves in the background. Overall, it’s a really nice foreground to background shot.
Thank you all. Yes, the foreground plants are Scrub Palmetto…and the tips were turning orange, which I thought was a pretty color change from the normal green. To Igor’s point, I have always loved the way Ole gets his skies so stunning with the colors…so I’m attaching the article describing how Ole gets his skies without banding…https://www.diyphotography.net/how-to-swiftly-get-perfect-sunset-colors-in-lightroom/
Todd…
I wanted to specifically thank you for your commentary on the banding. I love to get dramatic skies, but it seems when I get exotic with it, those bands start showing up. So I appreciate your moral support on the banding
Doug, I do not see any banding in the sky here at all. Overall I like this image very much . I especially like the repetitions that you have here. The repetition of the orange color on the palmetto tips, and in the sky. The repetition of the shape of the palmetto plants and the big tree, both being centered in the image. This is a really neat composition as a result. I like your exposure/contrast here, the ground is dark enough to say “twilight”, while still retaining important details. My only suggestion for improvement would be dial back the orange saturation in the sky, and try to bring the saturation a little more into balance.
I did read the article you linked. I have used the blue slider LR calibration tool for quite a while. Like many tools it is often best used sparingly and gently, it is easy to overdo. Interestingly, I find the blue calibration slider creates a more pleasing, subtle effect on colors other than blue, and it is blue itself that is easy to overdo. I agree that overuse of Lightroom HSL sliders can also easily result in banding and other artifacts. I also feel the same way about the Lighroom B&W panel for the same reason.
I don’t know if you use Luminosity Masks, but that is my preferred way to deal with adjusting colors. for example TK actions has some powerful color selection tools that can be used in conjunction with Hue Saturation adjustment layers. These color masks create very smooth transitions that help avoid banding.
Wow Ed!, how could I learn more about the TK actions for color selection you spoke about? I use the “basic” TK panel for luminosity selections…but haven’t moved over into the full panel. I was in Switzerland with Sean Bagshaw this fall, and if I’d known about getting better sky colors blending with the TK, I could have asked the TK man himself about it. Do you happen to know of any blogs or video tutorials specifically on TK color selections… that I could study? TX Ed!
Run, do not walk, over to Tony’s website and buy the full V7 panel, and the SB videos. It’s the best money you will ever spend on landscape photography. Below is a link to something on color based selections/masks. They are so feathered, they avoid all the banding issues with LR HSL. and when the Color masks are used in conjunction with PS Hue/Saturation adjustment layers you have so much power. I am also a big fan of TK Saturation/Vibrance masks, they beat the stuffing out of using LR Vib/Sat. In your image here you could use a TK Saturation mask to select only the most saturated orange in the sky to dial that back (which was my suggested edit for you), and it would leave the less saturated oranges in the palmetto leaves unaffected.
