Okaukuejo Storm Clouds

[Douglas Bolt]

Canon 5D1, 24-105@65, f8, 1/1600, ISO 500, ff, hh. PP: Nik SEP2, split toning - 80% opacity.
One of many spectacular cloud formations in Namibia. I'm not yet satisfied about the toning. I like it better than my other attempts using no toning, sepia and coffee.
Preview looks a little crusty - downsized from 12x18.

[Andrew Aveley]

Hi Douglas , Namibia is a awesome place of wide open spaces and epic skys. Could you post the original ? Toning is different but not sure if its doing this scene enough justice . I am referring to the rays and shades of the clouds etc. Thats only my opinion but would be great to see

[Morkel Erasmus]

Looks like a dramatic scene, Douglas. Like you and Andrew, I am not sold on the toning. You could post a JPG of the original and some of us could have a crack at it?
I still need to visit Etosha! :eek3:

[Douglas Bolt]

Here is the original with default settings in ACR and converted with Image Processor. Please, have at it.

[Douglas Bolt]

Sorry about the double post. I removed the image, but don't know how to remove the text.

[PhilCook]

Not for everyones tastes I guess, and I feel the same....great scene though, but I wonder if using a CPL on the lens might have given a dramatic look without the effects treatment

[Morkel Erasmus]

Here's my take - Doug - albeit a very quick job :w3

I'm not a fan of "toning" and prefer straight B&W. Here I first ran a multiplied luminosity layer of the highlights to tone them down. Then cropped slightly from the bottom.
I also ran some LCE (see Robert's sticky thread) for the sky.
Converted manually in PS, filtering the blue/cyan in the sky out so that it can be darker. There's a strange halo of light around the trees that is evident in your OP too - perhaps over-agressive use of the recovery slider in RAW conversion?

Anyway - did some more selective dodging and burning to the sky.

What do you think? Also - just an option and just to my tastes...though I tried to go for the dramatic mood of your OP...

[Douglas Bolt]

Phil,

To accomplish a similar effect before converting to B&W, I used HSL in ACR to increase the S and decrease the L of the Blue channel and maybe similar changes, but to a lesser extent in the Cyan channel. I had a CPL with me, but didn't use it all that much. Seems to be too dependent upon the angle of the scene relative to the sun for a consistent effect.

[Douglas Bolt]

Here's the same image without the split toning and without the border.
I like Morkel's treatment of the clouds, especially the upper layer. But the trees stand out a bit better here, at least that's my take. I also like foreground grasses in Morkel's treatment.

[Morkel Erasmus]

I like your repost, Doug...I normally like to go as dramatic as possible with these for my own tastes - I held back a bit in my repost :e3

[Douglas Bolt]

I printed both ver (split toned and no tone) with border (Nik #11) on Epson Cold Press Natural paper at 12x18. I lightened the top layer of clouds to look more like Morkel's post. Both prints look pretty nice, to my eyes, but I slightly prefer the toned ver. Why, the warm paper tone makes the grass in the foreground seem more desert-like and the trees stand out better, plus the dark clouds gives a cold and stormy feel. Probably not the best description of the tone effect. I notice that the original post was not at 1024px wide.

[Hilary Hann]

Toning is so much a personal taste kind of thing, but this scene has a lot going for it and is worth persevering with. I like the more dramatic conversion in frame #9 but don't mind the toned OP.

[Andrew Aveley]

reposts all have same train of thought i see.........mine a little more dramatic with slight crop. Simple processing in Nik software with BW. Would love to go more in detail but file a little small ;) Thanks for sharing the OP

[Douglas Bolt]

I like the crop from the top, but I'm wondering why you left the "droppings" at the bottom. I'll send you a larger ver, if you PM me.