Rhino in the shade

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

I've really tested the camera's dynamic range with this battle between bright morning sun and the shades under the animal's big body. I'm not too sure whether attempts to further lighten up the shadows might perhaps make it look a little flat, or not? Any suggestions welcome.

D600
Nikkor 70-200mm VRI f2.8 + TC14E II @ 250mm
f/5.6 | 1/640s | ISO-800
Taken from beanbag in car window.

[Diane Miller]

The ability of the raw conversion software (and how it is used) is really more of a factor than the camera's dynamic range, as many are in the same general ballpark. I find I can often approach HDR capture with the current version of ACR/LR.

A good teaching moment here. Tell us about your processing and post a JPEG as it came into the raw processor without any adjustments on your part, or any auto adjustments (understanding that at least some processors now make some subtle adjustments even when you don't do an auto.

I think you have a very nice image here that might be brought up a notch. Great to get that close to one! The OOF bright stick in front of the leg is a distracting element. If it had been possible to pull the car to the left it might have been moved out of the way, but as is it could be darkened with a very careful mask. It might even be removed, but that could be some work.

[Iain Barker]

Looks like you had a great opportunity here Toby and I like your image. It must be been fantastic to get this close to wild Rhino's
I don't really have any experience with image like this and am looking forward to learning something here on this one too.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=140821&d=1399621226

Thanks for your replies Diane & Iain.

LR pp prior to starting this thread: raised contrast, lowered highlights, tone curves, adjusted levels. Re-adjusted levels in LR. I might have overdone it this time but I'm open to opinions.

PS pp prior to the 2nd version: removed stick (Fill / Content Aware / Dissolve), lowered highlights with LM (curves). Might need another LM to raise the darks again.

[Iain Barker]

To me the repost shows more detail but the blacks look quite dark and the vegetation does not look as natural as it is quite saturated. Maybe the adjustments need to be made more locally on the Rhino.
I too have problems with the jpg export being darker than the image viewed in lightroom. I find that the first comment I get on a lot of my posted images is they are slightly dark.

[Diane Miller]

If I understand correctly that the initial concern was a high contrast subject, the processing should go in the direction to reduce contrast, which can be done with great control these days. The last thing I would do is increase it.

The OP isn't bad, but the bright areas on the back might be improved a little. There are cyans in the shadows -- that might best be fixed in PS, but see what you can do in the raw converter.

Excellent removal of the stick, but I'd go back to the raw file (not a PS file with tonalities glued in) and use the shadows and highlights sliders to maximize detail in those areas, tweaked with blacks and whites sliders, (and balanced with exposure, of course, if needed), not contrast. If it's too flat, Clarity is midtone contrast. Watch the histogram, it's more accurate than the monitor. Further detail can be brought out in PS with Nik Tonal Contrast.

Luminosity masks can have their place, but so much of what they do can now be done in LR/ACR. They date back to the days of scanning slides. I'd rather prevent a problem in raw conversion than try to fix it later.

[Diane Miller]

Iain, a JPEG export shouldn't be any different in tonalities than the image in LR. Are you doing it directly from LRs Export dialog? You referred in another thread to having what sounds like an unusual issue with your monitor. I can't guess what it might be but you might want to check that it is properly calibrated, and be careful not to change brightness after calibration. When you export JPEGs you should be using Convert to Profile to go to JPEG, not Assign Profile, although that would affect colors much more than tonalities.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Deleted (irrelevant)

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=140842&d=1399663109

Restarted on original pic (thanks Iain - I agree the grasses looked unnatural on 2nd attempt).

Lowered highlights using LR's adjustment brush.

Removed stick and did selective sharpening (on rhino only) using USM in PS.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Tobie, thought I would have a browse. The OP isn't too bad, once you remove the Blue cast. The balance of the RGB is fairly close in the mid greys so you have a good starting point here. The pose & HA is also very nice, likewise the framing. As stated, keep away from Contrast, you want as much mid tone as possible, this is where all that nice detail is, which you want to keep. I also like the lighting and so the image should reflect it, if there is shadows keep it, ditto highlights, but keep tone in there, hence viewing the Histogram in you camera. Using the filters within LR are great and so you can target key areas like the FG grass, or areas to the LHS. I know you are still finding your way with the PP stuff, but mastering Curves will really help, as you can adjust the quarter, mid & three quarter tone areas for your darks & lights, coupled with layers/masking. You may need to look at adding some NR, as I think the heat haze may also be having some effect on the BKG?

You also have sharpness, you can see that in the texture of the hide, so start to use USM as again you can build up the amounts until it looks right, as no two image are the same in how much they need.

You know I'm away so this is not ideal and I can't be 100%, I may have pushed it (?), but again, couple with the above it may also add to the above comments to move this on, just my take. :w3

Steve

[Iain Barker]

I think your last post is the best of your three posts Tobie and I really like what Steve has done in his post as well.
Thanks Diane I just calibrated my monitor and that seem to have fixed my problem.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=140863&d=1399699869


I think your last post is the best of your three posts Tobie and I really like what Steve has done in his post as well.
Thanks Diane I just calibrated my monitor and that seem to have fixed my problem.

Thanks Iain. I also like Steve's version of the rhino itself but not the BG & FG which became a bit flat so I'll settle for this version after another few rounds of selective USM. I like this version's control of the highlights which was my main problem and the reason I've started this thread.

Thanks everyone for your C & C's!

[Steve Kaluski]

Tobie, the reason I will, and continue to say, do as much in RAW as possible, is that once you leave the RAW converter, LR, Nx, DPP, Capture One etc, etc and work in PS, NIK... you are then working with a Tiff, so the more you can work with the RAW file, the better the initial exported file will be.

If I had time I would gladly do a half day with you, but I will hit the ground running and my last day seems already booked up. If anything changes for next year I'll let you know, but I have just been offered a fantastic trip for later this year which will have a huge impact I think. :bg3:

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Tobie, the reason I will, and continue to say, do as much in RAW as possible, is that once you leave the RAW converter, LR, Nx, DPP, Capture One etc, etc and work in PS, NIK... you are then working with a Tiff, so the more you can work with the RAW file, the better the initial exported file will be.

If I had time I would gladly do a half day with you, but I will hit the ground running and my last day seems already booked up. If anything changes for next year I'll let you know, but I have just been offered a fantastic trip for later this year which will have a huge impact I think. :bg3:

Steve thanks - I hear you! I have already discovered that once you come back into LR with a file pp'd in PS, you have a very limited range in which you can still change things. I therefore always work on a copy of the original in LR when I need to extend pp in PS, in case I want to backtrack, do more work in LR and then go back to PS again.

Unfair of you to test my envy with your upcoming trip... :w3

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Tobie, a great looking big fellow here, and lots of good advice above. Its difficult to balance between light and shadows, but your version in pane # 12 works for me. Great detail on the head.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Hi Tobie, a great looking big fellow here, and lots of good advice above. Its difficult to balance between light and shadows, but your version in pane # 12 works for me. Great detail on the head.

Thanks Stu!