Dennis Bishop
10-22-2014, 01:48 PM
When I press the release on the shutter cable, I usually have some idea of how the image will emerge from processing. Occasionally, though, that changes along the way. This time, it changed a lot. About a week ago, I looked out an upstairs window and saw that a few bunches of leaves on an oak tree had changed from green to a bright yellow. It was raining, and I needed the high viewpoint, anyway, so I opened the window, popped out the screen and took a few shots. The plan was to feature some of the yellow leaves among the green ones.
Nikon D3s, ISO 1600 (The raindrops were bouncing the leaves.), f/8, 1/80 sec, zoom at 180mm (360 with a 2X teleconverter) <- That was for the leaves. This is for the oak tree.-> ISO 200, f/11, 7-exposure HDR at 1 EV intervals, zoom at 20mm
processing highlights (starting with the leaf part)
selected and blurred the background
two Flypaper Textures textures -- Hard Light blend mode, different opacities, masked to background. (The colors have been lost but not the impact on tones.)
Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset
Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Color, 50%
Flypaper Textures texture -- Lighten, 46%, partially masked
Fractalius -- two black and white layers, Multiply, different opacities, one masked off background
Snap Art Line Art -- red/purple lines on white, Multiply, 42%
Topaz Simplify -- saved edges preset, Multiply, 41%
Topaz Lens Effects -- zoom, masked
Digital Film Tools Rays -- same origin as Lens Effects, 41%
stamped all layers and applied Simplify saved watercolor preset, Hard Light, 19%
Nik Color Efex -- Darken/Lighten Center (same origin as Lens Effects and Rays), and Solarize; this layer was later masked to enhance the oak tree
Invert adjustment layer
Black & White adjustment layer
Photo Filter adjustment layer, yellow, 60%
stamped all layers and applied Simplify saved edges preset, Divide, 35%
The tree (a different species of oak, actually) was shot when I decided something was needed to keep the viewer's eyes from following the light lines out of the right side or bottom of the image.
tree silhouette placed and distorted to fit, 48% opacity
Black & White adjustment layer
Nikon D3s, ISO 1600 (The raindrops were bouncing the leaves.), f/8, 1/80 sec, zoom at 180mm (360 with a 2X teleconverter) <- That was for the leaves. This is for the oak tree.-> ISO 200, f/11, 7-exposure HDR at 1 EV intervals, zoom at 20mm
processing highlights (starting with the leaf part)
selected and blurred the background
two Flypaper Textures textures -- Hard Light blend mode, different opacities, masked to background. (The colors have been lost but not the impact on tones.)
Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset
Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Color, 50%
Flypaper Textures texture -- Lighten, 46%, partially masked
Fractalius -- two black and white layers, Multiply, different opacities, one masked off background
Snap Art Line Art -- red/purple lines on white, Multiply, 42%
Topaz Simplify -- saved edges preset, Multiply, 41%
Topaz Lens Effects -- zoom, masked
Digital Film Tools Rays -- same origin as Lens Effects, 41%
stamped all layers and applied Simplify saved watercolor preset, Hard Light, 19%
Nik Color Efex -- Darken/Lighten Center (same origin as Lens Effects and Rays), and Solarize; this layer was later masked to enhance the oak tree
Invert adjustment layer
Black & White adjustment layer
Photo Filter adjustment layer, yellow, 60%
stamped all layers and applied Simplify saved edges preset, Divide, 35%
The tree (a different species of oak, actually) was shot when I decided something was needed to keep the viewer's eyes from following the light lines out of the right side or bottom of the image.
tree silhouette placed and distorted to fit, 48% opacity
Black & White adjustment layer