theme: double dose

[annmpacheco]

Found this perch in my brush pile yesterday and did a set-up in the rain. With flat light it was easy to utilize the Fall colors in the BG... I am delighted that the purple finches are here (day 5) and my goal was to photograph them. These are the two females that share company with the two males in my yard. Looks like adults and juveniles as the plumage is darker on both "parents?". Compared to house finches, I can clearly see both the more blockier head and the tell tale sign of the deep notched tail feathers on the purple finches... Although the top finch is not as sharp, I think it is still acceptable in this frame. When the second finch flew in it was "spray and pray" and out of 21 images, here is one where both had HA's I really liked.

De-noised, sharpened,

D5
600mm

ISO 2500
5.6
1/640

[David Roach]

Knew this was coming, my friend. Wonderful canvas with great perch, BG and framing. They both look plenty sharp to my eye. TFS

ps
Those BG colors...

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Ann, I like the image. The Bittersweet gives a nice splash of color. Two birds is a bonus. Thank you for sharing.

[Bill Dix]

Nice to see the Purple Finches. Beautiful setup, colors, bg. It would also make a lovely shot if you eliminated the upper bird.

After commenting the other day that I have almost never seen a Purple Finch on my feeders, I had a female snacking on my Lyric Supreme at lunchtime today. Alas, no beautiful setup, just a bird on a feeder; but nice to see one here.

[Brian Sump]

Ann, another pretty frame. You've got a nice set up in the backyard!

I would love to shoot some PF's and have enjoyed your posts. For me the upper one is just a bit too oof but fun to see both perched together.

Did you happen to clone out the ends of the upper branches?

Have more? Hope so...

[annmpacheco]

Ann, another pretty frame. You've got a nice set up in the backyard!

I would love to shoot some PF's and have enjoyed your posts. For me the upper one is just a bit too oof but fun to see both perched together.

Did you happen to clone out the ends of the upper branches?

Have more? Hope so...

Hi Brian thanks for your comment. No I didn't clone the ends of the upper branches, they were like that, cleaned up a lil piece of paper bark on the top left one

[Brian Sump]

Hi Brian thanks for your comment. No I didn't clone the ends of the upper branches, they were like that, cleaned up a lil piece of paper bark on the top left one

Very good Ann

[Jonathan Ashton]

Pleasing image, the higher bird is more dominant in the image I think I would have chosen to focus on that one but it is really interesting to look at.
I know I keep harping on but what is the point of posting such tall images? Can anyone get the image on their screen? Resizing it does not really reflect the true image quality does it?

[Arthur Morris]

Love the birds and the berries and the whole image. The upper bird is noticeably less sharp than the lower one. Working large, I selected the bird with the Quick Selection Tool and ran Topaz Sharpen AI at Auto. To my eye this was amazingly effective. I will post the Sharpen AI screen capture in the next Pane.

with love, a

[Arthur Morris]

Topaz AI Sharpen AI is simply amazing. If it did this well on a 1920 wide JPEG, impinge how good it would have done on your master file. All with zero crunchiness.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/).

Topaz Stuff

As I said in the blog post here (https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2020/09/27/late-to-the-topaz-party-two-totally-amazing-before-and-after-screen-captures/), and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/) to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/) and Topaz DeNoise AI (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/). Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

You can learn more about Sharpen AI in the blog post here. (https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2020/09/29/jerking-the-lens-topaz-sharpen-ai-stabilize-to-the-rescue/)

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/), can e-mail (samandmayasgrandpa@att.net) to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop). Please include a copy of your Topaz order when requesting the guide.

[Arthur Morris]

Pleasing image, the higher bird is more dominant in the image I think I would have chosen to focus on that one but it is really interesting to look at.
I know I keep harping on but what is the point of posting such tall images? Can anyone get the image on their screen? Resizing it does not really reflect the true image quality does it?

So check out the image quality at full viewing and then hit command minus (at least on a Mac) to enjoy the whole image.

with love, a

[Joseph Przybyla]

Pleasing image, the higher bird is more dominant in the image I think I would have chosen to focus on that one but it is really interesting to look at.
I know I keep harping on but what is the point of posting such tall images? Can anyone get the image on their screen? Resizing it does not really reflect the true image quality does it?

Hi Jon, in Windows 10 right click on the image and choose Open Image in Another Tab, then open the new tab. It will show the whole image to fit the screen.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hi Jon, in Windows 10 right click on the image and choose Open Image in Another Tab, then open the new tab. It will show the whole image to fit the screen.

Thanks Jo but as such the image is not being viewed optimally i.e. as it was created, it has been resized - so I am still at a loss what is the benefit of posting images that do not fit the screen??? To look critically I download the image and look in PSCC.

[annmpacheco]

Thanks Jo but as such the image is not being viewed optimally i.e. as it was created, it has been resized - so I am still at a loss what is the benefit of posting images that do not fit the screen??? To look critically I download the image and look in PSCC.

Jon, what is the sizing that works for you?
this was 1800x1200

[annmpacheco]

Topaz AI Sharpen AI is simply amazing. If it did this well on a 1920 wide JPEG, impinge how good it would have done on your master file. All with zero crunchiness.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/).

Topaz Stuff

As I said in the blog post here (https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2020/09/27/late-to-the-topaz-party-two-totally-amazing-before-and-after-screen-captures/), and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/) to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/) and Topaz DeNoise AI (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/). Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.

You can learn more about Sharpen AI in the blog post here. (https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2020/09/29/jerking-the-lens-topaz-sharpen-ai-stabilize-to-the-rescue/)

Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link (https://topazlabs.com/ref/720/), can e-mail (samandmayasgrandpa@att.net) to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop). Please include a copy of your Topaz order when requesting the guide.
Hi Artie, thanks for the comparison. Ideally both birds would have same sharpness, now the upper bird has the "upper hand!" I have already purchased Topaz so only had to upgrade... too bad would have liked the e-book... I will rework the master file.

[dankearl]

I just used smart sharpen. What is the difference?
I think is looks less crunchy than Topaz sharpen.
Topaz sharpen is not all that..... They have some fine products but
it is no better than the standard PS sharpen function is it?
I could sharpen it more....


dblPUFIann2.jpg (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=188484&stc=1&d=1602774552)

[William Dickson]

Lovely frame Ann....Those red berries sure add a colour boost. I like the fact that both birds are looking in the same direction with nice HA's. I also like your choice of crop...

Will

[Arthur Morris]

I just used smart sharpen. What is the difference?
I think is looks less crunchy than Topaz sharpen.
Topaz sharpen is not all that..... They have some fine products but
it is no better than the standard PS sharpen function is it?
I could sharpen it more.... dblPUFIann2.jpg (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=188484&stc=1&d=1602774552)

My understanding is that Smart Sharpen is actually a from of sharpening. That means that if you sharpen your master file using Smart Sharpen and then sharpen your final output, the previously sharpened area will be over-sharpened. When applied to your master file, Sharpen AI acts more like out-of-camera sharpening. Not to mention that for motion-blurred or slight out-of-focus images the results are miraculous. The word on the street for years is that you cannot make an unsharp image sharper. Topaz Sharpen AI does just that. And quite miraculously.

with love, a

[Geoffrey Montagu]

Excellent setup, Ann. Love the entire image quality, especially the the soft overcast light. Beautiful small in the frame, and I like the drops of water on the berries. Lovely background also.


Geoffrey




http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu (http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu)

[Jonathan Ashton]

Jon, what is the sizing that works for you?
this was 1800x1200

I would have made this 1200px tall and let the width look after itself .

[John Mack]

The setting here is really nice with those colors of the berries and the brances. A nice frame overall.

[arash_hazeghi]

Love the setting and the two little fellows, the upper one is OOF though and very tough to get sharp at the time of capture unless you do a composite. the sharpening attempts are an improvement for sure but it doesn't cut it for me, it still looks crunchy and coarse....nothing you can do when the bird is OOF

TFS