Barred Owlet Sleeping

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image a couple years ago at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. The tree and limbs is a Live Oak tree, the canopy of the tree always seems to put the owl in shadows. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VR AF-S ED + Nikon 1.4 III Teleconverter, camera and lens supported by a Oben carbon fiber monopod with a Wimberly MonoGimbal head
1/500 F/8 Matrix Metering EV +2/3 ISO 2500 Auto 1 WB, image captured at 550mm (825mm 35mm Equivalent)
Post processed using Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2023 and Topaz Denoise AI
Cropped slightly for composition and presentation

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Joe sweet sleeping Owlet , they do look raelly cute with all those fluffy feathers .
Comp , tones and general color is looking good ... might drop the blues in the subject a tad .
The surroundings looking a bit akward , with a artficial looking softness and some ghosting ..... or is simply Denoise AI ?

TFS Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Would agree with Andreas here Joe, Topaz is too strong, less Topaz, less Dehaze on the BKG and adding some Tone Curve, as you like to use Lr far more that PS.

TFS
Steve

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Joe sweet sleeping Owlet , they do look raelly cute with all those fluffy feathers .
Comp , tones and general color is looking good ... might drop the blues in the subject a tad .
The surroundings looking a bit akward , with a artficial looking softness and some ghosting ..... or is simply Denoise AI ?

TFS Andreas

Hi Andreas, thank you for viewing and commenting. I agree regarding the blues, I think the shadow that the owlet was in most likely caused that. I have removed the blue and will repost. In response to Steve's comments I will post the image showing how it was before taking it into/using Topaz Denoise AI. I am eager to read your thoughts. Thanks again...

[Joseph Przybyla]

Would agree with Andreas here Joe, Topaz is too strong, less Topaz, less Dehaze on the BKG and adding some Tone Curve, as you like to use Lr far more that PS.

TFS
Steve

Hi Steve, thank you for viewing and commenting. Here is the image without Topaz Denoise applied. You wrote less Dehaze on the background, I didn't use Dehaze on the background. I rarely use Clarity or Dehaze on the image I process. Here is the image without Topaz Denoise AI. I see the ghosting but think it is maybe how the zoom lens and the teleconverter acted together. The teleconverter is much better on my 500 PF. WDYT?

P.S. This image just has the normal exposure sliders used, also I zeroed the sharpening that Lightroom automatically applies.

[Steve Kaluski]

OK Joe, from the top based on the OP this is my take and NOT definitive, just a suggestion:

1 WB needs to go warmer ie +10 -4
2. Any NR has be done on the raw not a JPEG or Tiff especially working with 256 colour, so I can't say using less helps, how much did you apply was it via Auto?
3. Contrast even at zero Lr applies as soon as you import.
4. If I address that everything gets brighter/lighter
5. To me, light will get brighter as it goes away from you, darker near you
6. So if I have a lighter BKG, minimal NR ie 2-3 no sharpening
7. Then address then subject... the subject here in the RP could have more tonal range in the mids to darks

The BKG is the habitat, busy and does compete, but I would look at the two separately and think of ways to make the backdrop less distracting where possible....

Hope it makes sense?

Cheers
Steve

[Joseph Przybyla]

OK Joe, from the top based on the OP this is my take and NOT definitive, just a suggestion:

1 WB needs to go warmer ie +10 -4
2. Any NR has be done on the raw not a JPEG or Tiff especially working with 256 colour, so I can't say using less helps, how much did you apply was it via Auto?
3. Contrast even at zero Lr applies as soon as you import.
4. If I address that everything gets brighter/lighter
5. To me, light will get brighter as it goes away from you, darker near you
6. So if I have a lighter BKG, minimal NR ie 2-3 no sharpening
7. Then address then subject... the subject here in the RP could have more tonal range in the mids to darks

The BKG is the habitat, busy and does compete, but I would look at the two separately and think of ways to make the backdrop less distracting where possible....

Hope it makes sense?

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve, thanks for coming back. I will respond in the order that you listed.

1. WB, that's easy to do and I will revisit the image with those settings as listed. Question, how did you determine those settings?
2. I will try noise reduction on the RAW I know it is possible with Topaz Denoise now. Question, do you reduce noise on the RAW before adjusting the image for exposure etc. or after those settings are applied? Most times I use Auto setting as determined by the software algorithm. The TIFF that I convert the RAW image into is 16 bit the only time 8 bit and 256 colors is used is when posting as a JPEG.
3. I know in recent updates of Lightroom that contrast and sharpening has been applied increasing what it applied in the past. The sharpening I can see +40 and can zero that out, can the amount of contrast Lightroom applies behind the scene be determined? You have always recommended to use Adobe Standard but when I do I see the contrast and saturation changing in the image and I cannot find a way to see how much so most times I use the profile of Camera Neutral. Question, is there a way to see how much Adobe Standard adds contrast and saturation to the image?
4. Agreed
5. Agreed
6. Thinking about this and how to apply it.
7. I'll work on the tonal range.

Regarding the busy background, most time I use the masking in Lightroom to process the background differently than the subject trying to deemphasize it.

As you said, hope this makes sense

Joe

[Steve Kaluski]

1. WB, that's easy to do and I will revisit the image with those settings as listed. Question, how did you determine those settings?

I sample a mid grey tone and then adjust to get 50/50/50 in the RGB values to provide an equal platform to start with, not colour shift and if there is, I can always address that in PS via the old methods of Colour correction when working with transparencies or prints.


I will try noise reduction on the RAW I know it is possible with Topaz Denoise now. Question, do you reduce noise on the RAW before adjusting the image for exposure etc. or after those settings are applied? Most times I use Auto setting as determined by the software algorithm. The TIFF that I convert the RAW image into is 16 bit the only time 8 bit and 256 colors is used is when posting as a JPEG.

It always has been Joe, you should be looking at around 2-4, Auto is just so wrong, it's like cracking a walnut with a 25lbs lump hammer.

I ALWAYS apply it to the Raw, old habits because that is where you should, why is it placed at the end of all raw convertors before exporting to PS? I never let a programme determine how anything should look, how then can some one then say it looks how I remember, the algorithm can't remember???

Are you saying you crop the 16bit, sharpen, flatten and then convert to 8 bit 256 colours sRGB which is correct path.


3. I know in recent updates of Lightroom that contrast and sharpening has been applied increasing what it applied in the past. The sharpening I can see +40 and can zero that out, can the amount of contrast Lightroom applies behind the scene be determined? You have always recommended to use Adobe Standard but when I do I see the contrast and saturation changing in the image and I cannot find a way to see how much so most times I use the profile of Camera Neutral. Question, is there a way to see how much Adobe Standard adds contrast and saturation to the image?

It has always been applied, not just with recent updates.

No, likewise sharpening, the other thinking is that the % of sharpening may vary depending on the Brand of camera, but unconfirmed.

You can't, to me Adobe standard is the best starting point, Camera Neutral was in the past and applied in the Calibration module which was updated some time back.

No.


Regarding the busy background, most time I use the masking in Lightroom to process the background differently than the subject trying to deemphasize it.

We covered this off previously Joe and it all comes down to what works for you, however the true/correct method would be via PS. :S3:

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Steve, a lot to think about, will hash it out. I have today begun noise reduction to the raw image file first step in processing before any other corrections.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Steve, a lot to think about, will hash it out. I have today begun noise reduction to the raw image file first step in processing before any other corrections.

Joe, don't get too hung up, keep it simple, just try changing the Profile in Lr to Adobe Standard, do everything else as you do, but only once you have got the file right in Lr then apply whatever NR you use, then Export to PS etc etc etc. Don't apply it as the first step.

Topaz from recollection: use Standard, anything around ISO6400 change it to Low light, you can see the changes in real time and move the navigation tool around so you can see where it might flatten detail.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Joe, don't get too hung up, keep it simple, just try changing the Profile in Lr to Adobe Standard, do everything else as you do, but only once you have got the file right in Lr then apply whatever NR you use, then Export to PS etc etc etc. Don't apply it as the first step.

Topaz from recollection: use Standard, anything around ISO6400 change it to Low light, you can see the changes in real time and move the navigation tool around so you can see where it might flatten detail.

Hi Steve, I do just about everything you suggested. The only change is that Topaz now has a noise reduction setting of RAW for use on raw files without converting the file to a TIFF as had to be done previously.

[Steve Kaluski]

The only change is that Topaz now has a noise reduction setting of RAW for use on raw files without converting the file to a TIFF as had to be done previously.

You might have misunderstood Joe, by all means use the new version 'Raw', but apply this at the end of ALL of your Global changes during the first pass.
I think this is your WF?

Import raw file into Lr > Change WB > Additional global changes > Once finish open Topaz DN via Lr > Apply DN via 'Raw' > Save it back to into Lr for further tweaks, prior to Export for Web as you tend not to use PS.

[Joseph Przybyla]

You might have misunderstood Joe, by all means use the new version 'Raw', but apply this at the end of ALL of your Global changes during the first pass.
I think this is your WF?

Import raw file into Lr > Change WB > Additional global changes > Once finish open Topaz DN via Lr > Apply DN via 'Raw' > Save it back to into Lr for further tweaks, prior to Export for Web as you tend not to use PS.

Got it...