Ponte alla Grazie

[Catherine Costolo]

I have not posted in awhile but I finished this image today and I need some comments, good or bad. I started with one photo and I opened the original warm image in CS5. Then I opened the same image in ACR and made a cooler version and then opened that one in CS5. I created a mask and brushed in the warm tones of the original into the cooler version. I made some other adjustments including levels, curves, hue saturation, Viveza. I tried to clean up some of the reflections but that was difficult. I also cropped some of the blue from the top and some from both sides. Whew! It was a lot of work.
Thanks for your time.
Catherine

[Mark Fuge]

Nice image and application, Catherine.

I like the image as is. However, if it were mine I might modify it as shown.

As I don't know your vision for this, I think maybe a little more tonal range might help. Attached image was adjusted in CS4 Selective Color, to adjust the black, neutral and white areas. Those are the adjustments I normally start with, when fine tuning the image. If it needs other color adjustments, I do that after getting the black right. In this case you can use the neutral and white adjustments to modify the highlight areas. the amount of adjustment is discressionary for your vision.

Again, it might be that you desire the shorter tonal range, but just a suggestion to add a little pop to the image.

[denise ippolito]

Catherine, I like the scene. You've done a nice job with the processing. I think Mark makes some good suggestions. I might try to tone down some of the brighter whites. The water line looks like it needs a teeny bit of rotation. I love the orange curve line in the reflection. I might crop some off the top if it were mine. Nice work on this one !!:S3:

[Arthur Morris]

Lovely scene and image design (though a nice chunk off the top (to just above the big, long cloud) would tighten it up considerably.

The big problem that as presented, the WHITEs are blown with tons of clipping. Do you know how to try and save the highlights while converting in ACR?

This would have been an ideal image for HDR capture.

[Indranil Sircar]

Catherine, nice image and great suggestions above. Excellent work and looking forward to more of your images.

[Catherine Costolo]

Thank you, Mark, Denise, Arthur, and Indranil. I appreciate your suggestions and will use them. I especially appreciate your kind words and the time you took to make a comment.
Arthur, I do know how to save the highlights in ACR and did not do that but I will now. I have 3 different exposures but was not thinking HDR at the time.
Catherine

[Susan Candelario]

Hi Catherine,
I love the scene you captured. I think this would be great as an HDR, and since you already have the 3 different exposures I hope you give it a try. If you do go that route it would be great to see it as a repost here. If not with a few tweaks here and there on your OP you can complete a good base image to begin with. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

[Arthur Morris]

Thank you, Mark, Denise, Arthur, and Indranil. I appreciate your suggestions and will use them. I especially appreciate your kind words and the time you took to make a comment.
Arthur, I do know how to save the highlights in ACR and did not do that but I will now. I have 3 different exposures but was not thinking HDR at the time.
Catherine

In retrospect the shimmering lights might cause problems for HDR.... But saving the whites during conversion may help provided they are not too blown. BTW, YAW. :)