Copied from Landscapes: Experimenting with Styles

Just trying out several different effects to get the feel I'm after so interested in any comments. Original a muddy colour so have worked with 2 layers in Nik Silver, the final one using TMax3200 to give the grain I wanted. Slight toning and vignetting. The zebra isn't the focus, just part of the landscape, but I think it is too dark. I went back to re-do him but didn't right down my filter steps and can't reproduce it … big mistake. :confused: Maybe I've gone too far.
Don't know whether techs are necessary for this but they are:
30D; EF70-200@ 200mm; f8; 1/1500; ISO400; +0.5ev

Hi Hilary,
While this may have gone to far in the PP'ing to be a true landscape and belong more in OOTB.......I will leave it here and copy it over to that forum also after I comment.

Ido think you went a bit too far with the PP'ing......as I like my B&W's to have a large tonal range......or in the case of Kaushik's below.....almost none for a strong graphic look. I don't mind the adding of the film grain to give the feeling of old film....but it is starting to obscure some fine details and make everything a bit flat. Horse as an accent is placed well in the frame.....leading us up the ridge.....but the clouds have lost too much detail in the blown out areas and they immediate draw the eye. The beauty of PS.....is learning from some of the attempts.....and experimenting.......yes writing things down is a big plus......but how do you know you are going to like the final result?......and I think all of us have been guilty on that one!
This has potential if the sky isn't blown out....so worth a re-visit.

Hilary, Really good suggestions and advice from Roman. I like the scene but do feel the grain has stolen the show.

Hi Hilary, I like the scene that you have captured and agree with comments above. I would like to see less grain and a smoother dynamic range. Good for you for experimenting and thanks for sharing!

On reflection I agree that I was far too heavy handed. Back to the darkroom, so to speak. :D

Will have a go at getting it right, in my eyes, and will repost. Thanks everyone.

Here is a re-post. Taken out the film grain and reworked the underlying layers using duotones and blending to keep as much detail as possible. I've lost a bit of the drama I was aiming for but I think I've increased detail. In case you are wondering, I've included the full frame this time. Would be interested if any of you feel it is an improvement. Thanks for the feedback. I'll post the re-do in Landscape as well.

I like this one much better on processing but I like the original crop better.
Judy

Nice vintage feel to this, Hilary. I think the repost is a definite improvement. The zebra stands out more, and it doesn't look so over-processed. I would try toning down the sky a bit and getting some more detail out of the clouds if possible. That would probably give it more drama. I also prefer the original crop.

Thanks for the feedback. Will go back to the original crop and have another look at the sky. :)