Fallen Leaves after Rainfall

[Dennis Bishop]

The photo from which this was made was taken in my backyard nine years ago -- about two years after I traded my film camera in on my first digital one. I hadn't, yet, learned the value of shooting RAW, so the photo was a jpg in sRGB color space. The first version of the image was done shortly after the shot was taken and was sorely in need of a new life.

Nikon D1, ISO 200, f/43, 1/4 sec, 105mm macro lens

post-processing

• Adobe Camera Raw -- Clarity and some teaking of Saturation and Luminance (The purple/magenta portion of the maple leaf didn't result from ACR processing, however.)
• Topaz Simplify -- Watercolor II
• Nik Color Efex -- Contrast Color Range, Darken/Lighten Center
• Flypaper Textures -- a bluish texture with brown around the edges was applied to the brown leaf because I like blue with brown and to complement the yellow in the maple leaf, Linear Light blend mode
• Because that lightened the brown leaf, another copy of the Nik layer was added to darken it. Luminosity blend mode
• To produce a shadow under the maple leaf, a black layer was masked to its shape, altered with a 10-pixel Gaussian blur, and moved a bit.
• another copy of the Nik layer masked to show the maple leaf above the shadow
• original background layer -- masked to reveal the water drops before the application of Topaz Simplify, Luminosity blend mode
• Fractalius -- two B&W layers based on the old Sketch preset, Multiply blend mode
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- duplicate B&W Stylize Line Art layers, one at Multiply blend mode masked to everything but the water drops, one at Divide blend mode masked to only the drops
• yellow border -- Difference blend mode, layer positioned below the one showing the maple leaf above the shadow

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Dennis, I like the subtle color variations and toning in the leaves and the textures that you applied. I'm ambivalent about the half of a water droplet in the URC and the two vertical lines underneath it.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . I'm ambivalent about the half of a water droplet in the URC and the two vertical lines underneath it.

Thanks for your comments, Cheryl. When I cropped the image for composition (something I didn't do back in 2003), I debated about that water drop. Because you have mixed feelings about it, too, I used content aware fill to get rid of it. I'm still not sure what I think. With the distribution of drops throughout the image, it seems the drop should be there. In addition, I like that it and the line below it form the boundary of a sort of negative space that echoes the shape of the maple leaf, there. That's something I hadn't considered when I decided to crop there without thinking about getting rid of the drop and the line.

I'm interested in what you think after seeing both versions. And what others think, as well.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, I think I like the repost better. I would like the evicted drop better if it were a little smaller and not quite so "half a circle" shaped. Does that make sense? I like the vertical framing much better on the repost.

[Dennis Bishop]

Dennis, I think I like the repost better. I would like the evicted drop better if it were a little smaller and not quite so "half a circle" shaped. Does that make sense? I like the vertical framing much better on the repost.

I agree that the drop would be less disconcerting if it were smaller and not half-circle-shaped. Yes, that made sense. However, I'm not sure what you mean by the vertical framing on the re-post.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Dennis,

Greetings. When I first saw this, I thought Wow, that's beautiful! I really like the color. I'm not wild about the yellow border, which IMO has it's worst effect on the drop in the URC. I prefer the version with the drop, but the border merges with it making it less desirable. Without the drop there is a strip on the right side devoid of drops that seems unbalanced to me.

I really like the subtle colors and the lensing effect of the water drops. Good show!

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . I'm not wild about the yellow border, which IMO has it's worst effect on the drop in the URC. I prefer the version with the drop, but the border merges with it making it less desirable.

Thanks for your comments, Michael. I see what you mean about the border and the drop. I think it's the line below the drop that really confounds it. I appreciate your input.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, I think Michael answered the question - it's the border on the right side that was troublesome because it was thicker below the drop. Maybe just fixing the width of the border at that point (the way it is on the repost without the drop) is the answer.

[Dennis Bishop]

Dennis, I think Michael answered the question - it's the border on the right side that was troublesome because it was thicker below the drop. Maybe just fixing the width of the border at that point (the way it is on the repost without the drop) is the answer.

It wasn't exactly that the width of the border was different, there. It was the line near the border -- which showed up in some way on three layers -- that made it look that way. When I got rid of the line in the original background layer and its subsequent vestiges, the border looked fine.

[Anita Bower]

I immediately liked this image. I like the crispness, simplicity, colors, composition. I like how the raindrops stand out and magnify the leaf veins--very nicely done! I've no problem with the water drop in URC in OP, which I prefer. I keep wanting the upper part of the image to be a bit lighter, especially the purple leaf area, or, to have some cropped off the top to just above the 3 large water drops. Beautifully processed! I appreciate your descriptions of processing.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . I keep wanting the upper part of the image to be a bit lighter, especially the purple leaf area, or, to have some cropped off the top to just above the 3 large water drops. . . .

Thanks very much for your comments, Anita. I tried cropping different amounts from the top, but that didn't work for me. I really like the top of the maple leaf. I am going to incorporate your suggestion about lightening the top, however. That was a great idea. It grounds the image better and makes the maple leaf stand out more. (I used a gradient-masked Curves layer positioned below the maple leaf.)

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, that did the trick! The drop doesn't bother me now, esp. with the clean-up on the border.

[Anita Bower]

Thanks very much for your comments, Anita. I tried cropping different amounts from the top, but that didn't work for me. I really like the top of the maple leaf. I am going to incorporate your suggestion about lightening the top, however. That was a great idea. It grounds the image better and makes the maple leaf stand out more. (I used a gradient-masked Curves layer positioned below the maple leaf.)

I figured you wouldn't like cropping it. Glad I was able to help. :-) Gorgeous image.

[Maureen Allen]

Beautiful image, Dennis. I like the OP