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    Default playfull cub

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    I reworked this picture, using the new things I learned here. used topaz denoise for the noise in the background, and topaz detail to sharpen the cub and tree a little. I often have problems with lions that they become too yellow, orange. anyone tips on how to avoid that? I often use clouded on my whitebalance, but when I put a little contrast and brightness, it's easily too much. In lightroom it's easy to reduce temperature a bit, but can't seem to find it in photoshop.
    ISO 1250
    f/4.5
    1/1000
    500mm canon, Canon 1D mark IV


    Last edited by Peter Kes; 12-18-2012 at 06:35 PM.

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    strange, the cub looks a lot sharper in lightroom than here. Anyone knows how this happens?

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Carole - A very cute shot and other than the things you pointed to in your self critique the only thing I wish for is a bit more room below. This would probably also work well as a vertical comp.

    At one point I often shot on cloudy wb too but have found that it is much better to shoot on auto wb and then adjust in conversion if necessary. Canon is known for tending to have a bit more reds and yellows and I often reduce them a bit in pp. Here's a repost of your image with the yellows reduced -20 globally and the reds -10 in hue/saturation. Of course, this is according to taste and you can do more or less. I also applied more sharpening selectively to the cub.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    thanks Rachel, looks better! strange thing is that my cub looks as sharp as yours in lightroom! can't figure out what happened. how did you apply the sharpening?

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Carole - I applied the sharpening for web action at the top of the forum at 50% opacity and masked out everything except the cub.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Carole, a cute shot, with a face full of mischief.

    I don't mind the landscape format, but it's crying out for more room at the foot of the image, is this FF? Personally and if this little fellow hung around for a short while I would have shot both formats, giving flexibility and choice, however I do think portrait would have been best, but personal choice.

    I agree with Rachel, keep the WB set to Auto and if required, tweak it at the RAW stage, you have more control and looking on the back of a camera only tells you composition and if the histogram is right, nothing more IMHO. I might have gone to f/5.6 for a hint more detail, or to f/4 and dropped the ISO as you had a high enough SS. Certainly the OP looks warm, the RP addresses the main points, look at the tree bark. In addition, I assume you applied some NR, but look at the mask, it appears to have gone over the little broken stump RHS, but the trunk is sharp, so I would have assumed the stump would be the same, sharp, the cubs leg less so.

    Unless you use ACR to convert the RAW in PS then there is no temp adjustment, but if you are using LR then the WB dropper works well in getting a good to medium WB providing you find a mid grey and can get as close to 50,50, 50 in all three channels, a few points either way may not make a huge difference(?). Are you sharpening at the output size or FF in LR as that makes a difference? Personally I might apply some in LR, make changes, adjustments etc in PS save as the master file, crop and then sharpen. As each output is different depending on size and may require, more or less USM depending on the final output.

    TFS
    Steve
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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Cute moment here Carole. You only just fit the tailtip in .
    I think you should perhaps consider not shooting on cloudy WB, even if it's cloudy, as in my experience it turns things just a tad too "warm". On Canon I often shot on auto WB, and on Nikon I prefer daylight as the Nikon auto WB is by default very cyan/green.

    I like to adjust colour changes through "color balance" in PS post RAW conversion. To take away yellow you need to adjust the tone (highlight or midtone or shadow or all of them) towards blue, and from red towards cyan.

    Rachel's repost is a tad too 'crunchy' in the sharpening department for me...
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    Thanks Morkel, I try to adjust colour also in 'colour balance', but not always easy to get it right. I will try auto WB, and if necessary warm up in lightroom. Then I'll see what I like best. indeed Rachel's repost is maybe a little too sharp. should be somewhere in the middle of the 2 pics. I tried the sticky you posted on sharpening actions, but it's always too much. Tried to figure out the process, but can't follow every step. How do you sharpen? there are so many possibilities... Topaz denoise works well for noise I think. learned already a lot on this site, so thanks for inviting me!

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    Hi Steve, thanks for your reply! I know, I should have left more room at the foot. I tried another crop vertically, see repost. I also shot a vertical, but just when the cub fell out of the tree... This picture is from a year ago, and have to say I learned so much this year, now I'm paying a lot more attention to my framing. I was always looking at the face, and forgetting about tails and stuff . About my Iso, I was shooting with automatic Iso, which was a bad idea... and not doing that anymore! I only started in september 2010 with photography, so still a lot to learn.
    The stump on RHS is not sharp, due to the f/4.5 .
    thanks for the tip on the WB dropper, never used that before.
    Will sharpen on the ouput size, makes sense.
    Thanks for all the help!
    Carole

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Carole - the sticky's action will look like "too much", but you need to set the opacity for the sharpening layers to your own taste. I don't always use those actions but they do work very well, when I use them I almost always tone the sharpening layer down to about 40-50% opacity.

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Carole, good eye contact from the cub, and I like how he is nestled in the fork of the tree. Rachel's repost looks great with correcting the colour, but I too see it a touch oversharpened.

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    A delightful shot......... now I am going to put the cat amongst the pigeons!
    I would like to see just a little more space beneath the tail and I would also like to see an image that has not been messed about with all those filters!! I know many will disagree but I bet a well processed raw image that has been optimally sharpened for web would look better - provided of course the cub is in ideal focus. The fur in the cub and the bark on the tree don't look natural to me ... a straightforward shot if possible please. Sorry if I have upset anyone!

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    I know many will disagree but I bet a well processed raw image that has been optimally sharpened for web would look better - provided of course the cub is in ideal focus.
    Indeed Jonathan. IMHO the whole module in LR & ACR takes the photographer through each stage, at the right time, working through in a logical manor. Applying sharpening and adjusting high/low frequency in the respective sliders will create a better image overall and deals with noise issues at source, not at a pixel stage. PS is great for those little tweaks and adjustments and toggling between LR & PS whilst creating your image will perhaps again IMHO offer the best result. From a Master file never flattened you can then output to the correct size for each application with it's required level of sharpening, no two images or out put are he same. Just my take.

    Carole thanks for the insight to your BKG, and hope the constructive feedback will help to develop your photography and steer you past various issues that pop up every now and then. Get it right now in the early stages and you then don't pick up bad habits. Remember, we have all been there and we NEVER stop learning.
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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Jonathan, the sharpening actions we spoke about are used to sharpen for web after resizing - and works best if used in moderation. In RAW conversion, even if you apply sharpening there, it still renders your file in high-resolution...or are you suggesting to output to the correct size using the LR export function and sharpen-for-screen setting?
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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    I agree my repost is slightly oversharpened. I was concentrating more on the color and did not dial the sharpness back enough since it was an already sharpened file. Carole - if you use the actions to sharpen and resize for web you definitely need to adjust the opacity. Usually somewhere between 40-60% works for me.

    I thought Jonathan's comment was directed more at the use of plug-in filters such as Nik and Topaz that is really becoming pervasive. As a wise moderator said recently, you need to learn to walk before you run. I think it is better to learn how to make these adjustments yourself before relying on a plug-in to do it. I guess the same can be said for resizing and sharpening for web too. Shortcuts are good in that they often save time, but understanding the adjustments and how they effect the image and output is important too.

    Sorry if this is taking this off topic.

    Carole- still a very fun image I would be stoked to have in my files.

    Rachel

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    Jonathan, thanks for your comment, you are right! you haven't upset me, this is exactly what I want! That's the only way I will improve!
    I didn't get the colours right because it was shot in WB clouded, and it has a greenish colour in the original. If I put it in auto WB it's all blue... it was in the evening and clouded. I will try again from the beginning, makings small adjustments in LR, if needed in PS, then export from LR for web, and sharpen the resized picture a bit in PS. Rachel, you are right, maybe topaz is a bit too invasive.
    thank you all for helping.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Carole, it's understanding the basics and what each element or module does within LR, once you have that you can then learn to 'manipulate' your image to obtain the full potential captured. Keep things simple, do not over complicate the process with bolt-ons and plug-ins, by all means use them, but get the basics right, you will be amazed in what you have captured. If you are using LR then the sharpening & noise reduction is not really an issue, trust me, it is so easy.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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