I finally learned how to add canvas properly thanks to Artie's instructional video and was able to save this image.
1DX
500f4 II + 1.4X III
1/800
F8
ISO-400
Handheld
Added a sliver of canvas on the left side
Adjusted WB in DPP
Exported to CS6, checked for WB again, removed a little bit of Red cast
Adjusted brightness via Levels
Added Mid tone contrast via Curves
Saturation +10
Vibrance + 10
Brightened areas around the eyes of both elephants selectively via Quick Mask and Curves
Added more Blue to the sky via Saturation and Channel Mixer, tried to make it bluer, but looked phony, so backed off.
UMS: Amount = 120, Radius = 0.3
Hope you like it. This is probably my most favorite elephant image from the recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania.
A stunning scene, Loi. Great to see a small calf with a huge classical East African Tusker.
I do feel the processing has let your down. There's so much detail to extract here. Tonally it feels flat, and the elephants seem a little on the cool WB side.
In this repost I did a few rounds of careful burning of shadows and dodging of highlights on the elephants, added a warming filter to the elephants (masking out the sky so it remains nice and blue) and also added some LCE using unsharp mask.
Hi Loi, whatever Morkel did has really brought out the potential that can be acheived in PP work. I wouldn't have thought looking at your post that there was that much more to get beyond what you had done so the RP is a real eye openener.
Morkel, you transformed my snap shot into a great shot I think. As a newbie here, I see one of the biggest challenges for me is not to know the end goal before I start processing an image. Like Jamie said, it is an eye opener how much you brought out of the image. Is it possible that you could show us your steps here? Thank you! Loi
Morkel, you transformed my snap shot into a great shot I think. As a newbie here, I see one of the biggest challenges for me is not to know the end goal before I start processing an image. Like Jamie said, it is an eye opener how much you brought out of the image. Is it possible that you could show us your steps here? Thank you! Loi
I think your comments "As a newbie here, I see one of the biggest challenges for me is not to know the end goal before I start processing an image", has knocked the nail on the head for me also Loi. Processing isn't just about knowing what does what but having a vision beyond what was created in camera to extract the true potential out of the image. It is a talent I think we develop over time (never stop developing in fact) and this forum certainly helps to teach and open folks eyes to those skills. .
Glad you like it, Loi and Jamie.
As I always say when presenting my one-day processing workshops: "The most important thing to know is what the image NEEDS...but there's not clear-cut formula to ascertain this than practice, practice, practice!"
I will try and type out step-by-step workflow over the weekend for this image, Loi, but it's hard to remember all the detail steps nitty gritty. Will give a general guideline.
Hi Loi, your posts are getting better with a good sense of composition too. Techs I feel are also better than the giraffe. Looking at the two posts I personally thing somewhere between the two, as i like the more softer colours in the OP, the RP I think carries a little too much red, but again Moekel has a better grasp of the colour & tones of these big old units.
"The most important thing to know is what the image NEEDS...but there's not clear-cut formula to ascertain this than practice, practice, practice!"
Yep, very true Morkel, but also, less is more too. Loi getting just the first few steps right can/will save you time, but this only comes with time too. I would also suggest you keep to one RAW converter & a simple workflow which can evolve and change keeping in line with your learning curve. I think you hop between things and you may end up being that deer in the headlights, not knowing which bit of software to choose.
TFS
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.
Loi, you certainly have the makings of a lovely image here, Morkel hit the nail on the head exactly with the issues the image had and his RP certainly is bang on. Well done on a great image.
Hi Loi - love the comp and the juxtaposition of the little one against the tusker. Nice detail and texture which Morkel's rp has really brought out. Just watch the halos too. We're all continuing to learn both in the field and in pp and striving for that next great shot. The chase and the learning process is all part of the fun. The openness to critiques and willingness to learn are the biggest aids to the process and you've certainly got both of those. TFS, Rachel
Impressive composition , i like the way the small one is placed, just felt i wanted a few % of black in, may be completely wrong as i have never seen these guys
Finally you are the best judge, as you were there you saw it and you felt the actual light.
vishal
Hi Everyone, I like Morkel's treatment of the BG as he was able to bring out some tonality of the distance hill, which was almost lost in my OP. It was a bright, but overcast day, so in reality the light on the elephants was soft, so as I recall the elephants looked more soft, less sharp and well defined with high contrast as in Morkel's. Steve suggested something in between and that is what I will try to shoot for this weekend. Visha worked from my OP, so even with a few % black put in, the BG lacks the nice reddish tone of the far hill.
I realized I shouldn't have bumped up the brightness via Levels. It made the image look flat.
Very good discussion here and I appreciate your help very mcuh.
Loi-----this is STUNNING! Father and son walking side by side- what a beauty! Love your comp and colours and Morkel has added a nice touch to the BG. Daddy Ellie is in musth and the stain from the temporal glands looks more natural in the OP
Wonderful shot. I like the size difference between the adult and the young.
The huge tusks are impressive - hopefully it doesn't get the Elephant killed in the future.
Hi Everyone, thank you for helping me with good discussion and critique, especially to Morkel who showed me the way I would like the image to look like.
I started from scratch with the RAW file, but decided to use the next frame in which the big boy took a small step forward, which gives a nice separation of the front legs.
WB "As Shot" with color temp of 5400K in LR4. This is the closest color WB to Morkel's version.
Added Clarity 10, Vibrance 10
Exported to CS6
In CS6
Added a sliver of canvas to the left.
Added 4 points of Black using Levels
Used the Magic Wand to select separately the sky, the distant hill, and the grass, adjusted colors separately using Color Balance, Channel Mixer, Saturation.
Selectively brightened the faces of the elephants
Added contrast selectively to the elephants only.
Sharpened the elephants with USM: amount = 120, radius = 0.3
Decided not to apply NR to the BG.
I'm happy with the outcome. Hope you will like it better.
Super composition and shot Loi. Would love to get this close to such a tusker and glad you have no scary stories since he was in musth.
If you like the RP, hang it, but I see a tad of magenta in it. Like that your brought out detail on the elies the blue sky now has too much pink in it.
Super composition and shot Loi. Would love to get this close to such a tusker and glad you have no scary stories since he was in musth.
If you like the RP, hang it, but I see a tad of magenta in it. Like that your brought out detail on the elies the blue sky now has too much pink in it.
Hi Stand, I agreed. I just printed it out on a small print to check and saw that too. also the joining between the sky and the hill is not done well, a bit too abrupt transition. Will tweak some more, but yes it will be on my wall!
Big and Small
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Originally Posted by Loi Nguyen
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