Results 1 to 20 of 20

Thread: We elephant bull in river bed

  1. #1
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default We elephant bull in river bed

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    FOund this bull one afternoon and watched him while he was the water in a river bed. When he came closer and into view I quite enjoyed the wet look. The croc was a bonus and I did not know it was there until it was processed.

    It is full frame and I would have liked to have had more room on the LHS. I tried to get as much texture as I could out him but it looks a bit flat now that I see it.

    Canon 1D MK IV, 300 f2.8 plus 2 X extender MK III - bean bag
    ISO 800, f8, AP, 1/400 sec

    ACR basics
    PSE 9 - There was a magenta cast and I think I removed it. Let me know please.
    LM - Levels- Adj layers- USM

  2. #2
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hi Carl - nice look at an ele covered in mud and the croc is definitely a bonus. Agree about a little more room on the left but not a dealbreaker here. I still see some magenta coming through so did a hue/saturation layer dropping it completely, I also dropped the reds and yellows slightly and darkened the greens. Finally I opened the midtones slightly on the ele only and then added a couple of points of black to neutrals and blacks in selective color. Careful with the sharpening because this seems to be on the cusp of being oversharpened.

    TFS,
    Rachel

  3. #3
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Thousand Oaks, California, United States
    Posts
    3,023
    Threads
    416
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Carl, quite an interesting image. until you pointed it out, I didn't see the croc! Does the rock look purple like that as you recall? Agreed with Rachel that the image is on the verge of oversharpened. I'm OK with the LHS. Loi

  4. #4
    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    South Luangwa, Zambia
    Posts
    701
    Threads
    26
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Rocks still very purple to me - and think that Rachel might have reduced the saturation on the reds and yellows a little too much as it's looking a bit flat to me now. And yes, a touch crunchy.
    Ed

  5. #5
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Btw I should have said I dropped the magenta 100% and still couldn't get rid of it in the rocks.

    Rachel

  6. #6
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,818
    Threads
    95
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hi Carl,

    I agree with the bit more space.
    For the purple color on the rocks.
    Open a Saturation layer and pull just the blue slider into the minus till you like it, as well the magenta slider a bit! That reduces the purple look in the rocks WDYT?
    Oh forgot, I took the OP for the blue rocks should have taken Rachel's RP!
    I like Rachel's RP better with the grass, that looks much more natural to me!

    have a great day

    Ciao
    Anette

  7. #7
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks everyone for your valued input and especially the reposts. You guys are too quick for me. Busy trying to work on my image from raw to finish again.

  8. #8
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Solothurn-Switzerland
    Posts
    1,658
    Threads
    127
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice walking posture. Liked the wet, shiny look on the elephant's body. Wondering if it could make an interesting B&W as well...

  9. #9
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default My RP

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    The colour of the rocks is me not paying attention to what I am doing. I tried to put all your suggestions into the repost. However I tried a different approach and I tried to get the image to what I feel is closer to the what I saw when I took the image. I never sharpened this to the extent that did on the OP. But I'm sure you will let me know

    Kaushik I do have a B&W of this and I think it does quite well. Thanks

    Rachel and Anette thanks for the reposts and tips - they are very good

  10. #10
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice scene here Carl - love that croc (almost missed it upon first viewing).
    Your last RP looks most natural to me. It still looks a bit odd due to the almost bronze sheen that the mud has given the old guy (it's also uniformly covered him which makes for an interesting effect).
    I'd like to see that B&W version...
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  11. #11
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,818
    Threads
    95
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Your RP looks much better Carl. Now we know how the rock looks like, the croc got a natural color too and the ele is a african Gold nugget, wonderful.
    How did you now manage to get it done? Curious with what you came up
    Show us your B&W, please

    Ciao
    Anette

  12. #12
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default RP re B&W request

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    As per your request I have posted my version of B&W. Processed with Silver Efex Pro using FD smooth preset initially, with additional small adjustments and with use of green filter. I'm no expert with this Morkel so value your input. I also have a soft sepia one that I really like - almost prefer to this one but not sure if sepia 'type' images go down well here.

    Anette if I could remember it would boggle your mind Just quickly - On PSE 9 there is a option under Enhance menu to - Adjust colour - replace colour. I was trying to work out from Rachel's post on how to find something similar to PS C6 selective color to add points of black to neutrals and blacks. Idid a lot of things but too much to explain here I think.

  13. #13
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,818
    Threads
    95
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Carl,

    your B&W looks great to me. Nicely done. You lifted the big ele up from all around. I like it that way.
    Why not post the sepia as well? I am interested in that one too.

    PSE 9 that is Elements I assume! Not much an idea about Elements. I assume it has a Saturation somewhere too, but not sure if there is a possibility to pull sliders for each color. I saw the Elements on the boat in Svalbard. My roommate had it. She asked to show her a few things. First all written in Swedish and Elements narrows all down very much. Not many options to do single things, as far I have seen! You did well with your last color RP in #9

    Have a great Sunday

    Ciao
    Anette

  14. #14
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default Sepia soft

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Thanks Anette. here is the other one. Its a good day for sitting here on pc as it is miserable outside. Yes elements is not that great but you have to do what you can.

  15. #15
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,818
    Threads
    95
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Carl,

    weather wise here no difference
    I prefer the B&W, not the Sepia. Maybe Morkel can do more with the Sepia version. I am not such a fan of Sepia....yet, might come some day

    Have a great day behind the PC

    Ciao
    Anette

  16. #16
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Carl - way to stick with it and apply the tweaks. I like your last color post best . I do think it is still a little too sharp but a minor point. The b&w version has a bit more tonal range than the sepia version.

    TFS,
    Rachel

  17. #17
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Rachel - Could you or some of the other experienced folk assist here as I am sure it will benefit all of us 'newbies' in some way. I need some clarity regarding sharpness please, as I am finding this a little difficult to pick up for some reason- not only here but mostly when I view and comment on other posts. So it is a general all round query. As moderators you guys are proficient in picking at detail and know what to look for so I am not questioning you.

    On my OP i remember doing a few rounds including USM for image before going to SFW. The last colour RP i only sharpened when saving for web at 50% - radius 0.4 - threshold 3 on USM. I know that the original image is not tack sharp. Could it not be perhaps the muddy sheen emanating from the elephant that might look like it is emphasising sharpness. Sorry I just need to get a grasp of this somehow.

    I try to comment on posts without looking at previous comments as well as being the first to post a comment if I can. It is quite embarrassing occasionally when I get sharpness issues totally wrong.

    I realize that the images we crop for web suffer as opposed to the other and I try and take that into consideration. Are there certain things to look for judge sharpness or do you have to visually pick it up straight away.

    I remember a comment from Morkel or Steve on an image recently (Gabriela's image of a lioness - if I lose you ) where he said that the sharpness issue in question related to the need to have the sharpness taper off as it starts to encroach in the DOF area. I learnt from this as it shows how much more effort one needs to put into a crit.

    Hope you can sort it out for me. Thanks

  18. #18
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Carl - sharpening is largely subjective and different people like different amounts. Also different parts of images often need different amounts of sharpening. For the web, I tend to use the sharpening actions posted by Morkel in the sticky at the top of the forum which also resize the image. Be warned though that I drop the opacity of the sharpening layer to usually somewhere between 40-50% and then use a brush to adjust it more locally/selectively. I usually do this from the tiff file so that there has been no sharpening other than what I apply in ACR. If I am sharpening a jpeg for printing then I usually selectively apply either smart sharpen or USM. My default settings for smart sharpen are 125%, 0.2 px radius. For USM my defaults are 99, 0.3, 0. Of course, I sometimes adjust these based on the particular image or if I am applying additional rounds of sharpening. My guess is that if you ask 20 photographers what settings they use for sharpening you will get at least 15 different answers.

    I say that your image is oversharpened because when brought into PS there are areas that are crunchy and maybe even pixelated with white pixels coming through. Particularly the left rear leg and the lower right quadrant of the body into the upper right leg. You can see it in your post but it is even more apparent in PS.

    Never be embarrassed by posting a comment or asking a question on BPN. We all come here to learn from each other and improve our skills (including critiquing). The comments are always subjective and it goes without saying, the poster's personal opinion. There are plenty of times that people will either disagree with a comment or see something in a different way. That's what makes BPN such a diverse and great community.

    I hope this helps.

    Rachel

  19. #19
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    637
    Threads
    78
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks for the encouragement Rachel.

    I can see what is grabbing your attention.

    What I did is bring the original raw file without any adjustments made into PSE along with the RP to 100% to compare. The white pixels are on the original - I'm sure it is those silvery shiny bits that are common with silty black 'cotton' type soils. I am almost sure it is the mud but this image is probably not the greatest example to debate about. I know that when I reposted I took the original into LR5 and processed it right from stage one and that I sharpened it there to between 50 and 60. My honest opinion is that it was not sharp enough in the first place so I guess this is where I went wrong. The worst area is that back left leg and understand what you call crunchy as it is there.

    Thanks for all the other info as well as your time to assist and I will try and pay more attention to what I am doing in future.

  20. #20
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Carl - good discussion above. Like Rachel said - shoot with questions or if you are confused about something.
    I prefer the B&W as well, the sepia does not have enough tonal range. Might play around with a version of my own when I get a chance...
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics