theme: Edinburgh Castle

[Hazel Grant]

Pano of the castle using PS cutout filter.

[Paul Lagasi]

Nice view of the castle, I would have liked to see a bit more of the cliffs/hillside that the castle sits on, which would show's how formidable the castle location was/is. Thanks for sharing

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Hazel, nice use of the filter for this image. I like the perspective, which adds to the feeling of strength and security. I'm wondering if there might be some detail to be had in the blacks... Good image for the theme!

[Dennis Bishop]

I like the Cutout filter effect and think it works very well with this image and its lighting. There are some compromises when using it, but I think the net effect is positive with this application.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks, Dennis. I used fill light and found the detail you suggested. The cutout filter blurred this, so I used poster edges.

[Dennis Bishop]

I still like the Cutout look although the re-post does open the shadows. I layered the original over the re-post, did some masking in the dark areas to bring out the lighter tones below, and used a masked Curves layer to lighten the whole image selectively.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hazel, I like the repost much better - good job

[gary ellwein]

Thumbs up for the repost. Opening up the dark areas adds multiple points of interest. One is also able to better appreciate the good composition.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks, to all, but esp to Dennis for explaining another technique

[Nancy Bell]

The repost is a good option, but I like the OP for the mood it conveys. The darker OP gives a bit more ominous feel that goes with ancient, stone castles and mysterious histories.

[Anita Bower]

I like all three. Each conveys a different mood. I do think the dark areas are a bit too dark in the OP. I like this in panorama as it gives a good sense of how large and spread out the castle is.