improvement in processing

[Anil Skumar]

IMG_7732 by stray light, on Flickr

Image is taken on a tamron 150-600 with 6d. Raw image processed in light room.

I still feel the image lacks punch... and bird is not distinct from back ground. and the out of focus back ground is slightly messy.. please suggest steps further required in processing for improvement.

Thanks in advance

Anil

[Mike Quigley]

My question is where did you get the 150-600? Ive had one on backorder for 2 months. It looks to me like the light in the background and the lighter bark from the tree stole you subjects thunder. Sometimes for mr the shot your given just never works.

[Diane Miller]

This might fit better in ETL. What were your settings for the picture? What was the focal length? What was the raw processing? At 500-600mm you have to be very careful not to get tiny camera shake that will make the subject slightly soft. There are many factors to balance.

The picture is quite nice and very interesting. You could crop from the right to eliminate some of the more distracting BG, and selectively sharpen the bird a little, although sharpening on the master file is something to be very careful about, as "sharpening" isn't really sharpening -- just the introduction of artifacts that make it look sharper.

A wider aperture would have put the BG more out of focus but if it is fairly close to the subject, that might not make much difference. A more distant BG will be softer. a simpler BG will be less messy. Points of light are always going to be distracting, and in this case they show the less-than-ideal bokeh of the lens. Bokeh is not how OOF a BG is but the quality of the OOF areas, especially highlights such as these. No lens is perfect and there are always compromises in design. This lens is an amazing package for the price, but extra care is best with the backgrounds and with any possible camera shake. And with any lens, the focus point and depth of field are critical.

[Steve Canuel]

I think it looks okay as posted with only a touch more sharpening needed on the bird IMO, but it is a contrasty scene with the background leafy canopy and the tree bark. Using your comments as a guide, this would be my suggestion. Does it look any better to you? Many ways to address it with more advanced techniques than I used but here's what I did. Darkened BG as well as reduced contrast and blurred. I also slightly blurred the tree trunk but to a lesser degree than the BG. Used USM for contrast on the bird, then applied sharpening to the bird only. Of course, if it isn't headed in the direction you desire, disregard and someone else should be able to give you additional advice.

[Diane Miller]

As an outside observer, I think Steve brought it up several notches.

[Don Lacy]

Hi Anil, I am out of town for the next several days and only have access to a work laptop as soon as I get back home and in front of my computer with PS I will work on your image and address some of the processing questions you have

[Anil Skumar]

steve.. this is what I had in my mind.... hopefully through this forum and help from you guys, i should be able to acquire some decent processing skills.. thank you very much.. help appreciated.

[Anil Skumar]

Thank you Dan.. I really appreciate.. Have a fruitful trip.

[Anil Skumar]

Mike , I was in Japan when it was released, i had to travel to kyoto from osaka to get this lens (as it was out of stock within a week in Osaka).. but its worth the effort . :)

[arash_hazeghi]

Steve's repost is an improvement.

As for busy BG, unfortunately it is not a matter of post processing. you need to get it right in camera. As Diane mentioned, you need a fast lens or need to get closer to your subject to render the BG smoother. She is also right that this is not a good BG as it has many openings against bright light that will show up as distracting bright blubs which have also been accentuated by poor bokeh.

good luck

[Anil Skumar]

Steve's repost is an improvement.

As for busy BG, unfortunately it is not a matter of post processing. you need to get it right in camera. As Diane mentioned, you need a fast lens or need to get closer to your subject to render the BG smoother. She is also right that this is not a good BG as it has many openings against bright light that will show up as distracting bright blubs which have also been accentuated by poor bokeh.

good luck

Thank you Arash. I was looking at only the distance b/n the subject and the tree behind. the gaps emitting the light is some thing which i have not paid attention to.

rgds

anil