Trying Tobacco
I'm back from a trip to Washington State and Oregon to visit my son and my sister. I brought back happy memories and a cold.
This is an Amish barn with tobacco hanging up to dry. I am preparing photos for a show of Amish photos and would appreciate all your comments. I don't remember what all I did to this image as it is several years old.
Farm subjects catch my interest anyway, but I also like the colors and the lines. My first inclination would have been to crop the right side a good bit, but I rejected that because the opposing vertical and horizontal lines are such an important part of the image, and I didn't want to lose those verticals. I also like the parallel diagonals of the board angling from the drying rack and the singletree on the front of the wagon. I have mixed feelings about cropping some off the bottom but feel that would strengthen the effect of the lines. I'd be inclined to give it a pretty good dose of Topaz Simplify for two reasons (well, maybe three because I always use it). It complements the horizontal and vertical lines, and it seems consistent with the stereotype of the plain, simple Amish style.
Thanks, Dennis. I appreciate your input. I considered cropping off the bottom also. Your doing so reinforces that idea. I'll work with Simplify. What setting did you use in simplify?
Anita...being a Topaz fan, I like Dennis' treatment of the tobacco, and I like the reasons he gave. However, I think that Topaz simplified the white door and frame too much...especially the frame which now has very little detail to it. I personally would paint back the original door and frame, which would provide an interesting contrast to the "simplified" tobacco leaves.
Welcome back, and I hope you feel better soon!
The title should be DRYING Tobacco. Sorry for the typo.
"The title should be DRYING Tobacco." Anita, from your original title I could only imagine an image of you with a cigarette dangling from your mouth! Back to the image...I really like the repeating shapes and layers of the hanging tobacco leaves with the strong lines on both the green cart and the door included as more repeating elements. Plus the strong horizontals and verticals create a good tension in the composition. I agree with cropping off the bottom of the image as Dennis shows, as it removes that bit of the image that has no interesting lines or shapes. Also agree that some treatment in Topaz Simplify is a good idea. Like others, I love so many of the Simplify looks that I usually experiment with several before deciding. Go have some fun and let us see what happens!
Anita, here's my Simplify recipe. (It's derived from one of their Watercolor presets, so it might be less work to make the changes from there.)
Under Global Adjustments, use Base (I do the edges in a separate layer because the preview isn't very good. By doing black edges on a white background, I can use Multiply blend mode and dial down the opacity to what looks good. In this case, I didn't apply an edge layer.) Simplify is the only category under Global Adjustments that I use; Adjust, Edges, and Curve Tool are left unchecked. Under Simplify, Colorspace is RGB, Simplify Size 0.42, Details Strength 0.23, Details Boost 1.00, and Details Size 0.20. The other settings are 0 or 0.00.
The next major category, Local Adjustments, is checked. However, that doesn't matter because a brush has to be used to apply the effects, and I don't do that. The subcategories under Finishing Touches are left unchecked.
I thought the same as you about the door and frame. I will be experimenting with Simplify for the interior. Thank you for your helpful input.Originally Posted by Wendy Kates
Anita,
Greetings. I like the repeated green-red color contrast and for that reason and added depth would not remove the bit on the bottom. Actually, I find the OP a very engaging image with the color contrast and layered detail of the tobacco framed by the shed and color mirrored in the cart and grass. The OP works for me, too, with the repeated short diagonal lines in the wood, cart, and the shadow in the lower right corner that break up the lateral structure. Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
-Michael-
A very unique image, with lots of interest as noted above. I'm undecided about cropping from the bottom and wonder if just darkening that area would be a compromise.
Wishing you great success with the show!
Anita, your image has evolved into a great group project. The application of Simplify really works. I'm at 6s relative to cropping the bottom. It's inclusion gives the image more depth and a path into the barn. I must admit the fg is not particularly interesting. I would experiment with bring a bit more detail and color back into the simplified image. All that is missing is the aroma of the tobacco.
I have taken everyone's input into consideration. I left the bottom in, after going back and forth. I used Dennis' Topaz Simplify formula, but blended it in Normal at about 60%. I used Darken/Lighten Center and Tonal Contrast in CEP, and Adaptive Exposure in Topaz Adjust.
I greatly appreciate everyone's input!
I like it a lot, but I'm still not sure about the foreground. I like it leading into the ground but find it a bit distracting. Maybe 100% Simplify opacity there???
I like your repost Anita, it has taken the hard edges off the tobacco. I think leaving in part of the driveway is necessary in telling the story here. You had me worried with your title
Or a little desaturation on the FG along with Dennis' idea? It is nitpicky, I'll admit, but my eye keeps wanting some sort of slight tweak there, too.
The reworked image looks great.
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