Weekly Theme: Before/After Kirtland's Warbler in Jackpine

[Cindy Mead]

the DAP program is fairly new to me, and I've been having alot of fun playing with the various settings. For this one, I used the 'realism' preset, then erased the eye in ps and added a texture via layers, more or less for toning. I haven't quite got the look I'm aiming for yet, so will no doubt rework this one again.
Comments and suggestions are always appreciated, and happy new year :)

(the original was shot with a 50d and 300mm IS, handheld in very overcast light)

[Indranil Sircar]

Hi Cindy, very nice composition. I like the effect you have you have with DAP. I think, selectively brightening/saturating the bird slightly like your original will enhance this image further, IMHO.

[denise ippolito]

Hi Cindy, I really like the painted look to this.The pine needles look awesome. I think maybe just a bit more definition in the warbler-but not much. The composition is lovely.

[Julie Kenward]

This is a wonderful instance where I think the overcast skies really did you a favor because the final image looks very surreal because of it. I agree with Denise that the bird should have a bit more detail than everything else - just a bit more. Lovely use of the DAP program and the final effect is very soft and lovely to view.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Nice comp Cindy and pose, I agree with Indranil on brightening/sharpening of the bird a bit to make it stand out more. Nice use of DAP.

[Cindy Mead]

This is a wonderful instance where I think the overcast skies really did you a favor because the final image looks very surreal because of it. I agree with Denise that the bird should have a bit more detail than everything else - just a bit more. Lovely use of the DAP program and the final effect is very soft and lovely to view.

thanks for the feedback all.. I prefer shooting in overcast light in this area, as the jackpine needles act like tiny reflectors in the sun. This particular preset removed more detail than I would like, so I'll probably rework it when I have time.
Appreciate the feedback :)

[Dave Phillips]

this is quite nice Cindy.
You are using DAP 2?

Might set the dry reveal to a higher level.
During dry reveal, right click, it will pause and there
will be a progress bar at bottom of screen. Clicking it
further to the right will reveal more of original.....right click to resume.

Just FYI in case you did not know this

[Gus Hallgren]

Hi Cindy

I like the painterly look, and IMHO, I would rather see it the way it is, or even moreso than brightening it up. The eye could do with a slight catch light. Your origional is nice, and I for one tend to like paintings to look different from a good photo.

Thanks for sharing

Uncle Gus

[Cindy Mead]

thanks for the tips Dave.. I'm using version 2. I haven't had the program long, so am still exploring the presets and options. Appreciate the help :)