Hidden Jewel

[Bryan Hix]

This was from my recent trip to Panama. I don't know if this comp works, but I love how this red-legged honeycreeper is popping up from the giant leaves on top of this cecropia tree. I absolutely love these little birds. Unfortunately, the best part (the red legs) are missing from this comp, but just wanted to see what people's thoughts were on this.

Canon 1D Mk3
Canon 600mm f/4 with 1.4x TC
ISO 500, 1/250th @ f/8
Av Mode, eval meter -1/3 comp
LR2, curves adj., sharpen, crop, toned down top of head.

[Stu Bowie]

Bryan, I really like the vibrant blue of the bird, and a lovely pose too. Comp wise, I would try a vertical here, bringing in from the left.

[Arthur Morris]

Ah, I remember these birds fondly. Where were you in Panama? Though I would like to see the feet, I love both the leaf and the COMP (and the bird too!)

The BLUEs look way to magenta so I tried my CYAN trick, adding 68 points of CYAN to the BLUEs in Selective Color and then reducing the BLUE SAT 25 points. I think that it looks much more natural.... As presented originally, the lower breast especially looks detail-less due to over-SAT.

[Arthur Morris]

ps: There was a small color shift when I uploaded possibly due to profile issues...

[Bryan Hix]

Thanks Artie, I don't know that color trick, but I converted to sRGB before I saved the file to post and then when I looked at it, the greens looked too green on the preview. So, I converted it back to Adobe 1998 and that's the way I posted it. When I switch back to sRBG, it looks a lot like what you posted. I guess I need to get a better sense of what the color points are all about.

I was in Gamboa at Ivan's Bed and Breakfast, but basically was only there sleeping from midnight to 6am. Great place and very economical (under $40 per night). Otherwise, I was mostly along Pipeline Road with a friend of mine who was helping a Japanese film crew film a documentary. So, I had access to parts of the road that you need a key to get through the gates. I also had access to some private towers. This photo was taken off the road that you enter by the Gamboa Rainforest Resort about 1 mile down. I also was at the Rainforest Discovery Center per your recommendations to see the hummingbirds. I would completely recommend paying the money to hang out there for a morning. I didn't make it up in their tower, but heard it's great too. Panama was a lot of fun and for anyone who wants to see a lot of birds. It's a very accessible, easy to navigate destination. I ate most of my meals at the Resort (the service in Panama is about 1/3 as fast as in the US, but the food was good). That's a nice place if you're into that kind of thing. I will head back there when I get a chance.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the info Bryan, and again for your nice note the other day.

[Ignacio Yufera]

I love the range of blues and greens here, and the bird's pose and expression.

In my monitor, both versions look almost identical :confused::confused:

[Arthur Morris]

It may have to do with who has color-managed browsers and who does not. Too confusing for me.

[Gary Jones]

A stunning bird. I've never seen one before, but guess if you had the red legs, it would be more special. The comp still works, and ditto Stuart on going more portrait and less square.

[Aiden Blake]

Wow, jewel indeed! The only thing I'd change is cloning the branches and stuff out of the right top corner.

[Doug Brown]

On my monitor, the two versions look identical. And the issue I have with both of them is that the greens look too blue. Here's another repost with a color balance adjustment layer in which I moved the yellow-blue adjustment slider -12 towards the yellow.

[Arthur Morris]

In Mozilla, Doug's and the original look magenta blue, and mine looks bluer than it did in Photoshop with no magenta...

[Bryan Hix]

I can't say that I am any clearer on what to do with color management. :confused: But, I think I like Doug's the best. My post looked kind of pale and washed out, Artie's does have almost a blue tint and seems more saturated than what I remember the actual bird to look like as well as my RAW file doesn't look like that either. This would be a really good lesson on how to manage colors, but I have a feeling there isn't a solid answer on the best way to approach it. There are a lot of variables like your monitor, browser, etc. Is there a standard color numerical value to follow that even if those other variables are off, you should shoot for to know your colors will be accurate??? I am using LR2, so if I don't have CS3 or 4, can I even make these adjustments?

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

The colors (blue)of this bird is hard to render since it's so easy to over saturate it. I like the original version since, in my monitor looks like it does in real life. Arthur's and Doug's versions looks good too but a bit washout, again, in my monitor, I probably have to calibrated again. Love the sharpness captured on the eye and the inquisitive look of this little bird. TFS

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Lovely, lovely pose Bryan. Very inquisitive indeed. I like the OP and don't know what the bird should look like in ideal conditions. So that'll do very nicely for me thank you. :)

[Kiran Poonacha]

loved the pose very cute look indeed, nice details and compo..