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Thread: Cormorant Composite

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    Default Cormorant Composite

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    This Cormorant allowed me to get pretty close so this is almost full frame. I then started playing around with it during processing. I first added a flypaper texture and painted the details back in the cormorant by masking . I then used Color efex pro - the reflector filter to bring light into the shadows and add some directionality to the light. I then tried my best to select a moon shot but found it to be very hard because the shadowed part of the moon blended too much with the black of the night sky. I then brought the moon into the cormorant shot and proceeded to size and position it to match the light. I kind of like the otherwordly look. I would like to remove the band on the cormorant but so far have not been happy with any of my cloning attempts. Suggestions?
    All comments welcome!

    Nikon D3s
    500 mm with 1.4 Tc
    1/3200 sec at f5.6
    ISO 1600

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    Hi Bob....

    I love the pose of the cormorant (great birds...stunning eyes!)...love the branch, the color and texture of the sky, the barnacles on the branch...very nice image in so many ways! Here are my thoughts...

    a) Selection of the moon. Did you play with the tolerance setting on your selection tool? That might help..if it doesn't...a "cheat"...use the circular marquee to select the moon. You might still "cut" the edges a wee bit, but it won't have the oval shape to it and it will look more natural. The image is so strong even without the moon...if you do include it, you might consider leaving a "break in the clouds" for it to shine through...I think it could be strong either way.
    b) The band...that could be a tough one. Did you try doing a quick selection and then a content aware fill. As complex as the surrounding elements are..the tail, the leg, etc...I doubt it would be a clean fill, but it might give you a starting point for then touching it up with the clone tool...I'm hoping someone with better PS skills than I have chimes in!

    My only other thought would be to maybe take a sliver off the top. Take care.

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    Bob, I think the image is strong w/o the moon, John offers some good tips. The clone job is not real easy since there is no real area to grab from. I did a quick clone and then used the transform tool to round out the moon. I also added a stroke with a radial spin blur to a duplicate layer of the moon which I used as a backdrop for it. Hope this is something like you had in mind.
    Last edited by denise ippolito; 09-09-2011 at 04:46 PM.

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    Like I said...hoping someone with much better PS skills than I have! Great job on the clone work, Denise!

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    Brendan Dozier
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    Beautiful capture and treatment of this Cormorant, Bob. Very creative compostion, love the muted colors, pose, perch, and adding the texture to the sky really works well. Good suggestions, and I think Denise did a good job on the repost, but I also agree with her that it is a strong image without the moon.

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    Wow, I love the background and the cormorant. Nice work, the colors are very appealing! Denise did a great job cloning. Sometimes you can just clone at the edges and use the paint brush on thin areas like legs and if necessary, add noise back if it is too flat, when cloning is not possible. I have painted the background over lotus pads and then selected the whole area and added noise. I will post one of those next.

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    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Bob, super capture and treatment. I just love the bg and the lighting effect. Denise shows us again that anything is possible in PS if you have the skills. Honestly, I would prefer the image without the moon. It's a good idea but I think the wrong image for it. I would also crop a bit from the left after the moon goes down.
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

    Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com


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    Wonderful image of cormorant. I like the pose, the angle of the head, the angle from which you took the picture. The bird looks regal. Beautiful pp work, with gorgeous bg texture. I find the moon a distraction. Maybe if it were in the right hand corner? Good luck with cloning the band.

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    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
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    Hi Bob, love the capture and treatment and Denise's repost. Nice work!

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    Thanks for the all of the suggestions.....Here is a repost! I decided to eject the moon and brighten things up a bit! Still working on the clone of the band.

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    Looks good Bob!

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    Great looking repost, Bob! The sky looks even more dramatic!

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    Wonderful. I like this one better!

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    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Bob, I love it like this! Well done. The sky is beautiful.
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

    Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com


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    Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help!

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    BPN Member Cheryl Slechta's Avatar
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    Bob I love the repost without the moon. It puts all your attention on the cormorant. Great job The sky is beautiful and just right for the bird.
    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince

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    John,

    This image is great. I love the use of the moon. It somehow adds a bit of whimsy to it. We just passed the full moon, but keep in mind next Oct. 12th for the next full moon if you want to harvest other moon pics to use in the future.

    Mitch

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    Thanks Mitch for your heads- up!

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