One of the real pleasures of photo-editing is working on older files. It’s like revisiting a moment. Pompeii was a place I had been interested in since childhood, so it was a big deal for me to visit. This photo is one of the ruins with Mt. Vesuvius in the background:
I wanted this particular edit to be a bit dreamy. Like a memory. The dreamy like feel almost but not entirely taking the edge off the reality that what created the ruins in the foreground is peacefully sitting in the background:
Does this work as a subtle horror image? My guess is only if you know the history of the area does it work in that way. Otherwise, it looks like a lovely sunny day. Your thoughts on this are welcome below.
Luminar filters applied, Denoise, Image Radiance, Matte Look, Orton Effect. Also added the LUT, 1960’s, set to 32%.
The Made with Luminar Series
This image is part of a project I am calling Made with Luminar. What the images in this series have in common is the software used to edit them, Luminar 3. As with my usual blog posts particulars of the camera settings can be found in the caption below the image. The text of these posts include the Luminar “Looks” that have been applied to the photo. Each look is a series of presets that are applied to the photo. Where applicable I will mention what changes I have made to any of the looks. A full explanation of looks is available here on their website, https://skylum.com/luminar/user-guides/chapter-14-working-with-luminar-looks
You can assume other edits have been applied. My most common edits are cropping, detail enhancement, and vignette. Specific questions or thoughts on the image are welcome in the comment section below.
Cheers!
Added to Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Creepy.
I have been up the Vesuvius and enjoyed the beautiful views over the bay of Naples. This photo is a great reminder, the volcano looking innocuous in the distance. Beautiful picture.
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Thanks very much.
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Very cool shot. It definitely takes on an ominous tone if you know the history. We were not able to see Vesuvius so clearly the day we went.
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Yes, we got a really clear day, believe it or not, that photo was shot in October!
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Always wanted to see Vesuvius- so incredible that the moment was frozen in time. The image is such a contradiction to the reality!
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Yes, I thought so too.
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Yes, it does look like a lovely summer day – with a painting vibe to it. I am continually intrigued by the software you use. You get such fascinating results!
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Thanks very much, I agree the edits here do give it a bit of a painting feel.
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You’re welcome!
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I like using Luminar, lately the Flex module I “call up” from Lightroom. I just installed Luminar 4 and I have to admit the sky replacement is pretty effective for those photos that were captured on a truly gray day. Looking forward to seeing more of your Luminar tweaks.
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I’ll be curious to see if you like other aspects of Luminar 4, I always like to see what people are using and if they like it or not.
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Truth is, I use Luminar sparingly. I don’t use “looks”, typically tweak Accent AI, add a touch of structure, tweak the colors with either saturation or HSL, and other minor adjustments that seem appropriate.
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It seems to me that Luminar would work nicely this way as a plugin to other software.
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It does work nicely that way. I’m hoping they update Flex to support the features of Luminar 4 in a similar fashion. I like the minimalist approach of Flex as it features the tools I use the most.
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Yes, I think that has become a bit of an issue with photo-editing, so many tools but what do you really use? and how can those be accessed in the best way?
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Beautiful work with Luminar – but to me, this is still mainly a very beautiful photo! As you say, to get the creepy feeling going, you have to know the story.
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I think you are correct about this, really you do need to know the background.
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I’ve never been to Pompeii, but several of my friends have been recently! Definitely on my (extensive) list of places I’d like to see one day though
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Yes, my list of places to visit is pretty long too 🙂
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The edit did the job, it does look creepy!
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Thanks very much Amy.
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