What I Am Working On: Editing Small Details

I was working with this file:

ISO 800 f/11 1/30sec 21mm

In prior work sessions, I had worked with other similar files, creating a few different color interpretations. For this one, I had in mind a black and white version. Something a bit glamorous I was thinking (yup that is what I was thinking) for this photo. On the first layer, I did my basic edits, cropping and luminosity were two of them. Then I created a second layer and went searching for a look in Luminar that would closely match what I was thinking. I found it in the look called “Old Hollywood Glamor”.  Close to perfect but not exactly, so I created a third layer. This layer was really about details. Little changes that made a big difference. The first thing I did was to use the small detail enhancer and I bumped the slider up to 23. But really I only wanted those details in the petals of the snowdrops, so I used a brush to paint that in and leave the rest of the file untouched. Then I experimented with the vignette, a lot. I changed it’s location, size, and amount all several times.  Here is the final version:

ISO 800 f/11 1/30sec 21mm

If you are new to editing and reading this post, I’d like you to take away the idea that sometimes small things like a vignette can make big changes in your final photo. Vignette controls are often simple and easy to understand how to use. It makes for a good confidence builder as you are mastering the basics and then moving on to more complex editing.

Regardless of your ability and level of experience with editing, your thoughts on this version are welcome in the comment section below.

Cheers!

Added to Cee’s Flower of the Day. Picfair version is here.

April Squares: Top Shots, Snowdrops

ISO 250 f/11 0.1sec 27mm

Day 30, find other responses here.

Date and Location of Photo: January 30, 2020. Anglesey Abbey a National Trust site with much to see. This particular shot was taken on a visit where I had secured myself a spot of a behind the scenes tour of their snowdrop collection. It was a great tour that I would highly recommend.

Thoughts on the Edit: Luminar Look, Retro Film, added.

April Squares, an Explanation:

When Becky announced that the April Squares theme was going to be “top”, I thought it over and then sent her a message, then pitched my idea. She was open to my theme within the theme and the result is my response to the April Squares challenge.

I move a lot and I have a move pending. I’ve lived here in England for about four years and will be heading to the United States. Exact dates to be determined, given the current world situation, details have yet to be worked out. My April Squares is a “top shots” reflection on the last four years. Each square represents some moment or place that was meaningful to me. They are in chronological order moving forward in time. I’m attempting to post every day. All photos will be edited in Luminar 3. I hope you enjoy following along, I’ve enjoyed the process of creating. Your comments and thoughts are welcome below.

Cheers!

April Squares: Top Shots: Netherlands American Cemetery

ISO 160 f/11 1/200sec 48mm

Day 26, find other responses here.

Date and Location of Photo: August 22, 2019. Taken at Netherlands American Cemetery. In addition to being another beautifully maintained cemetery, the grave markers are all adopted by families of locals a tradition that I find very moving.

Thoughts on the Edit: I didn’t really feel like I wanted to edit this image too much. I did crop it and boosted the small details slider a bit, other than that, I let it be.

April Squares, an Explanation:

When Becky announced that the April Squares theme was going to be “top”, I thought it over and then sent her a message, then pitched my idea. She was open to my theme within the theme and the result is my response to the April Squares challenge.

I move a lot and I have a move pending. I’ve lived here in England for about four years and will be heading to the United States. Exact dates to be determined, given the current world situation, details have yet to be worked out. My April Squares is a “top shots” reflection on the last four years. Each square represents some moment or place that was meaningful to me. They are in chronological order moving forward in time. I’m attempting to post every day. All photos will be edited in Luminar 3. I hope you enjoy following along, I’ve enjoyed the process of creating. Your comments and thoughts are welcome below.

Cheers!

April Squares: Top Shots: Mummelsee Lake

ISO 320 f/11 1/250sec 37mm

Day 25, find other responses here.

Date and Location of Photo: August 13, 2019. Mummelsee Lake in the Black Forest region of Germany.

Thoughts on the Edit: My initial edits of this included removing some signage and people from the far side of the lake. The erase function in Luminar did this quite nicely. I’ve added the Luminar Look, Subway, and also the Golden Hour filter set to 18%.

April Squares, an Explanation:

When Becky announced that the April Squares theme was going to be “top”, I thought it over and then sent her a message, then pitched my idea. She was open to my theme within the theme and the result is my response to the April Squares challenge.

I move a lot and I have a move pending. I’ve lived here in England for about four years and will be heading to the United States. Exact dates to be determined, given the current world situation, details have yet to be worked out. My April Squares is a “top shots” reflection on the last four years. Each square represents some moment or place that was meaningful to me. They are in chronological order moving forward in time. I’m attempting to post every day. All photos will be edited in Luminar 3. I hope you enjoy following along, I’ve enjoyed the process of creating. Your comments and thoughts are welcome below.

Cheers!

April Squares: Top Shots, Wicken Fen Nature Reserve

 

ISO 500 f/11 1/1250sec 20mm

Day 24, find other responses here.

Date and Location of Photo: July 11, 2019. Wicken Fen Nature Reserve. This windmill is on wooden boardwalk path not far from the visitor’s center. If you visit the reserve, take the time to go on a walk a bit further afield, it’s a beautiful reserve teeming with wildlife.

Thoughts on the Edit: I’ve added the Luminar Look, Intersection, at 64%. I chose this particular file to edit because the original exposure was really quite bad, but I had shot in RAW format, so there was plenty of wiggle room on the edit.

April Squares, an Explanation:

When Becky announced that the April Squares theme was going to be “top”, I thought it over and then sent her a message, then pitched my idea. She was open to my theme within the theme and the result is my response to the April Squares challenge.

I move a lot and I have a move pending. I’ve lived here in England for about four years and will be heading to the United States. Exact dates to be determined, given the current world situation, details have yet to be worked out. My April Squares is a “top shots” reflection on the last four years. Each square represents some moment or place that was meaningful to me. They are in chronological order moving forward in time. I’m attempting to post every day. All photos will be edited in Luminar 3. I hope you enjoy following along, I’ve enjoyed the process of creating. Your comments and thoughts are welcome below.

Cheers!

April Squares: Top Shots, Luxembourg American Cemetery

ISO 320 f/11 1/320sec 18mm

Day 23, find other responses here.

Date and Location of Photo: May 28, 2019. Taken at Luxembourg American Cemetery maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Thoughts on the Edit: All the military cemeteries I have visited over the last four years have been beautifully maintained, which is why in this edit, I have left a workers cart in the background. The staff are always busy working in the background making these places beautiful places for reflection. I’ve added the Luminar Look, Soft Colors, to this file, removing certain effects that were a bit too strong for this photo.

April Squares, an Explanation:

When Becky announced that the April Squares theme was going to be “top”, I thought it over and then sent her a message, then pitched my idea. She was open to my theme within the theme and the result is my response to the April Squares challenge.

I move a lot and I have a move pending. I’ve lived here in England for about four years and will be heading to the United States. Exact dates to be determined, given the current world situation, details have yet to be worked out. My April Squares is a “top shots” reflection on the last four years. Each square represents some moment or place that was meaningful to me. They are in chronological order moving forward in time. I’m attempting to post every day. All photos will be edited in Luminar 3. I hope you enjoy following along, I’ve enjoyed the process of creating. Your comments and thoughts are welcome below.

Cheers!

April Squares: Top Shots, The Stuff of Legends

ISO 400 f/11 1/1600sec 35mm

Day 20, find other responses here.

Date and Location of Photo: April 7, 2019 Tintagel. This shot taken near Tintagel Castle represents to me the beauty of the landscape in Cornwall. It’s easy to see why such a place inspired the legend of King Arthur.

Thoughts on the Edit: Taken with my larger camera, the original file is underexposed, so the first two steps were to bump up the exposure and then use the custom white balance eyedropper to make some basic corrections. The edit has the Luminar Look, Morning Fog, added to it.

April Squares, an Explanation:

When Becky announced that the April Squares theme was going to be “top”, I thought it over and then sent her a message, then pitched my idea. She was open to my theme within the theme and the result is my response to the April Squares challenge.

I move a lot and I have a move pending. I’ve lived here in England for about four years and will be heading to the United States. Exact dates to be determined, given the current world situation, details have yet to be worked out. My April Squares is a “top shots” reflection on the last four years. Each square represents some moment or place that was meaningful to me. They are in chronological order moving forward in time. I’m attempting to post every day. All photos will be edited in Luminar 3. I hope you enjoy following along, I’ve enjoyed the process of creating. Your comments and thoughts are welcome below.

Cheers!

What I Am Working On: Two Tools, One Task

I was working on this file:

ISO 320 f/11 1/320sec 24mm

I had done a few steps of basic editing when I saw the flag peeking out from behind the grave marker. Interesting how sometimes details like this can be missed at first. I wanted to remove it from my final edit. The really good news is that removing objects from photos has gotten easier and much more natural-looking over the years. In this case, I used both the erase and clone and stamp tools in Luminar. I find the erase tool is good for removal and clone and stamp works well for the clean up of any mess the eraser leaves behind. I would also suggest that you do work like this on the biggest screen you have and make use of the zoom tool as well so that you can get a really good look at what you are doing. The final edit is this one:

ISO 320 f/11 1/320sec 24mm

This final edit has the Luminar Look, Camden Fade, applied to it. The photo was shot at Luxembourg American Cemetery. It is a beautiful spot, a good place to reflect on the sacrifices of those who fought in World War II. Your thoughts on the edit are welcome below. This post was inspired by the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge, Reflections.

Cheers!

What I Am Working On: Applying Multiple Looks

Flexibility is a feature of photo editing software that I really enjoy. In this case, it is the ability to adjust the amount of a look that you have added to a photo. The original file I was working with was this one:

ISO 800 f/8 0.1sec 34mm

I did some basic edits first, a crop, luminance boosting, and sharpening. From there, on a second layer, I applied the Luminar look Daydream. Then on a third layer, I applied a custom vintage film look that I have created. The second look I applied at 16%. Here is the result:

ISO 800 f/8 0.1sec 34mm

I think the final result is subtle and a bit dreamy looking. Feel free to leave a comment below about the edit or questions about my method.

Cheers!

Added to A Photo a Week Challenge, Light the Night.

 

What I Am Working On: Using a Mask

There are times when I am editing that I would like to apply an edit to only a certain part of a photograph. This is a file I was working on where that happened:

ISO 400 f/8 1/20sec 55mm

I did a few standard edits first and then applied a Luminar look called Blue and White. While I mostly liked the look, I wanted to remove it from the sky. Using a mask I erased the look out of the sky. When you are doing something like this, most editing software has a mask button that will show where you are working. While I was editing mine looked like this:

Shows the mask in progress

Toggling that button on and off helped me get a sense of where I was working and it can also pretty easily show if I have missed a spot. While it is not a tool I always use, I do find that it is a handy one to have.  The final edit is this:

ISO 400 f/8 1/20sec 55mm

Feel free to leave a comment below about this edit. This photo is also a response to Lens-Artists Challenge, Treasure Hunt. The photo includes the following items on the “treasure hunt” list: a sunset, a boat, and two churches, Matthias and St. Mary Magdalene.

Cheers!