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.

 

Made With Luminar: Budapest Black and White

From the Danube, I took this photo of the Liberty Statue:

ISO 400 f/8 55mm 0.2sec

I do really like the colors and light in the evening sky but I was curious to try a black and white edit:

ISO 400 f/8 55mm 0.2sec

To achieve this edit I applied the Luminar Look, Dramatic Landscapes B&W, then made additional adjustments to the whites, blacks, and shadows sliders. You can leave a comment below about this particular edit. I do think I will be making a color version eventually as well.

Cheers!

Added to Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge, Clouds.

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. I’ll then explain what other filters and edits have been applied, often mentioning what layer and therefore order that they were applied. The text of these posts include any 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 basic 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.

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!

What I Am Working On: Minor Edits

I took a tour last week of the Hungarian State Opera House. I had heard the interior of the building was beautiful and well worth seeing. That is correct:

ISO 1000 f/8 0.1 sec 18mm

My edits to the photo are a work in progress. At this point they include a crop, the removal or toning down of a few light reflections, and the use of a vignette placed on the column in the foreground:

ISO 1000 f/8 0.1 sec 18mm

The edit is a bit dark, and I haven’t fully decided if I am going to change that. The Opera House at that moment was very still on its upper levels, there were only people milling around where I was standing. I wanted the edit to reflect that quiet. Feel free to leave your thoughts on the edit in the comment section below.

The Opera House had its Opening Night on September 27, 1884. It is currently undergoing renovations but is still open for tours. I’ve added this post to A Photo a Week, Over 100 Years Old.

Cheers!