first time doing photo-adjustments. before & after photo. is this a good job?

[PureRumble]

I have to admit... I am completely new to this contrast/brightness/saturation/etc-postprocessing thing. I didn't like it. Maybe because I wanted to spend more time behind the camera than the computer, or maybe because I'm just to lazy.

But I decided to give it a shot! The array of tools that photoshop provides for improving your pictures is endless. I decided that it is way too early for med to get into that field. So I have constrained myself to what Lightroom provides. So the changes I've made have affected all of the image, not just some part of it constrained by masking. So I wan't to know if I'm on the right way.

Short list of the changes:

* Big bump of contrast.
* Changed the tonal curve to give the two big trees, and the forest in general, more depth.
* The contrast showed some colors of the forest to be more saturated. So I targeted specific colors of the forest and made them less saturated.
* Made the photo more sharp.
* Removed annoying an annoying part of a tree with clone.

Yes, that sums it up. I have intentionally left the forest a little bit dark. The key-part of this picture is afterall the sunset. I also believed the forest would loose the little amount of depth that I managed to give to it if I would make it brighter.

PS. The original was a HDR-image with tonal mapping.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

[The Phototron]

The original's tonal value is more harmonious, so I like it better.

When you increased the contrast, the forest becomes too dark and de-emphasizes (**** me I'm using skieur's vocabulary, that bastard) the already weak sunset. So I think you should selectively increased the contrast of the sky.

Here's my attempt:

I added a bit sharpening by habit...

 

[PureRumble]

The original's tonal value is more harmonious, so I like it better.

When you increased the contrast, the forest becomes too dark and de-emphasizes (**** me I'm using skieur's vocabulary, that bastard) the already weak sunset. So I think you should selectively increased the contrast of the sky.

OK! You are right. I guess I was too scared to try to make the forest a bit brighter. I'll try to do that now (I on the other hand have the habit to save my settings in Lightroom, for every single photo <^_^>). Do you think I atleast managed to give the big trees some depth?

Thx!