Could use some advice on two HDR images

[arneson]

I'm a little conflicted about where to post this thread since I'm a beginner photographer, but these are HDR images. I'll start here and hopefully the advice isn't over my head I've got these two images from the same spot, one is night, one is sunrise. I've converted both to HDR with little editing. I'm looking for advice on how to really make the image pop. I used Photomatix to create these and played with the sliders after Tone Mapping but could never find something that felt good.

Any way, any advice is welcome and appreciated. Be honest, you're not going to hurt my feelings.

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These images are of the Minneapolis skyline along the Mississippi river, taken from the historic Stone Arch Bridge.

p.s. I'm aware of the power lines in the images, and unfortunately to avoid them I'd have to be way to close for my 50mm lens to take in the scene that I want. Some day maybe I'll learn to remove them PP.

 

[kristo]

try unsharp mask in photoshop? keep the top bar (radius?) around the centre and adjust from there...

 

[arneson]

I should mention I use Lightroom 3, and do not have Photoshop.

 

[robertwsimpson]

they look ok... just export the HDRs in TIF format and put them back into light room. Play with the lightroom sliders and also the sharpening and saturation etc. Lightroom can do most of the stuff photoshop can do, just not as well.

 

[robertwsimpson]

here is an edit of the night time one. it was a quick edit.

I straightened it, sharpened it, removed the wires (yes, I did a bad job, because I didn't want to take much time on it), adjusted saturation, contrast, brightness, and burned the sky and dodged the street.