Need help with an edit

BrentC · Feb 5, 2018

I posted this wood duck in another thread. My first time using ColorFXpro. The more I looked at it, after I posted, the more I felt there was something wrong. I think it may be the fact that it looks like there was a lot more sunlight than there actually was and too warm.
I decided to re-edit it. Also using the same filters in ColorFXPro, this time using control points which I had no idea how to use on the first edit. And slightly different adjustments. Definitely not as warm.
Which edit do you prefer? Any suggestions or criticisms? I am also including an edit with just LR with minimal adjustments and accurate WB.

Just to let you know it was a very cold, overcast day on the lake. At times a diffused sunlight escaped through some very light clouds which is when this photo was taken.

1. This is the first edit that I posted using ColorFXPro

Wood Duck by Brent Cameron, on Flickr

2. Second edit using ColorFXPro. Colder, lowered exposure.

3. Edited only in LR. Basic setting adjustments, accurate WB.

zombiesniper · Feb 5, 2018

I always like to edit mine as close to what I saw/ remember seeing while I was there.
Having this in mind the lightroom edit looks the most natural to me. The ColorFXPro edits seem to go just a bit too far for my liking but then that just my taste.

wintermute · Feb 5, 2018

I think the ColorFXPro edits bring out too much sharpness in the water, which takes away from the duck. Have you tried your basic Lr edit plus some local adjustments for sharpness on the duck? You could also use a high pass filter in Ps on a layer mask with only the duck selected.

baturn · Feb 6, 2018

What zs said.

BrentC · Feb 6, 2018

zombiesniper said:
I always like to edit mine as close to what I saw/ remember seeing while I was there.
Having this in mind the lightroom edit looks the most natural to me. The ColorFXPro edits seem to go just a bit too far for my liking but then that just my taste.

I agree. I wanted more subtle adjustments and went too far with ColorFXPro. I usually tend to edit as seen and natural. Was tying to get a little more out of the colours but I should probably wait for a day I can shoot in better light instead of fabricating it through processing.

BrentC · Feb 6, 2018

wintermute said:
I think the ColorFXPro edits bring out too much sharpness in the water, which takes away from the duck. Have you tried your basic Lr edit plus some local adjustments for sharpness on the duck? You could also use a high pass filter in Ps on a layer mask with only the duck selected.

This is from the Detail Extracter filter in ColorFXPro and also using Tonal Contast filter. I image #3 the Duck is sharpened in LR. The other problem with this particular image is part of the face is slightly off focus, but its the best side view I have and thought it acceptable. I have much sharper images.

Garasaki · Feb 7, 2018

For my eyes, you'll always be fighting the amount of distraction that the water brings. Rather than focusing your edits on the duck, you might consider trying to focus on editing the water so that it draws the eye less.

Desaturation, less contrast, using the glow or soft focus filters in ColorFX Pro are some ideas that come to mind for me.

BrentC · Feb 7, 2018

Garasaki said:
For my eyes, you'll always be fighting the amount of distraction that the water brings. Rather than focusing your edits on the duck, you might consider trying to focus on editing the water so that it draws the eye less.

Desaturation, less contrast, using the glow or soft focus filters in ColorFX Pro are some ideas that come to mind for me.

Yeah. When I have some time I experiment with those filters you mentioned. After a year I am still not comfortable editing, still have a lot to learn. I am getting an appreciation for ColorFXPro though. Especially the Detail Extractor and Pro Contrast. I just have to make sure I am subtly enhancing instead of over processing, which I find very easy to do.

ZombiesniperJr · Feb 7, 2018

i like the lightroom edit the most out of them.

MSnowy · Feb 7, 2018

I'd go with the 2nd ColorFXPro. The Lightroom to me looks flat.

BrentC · Feb 7, 2018

MSnowy said:
I'd go with the 2nd ColorFXPro. The Lightroom to me looks flat.

That's the problem I had with it and why I decided to try out ColorFXPro. I think if I can find a balance between the two it would enhance the image but still keep it close to what it actually looked like. My biggest issue when editing is that I have a hard time finding that right amount of processing. It doesn't help that my knowledge of editing is not great. I don't have an artists eye so it's hard figuring out what adjustments to make to her the image the way I want. I am better than when I started but find it slow going.

Video tutorials have helped a lot but I would really love to sit down with someone who knows what he's doing in LR so I can ask questions. It's not how too use LR that's an issue but why I should do certain adjustments and knowing how this adjustments are going to effect the image. I am trying to find a college course on Lightroom or Photoshop specifically for photography.

birdbonkers84 · Feb 14, 2018

Hey Brent, I prefer the LR edit, purely because the water is less distracting. You could always try using masks in LR to try and match the vibrance of the duck in the first image, while retaining the less distracting water of the 3rd.

Only editing i do in LR is the lens correction/colour aberration, WB and then make the eye clear and sometimes de-noise the backgrounds.

BrentC · Feb 14, 2018

birdbonkers84 said:
Hey Brent, I prefer the LR edit, purely because the water is less distracting. You could always try using masks in LR to try and match the vibrance of the duck in the first image, while retaining the less distracting water of the 3rd.

Only editing i do in LR is the lens correction/colour aberration, WB and then make the eye clear and sometimes de-noise the backgrounds.

I usually only do Basic settings adjustments in LR. When I get things right, like shooting in good light and getting the exposure right, I don't do too many adjustments at all. Unfortunately I probably keep and try to recover a lot of shots that I should simply throw away or should never have taken in the first place. I'm much better now then when I first started a year ago, I am being more selective in what I shoot and keep. But still keeping way too many and also taking shots when I know its a waste of time.
Since the lighting wasn't great with these shots I figured I would try and see what I could do in pp and really try to bring the colours out. I have come to the conclusion that I really don't know what I am doing when it comes to extensive editing. :smile:

Here are a couple shots of wood ducks from last year that had practically no editing. I like them much better.

Wood Duck by Brent Cameron, on Flickr

smoke665 · Feb 14, 2018

@BrentC sometimes it's a journey of many things. Have you tried or are you familiar with Split Toning? Split Toning in Lightroom: Coloring to Advance Your Images

BrentC · Feb 14, 2018

smoke665 said:
@BrentC sometimes it's a journey of many things. Have you tried or are you familiar with Split Toning? Split Toning in Lightroom: Coloring to Advance Your Images

No I haven't. I didn't really understand what split toning was so had ignored it. I usually find out what something does when I am looking for a specific way to edit something. Thanks for the link.
I really need to take a course. My artistic eye sucks and I can't always look at an image and know what adjustments it needs. I understand how the adjustments in Basic settings will effect an image but beyond that is where I get lost. And when I try to go beyond basic settings I tend to over process.
And forget about PS, I totally get lost. I only use PS mostly for cloning things out, composites and focus stacking.