Please help me learn to edit!

[Feezor]

Hey guys there was a random very quick "storm" if you will down at my house the other day and it had left a beautiful rainbow over the neighboring houses and I tried to get some good pictures of it. Just when I thought I was getting better I met a challenge I had not faced or read up on how to handle.


So I came up with this picture:

I tried to make the rainbow stand out more and darken the walls in the backyard to look more natural. When I had trouble with that I thought okay I will just crop out that bottom half and part of the house on the left. Well now that looks like a poorly composed picture. After me trying to save this picture and make it look better this is what I came up with

So if anyone can take a shot at editing this and let me know what you did. Or just give me some advice on how I can edit this I would be very appreciative.


And yes if you look closely there were 2 rainbows just one is so faint it almost looks like a ghost effect.
BTW I am using CS5

 

[MohaimenK]

I don't know, I just took a crack at it. Let me know?

 

[Feezor]

I like the color of the rainbow and sky just the backyard and roof of the house, possibly the tree I think should be toned down. I know everyone has their personal preferences but I dont know. I guess I dont even know what I really want haha

 

[sovietdoc]

Here is my take on it, a bit blurry yes, but I just liked it for this pic.

 

[RobNZ]

My version.

Original on top.

Lots of layers, started with levels just for the sky, then masked off what I didnt want adjusted, same again for the shadows but inverted mask and brushed back in what I did want bottom left and once more for the wall.

Adjusted vibrancy and again masked off what I didnt want.

Adjusted Edxposure and gamma and reduced layer opacity to suit.

Added a blue photo filter to reduce colour cast a little, sharpened, done.

 

[Lipoly]

I think I may like the original so far, but of the edits I like Freezor's...more subtle. I tend to not like pictures where PP has obviously been done.

Freezor's sky edit is best imo, but wall looks a bit over saturated.

RobNZ has a really nice wall/tree, but sky is a bit too dark for me...rainbows happen after sun comes back out after all.

 

[Robin Usagani]

use your camera raw and bump up the vibrant. Thats all you have to do to make the rainbow POP.

 

[Feezor]

Thank you for all the tips guys

RobNZ I really like that the walls and everything look natural and the rainbow it's self looks more colorful. Thank you for the expanation.

I guess I just need to learn how to use the layers properly because when I try and select the area I want to edit then use the adjustments it still adjusts the whole photo.