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Editing mini-challenge, week ending 14 September 2014


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19 replies to this topic

#1
Merco_61

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Welcome to this weeks editing challenge!

First a message from this week's file submitter, nbanjogal:

Welcome to this week's editing challenge. I'm giving you an image that needs a lot of work (I apologize in advance for all the sensor spots you will be removing--this image is proof of the D600 sensor problems…and this is before it got really bad).

Last summer while in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, I had spent some time down in the Blacktail Ponds for sunrise, and when I hiked up out of the ravine, I found this artist at work. I asked him if I could take a few photos, and he said he didn't mind. This is one of the images I made of him.

Have fun!

Dropbox file:

Dropbox - 20130711-NCF-Tetons.NEF - Simplify your life
   
And then the rules:

The challenge is weekly, a new thread with a new raw (preferably) or jpg fine file for each week.

Cutoff time for submissions is midnight between sunday and monday pst (UTC-8).

This is a round-robin challenge, the order of submitting the week’s raw file is based on an alphabetical list of applicants’ user names. If the next submitter on the list is unable to post at his/her turn he/she may ask the thread master to be moved down the list no later than friday morning. Late applications will be added at the bottom of the list.
We will revise this when every applicant has had a go, and perhaps change this model.

The submitter for the week must make the file along with any specific text for the post available to the thread master during the weekend preceding the challenge week. The thread master will then copy the file to a Dropbox location for the challenge and make the starting post for the week.

Images provided, as well as the images resulting from the challenge remain the sole property of the photographer who took them. Those participating in the editing challenge may not use or display the photo outside the challenge thread.

The owner of the photo declares a winner after the challenge is over.

As this challenge is a tool for learning and inspiration, multiple entries are not only ok, but encouraged if a participant gets a new idea for how to present or interpret the photo, including artistic interpretations.

Participants must share how they have achieved their take on the photo.

Participants are explicitly not limited as to what software is used for the challenge.

 



#2
jeffs942

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Photoninja for raw conversion. Ps 6 for cloning, cropping etc. Tried to get a 3d depth effect 



#3
greatscott94

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15150756576_ec4a8dc937_b.jpg

 

Edited entirely in LR5. Cropped slightly, adjusted horizon line, removed the sensor dust that I found, small -.50 gradient to level out the sky exposure with the reset of my processing.

 

Cheers.



#4
jeffs942

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Tonemapped version with SNS.
 



#5
Jerry_

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Here are my takes on this week's photo.

(1) first step was to remove the spots (due to spots on the sensor - heck, Nicole, hope you have got the opportunity to have the sensor cleaned in the meantime ;) ).
Also found that the zip bag was to much of a focussing point, as was the roll of cleaning paper, distracting the view (even so good practice from the painter) so masked them out of the picture.
Considered what to do with the backpack and then decided to leave it in, to keep this aspect of "painting in the nature"

(These changes were mostly done with MacPhun's Snapheal Pro (iMac), some early spot corrections had been done with Aperture (iMac))

upepejar.jpg

(2) next I straightened and tweak the picture
Main tweak done with MacPhun's Intensify Pro (iMac) applying the Natural filter, then some finetuning and straightening in Aperture (iMac)

e9adymas.jpg

and the same take in Black and White

pu3uqusy.jpg


While this was the final take of my main processing, I thought I give it a different interpretation with the "Painter painted". Tried to find a good style which would render the picture in oil painting, but all I tried did not satisfy me.
So here are two other - more fun - interpretations:

3e4amu8y.jpg
First one done with Painteresque (iPad) applying the "Coloured Pencil" style.

adudy9yn.jpg
Second one done with Laminar Pro (iPad) sing "Water colors" style

#6
Afterimage

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Second one done with Laminar Pro (iPad) sing "Water colors" style

 

I like the water color one a lot.



#7
nbanjogal

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Jerry, I'm impressed with your cloning skills! I've had a hard enough time getting the backpack to disappear--never even tried the paper towels and plastic bag. (I really, really stink at cloning things out…time to go search for some tutorials I guess.)

 

And yes, I have had my sensor cleaned since then, but not before it got much, much worse. :)



#8
Jerry_

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Never did so much postprocessing on my own photos then doing here on the mini challenge. Even didn't know a number of the possibilities (f.i. cloning) that some of the tools offered - and a few of them are installed since a couple of years.

So participating to the mini challenges is definitely a good learning process :)

Certainly the Adobe tools that you have will allow you to easily clone, too. Probably just a matter of looking up how to access the feature.

All these photo edit applications have so many features that one easily don't know what it all offers.

#9
nbanjogal

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I know the feature, but sometimes I have a hard time doing it without it being obvious. There's probably something wrong with my technique because I've seen other people use the cloning tool with great success and you can't even tell it's been done. Last night I was messing with the photo from this challenge and got rid of the backpack pretty easily, but the plastic bag...ugh. I gave up. Try again later I guess.

#10
Jerry_

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I gave the cloning operation a second round, in order to repeat the removal of the zip bag, while saving intermediate versions.

General rules applied:
- background objects cloned first (there aren't many here)
- where lines are available, aligning the cloning to those (f.i. legs and borders of the table)
- not using cloned zones that are very close, unless there is a major difference in the teint, etc. (f.i. cloning on the leg was with about half a leg difference)
- not cloning by long lines but rather by multiple spots, even so this may put more stress on the computer
- final additional cloning with spots taken from a different distance, to smoothen possible transitions

So, here are the versions
(Started for this exercise only to crop the zone around the bag, yet taking enough space around, for allowing to have elements to clone)

9uqaqe6u.jpg

The first cloning was to see the most detailed elements hidden by the bag, i.e. the legs

nypymugy.jpg

The second step was for cloning the bag away from the table

apega3u6.jpg

The third step was to clone out the back from the background (left the center part, just for showing what else disappeared

vevatu7e.jpg

The final step was to clone out the last section of the bag and finetuning the cloned zones (f.i. didn't like how the center leg showed)

y8e8apym.jpg

#11
deano

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Great tips, thanks.



#12
nbanjogal

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Nice! Thanks for the demo, Jerry!

#13
Merco_61

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Here is my take

 

gallery_1251_496_140721.jpg

 

Crop to 5:4 in LR
Clone away the dust bunnies
Clone away the paper roll
Curves and levels locally on the ziploc bag
CEP Film effects Provia 100F
Some careful dodging under the brim of the hat



#14
TBonz

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Nicole,

 

Sorry I didn't get one in this week...still have lots of shots to go through from yesterday's game...I'll get there at some point!

 

Nice photo!



#15
Merco_61

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A little more than two hours to go on the challenge, and I will as usual be away from a computer when it ends. Congratulations to all who took part, and a big thank you to nbanjogal who let us play with her raw file this week.



#16
nbanjogal

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Well, I'm super impressed with those of you who took this challenge on…I suspect I will never be done editing the image, and it's super late, so I'm not going to take the time to use Jerry's demo to clone out that awful plastic bag. Someday…but not tonight. 

 

I don't like declaring a winner--they were all well done, to be honest. I think I would probably choose Jerry's watercolor edit as the most interesting, and I also have to give him props for all his excellent cloning skills. 

 

Here's a fun little edit finished off with a wet plate filter from Nik's Analog Efex Pro 2.

 

gallery_504_491_235960.jpg

 

Do you see the tiny surprise I put in there? ;)

 

I think it's a little more obvious in this color version (which is terribly unfinished…sorry--still have dust spots and a sloppy glow where I didn't quite get the levels layer all the way masked in).

 

gallery_504_491_286838.jpg

 

Thanks for playing everyone! 

 

 



#17
Jerry_

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Nicely integrated your tiny visitor - you are going to surprise us all the time :)

#18
Mr_Leeman

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Been so busy I've gotten behind with these!

 

So, as it's late... only by a few weeks - I went for a painted effect, using PS5 - dust&scratches, then a layer using glowing edges set to overlay, to create some drawn effect. And finally for the heck of I put a bigfoot in the shot, as if he's posing. (Oh and a small volcanic eruption.)

 

Great shot by the way! What a find!

Attached Thumbnails

  • 20130711-NCF-Tetons.jpg


#19
nbanjogal

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Ha ha!!!! I love it! Good stuff, Mr_Leeman!

Did you see the Bigfoot in my edits too? Great minds think alike, eh?

#20
Mr_Leeman

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No I missed him, but can just about make him out now. Mine isn't as shy.lol