Project 52 Christina S

[Brownbear]

Thank you Geoff... I have a whole lot of editing failures, so be assured I'm learning as I practice.

[Brownbear]

I'm still working on my selection and layer skills and will make it my goal to perfect in 2013..

For my last project 52, I tried the photo merge exposure available in photoshop elements. My goal was to lighten up the pelican which I did in one photo, and to darken, blur, and de-noise the background (in this case foliage - as opposed to my usual blue sky). The process seemed was simple to learn.

I'd appreciate feedback on the result.Thank you.

The original


the darkened blurred photo


The result of merging the two photos

[Geoff F]

Seems to have worked well. Would the image take a little bit of extra selective sharpening to the bird's head?

You appear to have lost a little colour in the beak. But which one looks more natural?

[Brownbear]

Thank you. Yes, selective sharpening to the birds head would improve the shot (thank you), and yes, I seem to have lost colour in the beak (why?)

The original shot looks more natural? Is that why everyone seems to use selections and layers, instead of merging photos to fix over exposed skies?

[Geoff F]

It can depend on how you merge the photos. I usually do a hand merge using masks; and use the same technique for creating hand made HDR blends.

Can you use a mask on your images to remove or prevent the darkening from covering the whole image before the merge.

For example, brush away part of the mask or use a selection to limit it's coverage.

You may need to selectively use an adjustment layer then merge it with the required layer before the full merge of layers.

Something to consider and experiment with.

[Brownbear]

Thank you..