John suggested a different pp for the basil blossom so BB take 2

[JBW]

[ajohnw]

You could do this to it with RT Brian



I've darkened the greens using LH and then restored the tones with CH like this



I also boosted the blue in the flowers at little. The LH panel would show that I just adjusted the green in the leaves.

Then in RT I enable the vignette default settings.

No thoughts at all about where to crop etc.

John
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[ajohnw]

The only problem you may have with LH,CH and HH is when more points are needed to limit the range of the change. The one I posted is simple. Sometimes a sharp notch is needed. The key to using it is the square with a cross in it at the bottom of the panel. Click that and the colours under the mouse are shown as a white line on the graph. I note where that was and then alter the graph directly and adjust as needed. New points can be added by simply clicking on the line and removed by dragging them off the panel. Loosely LH is brightness, CH saturation and HH hue. The best way to learn is to play with them and there is always the reset button.

You should find contrast by detail level useful too. Each time the button is clicked graduated contrast is applied or the sliders can be adjusted individually. It's seen as an alternative to sharpening but when working on large shots that are going to be reduced I still prefer to save it and then load - reduce - sharpen using something else. A lot of that is probably down to how I work. RT unsharp mask has it's interesting features - a liminosity mask for one. Hover over the points on it and it will tell you how to adjust them. When Adobites reduce and save it seems the package decides how much to sharpen. I would rather do it myself.

John
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[JBW]

You could do this to it with RT Brian



I've darkened the greens using LH and then restored the tones with CH like this



I also boosted the blue in the flowers at little. The LH panel would show that I just adjusted the green in the leaves.

Then in RT I enable the vignette default settings.

No thoughts at all about where to crop etc.

John
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I have tried this adjuster on occasion but it has always beaten me.

[JBW]

The only problem you may have with LH,CH and HH is when more points are needed to limit the range of the change. The one I posted is simple. Sometimes a sharp notch is needed. The key to using it is the square with a cross in it at the bottom of the panel. Click that and the colours under the mouse are shown as a white line on the graph. I note where that was and then alter the graph directly and adjust as needed. New points can be added by simply clicking on the line and removed by dragging them off the panel. Loosely LH is brightness, CH saturation and HH hue. The best way to learn is to play with them and there is always the reset button.

You should find contrast by detail level useful too. Each time the button is clicked graduated contrast is applied or the sliders can be adjusted individually. It's seen as an alternative to sharpening but when working on large shots that are going to be reduced I still prefer to save it and then load - reduce - sharpen using something else. A lot of that is probably down to how I work. RT unsharp mask has it's interesting features - a liminosity mask for one. Hover over the points on it and it will tell you how to adjust them. When Adobites reduce and save it seems the package decides how much to sharpen. I would rather do it myself.

John
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I do enjoy the contrast by level option it can make things pop nicely.

[Nicks Pics]

Very nice, I think I prefer the original version.

[JBW]

Very nice, I think I prefer the original version.

Why?

[Nicks Pics]

Why?

I made my opinion just from looking at one then the other. I think the first looks more natural and I think the lighter leaves are more attractive than the darker ones. There is no reason to change the luminosity of the greens in this image that I can tell. In case you are wondering, I am saying I like the first version of the image in this post better than the second version of it, not referring to a version from a different thread.

P.S. What software are you talking about here with that levels slider thing?

[JBW]

I made my opinion just from looking at one then the other. I think the first looks more natural and I think the lighter leaves are more attractive than the darker ones. There is no reason to change the luminosity of the greens in this image that I can tell. In case you are wondering, I am saying I like the first version of the image in this post better than the second version of it, not referring to a version from a different thread.

P.S. What software are you talking about here with that levels slider thing?

Okay now I understand. As often happens I was confused. The software in question is RawTherapee. It is a somewhat complicated free system that works well in conjunction with Gimp. http://rawtherapee.com/

[ajohnw]

Very nice, I think I prefer the original version.

The shot I posted was just an example of what the adjustments can do and explain how they work. It's easy to miss the fact that the colours can be scanned with the mouse.

The adjustment has made the flower stand out more aided by the addition of a scarcely visible vignette. Personally I would do more to it. One major factor is cropping - is it a photo of the flower or the leaves or some mix of the two. I feel the flower needs more dominance and size so that the detail and colours can be seen more clearly. A portrait orientation may be better but the angle the shot was taken at / position of the leaves may make that sort of approach difficult.

RT is a full blown raw processing package with no local retouching facilities. As there is little automation and many controls it can be difficult for beginners to master especially as they probably wont get the basic adjustments correct before applying the others. It also has only one rather odd graduated filter. I have explained why more are needed at times so at some point the people who maintain it might add more but it's a fact that one and some thought is generally enough.

John
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