Project 52, 1st Quarter by Frank Miller (FrankMi)

[FrankMi]

The time has come to learn new fun things about photography, to explore new techniques, to figure out how some of the fantastic images that others have posted here at Cambridge in Colour were captured and posted. Two years ago, in the original Project 52, my goal was to improve my post processing skills.

This year, although I want to continue that progress, I also want to move into areas that are new to me such as using controlled lighting to model the features of the subject and to explore some ‘what if’ ideas such as, ‘what would my world look like if I were a puppy’? Perhaps a view of a model railroad layout for the perspective of a figurine on the set? Possibly a series of something historical such as lighthouses?

It might even be worthwhile to revisit an old image to see if my current post processing skills could make a significant improvement in an image that was processed when I first started doing digital post processing?

Week 1: Reflections on Stone

Where to begin this project? There are several areas of photography that I am interested in improving. One of them is working with reflections. Reflections can be many things from ghostly apparitions of something that isn’t quite discernible to razor sharp details that are almost indistinguishable from the original source.

For this week’s effort, I am looking for a pattern on pattern view where both the reflective surface and the refection are clearly visible and yet distinctly different in the same visual space. I thought I’d give this kitchen and sun room scene a try.

Reflections on Stone SOOC



I am using a technique I will refer to as a 3X3 rendition of the scene. By 3X3, I am referring to how the image is processed. The goal is to be able to get both dynamic exposure range from dark to light and dynamic depth of field from front to back in the same scene.

To accomplish this, a minimum of nine source images are taken using a tripod for support. In this case I was using a Nikon D7100 with a Tokina 11-16mm wide angle lens at 13mm to minimize the number of focus stacked images required to get the desired DoF.

While focusing on the granite foreground surface, three bracketed exposures (images 1, 2, & 3) are shot to get the detail in the shadows under the cabinets and elsewhere, the normal exposure for the room, and expose properly for the scene outside the windows. The process is repeated while focusing on the middle ground cabinets (images 4, 5, & 6), counter top and sink faucet area. Lastly, a third set of bracketed exposure images (images 7, 8, & 9) is taken at close to infinity to get the back wall of the sun room and outdoor scene.

Reflections on Stone 3X3



From experimenting I was able to determine that the workflow should first do the focus stack of the underexposed, normal, and overexposed images in Photoshop CS5 to create three sharply focused images, each at a different level of exposure. Once this was completed, I used these three images to blend into the final image using masks and layers.

I opened each set of images, based on exposure, in Adobe Camera Raw, and adjusted mostly the Exposure, Recovery, and Fill Light to get the best looking rendition. This meant trying to get the best of the shadow area in the overexposed set and the best of the scene outside the windows in the underexposed set. All images in each set were synchronized to have the same ACR settings.

To get the best combination of images to work from, I used Photomatix Pro to produce four tonemapped images by selecting the most appropriate Presets for this scene (Default, Photographic, Natural, and Adjusted). These four versions were added to the over, under, and normal exposure images to give seven versions of the scene that could be blended CS5 using masks and layers.

Reflections on Stone Blend Options



You will note that due to the adjustments made in ACR, you don’t see huge exposure differences at this point in the process. You will note, however, that the detail, particularly in the pendant lights as an example, is based on the original -2EV, 0EV, and +2EV source images before ACR adjustments were made.

Once the best combination of images were merged to suit my taste, I de-skewed and cropped the image. Next, I used a slight bit of vignette and dodge/burn to minimize some of the overly bright reflections.



Although I prefer an image that is less busy, I particularly liked the wood beams in the sun room, the pattern ‘movement’ in the granite, and the colours in the stained glass and elsewhere.

Although I like the additional detail to explore in the image above, I decided to see how the symmetry of a square crop might concentrate attention primarily on the reflection.



This image could be significantly more cheerful if it were not for the dull overcast day, I don’t think the image would stand any more colour saturation.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured image, I like the different treatments you've undertaken.

[SpiderBob]

You have taken on quite an undertaking . It's done quite well in my perspective. I feel if you had shot the same picture on a sunny day, you would have had to come up with a lot more processing. What software are you using if you don't mind me asking? I like your final image very well.

I see it Frank, Adobe Photoshop cs5.

[bnnrcn]

Thanks for starting another 'Project 52' thread and sharing your knowledge and experience with us Frank. I'm sure I will learn a lot from you in this thread

[IzzieK]

Very nice Frank...I like that you were able to achieve the reflection you aimed and 9 images is great. I'd like to learn more from your process. I have the same software as you do.

[Brownbear]

Yes, thank you for starting another "Project 52" thread. Indeed, I'm certain I will learn a lot from you. You're a wonderful photographer, and a great teacher!

Stellar image!

[FrankMi]

Nicely captured image, I like the different treatments you've undertaken.

Thank you John. Trying to determine what works and what doesn't.

I am finding the blending a higher opacity percentage for the elements of higher contrast in the merged reflection seems to work best - for now...

[FrankMi]

You have taken on quite an undertaking . It's done quite well in my perspective. I feel if you had shot the same picture on a sunny day, you would have had to come up with a lot more processing. What software are you using if you don't mind me asking? I like your final image very well.

I see it Frank, Adobe Photoshop cs5.

Yes, CS5 with some Photomatix thrown in for the tonemapping. I don't see why Elements couldn't work in place of CS5 as well but I haven't tried that. I did recently get a copy of Lightroom 5 so I will be playing with that to see how much of the CS5 techniques could be done strictly in Lightroom.

[FrankMi]

Thanks for starting another 'Project 52' thread and sharing your knowledge and experience with us Frank. I'm sure I will learn a lot from you in this thread

Thanks Bunnur. I've learned so much from the folks here at CiC that if I can contribute to help others to enjoy photography more, all the better!

[FrankMi]

Very nice Frank...I like that you were able to achieve the reflection you aimed and 9 images is great. I'd like to learn more from your process. I have the same software as you do.

More than happy to share what little I know, Izzie!

[FrankMi]

Yes, thank you for starting another "Project 52" thread. Indeed, I'm certain I will learn a lot from you. You're a wonderful photographer, and a great teacher!

Stellar image!

You certainly know how to make me blush, Christina! I'll just take a moment to wallow in the much appreciated limelight! LOL!

[luvaneezer]

Fascinating process, Frank! And, a wonderful outcome. I am looking forward to learning much following your Project 52.
It is amazing to me how much different the square crop looks. I think it is the perfect presentation - just stunning.

[purplehaze]

Very interesting, informative read, Frank. A worthy addition to your impressive collection of tutorials. How lucky we are to have access to them, how generous you are to share.

[av8tor045]

I like the square crop best Frank. There is less clutter (not the best description of lots of other things to see) in the shot.

This is my first post... Thought I would try it out on your stuff.

Regards,

Jerry

[FrankMi]

Very interesting, informative read, Frank. A worthy addition to your impressive collection of tutorials. How lucky we are to have access to them, how generous you are to share.

Thank you Janis for your kind words! Hopefully presenting more than just a completed image will be useful to you and others.

[FrankMi]

I like the square crop best Frank. There is less clutter (not the best description of lots of other things to see) in the shot.

This is my first post... Thought I would try it out on your stuff.

Regards,

Jerry

Hi Jerry and welcome to CiC! Glad to have you drop in and thank you for the positive comments!. If you are planning to stay a while and post a few images for critique, here is a link that can help you get started. Love the avatar by the way!

[FrankMi]

Fascinating process, Frank! And, a wonderful outcome. I am looking forward to learning much following your Project 52.
It is amazing to me how much different the square crop looks. I think it is the perfect presentation - just stunning.

Thank you very much Diane! The power of Square Crop is something that Donald, one of our CiC Moderators has taught us.

[FrankMi]

This image was previously posted. The purpose for this effort is to incorporate the suggestions provided and to detail the steps involved to get to the final image for those that might like to follow the post processing steps used.

Before we start, here is the final image in case you are not interested looking at the process listed below to get to the final result.



And here is (almost) where we started.



I started with a number of different images shot with the same settings from the same location. What was different was the camera angle. I was working the scene to try to get a better composition.

I have a workflow that I use for almost all images I capture. This workflow includes using Adobe Camera Raw, checking for noise, sharpening in the capture, detail, and output stages, and number of other steps I routinely do with my images. Here we want to explore some of the image specific steps used in post processing this particular composition.

During my basic post processing I realized that I wanted a Wider Aspect Ratio than any one image had so I aligned and merged three of the images into a Panorama using Edit/Auto-Align Layers, Edit/Auto-Blend Layers/Panorama, Stamp Visible (Shift+CTL+Alt+E), and right-click to rename Layer 1 to add ‘- Panorama’.

Here is what the Layers Panel in Photoshop CS5 displays after these steps.



Beyond Basic Post Processing

Looking at this image I realized that it was very two dimensional and flat. I decided to enhance the sky so I duplicated the layer then used the Topaz Labs Adjust 5 plug-in filter and found that the Spicify preset would give me the kind of sky I was looking for. It was a bit over the top, but I’ll deal with that later. I then renamed this layer as ‘Sky – Topaz Spicify’.

After making another copy of the Panorama layer, I repeated the previous step looking for an appropriate rendition of the foreground. I found that Color Blast gave me the look I wanted for both the coast and sea. Now I have a layer with the Sky and another layer with the Foreground rendition.



Next we need to merge the sky and foreground in to a single layer. I’ll make a copy of the Rocks - Topaz Color Blast layer. Then we will need to create a selection for just the sky (or just the foreground, either would work in this case). We could use the Quick Selection Tool but I’ve gotten used to using the Topaz Labs Remask 4 plug-in filter.

Once the sky is selected, we can add a mask using the Add Vector Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. As in the image above (showing the Panorama layers masks), anything White in the mask reveals the image layer the mask is on and anything Black in the mask is a ‘hole’ through that layer to display that part of the image in the layer below.



Looking down from the top of the Layers Panel, the Layer Visibility Eye icon determines what is seen in both the main display window and what the image would look like if it were to be saved at this point. In this case we would see the foreground from the top layer copy of the foreground combined with just the sky from fourth layer so it would look like this thumbnail image.



Let’s combine these two visible layers into a single new layer using Stamp Visible (Shift+CTL+Alt+E) and name it Layer 2 – Merged Sky and Rocks.

If we deselect the Layer Visibility Eye from Layer 2 and the Sky – Topaz Spicify layer, and add a Layer Visibility Eye to the Rocks – Topaz Color Blast layer, we will see the image with the dull sky instead of the Spicify sky. These two views are identical except for one thing. The merged layer has the dull sky but the Spicify layer has the enhanced sky.

We can selectively blend these two layers by adjusting the Layer Panel’s Opacity Slider to get exactly how the amount of change in the sky we want. I’ll set the slider at 30% but you could position it anywhere from 0% to 100% to suit your needs.

Let’s combine these visible layers one more time into a single new layer using Stamp Visible (Shift+CTL+Alt+E) and name it 30% Sky.

We won’t need any of the layers below this going forward so I turn off the Layer Visibility Eyes but keep the layers just in case I should want to return to any of the previous steps.



Now is also a good time to save our work as a PSD file and therefore preserve all of the working layers up to this point.

Going from Basic to Artistic Post Processing

I usually finish my images processing with cropping, adding a possible vignette, output sharpening and posting the image for critique.

For this image I want to explore how to enhance specific parts of the image with a sense of Chiaroscuro - the use of strong contrasts between light and dark. This may be possible by employing glowing highlights (and where possible using saturated pastel colors) in the Luminists style of a Thomas Kinkade oil painting.

The goal is to capture the Plein Air (open-air) lighting. In the open air, the luminous effects of natural light is always changing. Although difficult to capture in a single image, would it be possible to play with that light with the magic of post processing?

If so, the result should be a rendition that is more idyllic, serene and uplifting.

The Process

First I’ll make a new copy of the 30% Sky Layer and call it Dodge & Burn and change only the Dodge & Burn Layer so that I can easily flick the Layer Visibility Eye to quickly compare the before and after changes.

Because the bright white fisherman’s buoy on the rocks is a small but noticeable attention getter. Not wanting to eliminate it altogether, I’ll start with the Burn Tool at about 9 pixels using Range: Highlights and 1% Exposure and gently drew down the brightness until it starts to turn gray. Then I’ll switch the Range to Midtones and continue to dirty the buoy until it is slightly brighter than the surrounding rocks. I want it to be noticeable if you look for it, but not glaring.

Next I want to use the Dodge Tool to lighten the parts of the image that I want attention drawn to. This is a give and take process. I’ll brighten the lighter parts of the rocks, then flick back and forth between the before (30% Sky) layer and the after (Dodge & Burn) layers by clicking the Layer Visibility Eye on and off on the Dodge & Burn Layer. I may lighten some areas more, switch to the Burn Tool to darken a bit, or, if I really don’t like the look, use the History Pane to undo some or all of the recent changes.

Once I’m satisfied with the rocks, I lighten the Highlights of the grayish white foam crashing on the rocks.

Lastly, I’ll look for specific areas of color to increase the saturation of the pastels, mostly flowers, in the scene.

My overall goal at this point is to capture a sense of changing dappled sunlight and bring attention to the more interesting shapes and patterns in the scene.

Because the foreground is close, has bright colors, and competes with the main subject, the large rock in the lower left third of the scene, I’ll need to both crop some of the foreground out and subdue a good part of the remainder. I decided to crop just above the bright red flowers in the lower left. This will preserve a relatively wide aspect ratio which is becoming for many landscape images.

The entire image is relatively sharp, but we can use a bit of blur to soften the image and selectively call attention to the areas we leave sharp. There are two primary ways to do this and sometimes it is best to try both methods and then choose the one that works best for the image at hand. We’ll start with making a duplicate of the top (Burn & Dodge) layer.

Method 0ne – In this method a slight blur is used, then with a soft brush mask to the sharp image for the areas you don’t want quite so soft. I tested with a Lens Blur at 1 pixel on the top copy of the Burn & Dodge layer, then added a White Layer Mask to this layer. I used a soft brush at about 35% Opacity to reveal the sharpness in the main rock formation. I also tried a Gaussian Blur at 8 pixels to see the difference. I could not see a discernable between the Land and Gaussian Blurs at these pixel sizes.

Method Two – This is sometimes referred to as the Dreamy Look because although the image is softened, and very controllably so, it also retains sharp elements throughout so it doesn’t lose near as much detail as Method One. In this case, the copy is blurred significantly, usually to around 30-50 pixels using Gaussian Blur. This blurred layer has its Opacity set to between 20% and 30% so it is showing between 70% and 80% of the sharp image pixels in the display. You can vary the amount of blur and the opacity to control exactly how much softness you want to introduce.

In this case the Gaussian blur looked best to me so that is what I went with.

To reduce the impact of the foreground and to focus attention more on the rocks in the middle of the image I’ll add a Frame Customized Vignette. First, I’ll make a copy of the Gaussian Blur Result I decided to go with.

1. With the top layer copy selected, in the Layer Panel, change the Blending Mode from Normal to Multiply.
2. Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool on the top copy of the image to draw a rectangle about 20% inside of the frame of the image.
3. Go to Select/Modify/Feather and Feather the selection to 250 pixels.

The image now looks like this.



Press the Delete Key to Clear the image.

In the Select Menu click Deselect.

In the Layer Panel, change the top layer’s Opacity to 50%.

One last Stamp Visible (Shift+CTL+Alt+E), and right-click to rename the final Layer.

The image is now ready for resizing, output sharpening, and Save As for target display media.

[bnnrcn]

Thank you so much for sharing what you did to the image Frank Your PP gave me a lot of ideas which I can apply for my future edits when necessary.

[Mark von Kanel]

Thanks Frank, lots to learn there, ill have to bookmark it and go back to it though!!