Dark powerful exotic beauty ~ Red Hibiscus

[JBW]

[DanK]

Nice shot, but I think you are edging back into the dark side...

In addition to being dark, the image doens't have enough, IMHO, to set the flower apart from the background. They are similar in brightness and detail. So I tried a few simple edits:

--select the flower. Create a mask for that and the inverse
--darken the background with a levels adjustment
--brighten the flower with a levels adjustment
--adjust the flower a bit more with a curves adjustment
--burn the top to darken the leaves
--crop a little off the top.

Just a quick and not very careful edit, but I think it points to what I was looking for, which is more to set the petals aside. See what you think. If this is the direction to go in, it would take more time and care than I gave it.

[JBW]

Nice shot, but I think you are edging back into the dark side...

In addition to being dark, the image doens't have enough, IMHO, to set the flower apart from the background. They are similar in brightness and detail. So I tried a few simple edits:

--select the flower. Create a mask for that and the inverse
--darken the background with a levels adjustment
--brighten the flower with a levels adjustment
--adjust the flower a bit more with a curves adjustment
--burn the top to darken the leaves
--crop a little off the top.

Just a quick and not very careful edit, but I think it points to what I was looking for, which is more to set the petals aside. See what you think. If this is the direction to go in, it would take more time and care than I gave it.

I had taken it that direction and then came back. I wanted a dark and mysterious' ish shot. And yes I am edging back to the dark side. But this time in pp not in-camera.

[Wavelength]

Excellent

[Shadowman]

Hi Brian,

If you have the chance try changing your white balance to shade/shady and see if you get the popping reds you are probably after; if it works then you can expose with a bit more balance. Nice effort.

[JBW]

Hi Brian,

If you have the chance try changing your white balance to shade/shady and see if you get the popping reds you are probably after; if it works then you can expose with a bit more balance. Nice effort.

I'll give that a try. Tried shade and cloudy. But I got an ugly yellow cast in both cases,

[Geoff F]

I find that doing a custom white balance before shooting flowers really makes a difference for achieving correct colour. Shooting with the Raw option also makes colour adjustment during editing so much easier.

Unlike insects, flowers remain relatively static so you usually have sufficient time to set the best WB in advance.

Regarding the dark/bright question, Brian, I wonder about experimenting with adding some selective brightness/shadows during editing to create more in the way of contrast; so as to produce a reasonably bright main subject which is lurking among the shadows?

[JBW]

I find that doing a custom white balance before shooting flowers really makes a difference for achieving correct colour. Shooting with the Raw option also makes colour adjustment during editing so much easier.

Unlike insects, flowers remain relatively static so you usually have sufficient time to set the best WB in advance.

Regarding the dark/bright question, Brian, I wonder about experimenting with adding some selective brightness/shadows during editing to create more in the way of contrast; so as to produce a reasonably bright main subject which is lurking among the shadows?

I've no idea how to set a custom white balance. RAW is my shooting option. I have been experimenting with gradient masks. Apparently I need more experimentation. I can become better acquainted with dodge and burn.

[DanK]

Custom white balance is essentially irrelevant if you are shooting raw. You might consider getting a neutral card, like a whiBal, if you are having problems with white balance. Take one shot with the WhiBal, and use that to set white balance in post processing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Geoff F]

There are several makers of white balance cards, Brian. I use the Lastolite Ezy Balance card which is sort of a 'plastic cloth' in a spring steel frame which folds up to pocket size and fits inside a zipped pouch when not in use.

Although, as Dan said, you can easily make adjustments when using Raw; but starting with a custom white balance should automatically put you very close to the ideal setting. Then just a few small tweaks to suit your own tastes.

All you do is place the 'card' at a suitable position and take a shot of it under normal average conditions. Then in the camera menu, select Custom White Balance and follow the simple instructions. That one setting will remain with you until you cancel it, or take another reading because the light has changed, etc.

Gradient Masks can be effective for the correct sort of scene, such as landscapes/seascapes, and similar situations where you have a large block area right across the image which requires adjustment; such as the sky.

For more complex areas, adding a mask then gently editing the mask to selectively change the opacity gives a much greater level of control which only effects certain required areas. Just brush over the area to be changed with a fairly soft brush set to a reasonably low opacity. Say somewhere around 20% so you gradually build up the desired result with several 'passes' of the brush. Don't attempt to do too much in one go because that can sometimes leave obvious 'edges' where the changes have started or stopped.

Dodging and Burning using masks is a powerful technique but it is something which has to be gradually learned. And one of the first big hurdles is deciding whether to use a 'hide or reveal' mask, then remembering which 'colour' of brush to use to add or subtract from the mask. This can initially appear somewhat complicated but it only requires a little bit of thought from a clear head and everything will become obvious.

Although, sometimes when I'm not thinking too clearly I still find myself painting away over a mask and wondering why nothing is happening - because everybody occasionally finds themselves working with the wrong type of brush or the wrong type of mask.

[JBW]

There are several makers of white balance cards, Brian. I use the Lastolite Ezy Balance card which is sort of a 'plastic cloth' in a spring steel frame which folds up to pocket size and fits inside a zipped pouch when not in use.

Although, as Dan said, you can easily make adjustments when using Raw; but starting with a custom white balance should automatically put you very close to the ideal setting. Then just a few small tweaks to suit your own tastes.

All you do is place the 'card' at a suitable position and take a shot of it under normal average conditions. Then in the camera menu, select Custom White Balance and follow the simple instructions. That one setting will remain with you until you cancel it, or take another reading because the light has changed, etc.

Gradient Masks can be effective for the correct sort of scene, such as landscapes/seascapes, and similar situations where you have a large block area right across the image which requires adjustment; such as the sky.

For more complex areas, adding a mask then gently editing the mask to selectively change the opacity gives a much greater level of control which only effects certain required areas. Just brush over the area to be changed with a fairly soft brush set to a reasonably low opacity. Say somewhere around 20% so you gradually build up the desired result with several 'passes' of the brush. Don't attempt to do too much in one go because that can sometimes leave obvious 'edges' where the changes have started or stopped.

Dodging and Burning using masks is a powerful technique but it is something which has to be gradually learned. And one of the first big hurdles is deciding whether to use a 'hide or reveal' mask, then remembering which 'colour' of brush to use to add or subtract from the mask. This can initially appear somewhat complicated but it only requires a little bit of thought from a clear head and everything will become obvious.

Although, sometimes when I'm not thinking too clearly I still find myself painting away over a mask and wondering why nothing is happening - because everybody occasionally finds themselves working with the wrong type of brush or the wrong type of mask.

Capture 1 doesn't allow for the hide or reveal mask. But Gimp does so It looks like Gimp returns to the work flow.

[JBW]

Donald and Dan, does this look any better?

[Geoff F]

Looks good to me. You have brought out a bit of detail from the shadows, but not too much so it doesn't conflict with the main subject.

[JBW]

Looks good to me. You have brought out a bit of detail from the shadows, but not too much so it doesn't conflict with the main subject.

I used the decompose filter and quick mask in Gimp.