River Itchen, Hampshire, UK

[mk00]

Hi,
Here's a view of the River Itchen, Hampshire, UK. I realise the right hand middle is too dark, I tried to lighten it but couldn't get anywhere. Apart from that, any comments welcomed - I want and need to learn.

[carregwen]

Mike

Nice tranquil shot. Very good colours. Good sense of depth. Did you shoot it RAW? If so you can almost certainly lighten those dark areas.

[mk00]

Rob - thanks for the feedback. This was the jpeg from the camera - Nikon D200 - but I also have the raw version. I've got UFraw but haven't really got to grips with it.

[carregwen]

Rob - thanks for the feedback. This was the jpeg from the camera - Nikon D200 - but I also have the raw version. I've got UFraw but haven't really got to grips with it.

Mike

If you want to upload the RAW to here and PM me the link, I'll have a fiddle with it. http://uploading.com/signup/ You will need to register first, if it's your first time. Up to you.

[mk00]

Rob,
Thanks for the offer, seems too good to miss ! I'll upload the file and send you the details.

Regards,
Mike

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Hi,
Don't be afraid!There are more details around always
Radu Dinu

[carregwen]

Mike

Thanks for the RAW download. I used CS5 to edit it. I basically just lifted the dark areas using fill-light. I also used the adjustment brush to selectively tone down the bright sky above the trees. I sharpened it in RAW. Also increased vibrancy to boost the colour a little.

In Photoshop, I applied a medium curves filter, but as that made the dark areas even darker, I used the brush tool in the layer mask to wipe out the curves effect in the dark area. Finally added some USM sharpening.

I don't want to sound 'know-all', but trust me - if you want to take shots like this you are much better off shooting RAW. You had some difficult exposure areas here, and JPEG processing probably isn't the best way to go. A shot of a small group in good light, with just a few PP touches is OK for JPEG. But for landscapes it needs to be RAW.

Your original



My edit

[mk00]

Rob - thanks - that's quite a difference. I need to practise more so I can get the same results. I knew that the detail is usually still there for under-exposed areas but lost completely in 'blown' areas so I'll make sure I use raw for this type of shot, to be able to recover if necessary. It's amazing how much detail was still there on the right-hand bank.
And thanks for your version, Radu.

Regards,
Mike

[Sunray]

Hi Rob,

how did you get the leafs and branches in the foreground that sharp without producing much noise?

bye
Robert

[carregwen]

Hi Rob,

how did you get the leafs and branches in the foreground that sharp without producing much noise?

bye
Robert

I applied a bit of noise reduction in RAW edit (the CS5 version is much better for noise reduction). Sharpness was added in PS using USM, although I also did a basic sharpen in RAW as well.

[Dave Humphries]

If ever there was an advert to convert the "I don't PP, I don't need to" brigade, this is it

Well done Rob

[Stinky]

Pretty cool how all that detail was brought out of the shadows. I shoot everything in raw all the time. The files are large but it is worth knowing that I could have that extra detail and be able to bring it out in the future. Great job by all!!