Boilerplate

[Manfred M]

Closeup of an old boiler - lots of rust and patina.

[DanK]

Nice image.

I wonder about the green at the top left. I was wondering what it would look like if you kept more at the top--particularly if the green would then form a line vaguely paralleling the border between the gray and brown.

[Manfred M]

Thanks for the comment Dan. I've been wondering about the green too. I can either eliminate it or desaturate it, but as this is the entire captured image, I can't really create more of it. That green is a bit of spray paint where someone tagged the boiler.

I do like the look of the tiny bit of the colour there and I thought the image looked better with it there than without it.

[Rufus]

I find the green draws the eye out of the image so I prefer the latest incarnation.

The horizontal band across the lower edge of the image does not seem to anchor it and it seems to interupt the overall pattern of the subject matter, but without it the "V" would be too close to the edge of the image, so I guess the band has to stay.

[purplehaze]

I think I like the green. I find it and the gray triangle at lower right kind of balance each other and serve as a kind of frame. Love this kind of image, Manfred. Nice one.

[pschlute]

Would make a great print for a wall.

[Wavelength]

Yes, the green had some fluorescent effect and so distracting; the thing i am not happy with is a too distinct border between rusted part and the other part...

[Manfred M]

Yes, the green had some fluorescent effect and so distracting; the thing i am not happy with is a too distinct border between rusted part and the other part...

The evolution of this piece continues. I have removed a bit of magenta along the bottom right and darkened to bottom left in this version. I've brought the highlights in the middle down a bit too.

[mugge]

Reducing the highlights in the middle improved the image greatly.
Cheers Ole

[DanK]

I agree with Ole.

What about boosting contrast in the three blackened areas at the bottom, e.g., something along these lines:

[Manfred M]

I agree with Ole.

What about boosting contrast in the three blackened areas at the bottom, e.g., something along these lines:

Thanks Dan - That's definitely an area I'm looking at but am also looking at soften up (slightly blurring) the bolt heads as they are looking too "crunchy". I still have a few weeks before I am planning to print this and will do a lot more tweaking. The technique I have been using is to add duplicate layer and applying a Gaussian blur of 20 pixels to the image and then reducing the opacity of the layer to 20% as a starting point. Being a layer I then paint in the areas I want the softening to apply to and leave it out of areas where I want the higher hardness.

[Tom Barry]

I'm enjoying watching the evolution of this deceptively simple image. I'm sure the eventual result will be worth the effort.