Stewartia bloom, first edit

[DanK]

I find it hard to decide how to edit images like this. The detail in the white petals is faint, but too much work to bring it out makes the image harsh. This is my first working edit of this one. C&C welcome.

It's a stack of 36 images using Zerene's PMax algorithm. I did some edits in Nik after Photoshop, which is the part I have questions about.

[xpatUSA]

Others here can give you good Adobe advice, Dan, but I find white petals usually quite difficult and prefer to unleash "smart" stuff onto them:



Your posted original.

with Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Enhancement (ImageJ)

with de-Haze (RawTherapee default setting)

with Contrast By Detail Levels (RawTherapee)

Thoughts?

P.S. Adjustments were global with no selections made.

[DanK]

Ted,

Thanks.

The dehaze doesn't look much different. The other two look overcooked to me, and the Contrast by Detail Levels washed out color.

I was using "smart" stuff, which was one of my hesitations. In the case of CLAH, we actually know what the software is doing. With lots of "smart" software, I don't have a clue, which is my hesitation. It's the reason I am skittish about Nik filters. Some of them are helpful with certain kinds of images, but I feel I'm flying at least partly blind. In this case, I played with three filters in Color Efex: pro contrast, tonal contrast, and detail extractor. I have an impression of what they do, but if you asked me to tell you how they differ technically, I wouldn't be able to. The version I posted uses only the first two. Detail extractor helps with the anthers but overdoes the petals, so I left it off, but I may add it as a local adjustment.

Dan

[xpatUSA]

The dehaze doesn't look much different.

Yes, I left it at default which I assume is set for average haze whatever that is. It can be cranked quite a bit.

The other two look overcooked to me, and the Contrast by Detail Levels washed out color

As you know I can be quite heavy-handed at times. The CLAH settings were: block size 31, bin size 64, and contrast limit 2. I often find a limit of 1.5 to be "better".

I noticed the reduced color in the CBDL too. Didn't give it much thought because I was concentrating on the petal detail.

The examples weren't really posted for C&C - more like illustrations of other methods. Their degree of "cooking" lies in the hands of the user ...

[Wavelength]

Nice details