Hibiscus

[Round Tuit]

This is a focus stack of an hibiscus growing in front of my house. The stack was processed with Zerene stacker using the Dmax algorithm. So far I have limited my processing to a global contrast adjustment and a minimal sharpening of the anthers and stigma. I still have to remove some halos from the stacking process. I am opened to suggestions as to what else needs attention.

[DanK]

Nice. My initial thoughts:

-- increase texture, but we wary of anything but a light touch of clarity

--give it more room on the bottom, if you can.

--give it more contrast

--do some dodging and burning

[Round Tuit]

Nice. My initial thoughts:

-- increase texture, but we wary of anything but a light touch of clarity

--give it more room on the bottom, if you can.

--give it more contrast

--do some dodging and burning

Thank you Dan.
Your suggestions are pretty much in line with my approach. I still use the USM to increase texture as I find that it give me better control than the clarity or texture sliders in Lightroom. It allows me to target the effect with masks and I can also try different blending modes to modify the saturation. I feel that adding more room at the bottom would create a need to also add more room at the top. Unfortunately, adding room anywhere is not an option.

[DanK]

Andre,

I too rely on USM, in part for the same reasons. I use very little clarity, often none at all, because it is coarse in terms of frequency and adds in midtone contrast. However, I find the texture slider quite useful. In terms of frequency, it's not much coarser than sharpening, and the effects are subtle. And in the newer versions of LR CC, it's one of the adjustments you can make to selections. So my most common workflow is to start with texture and then move to USM in photoshop.

It's a moot point for this image, but my thinking about space at the bottom is similar to the common addition of "weight" in the bottom of the mat. I have a hunch that it would look better with a bit more space at the bottom than at the top. But it's all a matter of taste...

In any case, a nice image, and it's prodding me to get back to flowers, which I haven't done for quite a whilte.

Dan

[Round Tuit]

Latest version.

[DanK]

much better IMHO