What Would You Do (#36)

[Nicole]

Another week of What Would You Do! It may be cold and rainy (or even snowing) out by you, so why not stay warm and try your hand at a bit of creative post-processing.

This week's picture is from niko-time:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12220032@N03/2181582444/" title="Tree (by Niko-Time)"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/2056/2181582444_7d8e302c32.jpg" title="Tree (by Niko-Time)" alt="Tree (by Niko-Time)" width="500" height="332" /></a>

Available Larger (http://static.flickr.com/2056/2181582444_b577960552_o.jpg)

One thing niko-time mentioned was that he wanted to turn this into something more interesting, possibly with a more dramatic sky. So, get creative :)

If you'd like your picture to be the subject of one of these threads, drop me a PM with a link to the medium and large version of your photo. The photos get used in the order I receive them, so sometimes they're used immediately, sometimes it takes a few weeks.

Now, let's see what you would do!

[glyphon]

i'll kick things off...
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdelamater99/2228912600/" title="HDR2 by jdelamater99, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/2228912600_14d9edcb8d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="HDR2" /></a>

[s_erez]

How about a high contrast B&W?

http://assets.drop.io/download/479f7189/9e93c262ef183963dd6946e7a264d3248f5eead5/1ffb04a0-b062-012a-6d93-00127994f632/3f81fa90-b0c0-012a-6dfb-fd96b067080b/untitled_large.jpg

[Teewinot]

glyphon and s_erez, great edits! Would you mind telling us how you achieved this? Thanks!

[glyphon]

Saved the image and opened it in photoshop and using levels, i made an "overexposed" and "underexposed" version. I then loaded the images into the Merge to HDR" option (introduced in CS2). After it was merged to HDR, i used the Lomo Effect tutorial (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-make-digital-photos-look-like-lomo-photography/)here.

[s_erez]

1. Open in PS.
2. Duplicate the layer.
3. Added a B&W layer and adjusted the sliders to the result I was looking for.
4. Added a levels layer and used it to change the contrast by lowering the dynamic range of the image.
5. Added a curves level and used it to modify the contrast of the sky.
6. Added a color balance layer and added some more filled some red into the image.

Erez.

[Nicole]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolesphotos/2229233874/" title="wwyd36 (by -Nicole-)"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/2362/2229233874_98785bda8f.jpg" title="wwyd36 (by -Nicole-)" alt="wwyd36 (by -Nicole-)" width="500" height="333" /></a>

I actually got a chance to play with this one. I didn't manage to make a colourful sky, but I tried my hand at making it more dramatic. What I did was:

Duplicated the background and set it to overlay. I changed this layer to black & white using the "Green Filter" setting for B&W in CS3 (I think that was the one).

Duplicated the background again and set it to multiply, which darkened the clouds and the whole picture.

Added 2 more layers using the Photo Filter adjustment. The first photo filter was "Deep Yellow" and the second was "Underwater".

[Jamesc359]

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/9985/wwyd36oa6.th.jpg (http://img160.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wwyd36oa6.jpg)


Desaturated.
Adjusted the curves to give a much stronger contrast - See image below.
Created a new empty layer.
Filled the new layer with a medium blue (#000080).
Set the new layer's mode to overlay.
Set the new layer's opacity to 60%


Curves:
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4038/wwyd36curvesgh6.th.png (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wwyd36curvesgh6.png)

[xxpinballxx]

Well this one was a quick one. haven't played in here in a long while.

what I did....
Took original photo upped contrast and brightened it.
Took one of my sky photos and put on top and blend mode to multiply.
Cloned some of the tree back to the normal color
Adjusted Shadows and Highlights
Upped saturation a bit.

Tried getting a better sky in it but wasnt about to select the tree...LOL!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/roundboyzphotography/2228474699/" title="WWYD attempt... by pinball215, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/2228474699_707a7b6047_o.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="WWYD attempt..." /></a>

[oriolhdz]

I have already done some post processing when it was submitted by Niko so here it is again.
What I did was masking the tree. Dodging and burning the sky. Adjusting levels and curves. Adding high pass filter. Creating a new layer and applying a gradient and changing the blending mode. The final result was this:

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/oriolhdz/DPSMEMBERTEST/photo#5157305634634591058"><img src="http://lh4.google.co.uk/oriolhdz/R5JuJm6D61I/AAAAAAAAABc/Jxn3wZ6Km-E/s400/2181582444_b577960552_o%20copy.jpg" /></a>

[Nathan deGargoyle]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/degargoyle/2228519165/" title="Niko-Time's Tree by Nathan deGargoyle, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2306/2228519165_fa05123750.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Niko-Time's Tree" /></a>

In GIMP:

Duplicated the layer then used colour>threshold and select-by-colour to copy the tree and foreground and paste it on a seperate layer.

deleted the threshold layer.

Used seperate colour curves on the two layers to icrease the contrast.

Duplicated the complete layer and did a gradient map with a dark blue to light blue gradient.

Set mode to soft light and adjusted opacity.

Dramatic? ;)

[Teewinot]

GOAL: I also decided to go with the drama route (it works well with this image!) and I also wanted to give it a bit of a vintage/antique look.

What I did (in PSP XI):
-Added a black border to the bottom of the image to add to the ground...it was a bit to narrow for me.
-Cloned out some of the top branches so there would be some sky space above to open up the crop a bit.
-Desaturated 100%
-Unsharp mask (radius 75, strength 30)
-Histogram midtones adjustment (-25)
-Curves adjustment
-Added 2 new layers (some textures from my collection) and blended at 100% Overlay
-Merged all 3 layers
-Added a pinch of color (sepia) to the final image

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7845858@N05/2228548453/" title="What you would do #36 by ~Teewinot~, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2418/2228548453_0038556f52.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="What you would do #36" /></a>

[windrider86]

I used two different programs to create this, I thought this image was a perfect candidate for hdr but because there was only one image I decided to create my own images with different levels of exposure.
First I went into PSP and lowered the brightness -25 and saved, Next I brightened up the image to +25 and saved. Then I used an hdr program and combined the 3 to create and hdr image, I played with the brightness levels until I found what i liked and then tone mapped the image using a red filter.
Saved that image and went back to psp and did a noise removal to smooth out the grainyness. Brightened up the image just a little bit more and here you have what i came up with this week.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alockintime/2229118973/" title="what would you do 36 by windrider86, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2257/2229118973_628c889ac2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="what would you do 36" /></a>

[Sandie]

These are all so cool! I went a totally different route. Since I am still having trouble with layers, it is all in one layer.

1) I cloned out all the 'scrubs' in front and on the side of the clump of trees.
2) I did some curves until I got something, I liked color wise---although I would have like a bit more red and purple I think.
3) Then by accident I found the smudge tool and played with it a bit. It started looking kind of Van Gogh to me so I went with it.....
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandiemg/2230035750/" title="tree and clouds by sandiemg, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/2230035750_591d2d7761.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="tree and clouds" /></a>

[windrider86]

Sandy, I really like what you did, its very deco!

[photofun]

I thought I'd have a go at it since I downloaded GIMP a few weeks ago and have been playing with it. I forget everything I did with it but I adjusted the curves, levels, hue. I'm sorry I can't be more precise but unless I'm following a tutorial I just start trying everything. I'm sure once I get more experienced I'll have to start paying better attention so I can reproduce things if need be.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16549972@N05/2231699954/" title="WWYDtree by photofunX10, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2156/2231699954_6f7d8f9050.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="WWYDtree" /></a>

[Sandie]

Windrider86: Sandy, I really like what you did, its very deco!

Thank you. I just love the threads like this because I see and learn so much by reading what everyone has done with the same image. There is not a 'bad' one in this bunch!

[Nobie]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7845858@N05/2228548453/" title="What you would do #36 by ~Teewinot~, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2418/2228548453_0038556f52.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="What you would do #36" /></a>

I really, really like this. Great job!

[Teewinot]

Nobie, thanks! :)

[FocalFrenzy]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21002727@N06/2233287536/" title="WWYD-36A by FocalFrenzy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2233287536_45e274dd0c.jpg" width="367" height="500" alt="WWYD-36A" /></a>
Cloning, mirrored, cropped and "Ripple" effect applied with "Photo Explosion". Tint applied in Picasa.:D

[Teewinot]

FocalFrenzy, now that's unique! VERY cool edit! :)

[Sandie]

FocalFrenzy :Reflection in lake

WOW! Not only what you did with that simple photo, but this image itself is beautiful!!!!

[FocalFrenzy]

Teewinot, Sandie, thanks for your comments. I tried 2 or 3 different edits in GIMP, but couldn't get anything that I really liked. Photo Explosion is a program I got free with a very cheap printer, but it has alot of really cool features, and very user friendly. The program is made by Nova Development, and may be available free somewhere online. I'm glad you liked the edit.

[his4ever]

Mk... let me see if I can remember what I did:

1) Made a few layers to work on.
2) adjusted levels to make a level that was very Dark. Then made the layer on "soft focus" mode
3) made a white layer mask and masked off the bottom two corners.
4) adjusted the colors in another layer underneath the Dk layer. Made them a purplish blue.
5) Made a new layer and fiddled around with some lighting options. I put the light in the middle of the tree and then made the layer subtract? or difference. I think I put it in Difference mode.
6) merged the layers
7) Unsharpen mask
8) added noise
9) shrunk it.
10) had lots of fun!

[Clockdoc I]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadkingclassic/2235404095/" title="2181582444_7d8e302c32_b[1] by clockdoc_i, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2097/2235404095_ef1d2e206d.jpg" width="500" height="444" alt="2181582444_7d8e302c32_b[1]" /></a>

[Chad Z.]

Here is a b&w one =)
http://a973.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/78/l_aa6850a8cea5a08c08112394af7d6484.jpg

[rowan]

Teewinot, I feel like yours is the perfect backdrop for a children's animated ghost story; it's just BEGGING for a raven silhouette!

[Teewinot]

Thanks so much, rowan! :)