Colour and Reflection

[chanedcomm]

This is a building I came across in Ginza, Tokyo and I thought the colour is so beautiful. I also like the reflection on the glass as well. However, I did not get a particularly nice sky when I took it. Any suggestions (preferrably in terms of PP rescue)? Thx in advance.

[clockdoc]

I agree that the colors are very vivid and really complement the picture. With respect to the sky, your best bet would be to 'borrow' some striking clouds from your stock shot file and layer them in. I have no experience with perspective control in post production but I think using it would make for a stronger image. My trainign goes way back to using a view camera with "swings and tilts" corrections at the camera so I tend to favor vertical lines in architectural shots. Again, very nice work!

[ELAY]

You got great colours. I like the perspective -- correcting the distortion is a personal thing -- it doesn't tend to bother me much in this kind of shot.

As for the sky, another option would be to do a separate sky layer with the buildings maxed out, and play around with saturation and curves, with a focus on the blues. There are some clouds there, so with some contrast boost you could get something out of it.

I know it is common, but i still resist cutting and pasting. I will do no end of work on the stuff i capture, but personally I balk at taking a sky layer from somewhere else. It is funny where we draw our lines.

EL

[chanedcomm]

Thanks for sharing and I will try 'finding' a better sky for this... cheers.

[JJthethird]

chanedcomm, I hope you dont mind me editing and reposting your shot and I didnt really spend that long on this but just to show you that with a bit of work with levels and lighting in an editing package can maybe save a washed out sky.



John.

[chanedcomm]

Originally Posted by JJthethird

chanedcomm, I hope you dont mind me editing and reposting your shot and I didnt really spend that long on this but just to show you that with a bit of work with levels and lighting in an editing package can maybe save a washed out sky.

Not at all and thank you for doing that... Did you crop the sky out when adjusting the levels and lighting? All I have on my PC at the moment is Picasa so when I adjust the levels and lighting, it applies to the whole thing and I don't seem to be able to get the effect you've there.

[JJthethird]

I dont really know anything about picassa, I use elements and I used one of the selection tools to select only the sky. This way any changes you make only effect the selected section and the rest of your shot remains untouched.
Sorry I can't be more help, maybe someone that has experience with picassa can give you a nudge in the right direction.

John.

[chanedcomm]

ok... I have finally managed to find a 'better sky'. What do you think? Do you think it looks too unreal?



cheers
chanedcomm

[clockdoc]

Much nicer sky. If I had not seen the original with the gray, overcast sky I would not know this was added. Excellent work on the sky!

[Teewinot]

I can't tell it's been added either...nice work!