Help me

[Quo Fan]

So my girlfriend and I went on a little ride, and ended up here at Castle Craig in Meriden, CT. I like the composition of the photo, but the original is very dark and when I lightened it up, I'm not liking how the rock work looks.

Original, no post.


In post, I selected the dark areas and adjusted the levels, but I'm not really happy with the results.

[ELAY]

What don't you like about your results?

It's a matter of judgment and taste, but it maybe that you went a little too far with the lightening. That's easy enough to fix though and I'm sure you have tried a range of different levels.

Would warming the whole thing up -- adding some red/magenta/yellow via white balance controls -- help do you think?

EL

[Quo Fan]

What I don't like is how the rocks by my girlfriend look. To me, they look fake, not natural. Kind of like the photo was put onto the sky background.

[ELAY]

If it is the transition zone where the rock wall meets sky that is bugging you, you could try one or both of making the sky a bit darker, or going in at high magnification with a small brush and try some blurring and smoothing.

If it is the colour of the rocks, then you could try darkening them selectively with the dodge/burn tool.

EL

[Quo Fan]

What is really bugging me, is the color of the mortar.

[Quo Fan]

Maybe I'm being too hard on myself.

[ELAY]

You can use the dodge/burn tool on the mortar, or you could go over to your tower, select a patch of likely-looking rocks to use as a patch, and using skew/perspective, and some blending, using it as a replacement for the part of the wall with the offensive mortar.

eL

[xxpinballxx]

I think you are being far too hard on yourself! i can't even see the mortar!
I think adjusting the curves or the contrast could bring a little bit more color back to the rock and not make it too dark. If you're also using CS3 you can go in and adjust the shadows and highlights which could help out a bit.

[thenimirra]

I really like the second image and I'm impressed with your PS skills. I think it looks great!

It's a great story telling photo. I can totally see her pushing herself on the bike to get to the top of the "castle." She's made it, now she's stretching and relaxing....but I'm a story teller, so that's how I see things.

[Nai no Kami]

Originally Posted by Quo Fan

In post, I selected the dark areas and adjusted the levels, but I'm not really happy with the results.

I tried something too but, if you ask me, I'm not really impressed with the results either.