Dark and Foggy, but not enough?

[rls757]

I offered to touch up my brother's photos from his trip to Europe. However I am really struggling with these shots from Northern Ireland, I've never had foggy, dark pictures before, where you want to keep the foggy darkness!
f4.9, 1/80, ISO 160, from a (point and shoot) Panasonic DMC-FX35

Here's the before:


And after:



All I really did was straighten it (slightly), adjust the levels, clone out some of the dust or whatever in the sky. I really feel like it's missing some pop, but I'm just not sure how to get it. Help?

Horizon needs to be fixed completely.

[FoG]

ok to lighten just the forground ... add a layer and paint the green areas a dark green or white and try soft light blending it then reducing the opacity ... I will post a demo in a sec ... then for the sky I would just same but with maybe a blue .. back in a tick

Here I personally think the sky should be left since it is a grey day why ruin what was there for the sake of a pic ... you get the idea with the white layer then blend though through my pic (done very roughly) only did the forground. I know this also achievable with curves etc but doing it this way you choose where to lighten and where to keep standard.. ps yer lens may need a clean or is iot rain/ dew from the Fog ?

i actually like the before better...

[Quo Fan]

I would keep the dark and foreboding look and just straighten the horizon.

[FoG]

straightened for you .. fer some reason I forgot that lol

[zephod]

I really miss the vibrance of the original and think that's where you lost that pop in post. I'd say to punch it up a bit and straighten out the horizon. That's my 2 pence.


Doug