Trying to fix polarized sky in lightroom

[nemesis256]

I have some wonderful shots of Old Faithful erupting, but unfortunately my polarizer was not rotated at quite the right position, so one side of the photo is darker than the other. Is there an easy way in lightroom to adjust this? What I'm looking for is the hue adjustment found under the color section of the develop module, but at a finer scale (light blue to dark blue instead of blue to green/purple).

Any other suggestions? I'm open to Photoshop as well if lightroom can't do it. I would really like to avoid having to paint/clone stamp it.

[Azaki]

You can use the graduated filter tool to edit the photo, exposure etc.... you'll find it next to the crop and redeye tools. there is also an adjustment brush.

[nemesis256]

I just can't get this to work

I can kind of get something by using saturation adjustments with the gradient tool. But it's still not the same shade of blue. I need to either change the hue or luminance, but of only one part of the blue. What can't either of those options be available in the gradient tool?

Is there a plug-in out there that will allow me to make finer adjustments to the shades of blue like Lightroom does in the HSL section?

I've also tried color control points in Capture NX2, and while it kind of works, the sky looks somewhat patchy. Are there other programs I could try?

I've attached the original image to show what I'm up against. Maybe you guys will have other suggestions or even take a stab at it.

[autofocus]

I just tried a simple burn in by making several passes over the lighter area with the brush set for mid-tones at 20% opacity...looks like it'll work for you

[JFSanders]

I did a edit in Capture NX2 and saved a NEF file if you want I can send it to you so you can see the edit list. Here is the jpeg. I had the best results using color balance and the plus brush set to 5 softness or so and painted it in and then adjusted the sliders until it blended with the left side.

Jim

[ArmySoldier777]

Ok, I know this isn't what you asked for lol, but I just thought I'd add in my opinion on that specific photo. I actually like how the sky is darker towards the right side of the image, it contrasts against the bright side of the eruption and I think it works really well. But I'm sure there are other photos where this isn't the case. I just thought I'd give my opinion on this specific one!

David

[edbayani]

i used cs2 and quick mask. with soft brush brushed the lighter parts of the sky and used hue and saturation, darkened it and adjusted the saturation.

[nemesis256]

Originally Posted by JFSanders

I did a edit in Capture NX2 and saved a NEF file if you want I can send it to you so you can see the edit list. Here is the jpeg. I had the best results using color balance and the plus brush set to 5 softness or so and painted it in and then adjusted the sliders until it blended with the left side.

Jim

Please do send me the file. I've PMed you with my e-mail address. Although I don't quite like the right side of the sky, it has a slight greenish tint to it. Doesn't look realistic.

Originally Posted by edbayani

i used cs2 and quick mask. with soft brush brushed the lighter parts of the sky and used hue and saturation, darkened it and adjusted the saturation.

My Photoshop skills aren't very good at all, but hopefully I can figure out what you did with your instructions. My problem with using the brush is that there's always an obvious spot where the brush was used (In either Photoshop or Lightroom). How do you avoid this?

[autofocus]

Why not try what I suggested above...it's simple, no layers, no masks...just burn in the area in question using the Dodge/Burn tool. A soft brush set at ~20% opacity. All you are doing is darkening the original colors, so you won't experience any color shifts. The example below was a very quick example of what I'm talking about

[nemesis256]

Originally Posted by autofocus

Why not try what I suggested above...it's simple, no layers, no masks...just burn in the area in question using the Dodge/Burn tool. A soft brush set at ~20% opacity. All you are doing is darkening the original colors, so you won't experience any color shifts. The example below was a very quick example of what I'm talking about

Oh wow, not too bad at all. You did that in photoshop? What was your brush method for near the edges where the steam, clouds, and water is?