Topic: A muted fall image for openers...

[Greg Groess]

Here is where I took this image....It is up to you to deciede what you want to do with your version...
Please post.  there are no wrong answers at this point.

Using Curvemeister, unsharp, a bit of Gaussian Blur, and a slight levels adjustment to the blur mask.

Greg

[jacobolus]

To try to show some of the flexibility of the "Jacob's Ladder" approach, I put up a pair of screenshots:





These show what kind of difference it can make to move a single control point in one of the curves established by that method. (Note I don't particularly like either one, and would make this curve look significantly different in an ideal edit; I just wanted to show the contrast between them)

[jacobolus]

Here's one way it could be done.  I think it might be improved even further with some enhancement of local contrast using the unsharp mask tool at various radii.

[gremurphoto]

Learning some  blending modes then a final tweak in CM for the yellow.Wanted to keep branch as natural as possible

[derekfountain]

This thing this shows off best is the separation of colours. Look at how the centre leaf now stands out from the similarly coloured leaves of the background.

Apart from a brief play some weeks ago I've avoided the Jacob's Ladder approach because I couldn't see how it worked, and therefore couldn't predict how it would behave or how I would use it to fix identified problems. No doubt it's a powerful technique though.

[themightyzog]

I agree Derek, that it is sometimes difficult to see how to use the Ladder and when it would be useful.

I particularly find I can not set good shadow and highlight points using it - but it does really work when there is good contrast in one of the channels for what you want to do.

I have played with it on and off and when I have a moment to try it and compare it to 'normal' curving.

I do not really understand how it works, but am treating it like an automatic car - I can use it, but do not fully understand what is going on under the bonnet.

However I think this technique deserves to be published and to that end I've written a few pages to share it with others - see http://www.broadhurst-family.co.uk/lefteye/MainPages/jacobsladder.htm if you are interested.

[Greg Groess]

Zog,
Your last sentence on the Actions Page really peeked my interest.
I have played quite unsuccessfully with this technique and have found no motivation to try it further until your last sentence.

Multiple neutrals in Lab is quite a lure to dangle in front of this old fish....

Does Mike understand this??

Can you say CM4 support???

Greg

[themightyzog]

This is not a very good example Greg, but as I had had trouble with this image (getting neutrals everywhere) I tried the Ladder.  I wasnt worried about the rest of the image, just in getting neutrals.

Unfortunately we can not use CM to curve as it has to be done on an adjustment layer. 

By pure luck (?) the hue clocks are accurate for greys, but of course as they read screen values, they are not correct for others as they are not profile aware.  The image attached is a screen shot, so the values are not correct in photoshop.

Now can you find another image which needs multiple neutrals so we can compare rgb & Jacobs Ladder (in Lab)?

[themightyzog]

Just out of interest I have done the same in rgb - more or less the same neutral points.

Interesting thing to notice is the change in colours in the rest of the image - the rgb example has significantly lighten the whole image - absolutely no idea why, as all I did was set 5 neutrals!

[Greg Groess]

What version of CM are you running??
If you have the Beta of 3.10 there are "issues".

If not did you set a highlight or shadow by mistake??

Greg

[themightyzog]

I'm not running the beta as I dont need the extra bits - and I did not set shadow or highlight - just the neutral as shown in the screen snapshot

[Greg Groess]

Just tried to replicate your image and had no problems with the brightness shifting.

I even added more neutrals to see if I could push it...no changes to the composite RGB curve in my attempt.  The brightness did not change.

Greg

[themightyzog]

can only assume it is the screen snapshot that is doing it