Topic: Greg Groess's Zion image

[Greg Groess]

This week we begin by exploring the CM plug in and seeing what we can do with it.  
You can feel free to correct this image as best you can, try to remember the steps you take or better yet write them down and by all means share them with the group.  We will all learn more when this happens.

The attached image was shot near sunset on a partly sunny partly rainy day.  
The background clouds were mixed with dark grays and blue sky but the sun peaks through.  You should Take some time to look at the image.  Open the channels if you know how and see where you can take advantage of the information in the image.  Push the color a bit and see if the image has any surprises for you.

Most of all have fun...

Greg

[ganna]

Greg, your picture is absent (AWOL [absent without leave]). Still a problem here.
Kind regards
ganna

[Greg Groess]

Try it now....

Greg

[curvemeister]

Gorgeous pic, Greg.  I was there for several days and never got one like this.

[Greg Groess]

Thanks...it still problems that you all should take a hack at...

Greg

[gremurphoto]

simple approach.Shadow,highlight,neut,color boost.GregM
(I took back the first image and lifted the lightnes curve in lab)
Second picture entailed opening the foreground and puting a neutral on the foam.Added 6/16

[Greg Groess]

Nice...
Did you do anything to the sky??

Greg

[gremurphoto]

Actually I was trying to put a little more blue in the stream.I put a hue clock on the stream and played around with the dot in the yellow quadrant(see snap)Some cyan crept into the sky.GregM

[ganna]

I used what looks like foam in the water as a neutral. I don't know what it really looks, but if it was in South Africa it would have been more like this

[Greg Groess]

The water foam is a great neutral.  The river is more green than blue.  The sky was very dramatic...
I'll post a different exposure later today to show more about the sky.  It looks a bit flat overall...

Greg

[themightyzog]

A fun image Greg - I think it needs a bit of drama, almost getting on for a painting
so the result is completely false with the foreground much too bright, but I could get to like it (yes I know I have strange tastes)
Chris

[Greg Groess]

Nicely done...Zog.

Here is my swing at it..again by no means the "official" solution.

Here is what I did with the image.
Observations:
1) The shadows are pretty deep and need to be opened.
2) The highlight in the clouds is pretty much blown out.  I want some information in there but may not be able to get it all back.
3) The image is overall flat and needs a contrast boost.
4) Color is also flat. No severe color casts present.

The work flow:
1) Shadow and highlight in Photoshop to get back some information in the highlights and open the shadows.  (I'm really beginning to like this way as a start>
2) Open in CM and set the neutral on the rapids of the river.  I then added a slight lizard tail correction to the highlight and shadow ends of the L curve to further open the shadows and try to retain detail in the highlights.
3) A modified Man from Mars type correction using CM and a K channel mask.  Something we will cover in weeks 5 and 6.  I then adjusted the A and B channels separately to boost the yellow / blue in the B channel and reduce the greens a bit in the A channel.
4) Used a second K channel mask to isolate the sky and adjusted the clouds for a bit more drama.
5) Sharpened in PS using the unsharp mask at 270 / .07 / 0. 

Greg

[themightyzog]

That's nice Greg - so I'll attempt a more serious approach.

I haven't got the shadow/hilight command in PS7, so I simulate it, but it always seem to leave halos - very annoying - I would normally mask them out (but didn't bother foe this quick go)
I started with focusmagic
then in CM played with the rgb channels to get maximum contrast on the rock face, then changed the layer's mode to luminosity
Back into CM for a little more shadow adjustment and a touch of lab colour
The I did my shadow/hilight to bring up the foreground
back into CM for more colour on the rock face - tried Man from Mars with no success
applied my enhance sky action to darken the sky and lighten the greenery (really great quick action)
finally applied a light 'texture' sharping only to the rockface by blendif-ing out the green channel!

I like the yellow sunlight on the rocks (but you were there and yours has more red than yellow) and also the contrast between the green/rockface (on the left) and sky - seems to make it really pop out.

Thanks for putting up this difficult interesting image!
Chris

[Greg Groess]

Zog,
When I am doing the MFM correction I am backing off to less than 40% on the layer.  It seems to improve the color contrast without the garrish colors.  I muted down the greens a bit after that adjustment they look to neon for my personal tastes.  Your image is very snappy.  I like the sky for contrast but the color is a bit too blue for me...again personal taste.

Try the ACV file attached...I used the A channel to kill off some Green and adjust the redness out of the clouds.

You all can load the ACV file by opening Zogs posted image downloading the acv file to the desktop and opening CM.  Then click on the load button and browse out to the desktop to the acv file.  click on it and choose open.

Greg

[themightyzog]

Thanks Greg - nicely done, you are a gentle curver, I tend to be more violent.

I actually back off MFM to around 10% (!), but unless it splits the colours I am after, I tend to ignore it.

Got a feeling either I need new eyes or a new screen, as I am missing small changes these days.

I've just ordered  George DeWolfe's new book (I know it is B&W), as I am coming more and more round to the idea, that one should curve for contrast COMPLETELY ignoring colour - change the CM layer to luminosity and then play with colour.  In other words make the best B&W version you can before adding the colour back in.  What do you think?