HISTORY THROUGH the GAP X 4

[FUJI]

I thought that some of you might like to see what Nik Colour Efex combined with CS6 can do for a rather dull, mundane photograph.

I have been practicing my various processing techniques, as a learning exercise, especially the use of NIK'S Control-Point feature, they are difficult to grasp at first.

I fully realise that it is far too easy to go over the top with these, but feel that these examples work, in different ways....

Comments and observations very welcome.

One thing I can never grasp, is how to make this dull sky more interesting?....Yes!...I know....I should follow the example of our...Master of Light...Bill:

FUJI

[Denis]

I hope you dont mind Fuji, but I added a little colour to the sky...Graduated filter in Nik colour efex2

[FUJI]

Thank you Denis......Got it!

FUJI

[Monomania]

The antique effect really works well for me: it takes advantage of the pale sky. 

[Phil]

On 8/14/2016 at 09:02, FUJI said:

One thing I can never grasp, is how to make this dull sky more interesting?

Denis has done a really good job of introducing the blue sky, but I thought I'd just go through how I start to process 99.9% of my RAW files, emphasis on the 'RAW'.
It's detailed below using Lightroom, but the principal is exactly the same in Adobe Camera Raw.

Even the most drab sky does have some detail but you must ensure you expose for it, this will usually make any foreground very dark but it's easily pulled back, your original shot above does look a little overexposed.

The RAW file straight out of camera.

 

 

I then pull the 'Highlights' slider all the way down to -100.

 

 

And the 'Shadows' slider all the way to +100.

 

 

Then set the black point. First introduce a little Clarity, then left click the black slider while holding the 'Alt' key, pull left until very small specks of black appear.

 

 

Then set the white point. Left click the white slider while holding down the 'Alt' key and pull right until small specks of colour appear, then back off slowly until the image is totally black.

 

 

I then use the Adjustment Brush over the sky and pull down the highlights (not exposure) even more.
It's at this point I set about adding contrast, vibrance etc., or even running a few plug-ins until I'm happy with the result.

[Craftysnapper]

On 14/08/2016 at 10:31, Denis said:

I hope you dont mind Fuji, but I added a little colour to the sky...Graduated filter in Nik colour efex2

Dennis you have darkened the top of the building and trees down with the grad in Color Efex Pro 4,  you can remove the effect just from the building and trees using  control points.

[FUJI]

Thank you Phil, Paul, Denis.......I think I grasp the basics of this process now, I will have a fiddle to see what `i can come up with based upon all your suggestions.

Today, I've been very busy, altering my old business office into something more domestic.....after 25 years, then retirement  it is amazing just how much junk builds up....especially files, files and even more files.....big heavy accounting, sales and contacts records, never mind my huge ex-military desk and hundreds of floppy discs, PC disks, two old laptops, etc etc......I do realise I need to destroy the drives on the latter. We have the double glazing guys coming very soon, so the office won't be so draughty either.

Cant believe how much those windows cost, installed :-((

FUJI

[kev7d]

In my opinion the trick is to use NIK so that the viewer does not realise it has been used!   To be fair I have been using it since the days before Google took over the software from NIK. Cost a few pennies back then too!