Let’s play #55

[Ben Egbert]

To spice things up, we are requesting that everyone "Play" with the Let's Play photo. Please don't use your normal processing steps as that's not playing, that's just your normal processing. The goal here in this week’s Let's Play is to see just how different from the original photo you can make your edit. So go Play!

Show us how you would render it and please explain the steps taken to get that rendering.

The embedded image is a small jpg of the raw, but use the DNG file for rework.

 

[Ben Egbert]

This image can be fun, take a shot at it.

 

[AlanLichty]

I'll start this one out with a B&W conversion which is not normal for me at all

I initially did some quick light balancing to get the exposure somewhat even in Lightroom. Settings:
Exposure: +1.45
Highlights: -48
Shadows: -3
Whites: +40
Blacks: +7

I knew I wanted a dark sky in B&W so in HSL I did the following:
Luminance:
Orange: -4
Yellow: -27
Green: +13
Blue: -93

Saturation:
Orange: +37
Yellow: +36
Green: +12
Blue: -8

In Photoshop I used Topaz DeNoiseAI with the auto settings for DeNoise followed by Nik SilverEfex 2 using the Wet Rocks preset. Last step was a bit of touchup work using the History Brush to enhance the details and selective contrasts.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Very Mice Alan, I was thinking along the same lines but in color.

 

[Jeffrey]

Alan, very nice work and good writeup.

 

[Ben Egbert]

I had this ready before Alans, but needed somebody to start off. I also wanted a dark sky, but in color.

In ACR

Set lens correction
WB> as shot
Exposure +65
Cont +7
Highlights -46
Shadow +45
Whites +4
Blacks +8
All other sliders zero

In photoshop

Mark darkest and lightest points using threshold.
In curves set BP at 5,5,5 WP at 250,250,250
Run Topaz Studio2, Clarity, Dehaze, Detail at 30%
Run Topaz Studio color and contrast boost 2.
Run Topaz exposure
Run Topaz Studio 2 channel mixer and set R=2, G=-0.08, B=0.78
Reset BP and WP.
Add vignette.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Two very nice and interesting interpretations. I had started down the B&W path and was going to upload my entry last night. The image was very close to what Alan has so back to the drawing board. Here is where I ended up with a sepia tone.

Most of the work done in ACR getting the tones where I wanted them. The conversion in SilverFx Pro tweaking the red filter settings as well as selective brightening of the clouds and darkening of the sky.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Great entry Jameel. I am glad to see this image working for the make it different mode. It’s an easy image to work and not oddball, just shows that we can work good images as well as bad ones like last time

 

[JimFox]

I'll start this one out with a B&W conversion which is not normal for me at all

I initially did some quick light balancing to get the exposure somewhat even in Lightroom. Settings:
Exposure: +1.45
Highlights: -48
Shadows: -3
Whites: +40
Blacks: +7

I knew I wanted a dark sky in B&W so in HSL I did the following:
Luminance:
Orange: -4
Yellow: -27
Green: +13
Blue: -93

Saturation:
Orange: +37
Yellow: +36
Green: +12
Blue: -8

In Photoshop I used Topaz DeNoiseAI with the auto settings for DeNoise followed by Nik SilverEfex 2 using the Wet Rocks preset. Last step was a bit of touchup work using the History Brush to enhance the details and selective contrasts.

View attachment 29827

Great work Alan! I think you need to do more B&W!

 

[JimFox]

I had this ready before Alans, but needed somebody to start off. I also wanted a dark sky, but in color.

In ACR

Set lens correction
WB> as shot
Exposure +65
Cont +7
Highlights -46
Shadow +45
Whites +4
Blacks +8
All other sliders zero

In photoshop

Mark darkest and lightest points using threshold.
In curves set BP at 5,5,5 WP at 250,250,250
Run Topaz Studio2, Clarity, Dehaze, Detail at 30%
Run Topaz Studio color and contrast boost 2.
Run Topaz exposure
Run Topaz Studio 2 channel mixer and set R=2, G=-0.08, B=0.78
Reset BP and WP.
Add vignette.

View attachment 29830

Nice work Ben with this.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Need some more entries, this is a fun image to work with so get your version up.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Last day, we only have 3 entries, would love a few more.

 

[JimFox]

I don't have time for listing my settings today, but it was just basic ACR adjustments with a pano type crop.

By the way Ben, I really like how you named the file for this photo. It will be a lot easier to organize and find when editing on our end by renaming it to the Let's Play # like you did.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks Jim for entering and yes I am using a consistent numbering system to make it easier on my end

 

[Dale Berlin]

Photoshop:
Obvious crop
Poor but quick containment of cloud left side
Sharpened
Darkened bottom area
Cloned out road rut

Color Efex Pro:
Increase tonal contrast on highlights
brightened center

Silver Efex Pro:
brightened highlights
slightly reduced structure in clouds
added some red filter for sky

 

[Ben Egbert]

Dale thanks for entering and what a great take on this, well executed and it’s definatly it’s own image

 

[Dale Berlin]

Dale thanks for entering and what a great take on this, well executed and it’s definatly it’s own image

Hi Ben, thanks for starting the thread, great idea. Fun to see different interpretations.