Exactly why I posted this, I knew you were doing something else. I only know how to remove something by cutting it, or painting around it from another layer.
Lets Play, 11-11-2017
- Thread starter Ben Egbert
- Start date
Okay, let show here.
1st step is combine 2 of the photos, both then as layers, and then aligned.
2nd. Use the Selection tool to draw around the area, and then the Feather it with Select ->Refine Edge -> Feather. (Note the CC version I think renames some of the menu items)
3rd. Make sure the Top Layer is selected
-Then Press the ALT Key and Click on the Create Layer Mask Icon, its circled in Red
- This makes a Layer Mask for you from the selection. (I rarely paint, 90% of my Layer Masks are done with just selecting, feathering and creating the layer mask.
Step 3 from above will give you this:
A close up of the Layer Mask:
These are the same exact steps you will take when wanting to get rid of the smaller lens flares.
With the Smaller Lens Flares you will now just Flatten the above.
Then you Duplicate the Layer.
Then you go back and do JUST Steps 2 and 3.
After you do that, simply click on the Background (Bottom Layer) and adjust it. Whatever you do there, will show through. This is called "Non-Destructive" editing. When you are using Cutting, it is called Destructive editing because other then using Undo, you can't get back what you did. This way it's Non-Destructive.
Let me know how that gets you.
Oh, and with the sky, don't worry about it. With an example like this, after I cleared up all of the Lens Flares, remember the Darkest of the 3 photos to be used? I simply used a layer mask to replace this sky, with the darker version. So the main focus at first is getting the lens flares gone from the ground, the sky will be an easy fix.
1st step is combine 2 of the photos, both then as layers, and then aligned.
2nd. Use the Selection tool to draw around the area, and then the Feather it with Select ->Refine Edge -> Feather. (Note the CC version I think renames some of the menu items)
3rd. Make sure the Top Layer is selected
-Then Press the ALT Key and Click on the Create Layer Mask Icon, its circled in Red
- This makes a Layer Mask for you from the selection. (I rarely paint, 90% of my Layer Masks are done with just selecting, feathering and creating the layer mask.
Step 3 from above will give you this:
A close up of the Layer Mask:
These are the same exact steps you will take when wanting to get rid of the smaller lens flares.
With the Smaller Lens Flares you will now just Flatten the above.
Then you Duplicate the Layer.
Then you go back and do JUST Steps 2 and 3.
After you do that, simply click on the Background (Bottom Layer) and adjust it. Whatever you do there, will show through. This is called "Non-Destructive" editing. When you are using Cutting, it is called Destructive editing because other then using Undo, you can't get back what you did. This way it's Non-Destructive.
Let me know how that gets you.
Oh, and with the sky, don't worry about it. With an example like this, after I cleared up all of the Lens Flares, remember the Darkest of the 3 photos to be used? I simply used a layer mask to replace this sky, with the darker version. So the main focus at first is getting the lens flares gone from the ground, the sky will be an easy fix.
Kyle Jones
Moderator
Here's my cut. I'd have liked the finger picture to have the same exposure as the brighter one, so the first thing I did is adjust them until they pretty much matched. Then I blended the three exposures, adjusted the WB a little, and added some mid-tone contrast and a little dodging.
Hey Kyle,
That's a really nice one! I shoot aperture priority, so usually when covering the sun with the finger the exposure will change, so that was part of the task here, to adjust the exposure. You did really good, I am glad you jumped in here.
Hi Jim, I was with you up to step 3, only your mask method was different. Your result looks pretty much the same as mine, the mask area is darker than the sky, but as we both concluded, adding the sky later is easy.
Ok, Tomorrow I am going to take another crack at it with your masking method.
Kyle also put his finger on another part of my issue. I was expecting your method to perfectly eliminate the finger, but because of the mismatch in exposure, it left a witness. His idea to fix exposure first was a good one.
Ok, Tomorrow I am going to take another crack at it with your masking method.
Kyle also put his finger on another part of my issue. I was expecting your method to perfectly eliminate the finger, but because of the mismatch in exposure, it left a witness. His idea to fix exposure first was a good one.
Darcy Grizzle
Well-Known Member
Yay I will try again later today 
....I have watched every video on youtube to do this and tried them all to no avail! Maybe I will get it this time!
....I have watched every video on youtube to do this and tried them all to no avail! Maybe I will get it this time!
BarryHamilton
Founding Member
Here's my try. I used the two images without 'the thumb'!
Manually blended in Photoshop after initial tweaks in Lightroom. I decided I liked the flares, given the angle on the sun. Prolly just me!
Manually blended in Photoshop after initial tweaks in Lightroom. I decided I liked the flares, given the angle on the sun. Prolly just me!
Darcy.... Stop watching evil YouTube and just follow the steps I have given in this thread. You are only going to end up confusing yourself with too much info... Ask Ben, the steps laid out here is enough to do this task...Yay I will try again later today
Did I mention to stop using YouTube...
Yep, in my steps above I mentioned initially to adjust the exposure to match. Either before you do the mask (like Kyle did) or after, it doesn't matter. Since the Layer Mask is non destructive until you Flatten the Layer it doesn't matter when you do it. I personally like to do it after the Layer Mask is on so you can watch the difference disappear as you adjust it, but there are other times when I do this I make sure the exposure matches in all of the layers I am going to use.
Also, I didn't change it on mine going in, because I knew I was going to use the sky from the darker exposure. Essentially though that wasn't need as you can simply darken the existing sky. Either way the sky was too bright in 2 of the exposures used here.
Darcy Grizzle
Well-Known Member
Barry I actually like the flares also LOLHere's my try. I used the two images without 'the thumb'!
Manually blended in Photoshop after initial tweaks in Lightroom. I decided I liked the flares, given the angle on the sun. Prolly just me!
View attachment 3044
Hahahahah, well these step weren't there yesterday when I was trying....but now I will follow yours as it seems soooooo much easier LMAODarcy.... Stop watching evil YouTube and just follow the steps I have given in this thread. You are only going to end up confusing yourself with too much info... Ask Ben, the steps laid out here is enough to do this task...
Did I mention to stop using YouTube...
So true.... I was teasing the steps out...
Ok, I think I have it. The big breakthrough for me was (alt mask) and the work on the background layer. All these years I have avoided doing any editing directly on that layer. The next thing was with the flare, I had to do it in two steps, because the first one was large enough to have a pretty large gradient. So I corrected it for the lighter region, then started over with what was left of the brighter region.
Here is what it looks like at this stage. I have not worked the sky yet, and I need to do some touch up on the flare. It's important to read your steps and not miss one.
Here is what it looks like at this stage. I have not worked the sky yet, and I need to do some touch up on the flare. It's important to read your steps and not miss one.
And here is the finished image.
Hey Ben,
The 2 last things I would suggest for yours.
In the white half circle flare, just layer mask with drawing close to it, and a small feather of about 5, probably like you did with that larger one.
In the Red one there is still a few artifacts left from that large lens flare circle. You eliminated the flare really well, so good job on your doing that. But at this point (I had to do the same thing on mine) select that area in Red, then you can use Content Aware Fill to help spread the orange/yellow sun glow evenly in that area to match the left side. I also then used the patch tool, and then used as the source from the left side. The goal there is an even flaring of orange around the sun.
The 2 last things I would suggest for yours.
In the white half circle flare, just layer mask with drawing close to it, and a small feather of about 5, probably like you did with that larger one.
In the Red one there is still a few artifacts left from that large lens flare circle. You eliminated the flare really well, so good job on your doing that. But at this point (I had to do the same thing on mine) select that area in Red, then you can use Content Aware Fill to help spread the orange/yellow sun glow evenly in that area to match the left side. I also then used the patch tool, and then used as the source from the left side. The goal there is an even flaring of orange around the sun.
Darcy Grizzle
Well-Known Member
Wow Ben.....this totally gives me some hope!
Give it a try Darcy, one step at a time as I am doing. I have learned a bunch of new stuff here,
Jim, my fix, I don't know how to use the patch tool, but I did the rest.
Jim, my fix, I don't know how to use the patch tool, but I did the rest.
Mike Mancil
Well-Known Member
Ha! Like Barry, I went with a "without the thumb" approach. My Photoshop is the Elements version and while it has masks and layers, I typically don't use them since I don't believe they're as powerful a tool as in the full version of PS. That said, 99% of my images are single exposure and I process very much the same, with an effort to make each image look very near to what I was seeing in the field.
In this exercise I chose to play with the initial image and used Capture NX2 to bring out the shadows and add a touch of warming. PS processes shadows as well, but I'm used to using NX2 for my RAW conversion and initial corrections, so I stuck to that plan here. I then used PS Elements for the remaining dodging, burning and used cloning to eliminate the upper flares. Using only one image and bringing out the shadows exposed further flaring in the roadway. Efforts to correct that got squirrely, so I borrowed only the road from the "thumb" version and used straight cloning to insert it in my working image.
See what y'all think.....
In this exercise I chose to play with the initial image and used Capture NX2 to bring out the shadows and add a touch of warming. PS processes shadows as well, but I'm used to using NX2 for my RAW conversion and initial corrections, so I stuck to that plan here. I then used PS Elements for the remaining dodging, burning and used cloning to eliminate the upper flares. Using only one image and bringing out the shadows exposed further flaring in the roadway. Efforts to correct that got squirrely, so I borrowed only the road from the "thumb" version and used straight cloning to insert it in my working image.
See what y'all think.....
Having worked this image, I am very impressed with your doing in more or less manually. Great job.