N.I. Steep cliffs and a long climb to the top

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day all

Early explorers to Norfolk Island must have had a devil of a job to land on the rocky shores then climb the steep ridges to discover the world that awaited them


exif- Panny FZ-2500; 1/160s x F4,2; ISO-125; lens at 5x zoom / 115mm FFequiv

As always, feedback welcome
Phil

[David_MC]

Beautiful scenery. Nice shot.

[Isac]

Lovely scenic shot Phil. I agree, horrible place to try and get on to. They should've looked for a jetty.
You always ask for feedback, so here goes:
1 - It looks a bit oversaturated. I see that by the cyan colour in the sky.
2 - Horizon is 0.8º out.
3. Contrast and shadows need a lift.
Have you got Faststone Image Viewer installed?

[Ozzie_Traveller]

Hi Isac

re #4 - no, what does it do for us?
Phil

[wigz]

Beautiful scenery Phil and nice composition, but to me it appears to have a blue cast.

I tried adjusting levels to remove the dead space from the histogram for each colour - just a one-click fix using auto levels in Photoshop. I expect there would be something similar in PSE.

It doesn't always work but is often very effective and so easy it's usually worth a try when there is a colour or contrast issue.

I didn't bother with the horizon..



I use this option for auto-levels in Photoshop



This is the result for each colour channel in the levels display. In the green and blue channel screen-shots I have highlighted how the arrows at each end of the histogram have been moved. You can also easily do this manually in Photoshop and I would think a similar option is available in other image processing software.

Red


Green


Blue

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day Alan

Thanks for the Levels shots ... I am well aware of it all, but (see below) I did not use it for this image. Perhaps I should have done so

Phil

[Isac]

I agree it has a strong blue colour cast but as Alan has shown it's easily fixed. In Photoshop, I would only use Curves for that method. Curves is so much more powerful. That's just me though.
I also use Threshold layers to get more accurate results, but that's a bit more involved.
With Curves, I select Find Dark & Light Colors and ALWAYS check Snap Neutral Midtones.
Then I set Shadows Clip = 0 and Highlights Clip = 1.

I've written an action set with four different methods you might want to download and play with.
They all work to a high standard. My go-to one is #3 which converts a blurred average colour layer to Color Mode so you can change the Opacity to vary the effect.
DOWNLOAD THE ACTION

[Ozzie_Traveller]

Thanks fellas for your beaut responses

For this pic I did an unusual PP action ... I (somewhat lazily) clicked on Enhance > Auto Haze Reduce and as the clouds then came out more strongly, I left it at that
While I will rework the image later, I am attaching the sooc original for those who wish to have-a-go-mate may do so !! ps- it is 1200px wide

Phil

[wigz]

Well you sort of asked for it Phil. This could go on forever so this is my last effort. All in Photoshop 23.5.1

1. Levels layer using Auto-levels as in the previous post - I know curves are better but I like to keep things simple.
2. Nik Color Efex Pro -> Tonal Contrast -> 'Fine' preset and lowered default saturation from +20% to about +10%. This brings out texture and detail but it's easy to overdo it.
3. Selected sky and used a curves layer to reduce mid-tones slightly
4. Straightened the horizon
5. Lifted shadows a little on the shaded part of the cliff and largest rock.

I would be happy with this but tastes differ.

Feedback welcomed.

[Ozzie_Traveller]

Well done - best so far
Phil

[Isac]

My takes. All a bit of fun.

#1 - Removed Blue cast and levelled horizon. Revealed rocks in shadows.

#2 - Black and White.

#3 - Night version.

[Ozzie_Traveller]

Oh Isac -- you are a wikkid fella ~~ I never would have thought of that last "enhancement" ('cept it does look great)
Phil

[Isac]

Thanks mate! The colour cast removal can easily be done in PSE. The other 2 are just for fun. I do enjoy turning day images into night - the results are endless. I'm actively involved with designing posters and flyers for clubs, bands and various groups, so it's good to practice and play to get various effects. I'm currently working on a "car wrap" design using photos combined with graphics to go on the bonnet and sides of a 4WD - exciting stuff!