Creative Effects Challenge No. 125 - RAW Coastline

[hmca]

Nice B/W, Frank. Hope to try one as well.

[Fauxtoto]

live.staticflickr.com/65535/49965067767_181a50253c_o.jpg

In LR : light tweaking in Curve Tone and Detail panels; plus Basic panel bellow, where temp towards yellow. In PSE: Through ACR with temp towards yellow, Imported a photograph with a new sky which was tweaked with Levels and Brightness adjustments layers; water painted in yellow on a new layer in color mode.

live.staticflickr.com/65535/49965067752_eb60846159_o.png

[hmca]

Looks like you and I were thinking along the same lines, Maurice. I love seeing everyone's take on this. First I created a color version that I was fairly happy with using LR and NIK CE4 with a sky replacement from Luminar. I then decided to go with a split tone effect in LR after using the BW 10 preset. For the split tone I chose 40/10 for both highlights and shadows and added a slight vignette.

[tonyw]

And here's my B&W version. New sky from Pixabay added as a layer in PS, converted to B&W using a Profile in Camera Raw and then tweaked the sky layer to blend better with the rest of the image - mainly with a levels adjustment layer and a touch gaussian blur. Then took the result into ON1 and adjusted the tones, detail and added a vignette. Definitely a fun image to play with.



Tony

[hmca]

I especially like the sky you chose and the way you positioned it, Tony.

[Peterj]

On1 used exclusively

[hmca]

Thanks for posting, Pete. It's always interesting to see what can be achieved with other software.

[Chris]

I have enjoyed looking at all the edits and have learned a lot by considering the different approaches. They are ALL very impressive and add points of interest and drama to a very interesting starting image. I particularly like FotoFranks B&W version with the new sky and light shining through the rocks.

Kind regards
Chris

[Chris]

Here is my B&W version.



1- Basic adjustments in Lightroom 6. I started with Auto and then adjusted the exposure, hightlights, shadows and black point manually. I also used the brush tool to select the sky and darken it a bit. I was aiming to keep the rocks as a silhouette. Then I exported into PSE 2020.




2- My goal was to create a dramatic b&W effect using various layers of the Fractalius plug in. Here is the description of the layer stack starting from the bottom layer.

Layer 1-Background layer on bottom.
Layer 2-Background Copy with Fractalius Default preset at 35% transparency set to Overlay blend mode. This created contrast in the sky and distant rocks.
Layer 3-Background copy with Fractalius Jungle preset at 36% transparency set to normal blend mode. This layer created contrast along natural lines in the sea and rocks. Used a layer mask to exclude the sky
Layer 4- Background copy with Fractalius Lines preset at 10% transparency set to normal blend mode. This was to create just a hint of contrast along the lines in the deep shadows while still maintaining the silhouette of the rocks.
Layer 5- A clone layer to clone part of the sky into the hole in the rocks on the right. Set the clone layer transparency to 29% normal blend mode.
Layer 6- Layers adjustment with the grey point set to 0.18 to darken the sky.
Layer 7- Layers adjustment with the grey point set to to 0.62 to darken the little patch of sea behind the rocks.
Layer 8- Gradient map to convert to Black and White
Layer 9- Clone layer to remove some spots in the sky. (Maybe the sensor had some dust)
Layer 10- Combined all layers.
Layer 11- Used the crop tool to enlarge the canvas then stretched the entire image to give the impression of a wider field of view.
Layer 12- Copy of layer 11. Applied Filter/Correct camera distortion/Vignette -13, Distortion +5





Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with this very interesting image.

Kind regards
Chris

[hmca]

Your comments are appreciated, Chris. Glad to see you decided to share your take on this image. Not sure anyone has used Fractalius in any of the RAW challenges so that makes your submission particularly interesting.
Stretching the canvas seems to have had somewhat of a "long exposure effect" on the water.

[PeteB]

Adjustments in ACR. Took into PSE, applied curves, levels. and added a sky gradient. Used Nik filters for contrast + details + fog + glow.

[hmca]

I like the rather serene look you have created, Pete.

[kdcintx]

Pete - I like the subtle shades of color and smooth transitions.

[hmca]

Wanted to try a "painted" look. Layered a Turner Sunset painting filter over an Oil Paint filter from Topaz Impression and adjusted the opacity.

[kdcintx]

Helen, you have definitely succeeded in a painted look. The sunset effect and highlights on the rocks add a lot of interest. The foreground is very peaceful. Nice job.