• Jan. 14, 2025, 6:18 p.m.

    Continuing the image editing thread, 16th issue!

    General rules:

    • A previous round winner presents a busy or just not so interesting image, having at least some potential for different crops or visions.
    • Anyone (except author of original image) can edit the presented image, up to three distinct edits in separate posts are permitted.
    • All edits must be based on original image, not on another people's edits (of course borrowing ideas would not be a problem).
    • Short explanations about your editing intentions are encouraged, but not required.

    Once the deadline for images has been reached, no new image versions will be accepted. Questions and (polite) discussions of techniques are welcome, so that we can learn from one another how certain edits were achieved.
    The edited version gathering most likes within the announced period, wins and its author will start next round.
    On the closing day for voting, if there is a draw in the number of likes for two or more edits, then the person that posted the original image will decide the winner.

    Editing rules:

    • All "normal" adjustments (brightness, colours, curves etc) are permitted (both local and global ones).
    • All geometric adjustments (perspective, cropping etc) are permitted.
    • Artistic effects (brushes, textures etc) are allowed.
    • No additions or replacements may be made to the main subject matter of the image; non-essential objects may be removed, and parts of the original image can be "moved" to a different position in the image. Sky replacements are OK unless the sky is the main subject. (We are still refining this rule).
    • Generative AI must not be used

    Timing:
    Get your images posted by Jan 20. As always, you can vote during the entire contest plus one day after the image submission deadline. I'll post reminders.

    The photo:
    The image was taken few weeks ago in Mustio Manor park near Lohja, Southern Finland. No snow, no Santas - sorry.
    You can find the SOOC jpg image below and here’s a link to the RAW image (Fuji x100v)

    _DSF1745.JPG

    _DSF1745.JPG

    JPG, 15.1 MB, uploaded by ArvoJ on Jan. 14, 2025.

  • Jan. 14, 2025, 7 p.m.

    What a lovely picture with loads of potential.

    So, I got the raw file and denoised it. Brought up the saturation and vibrance to emphasise the purple grass. Then cropped it and changed the curve to the statue to make it glow - which then ended like this:

    _DSF1745-Enhanced-NR copy 1 (Superlarge).jpg

    _DSF1745-Enhanced-NR copy 1 (Superlarge).jpg

    JPG, 1.9 MB, uploaded by AlanSh on Jan. 14, 2025.

  • Jan. 14, 2025, 7:28 p.m.

    Thank you! and it may be so, but I personally am frustrated with inaccurate framing - there is not enough space at the right of the building to make final result more balanced :( I have so much to learn :)

  • Jan. 14, 2025, 7:47 p.m.

    I think your self-criticism is unfair, Arvo. Given that the church is in the background and yields focus to the statue, it is ideally placed in your photo. Alan‘s enhancement is well in character.

    David

  • Jan. 14, 2025, 8:02 p.m.

    @davidwien Alan's edit is good and balanced, this I do not dispute. I just imagined a different version (I have not processed this batch of images yet - I'm waiting for your ideas 😉), which will be impossible to achieve with current source images.

  • Members 996 posts
    Jan. 14, 2025, 9:33 p.m.

    Mustio Manor park looks like a great place for a walk to enjoy those buildings and all the beautiful statues
    Nice image!

    Here's my edit; Cropping in more to show just the statue with some more detail, and lighting the lady up a bit brighter than the building behind it. Being slightly darker the image now has an early evening feel to it

    dprevived.com/media/attachments/7d/dd/Zt6VcFOALyKTLiDG7GjpGsvMgFmPkWEyyvLfk2kNiGI75WvAR1EqsqPVIcsPDJrY/dsf1745-smaller.jpg

    _DSF1745 smaller.JPG

    JPG, 3.6 MB, uploaded by Fireplace33 on Jan. 14, 2025.

  • Members 1688 posts
    Jan. 14, 2025, 10:03 p.m.

    What a lovely photo!

    I think there's a little fog in the background so since I love fog I made more of it, removed some distractions, did a bit of a glow, added contrast work, added a light vignette. Editing done in Lightroom and NIK Color Efex.

    a2_DSF1745.jpg

    a2_DSF1745.jpg

    JPG, 2.6 MB, uploaded by minniev on Jan. 14, 2025.

  • Members 673 posts
    Jan. 14, 2025, 11:03 p.m.

    GIMP - masked out the bright street signs, Reduced the lamps and white grass brightness, cropped to bring the statue 'closer', sharpened USM ~7px, resized 1200 tall.

    dsf1745-1200h.jpg

    dsf1745-1200h.jpg

    JPG, 1.1 MB, uploaded by xpatUSA on Jan. 14, 2025.