When I was looking for the photos for the Lens Artist Challenge I came across a photo that I wanted to use but I thought it was a bit dark. It was one I had taken in 2015 at Cape Schanck down in the Flinders area here in Victoria
Here let me show you.
I was unsure if it was any good and if I should use it. Sometimes when you see photos in your archives they can look different until you post them. I know I’ve had images that looked over saturated but then when I post it looks fine.
I thought it might be interesting to try to see if I could fix the image. I opened it up in Photoshop and then played around with the layers that were there. I made some changes and then added some layers. This is what I got.
I don’t think it was any better. Maybe even worse. So much has been lost.
Maybe I can’t fix an image that way. Perhaps what I need to do is to start over. The biggest problem with doing that, so it would seem, was that I have deleted the original image. No idea why.
So what I ended up doing was getting the image I had already worked on and I deleted all the layers so I was left with the original from Camera Raw.
One of the things I was struggling with was the sky, so I decided to replace it and make it look like a long exposure sky to go with the water. I played around with the light, but not sure it is any better.
It was not this dark in Photoshop, so hopefully when this is published it looks better.
I might have to concede defeat in this one. It is an interesting idea, to go back and look at old images. I might do it some more.
It would be even better to go back and look at some images and redo them without really looking at how you did it the first time, just go for it. See if my style has changed much over the years. Ohh maybe I could redo some of the ones I did early on that I can’t stand looking at now. That could be interesting.
Have you ever tried doing this?
The photos are looking good ☺️
Thank you.
Leanne, yes, I have gone back to old photos and edits. I find it amazing to see how much I have learned when I do a new edit. This is a tough image to work on. You have a lot of blacks and a lot of whites. I loved the sky replacement you added and also that touch of green that was revealed on top of the big rock.
Thank you Egidio, I agree, it was not a great image to edit. Though you have to try. I want to do more. The green on top was fun.
It’s that kind of challenge (a difficult image) that teaches us more. That’s the way i look at it.
That is very true Egidio, it does.
this is not in my skill set at all, but each looks eerily interesting in it’s own way
Thank you Beth.
I have tried that. I usually use Lightroom Classic or Bridge, and it is easy to undo, like you did yours in Photoshop. I still struggle using Photoshop, so I leave it alone for the most part. Sometimes I add filters in Canva, or take out a background. It is much easier to do than any of the other programs. Whatever I use, I love redoing them. 🙂 Have a great day, Leanne. xxx
I think I need to start trying to do it more Marsha. See what happens. I know I have a heap from very early on that I sometimes thing I wish I had done differently, or I hate them now. I will have to do it. Thank you Marsha.
I’ve looked at some of my old posts and groaned. I started revamping my Accidental Vacation series – improving the pictures, improving my sour disposition (LOL). I think I got to #6 out of ten and I ended up with an additional #7, and took a break. I don’t want to end up writing 20 posts that probably no one will ever read. 🙂
You sour disposition, never. Groaning at old images I think is something that happens to most of us. Wow that is a lot of posts and must be a lot of photos. Maybe I can understand the disposition now.
It was, and it was poorly written AND the photographs were not stellar. LOL It was a great vacation, though. 🙂
Well as long as the vacation was great, that is what matters.
That’s true. I’ll get back to it some day. In the meantime I’m working on a book of photographs and poetry.
So many projects Marsha, you keep yourself busy.
My husband is ADHD, what can I say? I think I’m just ADD, which means I don’t have the energy, but I still get distracted. And we got a new dog on Friday! LOL She’s a year old, and the rescue found her and her sister wandering the streets of Phoenix. We are working on potty training. 🙂
I can totally relate, I am exactly the same, apparently I’m a bit ADHD as well. So many things make sense for me now. lol.
Sounds like a lot of fun, a new dog. YOu will have to show me the next time we talk. I’m trying to teach Ralph our cat how to walk outside with the harness on.
Good luck with that. My mellow can, Nutter Butter wouldn’t even keep his harness on. I haven’t even tried to put Moji into one. I’d love to see how it works for Ralph. 🙂
He is doing really well, today he came to me when I showed it to him. He is starting to realise he gets to go outside with it. It has taken time, but we are getting there. I wouldn’t put one on our other cat, but she is good outside, she doesn’t go far.
When we talk next, maybe Ralph with demo. 🙂 xxx
I can send you a video on messenger if you like.
I’d love it! 🙂 xxx
I sent it I hope you got it Marsha.
I did. I’ve been traveling today, and getting ready yesterday. We’re introducing Moji to Goldie. Right now Goldie is resting in a cage so that I can read our 60-page HOA Board Meeting Report for Monday’s meeting, and answer emails and blog comments. I’m hoping things will settle down a bit by tomorrow. LOL! Thanks for sending!
Oh good. You sound like you have your hands full Marsha. I hope you get some time to relax.
I’m sure I will. This month is going to be really crazy, with one more surgery, and a ton of other things here before we go back to Scottsdale. You should see my hair style. LOL
You will have to send a photo on messenger Marsha. No problem, I’m going to be busy too.
It was photo-worthy. It was bag lady style.
and I missed it.
You did, indeed. Not that it doesn’t happen regularly! LOL
Then next time I will expect one.
BTW Ralph looks very calm on his walk. That wasn’t the picture you would have seen of Nutter Butter, LOL! He eventually wormed his way out of his harness.
Yeah, he is pretty good with the harness, I think he enjoys it and knows he can go outside, though took a while for him to get it at first. Ralph tried, but couldn’t get out of it, or he would just lie down.
He is certainly calm about it now. There is a couple in the complex we used to live in who walk their cats. One of them caught a gopher while he was on the leash! They caught a video of it. It was fabulous!
I wouldn’t let the cats catch anything, part of the reason they are indoor cats is so they don’t kill stuff, especially our native birds.
It would be harder to catch birds while on a leash. I’m surprised their cat could even kill a gopher.
Yeah it is, I don’t think he has even noticed them really. I don’t really know what a gopher is.
I’ve been redoing a lot of pictures. Fortunately, I have most of the originals in one of my backup drives. I’m missing some early ones, but since 2012, I have almost everything.
You have to start over. Unless it’s a very simple fix, like “add some light” or “straighten the horizon,” you can’t put more on top. It never looks the way you intend.
I’m also trying really hard to lighten up all my pictures. I LIKE darker pictures and subtle color, but I not everyone has a high quality screen for viewing. What is dark and sexy to me might be just plain too dark for others.
I wanted to keep all my images, but with 8 TB full of photos and a husband saying you have to get rid of some of them, I had to do some weeding. Most of the time it isn’t an issue, but for this image I had deleted it.
Yeah, I agree, in some ways. Sometimes if you have lots of layers you can switch or delete layers that you no longer thing work.
I think for me starting over was the best thing to do. I think most people look on their phones these days and have found myself putting images on my phone to see how they look.
Thank you Marilyn.
I admire your tenacity Leanne! I’ve gone back 9 or 10 years when I first started and did some re-editing. It’s fun to see my growth in photography.
Thank you Anne. I agree, it is fun to see it. I want to do more now.
I have reworked my photos before with varied success. You did a fine job, Leanne, your skills are far above mine! ❤️
Thank you John, I have always found it an interesting thing to do, I think I will have to do more. It isn’t skill, I think it is more experience.
Dear Leanne,
It’s not too dark for our taste. This darkness makes the magic of the picture.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
That’s good to hear, thank you.
I’ve also spent ages doing the same thing and wonder where the time has gone! We are addicts