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colinbm1 In reply to vw1956 [2012-11-19 12:37:54 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Volker.
As I have said, I have struggled for a year with 'contrast' & it is pleasing to now get it
Cheers
Col

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vw1956 In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-20 08:48:59 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure, Colin!!!

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colinbm1 In reply to Okavanga [2012-11-19 12:35:11 +0000 UTC]

Thanks very much David.
Yes I have got my waterwings on & I have tested the water, then jumped straight in !
All new to me, as you painfully know, I'm just a newby at all this post-processing.
Would I do anything different tomorrow, possible. Would I do anything different next week, that's a whole world of learning away
If I didn't post it now I would have never posted it, maybe ?
I would have liked some nice clouds & sky or something else, but that would have been a manipulation that's not allowed here & these trees are not that common that I can find another.
Cheers
Col
PS Thanks for the fav too David
Col

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Okavanga In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-19 13:21:49 +0000 UTC]

David

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colinbm1 In reply to insolitus85 [2012-11-19 09:57:08 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Rowan, I appreciate your honest & frank opinion.
I liked the original mono, but not the houses. I have just learnt about blur in the PSE classes I am doing, so I did the job on this.
It has taken me a year to get mono to where I am now, & the blur reduced the houses
Cheers
Col

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insolitus85 In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-19 10:58:13 +0000 UTC]

I am all too familiar with the problem of backgrounds that I do not like. Such a background can also distract too much from the subject. The thing is with these blurs... they look fake imho.

It might be personal taste too. Same goes for the trademark photoshop lens flares, some people are big fan of them, others hate them.

Back to the blur though. I do not know how much control PSE gives you. One way to improve this and make it look more real is to remove the blur from a horizontal stroke of the ground (where the tree hits the ground). Here is a good example of a small DOF photo [link] which you can use as a reference.

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colinbm1 In reply to insolitus85 [2012-11-19 13:01:52 +0000 UTC]

Thanks again Rowan
I certainly agree that the blur has a fake quality to it
Yes I had wondered about the DOF line across the image, but just don't know how to control this aspect yet. I was worried about the converging line of the brick wall too ?
I have tried to photograph this again at other times, but they were not right....car parked in front, poor light. It is only two streets away. Maybe in a year I will have mastered this too
Cheers
Col

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insolitus85 In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-19 15:08:03 +0000 UTC]

I have never used PSE, only the CS versions of PS. It is by no means easy. As a matter of fact, I decided more than once that the things I wanted to change in a photo were too much of a pain in the ***, and just left them as they were.

And worst, in PS anything can be done in different ways!

What might be an easy method is placing the blurred version on the original as a new layer. Then take the eraser (with a soft border) and erase a small horizontal line. Also you will directly see the effect of your actions this way.

Also here are some tutorials that explain different ways of selecting the area to be blurred. Maybe these methods can be combined
[link] & [link]

And here is the real hardcore version... [link]

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colinbm1 In reply to insolitus85 [2012-11-20 08:56:18 +0000 UTC]

Thanks again Rowan, muchly appreciated.
They all look interesting but the last link is very well done, not really noticeable at all, which is how it should be.
My PSE classes have now finished for the year, but with the little knowledge that has been gained I hope I can venture further before classes start again in February.
I do have some PSE books & now armed with a little knowledge I hope they start to make some more sense & a bit more understandable
Cheers
Col

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insolitus85 In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-21 11:21:37 +0000 UTC]

Yeah the last one is really well done! And I imagine it's not as easy as they make it look.

Good luck! Now the real work begins. Just like photography, only by practise you make progress. Apply the techniques and tricks you learn in a way you are comfortable with and develop your own workflow, etc.

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colinbm1 In reply to insolitus85 [2012-11-21 12:36:06 +0000 UTC]

Thanks again Rowan.
Yes, practice makes perfect
Col

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colinbm1 In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-19 09:59:45 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the fav too Rowan
Col

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insolitus85 In reply to colinbm1 [2012-11-19 10:18:11 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure

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colinbm1 In reply to helios-spada [2012-11-18 21:57:21 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Helios, Much appreciated.
I have just starting classes in PhotoShop Elements.
Cheers
Col

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colinbm1 In reply to ??? [2012-11-18 03:27:29 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Bruno [link] for the fav
Col

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