"Alpenglow" near Kinlochleven, Scotland

Nice view!


DSC00021.ARW.xmp (76.8 KB Ansel)

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As usual, I experimented around with creating different PNG variants in RawTherapee (mostly adjusted for different WB and exposure), to use as layers in GIMP. I didn’t take a lot of time, I’m very sure that much better results can easily be achieved using this “technique”.

Initially, I tried making the sky more realistic-looking, but nothing looked convincing to me, so I then decided to settle for an interesting if very unrealistic color gradient in the sky.


(edit: I slightly improved my very sloppy repair of the UFO to the left, I always find such cleanups quite frustrating when working on gradients)

These are the two RT variants which I used as layers in GIMP:
DSC00021.jpg.out.pp3 (14.2 KB)
DSC00021.Ebene_1.jpg.out.pp3 (14.2 KB)

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That’s quite a gradient :grin:
But interesting idea and technique with the layers, thank you.

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You’re welcome, although I’ve seen comments on here that indicate that at least a few others are doing something similar, i.e. using layers in GIMP to do things like WB and/or exposure blending.

So far it’s been my primary way of recovering highlights, reducing blown-out lights, and raising darker parts of images.

@david is hinting at similar things e.g. here:

Although I can hardly call my process a “technique”. Or a process. It’s more like (barely) educated guesses as to the effects of a particular layer and mask and then fiddling around with it, inching ever closer to something I like well enough.

I’m neither proficient nor efficient at it is what I’m saying :sweat_smile:

I’ve also redone my edit of your image, softening the gradient to something a little more plausible:

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