IMG_6663.CR2.xmp (10.1 KB)
Used a watermark sky for effect…not sure where I got it so can’t share it but you could substitute one in the watermark module to see the effect or turn it off…
IMG_6663.CR2.xmp (10.1 KB)
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In new latest weekly build of DT4.1 I found the new default ‘inpaint opposed’ highlight reconstruction did a great job here. (it’s due in the up-coming release of 4.2)
Nothing special otherwise.
IMG_6663.CR2.xmp (12.7 KB)
Edit: the above was using normal filmic in v6 max rgb. Out of interest I tried using sigmoid instead, and found that in the per-channel mode that I often like, it noticeably looses details in the sky. I know others have found this, but this is the first time I’ve really noticed it. In rgb ratio though, it comes out looking much more like my filmic result.
sigmoid in per-channel, with color balance rgb also tweaked compared to above.
IMG_6663.CR2.xmp (15.2 KB)
Another thing to remember is that having details in the data and having details visible are two separate things .
If the sky is clipper in your raw data , you need highlight reconstruction to try to fix that clipping and get some details back.
But, all kind of tone mappers (base curve , filmic , sigmoid , …) have some sort or highlight rolloff. Which means the highlight data gets squished together, making details harder to see.
So to bring those details out more , you have to use some sort of local contrast / detail enhancing.
The (in)famous Lightroom highlight slider does both at the same time. It reduces the roll off, but also adds clarity / local contrast to the highlights. Making it a one-slider easy fix if that’s what you want , but a nightmare if that’s NOT what you want.
It might help to play with all modules off in Darktable , add highlight reconstruction (or not) and then turn DOWN the exposure by a massive amount. Just to see and learn what data is in your file. Details that are not there, will not magically become visible later.
But details that ARE there, well now you know, and you know that there probably is something to bring them out again if they suddenly disappear.
Clipped sensor data can be prevented by underexposing bright scenes (or using bracketing , etc…). Getting the details to show is something to do in the edit 
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IMG_6663.CR2.xmp (6.7 KB)
local contrast in multiply mode (masked), to bring back details in the sky (and to dehaze the distant hills a bit).
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Love your treatment of this…only thing I notice was the foreground seems a bit crisp to the point of distraction as eye flows from the front of the image into the town…but really nice treatment of the sky …nice edit…
Yep, diffuse or sharpen with the dehaze preset. I do find it too harsh at times, but didn’t reduce its strength this time. I concentrated on the sky, and forgot to check the photo as a whole. Also, I was working on the laptop (where I normally only do quick tests for the Windows build). On the desktop, my normal environment, I usually use a preset based on dehaze, masked for lighter, not too saturated, bluish areas, to only remove haze where it is present.
It is one of my favourites… if I use denoise it usually offsets… I try chroma only and if the dehaze preset is harsh rather than adjust it (which I will do as needed) I add the default denoise to include luma denoising and see how that looks… Here its also the composition…like having tree branches in the way…not much you can do…
That was his head shot for his audition for “Vikings” 
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Beards do that. Ask me how I know… 
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Well, the previous profile picture was taken over 8 years ago. My hairline is receding, my grey hairs take over more and more of what I have left.
Plus, the new profile picture is a portrait of one of my favourite fantasy characters, Ebenezar McCoy. If I live long enough, one day I might switch to another drawing of him:
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Looks like the raw greens are blown:
Sky selection raw histogram in RawDigger
So blue detail is probably recoverable with a bit of jiggery-pokery …
nice pic,
i wanted to find out, if i can recover some sky with RT 5.9RC1:
IMG_6663-1.jpg.out.pp3 (23,5 KB)
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Hello,
I took the liberty of forgetting the initial request (blue sky) and processing it in monochrome with Darktable 4.1
IMG_6663_01.CR2.xmp (15.6 KB)
Greetings from Brussels,
Christian
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Like this. Come to think of it I visited the location again at a different time and saw the sky was indeed a very light blue color near the sun … so the white isn’t far off even though it was a blown highlight in my image. Something I need to adjust for now given the winter sun stays low in the sky. Also, the distant hills views were indeed hazy.
I think this is for sure one of those times that being there would really help for wb and overall color. It seems foggy/hazy and a tad dull from the untouched raw but it is so easy to really boost the color and contrast in the town, the trees and it makes that all look wonderful but likely destroys the true lighting and balance in the photo…
The extracted jpg seems to show this might also be the case
