Small Background
I’ve used to do alot of photography a few years ago but I’ve always got stumped in the editing process by never really having any direction or struggling to get uniform edits over similar shots.
I’ve recenlty picked up a Sony A6000 for cheap and I am trying to get my bearings again after such a long time and with switching from my usual SLR gear to mirrorless.
I’ve now did some test shoots and I am really having fun, but I struggle with getting the shots that I see in my inner mind. Part of this is due to the kit lens but more importantly for this I struggle with really utilizing the Data that a raw file gets me to get the results that I want. The Task
Specifically I have this shot of a crane set in an overcast sky. I really like how you can see the details in the clouds. I am not happy with the exposure, but whenever I increase it these details get lost.
How could I significantly brighten this image while:
Not loosing Detail in the Clouds
Not creating a “bad HDR” effect
Not over contrasting the image (I want the clouds to feel gloomy and soft)
I want it to deliver the sensation that you get when you look at an overcast sky. You can fully open your eyes but it can still be very bright.
Dont be confused that this is shot on an a Sony a5100. I was lent it and its performance convinced me to get a Sony a6000 as they seem to just have the exact same sensor.
One of the tricks I did with my edit was to use a second instance of exposure with a parametric and drawn mask isolating the crane based on chroma (Cz)
Here I did some addition brightness of the crane based on its warm colors using color zones module. Color equalizer module could be used in teh same way. The crane now looks like it is in sunlight against the stormy clouds.
I tried keeping it as realistic as possible. I’m not sure if these clouds are dark enough for you, though. But that’s easily enough achieved, if needed.
This particular image is quite difficult to edit for brightness/contrast “punch” because the sky is quite bright while the construction crane does not provide a particularly well-lit contrast. I didn’t use any masks or local filters because imho they are a rather blunt instrument (but also because masks in RT are something I haven’t quite figured out).
You wondered of masking in RT: just put the spot onto the crane, activate preview DeltaE and use the scope-slider for to reduce the amount of masking… very easy and effective
If I understood correctly: you like the contrast level in the clouds of your posted image, but feel the sky is too dark overall.
I used your edit as a starting point. I added an instance of Tone Equalizer (Siimple Tone curve preset) and raised the highlights. You may want to increase it more, but watch your histogram!
I then added an instance of Diffuse and Sharpen and masked only the highlights. This allowed for me to gain back some of the contrast. I tried to keep it roughly similar to your original (at least to my eyes). You can play with this module to soften or exagerate the effect.
Here is a screen shot with the original (left side) and my edit (right side) to give an idea of the increased brightness:
I think your mask might need a little tweak…its creating a halo like effect around the crane from the exposure instance…detail threshold slider or some combination of the masking adjustments feathering etc might smooth out the blending…
