I would like to share one of if not my best photograph I have ever taken. I am very proud of this photograph so much so I actually did a 12x18 print with the edit I did of this with Lightroom and Photoshop to hang on the wall. What I love so much is I feel I really caught the emotion and mood of the scene that I felt when I got there so it feels really special.
Being that I am still very new to editing and still exploring if Open Source can fully replace my current workflow I decided to dive deeper into the darktable rabbit hole when I re did this edit.
Compared to my original edit this one is quite different it is not nearly as moody. I tried to compensate for the lack of Luminosity selections(which I use for dodge + burn) by using parametric masks with the new RGB curve module. I also used Filmic RGB and the Tone Equalizer. I still feel I might be using these 2 modules totally wrong.
Overall I think my edit came out passable. Trying to get accustom to a different workflow and learn the new software and trying to get results all at the same time is very challenging. darktable is very powerful software still trying to figure out how to get the results I want and I will for sure keep trying to learn.
If anyone is interested in seeing the original edit I used for the print let me know. I don’t feel comfortable posting edits from non Open Source software here as this is all about moving away from that stuff.
@paperdigits Yes I agree on the circular polarizer. Once I have the spare $100 I will for sure be picking one up. Will be well worth the cost.
As requested here is the Lightroom + Photoshop Edit. The only difference between this export and the one I sent to the lab for print is in the print version I bumped the exposure by about 0.25 ev to compensate for paper not having a monitor backlight. This version lacks that 1/4 ev bump.
This image is doged and burned in photoshop using Luminosity selections through a plugin I use. It allows for really fine grained control over Luminosity masks similar to darktable’s parametric masking, however, instead of masking I can convert the mask to a selection for targeted brushing.
In photoshop also used luminosity masking to add a subtle orton effect (very subtle). As well as solid fill adjustment layers plus luminosity masks for a subtle split tone. Could not get the split tone to work like I wanted in dt but a split toning module is very different behavior wise then what I did in photoshop.
Overall I really like my darktable edit it does feel a bit more natural and I think that is thanks to the better raw processing. Lightroom leaves a lot to be desired there. As far as I know dt also does not have a color matrix/wb profile for my camera so that does have a slight effect on things as well. I need a color target tho so I can submit the appropriate shots.
@blj Thanks for sharing. It is a fairly good scene and capture. With a few more considerations, like @paperdigits’ suggestion, future shots have the potential to be showcase material.
Plus, if you visit the site again, maybe record the sounds. I could imagine them but having the real thing while viewing the image would be a neat experience.
@afre thanks much appreciated. Sounds would be neat even maybe a tiny video. Fortunately I only live about an hour away from this place. Can’t revisit till spring however due to the trails being shut down for safety only ice hikers/climbers are allowed there right now. One day I should learn that too
I used a tone curve with multiply blending mode, and moved it before filmic rgb;
I used two dehaze instances: a stronger one for the foreground and a lighter one for the background. I wanted to preserve the waterfall mist and bring volume.
In my rather myopic experience, I’ve come to enjoy exploring the thousands of compositions available in a single image capture. Some would say I need to get better at composing at the scene. Whatever…
I wanted to work this image, but I’ve not been in a place to get a download, dodgy internets. Now that I can, though, don’t think I could offer anything better 'specially with the chicken dinner winner…
I agree. Personally I re edit photographs over and over. I find it fun to explore them. You should give the edit a go anyway if you have time never know maybe you will win a turkey dinner
Edit Here is v2. In v1, I used my sharpen(edge) command, which caused artifacts where the trees meet the sky and the lack of textures in the highlights. Remedied .
