[Play Raw] Downtown Chicago (4 files)

I have not one, but four different raw files for you today! (I asked if it was okay to post more than one. There’s 8 in this set, but I’ll only share four here.)

These were taken on April 30th this year when I took an early evening walk around the loop. I take hundreds of photos every week and started releasing sets of NEFs to my photography followers so they could have something to follow along with the darktable and GIMP walkthroughs I make for them. I’ll try not to fill this forum with my own stuff, so if I’m ever posting too much just tell me to calm down. I get overly excited about photography is all.

All shot with a Nikon D3000 and an 18-55mm kit lens. I tend to shoot underexposed, so have fun with all those heavy shadows!

All images in this post are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Files here:
_DSC0115.NEF (9.1 MB)
_DSC0183.NEF (8.8 MB)
_DSC0206.NEF (7.5 MB)
_DSC0320.NEF (8.4 MB)

And here are my edits, all done in darktable. I’m still getting used to the differences between darktable and Lightroom, but I’m enjoying it a lot more so far. Definitely open to critique, and if anyone sees stuff in the sidecars that could be optimized, please let me know!


_DSC0115.NEF.xmp (3.0 KB)

_DSC0183.NEF.xmp (12.9 KB)

_DSC0206.NEF.xmp (4.1 KB)

_DSC0320.NEF.xmp (3.9 KB)

I’d love to see how everyone else works with these!

7 Likes

Thanks for the images. File #1:


_DSC0115.NEF.xmp (12.2 KB)

Edit:
Same as b&w


_DSC0115.NEF.xmp (12.9 KB)

1 Like

I poured on the sharpness and wavelet local contrast to give the signs some some legibility and have a crispy feel. Also light geometry adjustment and crop.
RawTherapee-5.4


_DSC0115.NEF.pp3 (11.1 KB)

3 Likes

I didn’t do anything here except load the pp3 from my above [Play Raw] Downtown Chicago (4 files) - #3 by HIRAM post.

_DSC0115.NEF.pp3 (11.1 KB)

5 Likes

… and #2


_DSC0183.NEF.xmp (14.8 KB)

1 Like

A crop and geometry changed a bit, then made it shadowier. RawTherapee-5.4

_DSC0206.NEF.pp3 (11.1 KB)

2 Likes

#3:


_DSC0206.NEF.xmp (6.7 KB)

1 Like

Made these lights into hot coals with RawTherapee-5.4.

_DSC0320.NEF.pp3 (11.0 KB)

1 Like

and the final one:


_DSC0320.NEF.xmp (5.1 KB)

Thanks again for providing the images. It was fun to do the editing.

1 Like

@ChicagoCameraslinger Like what you did with 0183. :slight_smile: I have time for one: 0115.

1 PhotoFlow → linear Rec.2020 (no clipping) → lens corrections.
2 gmic → interpolate unwanted pixels → brighten → equalize (copy) → blend the two → smooth (guided) → increase chroma → sharpen (tone) → resize → sharpen (edge) → edit #2: add thinner frame.

2 Likes

Nice images. Had a go at the first one using only RT:

1 Like

This is so much fun! I love seeing all the different ways people will process a shot!

1 Like

Crop to de-emphasize the foreground street surface, and some curve shenanigans. I purposely crushed the shadows to frame the storefront.

Nice images!

1 Like


_DSC0320.NEF.xmp (4.6 KB)


_DSC0206.NEF.xmp (4.1 KB)


_DSC0183.NEF.xmp (9.6 KB)


_DSC0115.NEF.xmp (7.7 KB)

1 Like

For me, Photoflow was a far more suitable programme for this image than RT.
Tried to give cinematic look inspired from Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies… Dark Knight Rises!

_DSC0320.jpg.pfi (49.6 KB)

Edit: Here is second one in the similar vein:

_DSC0206.jpg.pfi (44.1 KB)

2 Likes

For this image I found RT 5.4 a perfect match, in the sense that I could easily get the look that I wanted. Which is - a shaft of light, colour and life making its way through overbearing iron structure and creeping darkness. :wink:

_DSC0115.jpg.out.pp3 (11.7 KB)

5 Likes


_DSC0115.NEF.pp3 (12.6 KB)

_DSC0183.NEF.pp3 (12.2 KB)

3 Likes


darktable: _DSC0115.NEF.xmp (6.9 KB)


darktable: _DSC0183.NEF.xmp (6.4 KB)


darktable: _DSC0320.NEF.xmp (5.3 KB)

4 Likes

@msd Nice intimate crops and tones.

1 Like

My second try for _DSC0183.NEF done in Darktable :slight_smile:


_DSC0183.NEF.xmp (42.0 KB)
I’ve recovered the highlights with the reconstruction in Lch and blended with original at 75%

1 Like