Hi everyone,
I’m working on this RAW file from Pompeii that contains a wide dynamic range. Both the sky and the foreground have meaningful detail and texture that I’d like to preserve, but I’m struggling to find a processing approach that does justice to both.
I’m really looking forward to seeing your interpretations.
Thanks in advance for taking a look.
Here my image:
2026-06-02_16-20-20_-_Z6P_3536.NEF (32.8 MB)
Hey @stefans73 I’ve added a play raw tag to this post, but can you add a creative commons note so that others can use the image to provide you with some processing ideas… Cheers
This file is licensed Creative Commons, By-Attribution, Share-Alike.
I’m not really seeing any problematic dynamic range. Anyway, I like your shot. Here is a quick edit:
Added graduated density filter to darken the sky a bit, but it was not very high dynamic range to start with.
Nice photo.
GIMP 2.10.38.
The dynamic range is quite moderate. For my play I used my luminosity mask plug-in to increase contrast in the mid-range and saturation in the brighter parts.
This is very close to what I was trying to achieve. Looking at your changes, it seems that local contrast did the magic. Very nice, thank you!
Next, I’ll install the luminosity mask plugin and try to reproduce this. Thank you!
You shouldn’t post such statements too early. This can influence other’s edits and therefore can rob you off the chance to see an outstanding render which targets in quite a different direction.
My own luminosity mask plug-in only works in GIMP 2.10.xx as it requires Python 2.7. That is why I have not upgraded to GIMP 3!
I also have several other self-created plug-ins which require Python 2.7.
Dynamic range is quite moderate in this RAW. I mainly applied a warmer WB, Local Contrast and bit of Haze Removal what darkened the sky.
Was it intentional that your focus is on what I think is a pomegranate?
This is what I came to. Oddly, AgX handled the sky color better than FilmicRGB or Sigmoid, both of which dulled the blue and changed it a bit purplish.
Here’s my go, RT 5.12-376 (5.13 rc1 ???) … Mostly used Selective editing and global spot for GHS pre tone mapped, full image spot for Colour Appearance (mainly brightness & contrast) and Dehaze.
Thanks for sharing (and the CC licence )
Tried to put more emphasis on the tree and the columns.
2026-06-02_16-20-20_-_Z6P_3536.NEF.pp3 (37.0 KB)
I see what you mean about the sky, it has nice detail and gradation, but I lose that when I pull up the rest of the image from linear with global tools. This would probably be a mask situation.
Anyway, Z 6, my very favorite-est camera, I have spectral profiles for it. Here’s my rendition, lost-sky in favor of green-est grass, spectral camera profile is more green, as opposed to the more-yellow from the bog-standard matrix camera profile:
No AgX color shenanigans…
It might make others - me included - seek other routes more intensely… 
2026-06-02_16-20-20_-_Z6P_3536.NEF.lab.xmp (11.5 KB)
This edit has very little done to it…
Auto exposure and experimental Spectral Tone with no adjustments at all…I just experimented with the looks… I think I picked blue sky.
To that I only added default local contrast and one basic included preset, ie the no AA sharpening of diffuse or sharpen …
To me it comes out pretty nice with just that little work but of course it could be graded and toned to taste…
Here is a second version where i tried the contrast and texture module in place of DT’s local contrast… it might be a bit harsh…but I’m finding many of the edits so far on this image are pretty “crunchy”
Okay to continue some experimentation with this great image…here is some tweaking spectral tone module
Final one with a single change of dropping the midtone slider in Spectral Tone…
Nice picture,
Decided for a b&w version, nicely - I hope - overdone processing… Fun to do!
Of coarse I disregarded your question about balancing sky and foreground…
But yet maybe not as I added quite a strong vignette which hopefully leads the eye away for the sky (a bit).
