my first go at using masks in ps

[theflyingkiwi]

http://www.cuthbert.net.nz/potn/raglan2006.jpg

photo taken a couple of weeks ago, and trying to get some good post processing done.

what do ya think? What to improve?

Thanks

[SloNeZ600]

Be interesting to see original as well.

[Robert_Lay]

Generally speaking, the objective of such efforts would be to improve "continuous tone" effect by opening up the shadows while at the same time avoiding blown out highlights.

In the scene at hand, one would attempt to open up the shadows in the foreground while preserving the sky as rendered here. Instead, the foreground shadows have been allowed to go completely dark and featureless.

It seems to me that the original scene was one in which "High Dynamic Range" techniques or "Merge to HDR" would be much more effective.

[theflyingkiwi]

there's not a great deal of details in the rocks, unless I wonted to have alot of noise. and then it would make it look more unnatural. However I didn't wont to bring out the details in the rocks. I like the contrast of the rocks and the sky.

However I the reason I used masks is because I was having troubles trying to get the sky right without losing the water between the rocks.

[MikeMcL]

i really like the reflections in the foreground, in the puddles... the rest of the forground is really overbearing to the delicate scheme of the rest of the pic. if it was mine i might crop an inch off the bottom to take away from the powerful black weight of that portion of the pic.

i guess i just feel like it is unbalanced.
just my 2 cents tho