Show us your manipulated images - before and after

[TijmenDal]

Heya folks!

Since we have a thread to show the power of RAW images and conversion, I thought it would be nice to make a thread to see what's possible by using any kind of software. Lately I haven't just resorted to bringing back colors or changing them, but have also been interested in digital manipulation.

The rules
- No photo's where there have just been changes made to the RAW file - pixel manipulation is mandatory! RAW conversions belong in the other thread!
- Post a before- and after!
- Post what kind of software you have used to manipulate your image. If you remember, add which lens you used!
- It is NOT mandatory to post what you have done. In the RAW-conversion thread this is a rule, and it's really holding me back from posting, because it's a lot of work to upload all the steps you have taken. Of course, saying which tools you have used is always nice
- This thread is to show of what is possible in this digital era of Photoshop and the likes and to inspire people!
- Let's keep it nice in here

Pretty easy rules right?

There are absolutely NO limitations as to what's possible nowadays and I'm really curious what other people can do with their software! Hopefully myself and others will get inspired to try new, different things and get a fresh look on what's possible with photography (if we can still call it that!)

Post up!

[TijmenDal]

Here's on of my own to start things off!

Taken with the Rokinon 35mm f/1.4.
I had just picked up the lens and was on my way home. Couldn't resist myself and HAD to stop to take some pics. Crappy pics, but managed to make something pretty cool with it (imo).

Straight out of camera:


Cropped in LR and used lens corrections to get it somewhat straight:


Taken into Photoshop to manipulate it a lot. Masked a sky into the windows.
Tools used: clone stamp, spot healing and a little dodge/burning. Then taken back into LR for final aligning. I think it's somewhat straight now!

[tonylong]

Good job, Tijmen, and I have pointed people this way!

[René Damkot]

Nice. But try a different blend mode and/or opacity for the sky in the windows. They become framed pictures of clouds now in some. Also: The mask is a bit too loose (halo around the "reflection")

[5W0L3]

left: straight out of camera
right: post processed
lens: nifty fifty

it was a jpeg to start with and not RAW..

[Sevillian]

Shot on a very overcast type of day - RAW

[ncjohn]

Before- way overexposed, sunlight coming through the leaves, 35-135 lens at 135.
After- singled out that one leaf almost in the middle, then posterized it in PSE, then posterized it again. Initially took out the "bug holes" then went back and re-did it, leaving them in.

[TijmenDal]

Originally Posted by René Damkot

Nice. But try a different blend mode and/or opacity for the sky in the windows. They become framed pictures of clouds now in some. Also: The mask is a bit too loose (halo around the "reflection")

Thanks. Yeah, I'm not really happy about the mask either. I'll redo it sometime, but have some other photo's to PP first

Nice guys, keep it going! And remember: no RAW-conversions!

[isoMorphic]

Top were out of camera it was hard to find a real life vampire willing to pose after dinner for the second one.

.

[TijmenDal]

Wow! Great job on the one on the right iso! That's insane! What programs did you use?

[-Douglas-]

Wow, it's been awhile since I've logged in, time flies when busy and all.
This thread reminds me of the "Before and After" games in the "Competition" section
here on the forum. Lots of good examples in there. But it's also nice to see these
examples over here as well.

The After:



The Before:


Created with PS CS 3 and I think I used the 70-200L on this one, forgot to check, oops!

[isoMorphic]

Originally Posted by TijmenDal

Wow! Great job on the one on the right iso! That's insane! What programs did you use?

I play with the most basic features of photoshop which most probably wonder what the hell would they ever want to use them for.

Used image adjustment invert on original image to create a harsh effect then turned it to a sepia overlay color. Then on another layer turned her purple creating a negative type effect using a soft color overlay. Then copied that layer to a new layer added a some what yellow color hue overlay to reverse the purple which created a bronzing effect. Then a simple white inner glow set to color overlay mode and everything at zero which knocked down the yellow. From there it's the same as any makeup retouch which can go vampire, zombie, ghost or whatever your fetish for the undead may be.

[ejenner]

I've included the imaged with default settings, then the two versions I created with the raw converter (Bibble, which does allow localized editing but not pixel-level) and then the final result of merging them in Gimp, + some extra global and local editing.

For the original I shot it with a grad even though the rocks protrude above the horizon, so that was one of the main issues to deal with. It was taken a while ago, so i think my reasoning for not bracketing was that I knew HDR would result in halos. Also the light was changing very quickly and clouds moving and this was a 5s exposure (@f22 though - Doh! I know better now), so additional (longer) exposures would have resulting in blurred clouds and problems for HDR. I think I would bracket now, blending the sky exposure with one for the land and hoping not to miss the best light while I was doing the land exposure.

Anyway, first the original:

[ejenner]

Now created two versions, one for the sky and one for the foreground. The one for the foreground had a compensation for the grad filter to even out the exposure from the top to base of the pinnacle.

[ejenner]

final result (which looks crap/overdone/over saturated on this monitor - anyone else have this problem with reds on normal, uncalibrated monitors?). Problem is that this is the sort of monitor most people are using.

Anyway, two versions depending on your monitor.