4th of July image help?

Hey guys, I would like to edit this picture

IMAGE LINK: http://s902.photobucke​t.com …g/media/IMG_262​9.jpg.html

Tell us what you want to do to it? How do you envision it being edited? I'm not certain it will hold up given the light pollution and fog.

I just shot my first fireworks last night and one cool thing I found out is how you can change the colors of the fireworks by adjusting the white balance(if you shot in raw that is).

That's basically all I did, added a little contrast and sharpening, then finally washed out the blacks and slightly pumped up the highlights in a curves adjustment layer.

Here's my finished set:
http://streetsofrivers​ide.tumblr.com …of-july-2013-riverside-ca

gonzogolf wrote in post #16094137
Tell us what you want to do to it? How do you envision it being edited? I'm not certain it will hold up given the light pollution and fog.

I just want the picture to look clear as night without those hazy color layers as you see in the picture.

maverick75 wrote in post #16094151
I just shot my first fireworks last night and one cool thing I found out is how you can change the colors of the fireworks by adjusting the white balance(if you shot in raw that is).

That's basically all I did, added a little contrast and sharpening, then finally washed out the blacks and slightly pumped up the highlights in a curves adjustment layer.

Here's my finished set:
http://streetsofrivers​ide.tumblr.com …of-july-2013-riverside-ca

nice crisp pictures on the fireworks, but how come its so white all over the image?

That's called washing out the blacks, it was done on purpose. I do it sometimes when my images have too much grain or when I want to add a certain style.

maverick75 wrote in post #16094186
That's called washing out the blacks, it was done on purpose. I do it sometimes when my images have too much grain or when I want to add a certain style.

oh I see. thanks!

maverick75 wrote in post #16094151
I just shot my first fireworks last night and one cool thing I found out is how you can change the colors of the fireworks by adjusting the white balance(if you shot in raw that is).

That's basically all I did, added a little contrast and sharpening, then finally washed out the blacks and slightly pumped up the highlights in a curves adjustment layer.

Here's my finished set:
http://streetsofrivers​ide.tumblr.com …of-july-2013-riverside-ca

I asked myself the same thing when I looked at those photos. Although the colors in the fireworks are decent, the image being so "ghost-like" and washed out takes so much away from the image.

maverick75 wrote in post #16094186
That's called washing out the blacks, it was done on purpose. I do it sometimes when my images have too much grain or when I want to add a certain style.

I honestly do not think that this is the best idea for fireworks shots. Why would you want to wash out the blacks? If you used the correct settings and a low enough ISO, they should not be grainy, especially at night.

To the OP, shooting fireworks can be tough if you do not use the correct settings. Generally I read that you should be shooting with a low ISO, f/ between 8-16 and on BULB for shutter. Click and hold the shutter as the firework is flying up, and release as it disappears into the night sky.

This photo has several things wrong. First of all, the lights are adding so much light pollution to the shot it is going to make it hard to recover without extensive PS work.

So with the settings I mentioned above, and composition that eliminates light pollution, you should come out with shots looking like the ones I took last night. Here are a few of them.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/57465123@N08/9​212364965/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/57465123@N08/9​212365239/

Thanks Dirty Murd, I think it was the lights around it that was causing the image distortion. I had the camera on f8 iso 100 and on bulb with the remote shutter release. I believe I was too low of a ground and with sprinklers running with those awful lights that was nearby, I think thats why my image looks bad. Thanks for letting me know, next time I will go to higher grounds and have nothing obstructing my view. THANKS!

LostViet408 wrote in post #16094789
Thanks Dirty Murd, I think it was the lights around it that was causing the image distortion. I had the camera on f8 iso 100 and on bulb with the remote shutter release. I believe I was too low of a ground and with sprinklers running with those awful lights that was nearby, I think thats why my image looks bad. Thanks for letting me know, next time I will go to higher grounds and have nothing obstructing my view. THANKS!

Of course!