Have I went too far?

Whilst on a trip to the Isle of Skye, Scotland most of the days were overcast except for the last day (typical Scottish weather )and I managed to get enough shots for a panorama at the Quiraing, however I am having trouble processing it into something suitable. Each shot was captured using an 18-135mm lens and a Cokin ND Grad filter.

I am not sure if I have done a bit too much and made it look like HDR with the image below. It was stitched together in Lightroom and then dodged/burned in Photoshop. Have I gone too far with the processing in this image? I was trying out some new processing techniques that I found on youtube (drop the highlights and increase the shadows and bump up some other settings). I may have went too far.

There is a style of shot that I would prefer for this image, however I am uncertain if I can link to the photograph as it is by another photographer. It is completely different but from a similar location.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/zRfF​Q1

Sorry, too much HDR for me. Spoils what would otherwise be a stunning picture.

WildernessTracker wrote in post #17748885
Whilst on a trip to the Isle of Skye, Scotland most of the days were overcast except for the last day (typical Scottish weather )and I managed to get enough shots for a panorama at the Quiraing, however I am having trouble processing it into something suitable. Each shot was captured using an 18-135mm lens and a Cokin ND Grad filter.

I am not sure if I have done a bit too much and made it look like HDR with the image below. It was stitched together in Lightroom and then dodged/burned in Photoshop. Have I gone too far with the processing in this image? I was trying out some new processing techniques that I found on youtube (drop the highlights and increase the shadows and bump up some other settings). I may have went too far.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/zRfF​Q1 Quiraing Panorama by Andy McDonald, on Flickr

Sometimes it's best to just let a image rest for a while & maybe come back to it later with a fresh perspective. For instance, how about looking at it in B&W? Or trying a Blend Mode? Or just removing some yellow? Maybe go with that other worldly look & replace that hot spot with a other worldly sun?
The one thing I wouldn't do is give up on it. This might be a good Winter project. ; )

You can always post a link. But you can't post the image without the owners permission.

The more I look at it the more I dislike the HDR look of it. I do still have a liking for it in one way but not as how I would like the photo to be.

The style that I found on another photographers shot of this area is much darker and of a different style and taken on the same morning. I think the actual photographer may be in my panorama somewhere.

This is the photo that I am referring to:

https://www.flickr.com …2026523108/in/d​ateposted/

however I am uncertain as to how to achieve something similar but making it slightly lighter.

The highlights are on the verge of glowing. Just a bit too much HDR look. Before you give up on it though you might want to try printing it, or a portion of it if you don't want make the expense of a full print. The reason I suggest trying a print is that prints lose a bit of the highlights you get when looking at a backlit screen. It might look less glowing in print.

Bloody hell mate you don't need any LSD after looking at that.

Remember, just because you can move a slider doesn't mean you have to move it.

the highlights seem to be a little too bright...you can try bringing them back down a bit, especially if you are trying to get closer to that other linked photo

looks like a beautiful place to be though

john crossley wrote in post #17749391
Bloody hell mate you don't need any LSD after looking at that.

Remember, just because you can move a slider doesn't mean you have to move it.

Perfect solution is to look at this and you don't need to touch drugs. Haha.

DreDaze wrote in post #17749465
the highlights seem to be a little too bright...you can try bringing them back down a bit, especially if you are trying to get closer to that other linked photo

looks like a beautiful place to be though

I am not even sure where to begin to start to get a similar result. One thing I seem to be lacking is a consistent style in my photos.
It is a beautiful place and I want to do it justice properly in a photo rather than the over-HDR'd look above.

A little bit more normal looking now.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/zXsv​NH

WildernessTracker wrote in post #17750385
A little bit more normal looking now.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/zXsv​NH Quiraing View to the North by Andy McDonald, on Flickr

thats much better - whatever you did to that, do it to the stitched one !

There is a lot of potential in that first shot, but you have gone too far with the PP

How far did you bump up clarity?

WildernessTracker wrote in post #17750385
A little bit more normal looking now.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/zXsv​NH Quiraing View to the North by Andy McDonald, on Flickr

Is this how it actually looked? It still looks a little over processed to me.

This is just personal taste... I personally prefer landscapes as you see them. Does not mean I am right obviously

I just did a quick B&W of the original image and it hasn't come out too badly, it does seem a little flat for my tastes.

Maybe I will come back to the original after having a break.
One of my others has come out closer to what I am looking for but I have burnt out the highlights a little bit too much when I took the shot.

I think for these photos I have realised that I had been overexposing and trying to do a style of ETTR which resulted in the images being too over exposed. I also had followed a tutorial on youtube of photos from a similar area and they had dropped the highlights and increased the shadows (-100 and +100) so i guess I got too carried away.

The last image is just about perfect. One or two minor issues with the sky but far far better than your previous posts.

To me, the last picture looks much better than the the previous. The rocks cliffs look too fake in the previous for my taste. Regardless, great photos!