Attempting Improvement

I'm not sure how this has progressed...I've tried some pp experimentation to try and liven up the poor lighting I experienced in this image...

Initial Process:

Enhanced Saturation and Lighting:

Using "ink lines" Artistic Photoshop Effect:

I also attempted some sepia tone and added noise to this one:

Hoping for some advice...keep these unedited or are these an improvement?

The edited #2 and Sepia #5 looks really nice to me. I didn't much care for the ink lines effect, but that's just me.

The exposure adjustment and color you did to #2 looks great to me.

I think #2 went a too far in the right directions. Somehow, the people on the left came out looking wooden... only joking . I prefer both the originals to any of the edits. With the sepia, the image looks too busy and harsh in monochrome.

Cheers, Tony

Thanks guys...appreciate your input.

cowboylife wrote in post #7396616
The edited #2 and Sepia #5 looks really nice to me. I didn't much care for the ink lines effect, but that's just me.

The exposure adjustment and color you did to #2 looks great to me.

I have to agree with cowboy.. I like the edited #2 and the sepia one

Thanks Shooter...if anyone has any alternate ideas on making these turn out better I'm all ears. Basically the situation I had was a morning shadow on the left side because the sun was obstructed by the buildings. Thanks.

1. A nice shot.
2. Also nice. I can't decide if the edits went too far or not. Call it tied with #1.
3. I find this effect to be cheesy and honestly, kind of unpleasant to look at.
4. Okay, but a bit boring.
5. This picture is better than 4. The framing is much better. The cart in the corner adds interest, and the carriage on the street is much closer, so it becomes a point of interest as well. I think this shot in color would be very nice. The sepia and noise, for me, just detract. I might bring down the exposure a bit or play with the contrast, though. I feel that might bring out some of the detail. (I might play with the contrast on 1 and 2 as well.)

dpark wrote in post #7398889
1. A nice shot.
2. Also nice. I can't decide if the edits went too far or not. Call it tied with #1.
3. I find this effect to be cheesy and honestly, kind of unpleasant to look at.
4. Okay, but a bit boring.
5. This picture is better than 4. The framing is much better. The cart in the corner adds interest, and the carriage on the street is much closer, so it becomes a point of interest as well. I think this shot in color would be very nice. The sepia and noise, for me, just detract. I might bring down the exposure a bit or play with the contrast, though. I feel that might bring out some of the detail. (I might play with the contrast on 1 and 2 as well.)

Thanks dpark...actually I only realized that #4 was different than 5 after I uploaded it, but I was just trying to show the colors & contrast before I attempted to improve so I just left it. I've already tried what you suggest - but the left side was brought out only when I added highlighted shadows and if I try to add more contrast it only darkens them back. Any attempt to get more color or contrast with the slider degrades the image to unacceptable levels.

Rhilton4u wrote in post #7399459
Thanks dpark...actually I only realized that #4 was different than 5 after I uploaded it, but I was just trying to show the colors & contrast before I attempted to improve so I just left it. I've already tried what you suggest - but the left side was brought out only when I added highlighted shadows and if I try to add more contrast it only darkens them back. Any attempt to get more color or contrast with the slider degrades the image to unacceptable levels.

I played with it and found that with the tone adjustment in DPP, I was able to get a little more contrast. It does lose some detail on both the highlights and the shadows, but I think it's a decent trade-off. When I look at the original picture, it almost has a gray cast to it. By giving up some of the detail in the potted plant, and in the cables on the underside of the balcony, you can get more contrast between the gate and the wall, and bring out more texture in the street. I also bumped the reds a teeny bit to add more warmth. It's not a huge change, but to my eyes it makes a big difference. I'd rather lose a bit on both sides of the dynamic range than push everything into the middle.