First – Thanks for the welcome back monty !!! I was thinking way back to when this game first started, and I realized I hadn’t played in a while. I forgot how much you can learn from other people’s techniques, and how much fun it is. … So where was your edit ?!?!?!?!?
Anyway, sorry for taking so long, but WOW – eleven GOOD edits. That was a lot to consider. And for those (like monty) that know me, I spend a lot of time looking at each picture. … It’s how we all learn, and how we all get better. Half the editing tricks I know I learned from all of you!!! Anyway, here’s how I saw it:
Autigers350z – Fantastic job changing the colors. Really gives a feel of what that might look like just before all the leaves start dropping. The slight c-c rotation straightened the image nicely. This was a nice example of how to use selective hue/sat adjustments to affect only portions of an image, rather than applying a hue/sat adjustment across the Master channel. A little burning on portions of the railing and getting a bit of light to peer through the canopy would have been perfect for this approach. Very nicely done!!
blsvlo – Interesting use of the colorful overlay. At first, I found it too distracting, but I kept coming back to look at it to get a feel for the overall effect. After a while, the image began to take on a different perspective, and I started feeling like I was staring through a glass window pane, and the colorful overlay were reflected on the glass surface. While that may not have been your intended objective, the more I looked at your edit, the more I felt like I was indeed, staring through a reflection on a sheet of glass. The blue butterfly still distracts me though, and since it keeps drawing my attention to the upper left corner of the image, my attention is wrestled away from the walkway disappearing into the woods. I have not mastered the use of textures and overlays, so I am not able to evaluate this image fully. I may have to give this a try.
Chrissa – This image had a well lit walkway, leading to the end. By ensuring that the middle segment of the walkway had reasonable exposure, you did a nice job in leaving the viewer with no doubt that the walkway leads somewhere. A bit sharp for my tastes, however, and I think you may have lost some of the softer, inviting aspects of this image. When editing landscapes, I prefer softer images, especially when it comes to natural foliage (but that’s a personal matter).
CW Jones – Your image was one that I kept coming back to. It was a totally unexpected approach, and I was not expecting to see somebody darken portions of the image. It turns out that this image was taken near the northern California coast, where it is sometimes quite overcast & foggy. Those lighting conditions can cause an effect similar to what you were able to achieve, until the marine layer is burned away by the sunshine. I loved the feel that this edit created. I would have liked it even more, if a bit of recovery had been applied to the walkway (just to give some texture to the wood). Quite nice!!
Drakeskakes – Your edit took me in an entirely different direction than any of the others. By bringing more detail & contrast into the image, I can “feel” the image, in a manner that seemed to elicit a sense of trepidation. The increased contrast between dark elements and a few brighter patches on the walkway seemed to intrigue me to want to venture further down the path, to see what lies ahead, but also caused me to fear what may lie ahead. … This edit created the most dynamic nexus between a desire to venture down the path versus a little fear of walking up the steps around a hidden corner. While it may not have been your intended desire, I thought the resulting tension in the image would have created an interesting cover for a Stephen King novel. Nice Job.
Flo – Gail, this is just plain beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The slight desaturation to the image works perfectly with the softness of the image. You brought out the perfect degree of grain on the railing cap, and the image is very pleasing to stare into, Perhaps the best thing I like about your edit, though, is your crop. You manage to draw me slightly closer to the end of the walkway, which makes me feel like you drew me into the frame of the image. There’s a lot more going on in this image than most people realize, and your edit takes nice advantage of some of the features of the image: The canopy creates a natural frame around the focal point; the bridge serves as a classic “leading-line” to that same point; yet, the walkway ascends upward, and then turns at the end, which creates some tension. By recropping and bringing the viewier into the image, I felt that you did a fantastic job at working with these characteristics. … I don’t know if you had intended to achieve this result, or not, but I loved it.
Foxgguy2001 – This is a nice, traditional edit. It’s actually very accurate to what that scene looks like, and would be a great example of what I would use to teach others about editing: Adjust a photo the right amount to “improve” it, but don’t go overboard. … Often, people over-sharped; exaggerate colors; exceed reasonable contrast; etc., without intending to achieve a purposeful effect. I think you did this just right, and I even showed my daughter as an example. Interestingly, I feel that the addition of the white border does the opposite of Gail’s tighter crop, by pushing me further away from the image. But that’s also OK, and I think this was well done for the reasons I’ve already stated.
Matt_c – This was the only edit that shifted the walkway to the left. I’m not sure it added anything to the perspective, but I also don’t think it significantly detracted from it. The darker portion of the walkway in the center of the image gives it an interesting “moody” feeling that I like, but overall, I find it a bit too dark right in the middle of the image. This causes my focus/attention to jump back & forth between the two bright spots on the walking surface. Consequently, I’m a bit distracted from the overall image. I think if the center of the walkway was dodged a bit to brighten it up, this would have been an entirely different image.
NigelD – I’ve taken the time to study some of your images, and I like what you do with them. This edit adds a touch of warmth, which is nice. The weathered surface of the rail caps and planking turned out very nice. I think I would have preferred a slightly lower degree of saturation to the wooden features, to preserve the warmth, while slightly reducing the orange/red cast. Some of the green canopy also has a slight orange color cast, and reducing it for the overall image would have done wonders. But like many of your other images that I’ve examined, this is another nice job. Well done.
Palladium – I love this image. You did a nice job in selectively adjusting hue/sat, and by adding some “autumn color” to the right side of the walkway, you gave it some balance. The use of a vignette with a dutch-angle was rather unusual, but effective. In a non-traditional way, you reduced the negative space (created by an abundance of foliage) by simply eliminating some of the foliage. Your version clearly forces the viewer’s attention toward the end of the walkway and captivates attention. The vignette gives the impression of peering through a hole, or perhaps between some branches. Furthermore, you did an outstanding job of “dappling” the light. Outstanding.
TheLaird – Very nice. This is what I consider a “clean edit”. It is very similar to my first original edit (I had fun with this image, and I’ve edited it about a dozen times just to practice different editing techniques). Everything is well balanced, and there is just the right amount of adjustment. This is another image that I could use to teach the importance of balance, and why sometimes “less is more”. Nice job.
In the end, I narrowed it down to three images and still had a VERY DIFFICULT TIME. They were that good!! But this one goes back to Gail. … Absolutely wonderful. OK, Gail, next one’s yours !!!
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I really enjoyed your edit as well. 
