Before & After #298

This game is to help those of us who are trying to learn new editing tricks.

Here's the breakdown of the game. I will post a picture, re-sized to exactly 1024 pixels maximum on the long side. Outside of being re-sized it has to be unedited...meaning no adjustments to any levels, it has to look like it did as it came out of the camera.

The game will last 72hrs and whoever can produce the best edited image (as judged by me) will be picked and it'll be their turn to post their unedited picture for all of us to take a crack at.

The participants must have their "Image Editing OK" turned on and they must provide at least a simple breakdown of how they edited the image, some entrants are a little vague on this point, please give us all details so we can learn and share tips. For instance if you use the unsharp mask tool or Smart Sharpen, provide us with the adjustments you used so others can try them out.

You can post multiple images, but the first image you post will be the one that is judged - all other images will be considered for knowledge and tip use only.

Also, please keep all comments, be they positive or negative, to yourself until after the game has ended.

If you happen to be the winner of the game please start the next one with the title of the game and the following number. For example…the next game should read "Before & After #299".

this game will end Saturday, July 10th, at 8:30 pm CST .

Table setting, Thanksgiving 2008 (sorry I have to dig in my external HD, being w/o camera right now)
Full Size Image link: http://www.eideticmemo​ries.com/IMG_5764.JPG

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My first Before & After entry!

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1. Slight rotation counter clockwise.
   
2. Added a tighter crop while keeping the same proportions. I wanted to get rid of the blown sky on the right side of the original.
   
3. Adjusted white-balance for a warmer feel.
   
4. Adjustment Brush on glasses. Added sharpening, exposure and clarity.
   
5. Admustment Brush on blown sky. Decreased exposure.
   
6. Dialed in a little contrast with the Blacks slider.
   

straightened the image and cropped to 4x6 ratio - cloned in some of the empty spaces as a result of the new crop.

added some daylight fog / haze to the upper part of the image on a new layer

sharpened only the main water glass and masked out the glass so the haze wasn't on the glass

now the magical part (if I do say so myself) - using the liquefying filter I tried to level out the water in the glass. first I use the "Freeze Mask" tool of the liquefying filter to keep the initials and the glass edged alone. Then using the "Push Left" tool working from right to left I pushed the water line down to kinda level it off.

(added - I didn't see the link to the full res version of the image, I worked up the small image and looking back now I wished I would have noticed the full res and used that as a base - my bad)

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Warmed it up in in ACR. Cropped and USM in Elements.

Open in Canon DPP and apply sharpening. Transfer to CS4 and duplicate background. Import wine pic courtesy of geishaboy500 here in Flickr Creative commons :- http://www.flickr.com …/geishaboy500/4​532220990/
Make selection of glass and erase surplus wine to fit. Duplicate wine layer in multiply mode to darken up. CTRL E to merge. Duplicate, high pass sharpen then stroke and flatten.

curves adjustment
sharpened etch on glass
cloned out salt/pepper
cloned out salt/pepper reflection in glass
cloned out window at top right of photo
cloned table where salt/pepper was
selected out background, burned highlights, duplicated
set background duplicate layer to multiply and opacity to 55
flattened and straightened image
added black frame
flattened.

masked off glass
added some gaussian blur
converted to b&w
masked off letter on glass
colored in letter with brush
tweaked contrast/curves
unsharp mask
straightened
cropped

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First try

1. Contrast
2. Select the first cup
3. Some blur
4. High Pas
5. Blur edges.

HOSTED PHOTO
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straighten
crop
levels
Nik Software Infrared 5
All steps adjusted for finished product

WHOLY PARTICIPATION B&A

This is FANTASTIC! I would love to see this with every B&A https://photography-on-the.net/forum/member.p​hp?u=229942

ImMikeTran-I like your edit, nice and clean, maybe a little on the bright side? on my screen anyway...
Palladium-I like how you isolated the glass in the front, this would be an AWESOME effect for an outdoors 'woodsy' photo, indoors... I'm not feeling the 'fog' effect. Even tho I TOTALLY dig it... just not in this setting.
TheLaird-Nice edit, although maybe a little TOO warm for my tastes.
LiberationFrequency-Very nice simple edit, I like the colors & feel of the image
NigelD-Awesome Nigel, you KNOW I love a creative edit, this would TOTALLY have it *IF* the pouring liquid would have made it behind the lip of the glass otherwise very well done.
jb2u- the removal of the salt & pepper was nice, even tho I remember putting them there on purpose, I'm unsure on making the background so dark, otherwise well done.
nakideye- very creative edit, the blur effect you achieved is fantastic, although I'm not really feeling the blue & pink.
surgeonhawkeye- very nice first try, I'm not feeling the haze in the background & the plain glass in the foreground, definitely keep at it, I have come a long way just participating in the b&a, its a lot of fun
firu3000- very creative edit, I'm not too sure on the color... it would have been interesting to see this photo in B&W, that's one direction no one went.

I am going to give this round to Liberation Frequency

Well done everyone!

& of course I like to share how I did my edit

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Good job Liberation Frequency and nice critique Lore.

My turn!

Ill post tonight. When I get off of work...

UGH... its no fun when this happens

In an effort to keep the game running we sometimes need to pick a runner up

It's clear in my comments above who my runner up would be NigelD.

Run with it man, get this game going again.

LiberationFrequency, hopefully all is well & you keep participating in the future.

Hi Lore

Sorry - I'm on holiday on a borrowed laptop without a picture to my name! Could just suggest 3rd place.