Lake Placid View

Sometimes grunge works.
This is a five shot with grunge preset processing.
Except for the dirt on the filter it really has something of the feeling I had looking at this scene.

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I like the beams of light streaming through the clouds...but...the image seems very flat with little contrast to me. Even hdr images should have good contrast IMHO.

Here's a quick edit to show what I mean.

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Wow - you really need to clean your sensor!!

Yes, I agree that the edit is better, the first looked a bit flat.

tmcman wrote in post #10735635
Sometimes grunge works.
This is a five shot with grunge preset processing.
Except for the dirt on the filter it really has something of the feeling I had looking at this scene.

Looks fine until you get to the bottom and see those reds and greens pumped way up. I'd pull them back so they look more natural.

Thanks for the great discussion.
Here is a revised with clean clouds, contrast masked to mostly hit the mountains and some desat in the town.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/9239218@N03/4​904804888/

Try an overlay of the original and the HDR with 30% opacity and see what you get.

Now pull a little more contrast back into the town.

I like the first one you posted best

You guys are great!
John Paul Caponigro has this theory that warmth, contrast, sharpness, brightness and saturation are eye magnets.
I'm not sure if he uses the term magnets but that's how I remember it.
That's the idea behind selective application of increased contrast.
If I want eyes to go to the mountains then mask the layer so they are the only subjects that get one of those things.
Thanks for your thought-provoking and heart-warming interest.