August One Photo Focus Final Image – Click to Embiggen
How on earth did it get to be August so quickly? Well the good news is that means its time for my favourite monthly challenge – the One Photo Focus Challenge – where a group of us all take the SAME image and edit it in our own unique way – click here for the details and to see all the amazing submissions. I’ll be here when you get back 🙂
This month’s image is from Katie Prior – her blog Drawing with Light
Post Processing Steps:
1. Bought into Lightroom and applied basic global settings, the usual suspects of WB, exposure, clarity, contrast, highlights, whites and blacks, adjusted for the lens and also cropped the bottom quite heavily.
I like how this crop gave you enough foreground detail to be interesting, with great leading lines taking you back and then across again. This feels more balanced to me.
2. In LR then had fun playing with several presets – over time I have collected quite a range but only recently have actually got around to importing them all. Some are artistic and some are technical.
Played with several and saved them with the intention of doing a sky replacement.
3. Opened up PS and bought in all my variations and decided on the base image and the sky replacement image.
Created a mask and painted out the foreground, including the hills in the distance
4. Saved what I had made as a jpg and bought that image back in as a new layer, ran a Find Edges over it, Desaturated that and blended using Multiply at 62%
The purpose of this is to give some interesting texture to the edges and lines, just enough that you see it but not so much it overwhelms the image with its presence. An almost cartoon effect so to speak.
5. Add a Brightness / Contrast adjustment layer and increase the brightness.
6. Finally bring in a film emulsion frame effect, blend with Multiply at 60 % and voila !
This image was fun to work with, it has strong elements, good clean lines and space to work. It is the first time I have done a sky replacement!
Thankyou Katie for a great image, Thankyou Stacy for Challenging us again!
All comments, feedback and useful suggestions welcome!
Learning to See Light 
Love the film effect. And what a cool purple sky.
Thanks DJ I was concerned the film effect might be seen as a bit dark and the purple sky was fun, no one seems to have picked up on the fact its a sky replacement so it must work as an overall image 🙂
Oops, no I didn’t pick that up!
I did a really dark version to boost the sky and blended the dark sky version with a the original lighter version that was still purple toned – so if no one mentions it then Im guessing no one is noticing and then YAY it worked 🙂
Nice mood you created.
Thanks Laura, I wasnt sure initially about the purple and then I just went with it 🙂
You’re welcome. 🙂 I think it’s fun pushing the envelope.
Yes that’s what these challenges encourage!
Very nice. I like the film emulsion frame, did you download that from somewhere?
Mary I got the film emulsion as part of the content in my Photoshop Artistry course – it will probably be for sale online – I can’t remember which artist provided it tho.
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Very moody and dramatic
Thanks Raewyn, once I got the sky going in the right direction it became so much more interesting 🙂
Wow, Stacey, I would have had no idea that you replaced the sky! An absolutely seemless replacement and the purple works so well! Thanks so much for explaining your process in such detail. I’m assuming once I begin the PS Artistry course, this will make much more sense 😉 Reallly wonderful edit!
Cheers – yes I did the purple variation of the image and liked it and then did a darker one and liked the sky, so I used the dark sky on the lighter version (so overall it still retained a purple tint) and I think because the two images were tonally similar that it worked so well 🙂
Yes hopefully it will begin to make sense once you start on the PA course tho I have used some more advanced elements in here as well but the clever stuff is done with layers and masks and blend modes which I think you know something about already 🙂
Nope, know about the concepts but not the correct practice! Once we return from getting my daughter off to school, I’m hopeful I’lol be able to schedule weekly time to begin the course 🙂
Yay – most of the videos are between 15-30 min in length so easily digestible chunks. Its when you start PRACTISING then that is where time just disappears and you realise its several hours later LOL
Glad to hear the timeframe of the videos – I can’t complain about the length as you know I’ve made some over 15 minutes myself 🙂
Yes its important to know how much time to set aside. I find I can manage two big ones or 3 small ones at one go but beyond that my brain gets too full 🙂
I would never guess you replaced the sky, seems I am not the only one. Nice work.
Thanks, if it wasnt obvious then I did it properly 🙂
OK, I embiggened the image and wow! The texture doesn’t show up as well as it does on the biggen version. What a job you accomplished. Your first sky replacement? I have to get off my butt and start playing around with Photoshop. There’s always an excuse!
Thanks Emilio, yes the texture from applying the find lines function is just an extra layer of interest but you do need to see it big size to fully appreciate it 🙂
Yes my first sky replacement 🙂
Very nice edit Stacey, love the purple toning, gives it a very moody feel. The sky replacement is great, you can’t tell at all, you did a brilliant job of joining it together…seamless!
I used two purple toned images to blend, the darker one for the sky which is why I think it worked as well as it did
I quite like the moodiness that you have created with this edit. There is a feeling of trepidation i get when looking at it. nice editing.
Thanks Ben, I was going for a more serious feel so nice to know!
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