aerial photo

[flight1]

I have another aerial photo I need help with. How can I emphasize the monolith in the center while clearing uo the rest of the photo? Thanks for your help.

https://www.pbase.com/flight1

[ArtistColumbus]

I basically did a few simple steps.

Open file, adjust color with Curves.
Used quick mask to select the monolith. Deepened the shadows with Curves.
Inversed the selection and copied it to a new layer.
Feathered the selectionout from the monolith.
Blended the layer using the Screen mode.

[tyeise]

That looks very nice.

Tyeise

[Stephen M]

I hope the original is larger than the one at the link provided, this should be a nice pic with more detail to play with...

Before sharpening, use of this free filter 'adaptive equalize' is recommended:

http://www.reindeergraphics.com/free.shtml

Adaptive histogram eqalization is a great technique for bringing out detail in shadows or for landscapes and anywhere that minute detail is needed.

On a duped layer luminance blended at reduced opacity into the original, then a good sharpen.

One could also apply minor desaturation to the background to make the foreground stand out. When done with curves one can attempt to steepen tone/colour in the tonal range of interest while flattening out unwanted background tone which is more natural than making selections or masks, but not always as easy to apply in a given situation.

Stephen Marsh.

[Stephen M]

My general correction method used five general sub steps in Photoshop to enhance the monolith…

i) Separate Luminance and Colour blend curves in RGB (like using LAB or HIS/HSB mode without changing modes). The secret here was to use the layer option blend if sliders to restrict the tonal edit to only the darker tones. The opt/alt key is held while dragging apart the highlight slider triangle in the lower blend if tonal range slider. This is dragged fully over to the shadow endpoint, but one can stop midway if needed. This let me quickly adjust the tones in the landscape without blowing out the sky in the curves adjustment layer (BTW this luminance blend and blend if split tonal intensity method is my preferred way to sharpen in most cases it is like lighten/darken mode but only with one layer). The colour blend curve layer let me use a lesser setting on the colour tweak than what the luminance blend required – as doing this in normal blend mode shifted hue/saturation too much once the tonal level was found (as normal mode affects both colour and tone).

ii) Contrast Masking to bring out detail and shift lighting.

iii) Adaptive Histogram Eqalization filtering and luminance blending and or layer masking in a duped layer at reduced opacity to bring out detail. Even simply adding noise to the rocks can help add the appearance of minor detail.

iv) Use of a good sharpen in RGB using USM or DoM or DoG or High Pass etc. I like a luminance blend with lesser light halo intensity than dark halo.

v) Duping a flat copy and converting to CMYK using a skeleton black light GCR or UCR profile and then giving the K channel a good sharpen, before taking this file back to RGB and then luminance blending over the original corrected image and reducing opacity and or masking to taste.

Regards,

Stephen Marsh.

[sdubose99]

Columbus, good job. Stephen, I'm amazed -- although it may not look much like the actual scene, I'm sure that filter will be very helpful in some situations! You also threw a few new buzzwords around that I need to check into, thanks.

Scott

[ArtistColumbus]

Tyeise and Scott -- Thanks for the compliments!

Stephen, interesting filter. I'm going to have to spend some time playing with it.

[Stephen M]

Adaptive Equalization is nice at times (not for skintone though). I went 'stronger' in the correction with the AE and the duped/blended K channel sharpen to demonstrate the point about bringing out detail in key areas (it is a bit too dark in places for my liking and it detracts from the nice red rocks).

Since the original was so soft and lacking in punch - I went to the other extreme as a demo as to what is possible in a thumbnail image that is not ideal.

Access to the original hi res should do this photo correction justice. Have fun.

P.S. Just ask if you have problems with the jargon - the terms are part of my natural image processing language and not used as 'buzzwords' to wow or confuse (they are meant to explain a concept for those in the know). I usually have some small thoughts to add and links to flesh out a point if needed. <g>


Stephen Marsh.

[flight1]

Thanks for all your help everyone. what a great improvement! I'm going to try them all but I am limited by only having PSE ll.

[jeaniesa]

Stephen,

That improvement is really amazing. THANKS for that link! Your version may be a little sharp, but from what I know of the area the picture was taken in (I've spent a LOT of time in the red rocks and canyon areas of Utah), the details you picked up are right on the money!!

Jeanie