i have learned to bracket my exposures an combine them in post to get a nice blue sky along with a well defined details in the shadow areas.
now this can produce a very hdr looking photo, i think i have figure out how to keep it to a minimum....but, how would i accomplish this or even make this easier?
i recently took one where i had to combine 7 exposures to get the get the full tonal range. i know a graduated filter would help immensely but, sometime i dont have that clean definition between horizon and sky and the graduated filter would cover up areas i need to leave open. are there any other types of filters that would help, i had an ND filter which doesn't fit my wide angle so i need to replace it, so i wonder if i should be looking for a good filter that will help me get a nice blue sky if it even exists...
In post-production, make a duplicate layer. Use a BW plugin like Silver Efex Pro or Topaz BW and use the red/orange/yellow filter range to darken the sky. Set the layer to luminosity mode to bring the color back, and mask out everything but the sky. You can do the same thing without plugins by using channels in Photoshop. Basically, do one processing for "everything but sky" and another for "sky only" and mask. Once you get used to it this is pretty quick.
In post-production, make a duplicate layer. Use a BW plugin like Silver Efex Pro or Topaz BW and use the red/orange/yellow filter range to darken the sky. Set the layer to luminosity mode to bring the color back, and mask out everything but the sky. You can do the same thing without plugins by using channels in Photoshop. Basically, do one processing for "everything but sky" and another for "sky only" and mask. Once you get used to it this is pretty quick.
A mostly unrelated post, but there was a time in my life I wouldn't have understood anything you just said, outside of the plug-in stuff. After attending one Scott Kelby live seminar here in Tampa, I am literally imagining what you are saying to do, as I read it.
I routinely use 0.6 (2 stop) and 0.9 (3 stop) soft graduated neutral density filters. During the golden hours, I can bring the dynamic range of the scene within the capability of my camera. During times of day with greater than 10 stops of light between blackest shadows and brightest highlights, I will ALSO bracket images for HDR blending purposes. The concept is to avoid blowing out the highlights and avoid blocking up the shadows. The U-Point technology of Nik works very well, as long as there are pixels (other than 0 and 255 tones) to work with.
It may be unique to thin atmospheres, but I very rarely use my polarizing filter for landscapes involving sky gradients. If it's a wide angle shot, I will experience banding from polarizing filter use.
In general, most sky issues can be mitigated by moving into a position to shoot with the sun on the back of your shoulders. I know that is elementary and basic. But, a favorable shot angle to the sun (at least an obtuse angle) prevents image problems. Then, you don't need to fix it in pp.
eta: I do use my polarizing filter to cut glare from wet rocks and vegetation. Also, the polarizing filter can naturally enhance vegetation saturation.
In post-production, make a duplicate layer. Use a BW plugin like Silver Efex Pro or Topaz BW and use the red/orange/yellow filter range to darken the sky. Set the layer to luminosity mode to bring the color back, and mask out everything but the sky. You can do the same thing without plugins by using channels in Photoshop. Basically, do one processing for "everything but sky" and another for "sky only" and mask. Once you get used to it this is pretty quick.
eta: I do use my polarizing filter to cut glare from wet rocks and vegetation. Also, the polarizing filter can naturally enhance vegetation saturation.
I (sometimes) use a polarizer when trying to preserve detail in clouds, more than to darken the sky overall. Would have liked to have had one when I was taking this (8 years ago) ...
