Lots of color shifts, added stars using a starry sky tutorial I found somewhere, involving just a brush tool at various sizes and degrees of softness. The original was taken at the Rocky Mountain Balloon Festival at Chatfield State Park, Littleton, Colorado.
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Well, drat. Judging by how long it took from validation request to DQ, it must have been a bit of a debate. At least I hope so. I thought when I submitted that it might be a source of controversy. Though I wonder what line I crossed since the EE debate back in December yielded SC quotes allowing submitters to draw in "small" elements by hand and precedent saw another entry validated with birds painted in (though many were clearly up in arms about that). I'm not challenging it, not upset**, but wondering where the line is, then. Hmm.
**I figure I was running with a 6.51 when the DQ hit just a couple hours before rollover, and that would have put it at roughly 47th place. I'm getting more views hanging out down here in the pink zone, so hey, life ain't too bad!
Other notes:
(1) Some loved the stars, some hated them. I figure if I'd left them out, then people would be complaining about the sky being too plain.
(2) Actually, Larus, it's not a composite! I did worry about the light appearing to come from the wrong side, but was careful to at least tweak the highlights with color balance to match the warmer hues.
Original photo, no edits outside a crop to roughly the same sector:
If you look at the shadow on the mountain peak in the center, it appears to match well with the shadows on the balloon. The sun is obviously coming from a nine o'clock position. A very well done piece that is augmented by the stars (IMHO). The birds-but-no-stars rule is inconsistent and regrettable.
I gave this an 8.
I got away with adding an entire ocean. You could have used flaming pears star filter legally. This is why i don`t like expert editing.
hmmm.....you can draw in birds, but not stars. I'll have to remember that. I guess birds don't fit in to the category of "ALL elements". (Nothing against the drawer of the birds. I just think it's a bad call.)
Well this is not bad but still, the lighting on those baloons look totall off compared to the surroundings, I mean where is the light that is coming on them from the front coming from? Judging by the scene and the sun coming ove those hills they should be backlit, not frontlit like they are. Unless of course you had a third baloon up there with strobe lighting on the other two :)
Just saying you gotta think about stuff like lighting when doing composites, at least if you want it to look realistic. Nice shot despite my little rant there so I gave a 6.
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