As you can see this really isn't all that different from the original [thumb]923123[/thumb], but I wanted to get something cleaner and crisper (and it's a five-minute walk from home during what's been a ridiculously busy spring).
For Revecca: It's a blend of four exposures with photomatix, geared toward the dark side of exposure values. I hate how often I turn to HDR, but I love clouds, and this is the way to get them the way I like them.
In Photomatix: jacked up the micro contrast, lowered the luminosity, desaturated to 42% to try to get rid of cartoonish colors, reduced micro smoothing to 0, played with smoothing and overall percentage slider a bit.
Then in PS: the standard levels and curves to get some pop, some burning for more pop, multiply layer for, um, pop, and then an overlay for you can guess what. Then an unsharpen mask on the luminosity channel.
I don't know what I'm doing so it's a hodgepodge of a workflow, but I do really like this photo. (The new gravel they laid down helps as well.)
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This is incredible. I absolutely love EVERYTHING about it.. the way the clouds look so menacing.. yet we see a glimmer of light coming from the other side..
I hope you ribbon, because this one is my favorite!
I hope you share your technique with us, too.
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