Beach Editing

potter

potter

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Name
Adam
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi,

I have tried to have a go at some beach / sunset type landscape shots.
Whilst doing this I used cheap Ebay "ND" filters and having put the images on the computer, they appear to have ruined them and have a purple kind of tint to them.

I wanted to have a try at editing them, the only programme I have is GIMP. I have read through some bits and watched some videos on youtube, but I cant seem to get a decent final image.

I have attached two images to show what I mean about the tint. One of them is without the filter.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated... Very frustrating as they seemed to look okay in the camera at the time.


DSC_0001 by adamevans101, on Flickr


DSC_0103 by adamevans101, on Flickr

Cheers,

Adam

:thumbsdown::bonk:
 
Hi, Just a suggestion. Try taking two exposures, one for the sky and one for the foreground then merge them together. It is a lot easier than trying to set a NDG filter on the horizon especially if some of the scene protrudes into the sky area, on a flat horizon yes OK.
I don't no if Gimp has layers if it does not have a look at the OnOne software site there are free software options there and when I say free they are just that.
Also have a look on youtube for combining two images together.
Russ
 
russellsnr said:
Hi, Just a suggestion. Try taking two exposures, one for the sky and one for the foreground then merge them together. It is a lot easier than trying to set a NDG filter on the horizon especially if some of the scene protrudes into the sky area, on a flat horizon yes OK.
I don't no if Gimp has layers if it does not have a look at the OnOne software site there are free software options there and when I say free they are just that.
Also have a look on youtube for combining two images together.
Russ
Click to expand...

Cheers, might have a go with the two pictures, different exposures option

GIMP does have layers etc so should be able to do that
 
You might want t use a custom white ballance when shooting, lots of the nd filters induce a colour cast. The colour shouldn't be too hard to fix, but as I hardly ever use gimp I can't really help you.
 
The last pic looks pretty decent, doesn't it?
 
If you want a frank response, you missed your opportunity when you packed your gear from that shoot. You're doing the classic mistake of believing you can shoot something dull and then make it great in PP.

The final version (whilst OK) just looks like a coloured in version of the original. Landscapes rarely look like that. The original sky could have been shot with a bit more colour, but possibly not much - you need a bit more sky detail for a great sunset and that day Nature wasn't on your side.

As above, the best way of capturing the sky and land detail is multiple exposures, keep at it, I'm sure it'll come.
 
Phil V said:
If you want a frank response, you missed your opportunity when you packed your gear from that shoot. You're doing the classic mistake of believing you can shoot something dull and then make it great in PP.

The final version (whilst OK) just looks like a coloured in version of the original. Landscapes rarely look like that. The original sky could have been shot with a bit more colour, but possibly not much - you need a bit more sky detail for a great sunset and that day Nature wasn't on your side.

As above, the best way of capturing the sky and land detail is multiple exposures, keep at it, I'm sure it'll come.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply... When you say missed the opportunity do you mean I should have stayed around for longer?

Since this I have had a sit down, read some bits and watched some stuff to help get a better understanding. I think next time I will do as some people have said and do multiple exposures.
 
potter said:
Thanks for the reply... When you say missed the opportunity do you mean I should have stayed around for longer?

Since this I have had a sit down, read some bits and watched some stuff to help get a better understanding. I think next time I will do as some people have said and do multiple exposures.
Click to expand...

I mean that's not the best shot you could have got. So you came home with an OK shot that you wished was more than that. The best tool to get a better shot is the camera - not Photoshop.
 
potter said:
Thanks for the reply... When you say missed the opportunity do you mean I should have stayed around for longer?

Since this I have had a sit down, read some bits and watched some stuff to help get a better understanding. I think next time I will do as some people have said and do multiple exposures.
Click to expand...

Hi, "When you say missed the opportunity do you mean I should have stayed around for longer?"
What you should do is get there at the right time of day or evening, there is no magic formula that you can go to a location take a shot and fix it later in PP.
Check the weather forecast for the days you hope to be able to go out with the camera, if it's going to be cloudy then IMO get there, there is nothing more boring than a plain blue sky over a beautiful scene, again JMO.
Plan your trip out, don't just leave it to luck and chance, it does not work 99.9% of the time.
On the day when you have that plain blue sky leave the camera at home around the midday hour and go for a couple hours scouting to find a scene that you feel will make going back again worth the effort, don't rush back the same day unless of course it's just round the corner.
When you get there and get set up wait for the light don't just click,click,click. Click once and make it count.
Russ
 
russellsnr said:
Hi, "When you say missed the opportunity do you mean I should have stayed around for longer?"
What you should do is get there at the right time of day or evening, there is no magic formula that you can go to a location take a shot and fix it later in PP.
Check the weather forecast for the days you hope to be able to go out with the camera, if it's going to be cloudy then IMO get there, there is nothing more boring than a plain blue sky over a beautiful scene, again JMO.
Plan your trip out, don't just leave it to luck and chance, it does not work 99.9% of the time.
On the day when you have that plain blue sky leave the camera at home around the midday hour and go for a couple hours scouting to find a scene that you feel will make going back again worth the effort, don't rush back the same day unless of course it's just round the corner.
When you get there and get set up wait for the light don't just click,click,click. Click once and make it count.
Russ
Click to expand...

Cheers, I had looked at the times etc for the sunset this time, I think its more the problem of not looking for the proper location. I will invest more time in selecting where and when in the future. Live and learn...
 
potter said:
Cheers, I had looked at the times etc for the sunset this time, I think its more the problem of not looking for the proper location. I will invest more time in selecting where and when in the future. Live and learn...
Click to expand...

Don't expect to be able to plan a perfect shot at any time, dedicated landscape shooters get up at ridiculous hours and return to sites many times to capture those breathtaking images.
 
Phil V said:
Don't expect to be able to plan a perfect shot at any time, dedicated landscape shooters get up at ridiculous hours and return to sites many times to capture those breathtaking images.
Click to expand...

Oh I don't expect to. I think I can see the benefits of shift working coming in handy for this

Also a matter of getting to grips with it all.
 
potter said:
Oh I don't expect to. I think I can see the benefits of shift working coming in handy for this

Also a matter of getting to grips with it all.
Click to expand...

What you most need to get to grips with is learning to 'see' the light. It sounds poncy, but if you find your ten favourite photo's and study them hard, you'll find that lighting plays an important part in their attraction.
 
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