[KenCo1964]

I love the colours in this old wooden very long shed thing. Don't know if it is still used or what it is/was used for but it has been here for as long as I can remeber. The chimney/vent things on the roof along with the colour of the shed really caught my eye, although I did have a look at a couple of other angles I couldn't see how else to shoot this. There are bushes, trees and other general untidy shrubbery that I didn't want to include....I would like your advice on how I could get some kind of abstract from this, the building is nearly twice as long as what's shown in the pic.....there's also a nice bridge at the end of the shed, just not the angle to be able to get the two together.



This isn't that bridge but just the same.


Thanks.
Ken.

[Catdaddy]

Great pics, Ken. Looks to me that you've been a bit heavy with USM though, judging by the halos...

[SammyC]

Same thoughts as Chris.

Beautiful colours Ken.

[Venomator]

Fabulous colours and really great shots - I see the halos, particularly around the chimney things in the first !

As for abstracting it (the first) ... got a decent set of steps ?

[Dave]

Nice shots Ken. Idea for abstract on 1st, is I really like the light coming through 1st window......now if only that was also in the 4th window down , it would lead your eye into the picture beautifully ?

[AquilaEagle]

Originally Posted by Catdaddy

Great pics, Ken. Looks to me that you've been a bit heavy with USM though, judging by the halos...

Could someone explain what this means, I don't follow thanks

[Boon]

i must admit, of all the great pictures and of all the talent on this site, i find waiting for your photo's to appear has to be top of the list for me, i dont know what it is about your colours, they look almost real to me, just like real texture, i use a 350d too, why dont my colours look like this

do you use a set procedure for photoshop, as i have seen an odd post about your pictures may be too sharp (whatever that means) but they certainly work for me, and i for one would be interested in hearing about your methods, should you care to share.
stevannie

@Aquila USM is Unsharp Mask

[Matt]

Originally Posted by AquilaEagle

Could someone explain what this means, I don't follow thanks

If you over do the sharpening (USM), you get whats described as a halo around a contrasting edge.
It appears as a glow.

[praxis]

The colours are awsome, I really like them.

[Boon]

do you oversharpen by using the USM to many times, or can it be done using it just once.

[CT]

It's unlikely you'd over-sharpen using the USM just once, unless you applied it to an image which had already been optimally sharpened - the whole point of USM is that you sharpen in small increments so you can always go back a step if you over cook it.

[KenCo1964]

Sorry for the delay replying to this guys. My original intention was to hopefully get some advice on going back and reshooting this as I wasn't happy with it myself......just boring! and was thinking someone would come up with an idea from what was seen here and the description I gave of the scene.....
AS for usm......I have explained this many times, I only use the TPFaction dowloaded from here to apply and reduce for web size and really don't think it is this that is causing any probs. As it happens, I have checked the raw file and this halo seems to be in the raw image also.

I do believe that this is more a contrast/brightness thing and made more noticeable by my processing and the usm applied by the action.

Originally Posted by stevannie

i must admit, of all the great pictures and of all the talent on this site, i find waiting for your photo's to appear has to be top of the list for me, i dont know what it is about your colours, they look almost real to me, just like real texture, i use a 350d too, why dont my colours look like this

do you use a set procedure for photoshop, as i have seen an odd post about your pictures may be too sharp (whatever that means) but they certainly work for me, and i for one would be interested in hearing about your methods, should you care to share.
stevannie

@Aquila USM is Unsharp Mask

Thank Stevanie.....are you married?
The first pic of the shed thing was processed in Photomatix and then cs2. You can find info and a demo download from HDR photo software & plugin - Tone Mapping, Exposure Blending & HDR Imaging for photography

Thanks again for the kind words and if you need any help just let me know.
Ken.

[Boon]

thanks ken, i will download a trial of this software when i have some 16 bit tiffs to play with, but tell me, does it need more than one shot in order to produce that sort of effect?
again many thanks
ps Yes i am married LOL

[Steve]

Ken the issue with the USM is there, you are oversharpening them and it is emphersising the contrasts, that what USM does. The reason why you are suffering with the effect more than most other people here is because the original shot (from which you posted a crop above) is really sharp and would only need a tiny amount of usm after reduce for web, not the usual amounts that most people would apply and get away with.

You should take that as a compliment of your equipment quality and your ability to use it correctly to get the best results. likewise you should also vary your amounts of USM on a per image basis. The TPF action is a good "middle ground" from where to start but will not give you the best results for every photo and with images like this you will probably find that hardly any sharpening is required.

HTH