Filters

For a while now I have been experimenting with various filters in Photoshop as I learn to use layers and adjustment filters, masks and clipping masks.

I don't mind telling you that I struggled with the whole clipping mask and adjustment layer scene, kept getting hung up on how to apply the adjustment to just one layer. Slowly I'm getting the hang of this as I start looking at experimenting with HDR. It was with HDR in mind when I started processing this photograph of the Eifel Tower which was taken just on sunset with the sun setting to my right. Not a good shot by any stretch of the imagination and taken with a Nikon point and shoot on the run. 

Anyway I decided that I would play around with it and see what could be done but I thought I would play around with some of Lightroom 4 settings first then the plan was to take it into Photoshop for some simulated HDR. I have had a copy of Nik's Color Efex Pro 4 for a while and one of my favourite filters is Detail Extractor (I have managed to achieve the same or similar results in Photoshop and have actually created 3 actions for varying degrees of detail extraction) which also gives a sort of HDR effect. This software is a plug-in to photoshop and I quite like it since it saves an awful lot of time while I'm still a novice in photoshop.

Well I got quite carried away and didn't actually get around to trying an HDR simulation. Most of the effects that you see in the attached photograph were created just using Lightroom and as many of the tools there that I felt I could possibly get away with, but I did finish off with (very little) Color Efex for a little selected detail on the Tower and a little warmth in the sky.

I have included a before and after shot so please comment and tell me what you think of it.

Till next time - "Capturing Inspiration"