Experiment 08 - B&W Conversion: Broken Arrow #2, Sedona, AZ

[photoken]

Just for the heluvit, I decided to see what I could do in RawTherapee:

Experiment 08 RT.jpg

In general, I found it much easier to get excellent separation of the values in the mid-tones -- you can really see the four distinct planes of the foreground rock formation.

It was more difficult to increase the overall brightness of just the foreground rock formation, but that may be due to my lack of practice with RT's settings.

Since RT does not have Dodge & Burn brushes (nor does it have masks or layers), I couldn't darken the values of the background mountains where they come up against the foreground rocks.

So, as is the case when needing to get the ultimate quality out of a RAW image, RT is still the way to go; with PL giving very good results, but still slightly behind RT and its millions of possible adjustments.

[Alan9940]

Over the course of the years, I've had the great good fortune to see many original Ansel Adams prints. Even he changed his interpretation of the negative -- one can see that his later prints from the same negative are more "contrasty". The later prints can be described as being "bolder" or having more "punch", but he always remained true to the feeling of the glorious light in the scene....

Yep, you can't beat seeing original prints! I've seen Mr. Adams's original prints more than any other photographer; and I've seen quite a few original prints of both past & present B&W photographers. I remember seeing a show of Ansel's at the MOMA (think it was back in 1979) where I stood in front of a small square print (probably from his Hassey) of turbulent water rushing over and around a tree/rock (probably near the base of Upper Yosemite falls), and I started to drool! DROOL!! There was just something about the mix of gray tones and light in that image that I found so refreshing! I was just starting out with LF B&W photography at that time and I knew, then, how far I had to go. Not saying I've come anywhere close to Ansel's technical/artistic capabilities, but 35+ years later I'm certainly better than I was then!!

Several years ago on a trip through CA that culminated in a visit to Yosemite, I was invited to be part of a "Gallery Talk" at the Ansel Adams gallery. This is where a small group of folks get to go into the "vault" at the gallery and view original Adams prints. I saw 3 of his original portfolios! I felt so lucky to have had a chance to do this and will always remember it.

By the way, I went back and looked at your re-worked version and I think you've got a terrific sense of light where the edges of the mountains meet the sky. Might be interesting to crop it into a long, narrow image with that sky/mountain edge as the focal point.

Thanks for mentioning that...I will go back a take a look.

Kind regards,
Alan

[Alan9940]

Hey Ken,

That RT interpretation isn't bad, either. I played around with RT so many years ago that I can't even remember what it looks like! Many, many years ago I settled on Capture One Pro as my main RAW converter and, over the years, it has just gotten better and better. When I need "best in class" optical corrections, I turn to DxO.

The foreground rock area is nicely separated and reveals nice texture, but I agree that it would be nice to see some separation between the upper-leftish rock area and the mountain in the distance. There's also a halo looking line along the top of the distant mountains; probably due to the multiple re-sizing to post on this board.

Kind regards,
Alan

[photoken]

This is where a small group of folks get to go into the "vault" at the gallery and view original Adams prints. I saw 3 of his original portfolios!

I wish you hadn't mentioned that -- now I'm jealous....

[photoken]

Many, many years ago I settled on Capture One Pro as my main RAW converter and, over the years, it has just gotten better and better.

Out of curiosity, have you done B&W conversions with Capture One? Does it give you the same (or more) control than the adjustment layers we've been exploring in PL?

There's also a halo looking line along the top of the distant mountains; probably due to the multiple re-sizing to post on this board.

I noticed that line and halo in my first test image and looked at the sky/mountain edges in the original JPG at 400% -- there's a distinct line there. I just assumed it was an artifact created by the RAW to JPG conversion. The adjustments I happened to use in RT had the unintended consequence of emphasing that line.

[Herbert123]

My quick attempt. Again, artistically inclined.

tmpzjmmphg8jb.jpg

Bigger version: http://i64.tinypic.com/5n3mz6.jpg

[Alan9940]

Out of curiosity, have you done B&W conversions with Capture One? Does it give you the same (or more) control than the adjustment layers we've been exploring in PL?

Yes, I have; using presets & styles that are built-in or that I've acquired over the years, and a set of styles that I purchased years ago. All these don't even come close to providing the granularity of control that this technique we've been exploring does.

I noticed that line and halo in my first test image and looked at the sky/mountain edges in the original JPG at 400% -- there's a distinct line there. I just assumed it was an artifact created by the RAW to JPG conversion. The adjustments I happened to use in RT had the unintended consequence of emphasing that line.

Maybe my fault or, as you said, a JPEG artifact.

Kind regards,
Alan

[Alan9940]

Thank you, Herbert123. I love seeing all these different interpretations!

Kind regards,
Alan