Playing In LR3

[Jeff D. Welker]

I decided to spend some time experimenting in LR3 to see how I can take a fairly simple image and make it interesting. What do you think? C&C welcome.

[Jay Beckman]

Can't let a request languish... 

I like to see people pushing their personal processing envelopes but I think maybe you went just a tad overboard here.

I like how you've dialed this down to almost monochromatic but it looks as if you dialed up the noise reduction to the point where you're losing details.  Just a personal preference mind you but when something is make of aluminum, steel, iron, etc, I like to see some "teeth" or "grit" and not have the image softened to where it looks like it's a marshmallow.

The halo over the canopy looks like you've ran the Clarity slider most of the way to the right and combined with the vignette, you've got a bit of Saint John the Baptist going on over the pilot.

I'd come back on the clarity a bit and also dial back the noise reduction a tad as well.  Maybe try some of the presets in the develop module (F7 Key to reveal the left panel) and see if any of the B&W or color filter monochrome presets give this a little more pop.

Nice tight, sharp shot but I'd try a different direction with the processing.  Just my $0.02...

Just as a comparison, here's a very similar shot of mine that (again, IMO) feels like it has more "Balls" and gives the airframe some "weight."


Keep playing, tweaking, adjusting, etc and don't forget that you can save favorite "recipes" as custom presets so you can use them again later without having to try and remember what steps you used.

- Jay

[Jeff D. Welker]

Muchas Gracias Jay - just the type of feedback I'm looking for. I'll play some more and see where that takes me. Here is another version where I dialed back the Clarity and Luminance Noise Reduction. I also played with the tone a bit. Additional C&C welcome.

[Jay Beckman]

Therein lies the beauty of digital.

Different "print" styles (on screen) cost nothing.  Added bonus in LR is the ability to make virtual copies so if you want to go way off on a bender, you can leave your original or a version you really like untouched!

Looking forward to further refinements.  As a learning tool, I'd suggest you leave originals in place and post subsequent versions.

[Jeff D. Welker]

One last effort for the night - a b/w toned version.