In lockdown - hopefully not much longer and revisited some images of last trip O/S .About time to push the ACDSEE into overdrive and see what I can do without going into tutorials on HOW TO ! .I have resisted going off the Natural look till this effort .Look forwards to positive and negative reactions .Thanks !
Hi Tom, fellow Victorian and ACDSee user/sufferer!
I like this image with the dramatically converging verticals. You've got a light hand with your "post" compared to many here - to my eye, this could be a SOOC file.That's no criticism, as I think people on FS go crazy with processing, with results that look garish, implausible and which push me away rather than draw me in.
The greenish sky brings back nostalgic memories of Kodachrome...
Let's see more from you.
I am on the verge of YouTube assistance with ACDSee, but so far it's served me very well, although it's a bit isolating when everyone seems to speak Lightroom/Photoshop, which of course we know as Develop/Edit.
Thanks Chris .I got to the point where I am seeing so much increased detail that emulates HDR and portraits where peoples eyes follow you around the room -- very weird .Don't get me started on the Barbie doll look , but maybe I am fighting a losing battle ! ACDSEE is my preferred RAW file convertor, but saying that I had Paint shop pro before that and found it less intuitive. This is probably my fourth year with acdsee and it has improved quite a bit , competition is pushing this I guess .
I got started with ACDSee years ago, Tom, when my techie installed a pirated copy on my first PC, so I grew used to it, and started buying the program.
I tried Photoshop Elements at some point, but found it so un-intuitive that I gave up.
ACDSee's all-purpose viewer/manager/processor aspects are one big advantage I see over friends' use of PS, which seems over-complicated.
Still it's a bit like being the Betamax user in a VHS world, if you're old enough to remember the VCR's heyday!
Betamax was my machine of choice as I was working at the ABC studios in Ripponlea editing film then Betacam .The discarded Betacam tapes work in the Betamax machines until a burglar steals the machine .Funny but true .I am finding ACDSEE still keeps me happy but saying that the likes of DXO did tempt me but the devil you know .I didn't put much info about the skyscraper image on the post as I have found anything that involves content from China can polarize a lot of people ..Thanks for the chat .PS what is a SOOC file? - thanks from Tom .
Straight out of camera, Tom. Google and ye shall find! ;-)
Tom, I hope my reactions are constructive and not negative. I think this image needs some help. Compositionally, I'd like to see some context. As it is it just looks kind of phallic to me. If you squint, a quick look could be a humpback beginning a breach. I'm not really sure what this image is trying to tell me. My favorite aspect of the image is the clouds (at least that's what it looks like to me) reflected in the base of the building. From a processing standpoint several of the real cloud areas are completely blown out and the tint, which looks kind of sickly to me, I think should go for a pure B&W. Was the tint intentional? Also the brightness of the sky overwhelms the building. With so much blown out there's not much to do with that but maybe add a vignette or bring in another sky.
I have never used ACDSee, only heard of it. I grew up in a darkroom but when I went digital I started with PS and then added LR. When Adobe broke it's promise of never making LR subscription only I bailed and converted to Capture One. It is a decision I have never regretted. Abode products now feel more like a sledgehammer when a scalpel is needed. Capture One is preferred by most of the top pros and artists I know and while it may seem intimidating, it is as easy as LR to use, but it's effects are much more subtle and sophisticated. You can use it free for a month.
ACDSee is reputedly an equivalent to LR/PS with its inbuilt Develop and Edit modes. So similar results should be possible using either.
I take your point about context, etc, in the first paragraph. Although the image is appropriately posted in this Group, I like its ambiguity and lack of context seeing it as a pure image in its own right, rather than an example of this genre. I tend to agree about the tint, but its quirkiness is also part of the image's appeal for me.
Again, I do not mean to be negative about your comments, Paul. This is all so subjective and personal.
Agreed
Hi Paul and Chris . I thought the image of the building looked very reptile like to me .Maybe a very large snake with scales with the twist of the building and the scales(windows) it invoked a reptile response from me in the processing .Enhancing the windows to look like scales and the Blue/Green tint was a processing option in the software (ACDSEE) I tried the B/W options and the image lost some of the reptile like feel .I am not seeing the overexposed highlights that you speak of in the sky -- sorry but my screen calibration is recent and I know that on a glossy screen it will appear more contrasting . I run a Matt Dell monitor with Colormunki display calibration .But thanks for the comments as it is good to have some interest other than thumbs up or down !
Now you mention it, Tom, that reptilian feel is part of the image's appeal, and perhaps on reflection why I said that the quirky colour was part of the iis appeal.
I'm always interested in the creative process, and curious about others'. You've given us a real insight into quite subtle issues driving your decisions. Thanks for that!
And if you think this is "going all out"... have you looked at FStoppers much? ;-)
I am always conflicted as to what seems popular and where I am comfortable and have posted some images to test the waters .Having spent years in a commercial darkroom as well as still shooting corporate head shots . Some of the clients say they never look real in the images - always a tough sell to change that perception .I have friends who went to The college of the Arts and friends who went to the commercial school of photography and I can't say that they are anything but very different in ideology and approach .Just like society no right or wrongs just different .That's why we will always have differing opinions particurely in judging other peoples work .