2 cinemascope sunsets

[efflux]

The one with the windmills is cool. I had thought of using different cloud layers for this kind of thing or we could have a future facility to drive the cloud colours with a fractal even the same fractal that is driving the shapes. I'm playing with that first render you did because it's the type of thing I'd bring into Lightzone. Lightzone has this relight algorithm that achieves some interesting effects especially with clouds. I will post the results so you can see what it does.

[efflux]

Hi Frank.

I didn't get around to this until today. Here is a post worked version in Lightzone. Ideally you want to get a 16 bit image into Lightzone. I tried to increase the sense of depth. Break it up a bit. The relight effect gets good results on water.

[FrankB]

I see the difference. However I like the original lighting better, in this case - but thanks for demonstrating this with my image anyway. I've seen most of the tutorial videos on the Lightzone website and I am convinced that this tool is great. It's just that I did not always agree their end result was "better". Maybe it was, but I think a couple of the demo shots became less interestig the way they applied the changes.


Cheers
Frank

[cyphyr]

I had a go at LightZone, great potential, my only issue is that it don't seem to recognise the exr format. Seems like a hole bunch of potential is being missed ...

Richard

[efflux]

I think the problem is that some of the effects, specifically the relight one, are being demonstrated as some complete fix for a picture that was originally very badly lit or exposed. I see the beauty in minor tweaking - just washing across with various subtle effects. It's great for this because of the non destructive real time - you can go back and alter any effect layer.

It doesn't do exr. You have to use another app then bring into Lightzone as 16 bit tiff. Of course it would be cool if it did do exr but I suspect that having loads of real time effects layers with visual editing of selections etc all updating with every tweak could be a problem with exr.

I do things in stages. Sort the exposure of exr in Cinepaint (or whatever app you use) then I bring into Lightzone but often after than I bring into Gimp - mostly sharpening or refocusing etc after I have the final size for the image. Gimp seems good for this last adjustment.

Also, the general idea behind Lightzone is implied in it's name. If follows a system Ansel Adams used for zones of tone. You see each zone in a small thumbnail - highlighted when you hover across them in the zone mapper. I find the app very very good simply from a visual feedback way of working. At the end of the day, although other apps can do the same things, you actually can't do it because you can't see what you are doing and go back and change anything easily.

Of course what I especially like is the Linux version