Quite a difference of opinion on editing, specifically how much is too much? From artificial skies to digital manipulation the possibilities are almost endless. Seems ironic to me but seems the people most against aggressive editing are the people that have $10,000 worth of camera gear?

If you have watched any of my previous videos you will see that one of my favorite techniques is to capture a still photo from a drone flight. The theory being, that it is much easier to see a composition from the comfort of home rather than fumbling around in harsh light with limited battery time. The downside of this method has to do with losing some picture quality compared with a designated photo. Consequently, I try to bump up the file size through editing. If you are thinking about submitting for stock photo sales the minimum file size is typically 4MB with a few sites accepting 2 MB pictures.

The style somewhat naturally progressed into a form that I have heard referred to as, “Painterly”. Of course, this where the “Purists" start to have a problem. But as you will see I have very few issues with it. Sky replacement tools have become more common and now available from Luminar and the latest version of Photoshop.

I have used the hack to give some life to old snapshots from 20 years ago and I would suggest looking rather natural. The sample here is a meadow view from Sequoia National Park. Of course, easy to overuse or look awkward, and best to stick with the “Less is More” strategy.

As seen in one of the examples here, Orton Effect is another tool that has become popular and used to create a soft or mystical feeling to photos. Detailed explanation here;

https://www.clickandlearnphotography.com/latest/orton-effect-in-photoshop/

I have a friend in China who likes to send me pictures. Unfortunately, many are taken with a cell phone camera and need some help. A little difficult to recover blown-out skies or people cut in half but I think I have managed to keep the essence of the picture in these 2 examples. If nothing else it was a good exercise in colors and lines.

The last 3 photos are mine with some minor color adjustments. At least minor by my standards? In order of appearance;

Red Rock Canyon drone video

Death Valley Boardwalk at Salt Creek

Red Rock Canyon still photo.

As always, comments welcome!

Track: Andy's Song
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
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