Corby Crow

Been trying to get a reasonable shot of one of these for a wee while now, this has had minimal PP + resize any C&C more than welcome

Very difficult to get a good shot of these birds due to the black feathers! I like this shot, the only thing it needs is the shadow detail bringing out so the feathers can be seen.

Regards
David

I hope this is what David had in mind



Shadows and highlights adjustments in Elements 11

Yes Barrie, that's exactly what I had in mind and you have done an excellent job with it!

Regards
David

Trying to keep the black feather tone. Dartktable shadows & highlights with a touch of local contrast - which I generally avoid except for fur or feathers.

It just looks over exposed.

Do what you did to that version with the bird only, but leave the background as per the original.

I'm not that much of an expert. Any lessons going Smeggy

It depends on the software you're using Barrie, but there is usually an option to bring up the shadows and control this by varying the range of tones that you apply the adjustment to. This way you can restrict the changes to the darker areas only.

The other way is to work in layers and only change the bits you want to change.

Regards
David

Is this any better

That's very nice Algi, and raising the bar a bit. I did flatten the highlights on mine to reduce the distracting background highlights but, looking at it, that has taken the sparkle out and I prefer yours.

Being hyper-critical: Possibly processing pushed a little far as there are some artifacts creeping in around edges - particularly around his neck.

This is the OP Jpeg with the extra PP done in PaintShop Pro X4. The crow was selected using Smart Edge, to leave the background unchanged.




Philip

Thanks for the input, I will have another play now I can see what can be brought out, as my attempts were killing the shot.