Wallasey docks at dawn

I spotted this on my way to work, the ship was bathed in a lovely orange glow from the rising sun. By the time I parked the car and ran back, the sun was partially hidden again and the golden light had gone, but I snapped a few anyway.
I put the first attempt in the gallery, but it was a bit too blue, so I tried PS again and here is the second attempt.
C&C as always please.

[IMG]http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i296/Father_Ted/PHOTOS/unloadingatdawn2.jpg[/IMG]

Hi Ted, It looks great, you can see more detail now and the blue is not as overpowering. It must have been a difficult shot anyway with low light. Great scene and good composition.

ps
Did you manage any shots of the Tall ships sailing down the Mersey last year:

Although you've improved the detail Ted I'm not convinced this is better, the first shot had more 'bite' with the darker blue giving it drama.
david

Now, you see, that's along the lines of what I was thinking. There is something about the "blue one" which stands out...but it is a bit too blue.

For comparison I'll put that in here too, so both shots can be viewed together

[IMG]http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i296/Father_Ted/PHOTOS/unloadingatdawn.jpg[/IMG]

Your modified version is just right Ted, well done

Ted, I prefer the colour of the 1st one posted but as you say the blue one stands out more. It looks as though whilst editing you've tried to add a little brightness, this has left the dark areas too light & reduced contrast.

If you don't mind Ted, I've taken the 1st image posted & applied a quick fix. I moved the Black & White points in to the edge of the histogram on the "Curves" adjustment & then also increased the contrast very slightly.

[IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q105/RR76/unloadingatdawn2.jpg[/IMG]

It preserves the colours of the first, with the contrast of the blue version. That being said, all 3 have an unnatural magenta colour on the ships hull. Reducing the saturation of the magenta or altering its hue slightly may work on the original file, but working with a small image it was leaving lots of noise & artifacts.

Bob

No probs Bob, you have improved the image. I am still learning with PS . As you say, I had brightened the image and applied a little more contrast.

I noticed the magenta, but couldn't get rid of it. I think it is the last of the glow from the sun.

Curves seem such a useful tool, if you can use them correctly.

No probs Ted. It's always best to ask as some people don't like their images being edited.

I have a good book by Scott Kelby, he does them for lots of versions of PS (cs3 in my case) It looks very technical at first read but if you take it a section at a time then apply that to your workflow it's amazing how much you pick up. It's also excellent for a quick reference.