please give detials about your camera settings, in the "menu" and "Custom" settings. (press menu button on back of camera, and list, in order EVERYTHING from top to bottom, then goto the "C" (custom) menu and tell us how that is set up.

I nearly died laughing at #2 covering your mistakes, when he cloned the cat into a plastic garbage bag!http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Big_Fat_Brain/You_Suck_at_Photoshop/YouSuckatPhotoshop1_398.aspx

I keep most of my customer's images, and most of my artwork off the web.
the macro stuff, is really just cuz' I got a new lens to play with, and like to get feed back, while I get more practice with it.

try layer duplicate
filter threshold (adjust til you can see the sky in white and foreground in black.
select the black area with magic wand, then use you selection tools to add any other elements you may have missed, take out anything you didn't want to add..... now inverse the selection to have only your sky selected.
turn off that layer, and go to the full color layer below.

you should now have (in great detial (esp around leaves and such)) your sky selected and ready for removal (you may want to soften the edges alittle or do some minor clean up....)
great time saver.

take #1 into photoshop (elements)
duplicate layer
set top layer to :blend mode, multiply. (adjust opacity (till it looks good)).
filter add noise, (mono, gaussian, whatever amount looks good)

let us know how that works for you.

Dinosaurs don't burn bridges...Godzilla burns bridges!

I suppose... if one was to go around claiming to be a "Veteran".....there might be some perks.....I doubt anybody would think to ask "What forum?"

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photoshop givith and photoshop taketh away.

start by cloning out the colored flare spots.

create two layers, get your top layer corrected and balanced for the areas with no flare, then take the area where there is flare in the bottom layer fix it and adjust it seperately. now use your history brush or your eraser to erase the flare from the top layer.

now try using your hand or a peice of cardboard as a lens shade next time at the shooting phase and see what works easier... (i find lens hoods cumbersome, and seldom use..... except in situations (like dogs or kids) where my lens might get licked, or scratched.

stop looking at images made on a calibrated system, on your work pc? (or calibrate that pc with your huey?)

serioulsy have you tried printing? or ordered a book as a sample?

Aperture output presets should handle converting your profiled image to srgb on the web. if not check your settings on your presets.

your cinema display will show more detial than a regular monitor, closer in fact to what you'll see in a quality print.

aperture has soft proofing that lets you choose your profile (srgb for web) in the pulldown menus.