Examples / Development
This page covers the full development of the photo below.
Download a 600x400 sized Photoshop TIFF of this example with all the adjustment layers.
Starting with this blended digital negative build using the batch script.
Initial Graduated Exposure Adjustment
As will nearly always be the case in a negative with a large amount of dynamic range, the negative looks underexposed. So the first step in the process will be to bring the exposure to the correct level. For now ignore overexposure in the highlights, this will be corrected for in the next step.
I choose the gnd tool for this purpose, however first time users might find the dodge tool easier to work with and understand. Also keep in mind an initial best guess is good enough here, you can always go back and fine tune later after finishing more of the development.
Exposure was increased throughout the image, with the bottom half receiving a larger increase in exposure, and with a smooth transition in the middle.
Addition of Knee to Control Highlights
As expected, the exposure adjustment caused the highlights to clip. Adding a knee layer under the gnd layer will compress the tonal range of the highlights, and remove the overexposure.
Make sure to remember to select the Background layer before running the knee action, so that the knee layer is generated above the Background layer.
The knee curve was tweaked until the ideal setting was found.
Add Contrast
Next use the contrast tool to bring the contrast of the image to the proper level. Make sure to always have the contrast layers on top of all other exposure adjustments.
For this image I wanted a high contrast look, so I went right for the largest setting of +48. Usually +20 is a good place to start.
Adding contrast will amplify any exposure problems in an image. So at this point plan on a workflow loop which consists of going back and adjusting exposure, and then tweaking contrast, until the image is correctly developed.
In this case, it is obvious that I forgot to correct for vignetting in my DNG files.
Localized Exposure Adjustments the Hard Way
This section describes an advanced and very complex method to make graduated exposure adjustments using the gnd tool. The same result can be produced much easier for most people using the dodge tool, so feel free to skip this section!
As will be very common after the initial contrast setting, there are some localized exposure adjustments to be made. In this case, vignetting is a problem. While the proper place to correct for vignetting is in the DNG files, this does give me an opportunity to show how to construct complex smooth exposure adjustments using the gnd tool. As previously mentioned, this technique is tough to understand, and can be done easier with the dodge tool. However, I personally prefer this method because it uses less disk space, and I find it easier to control.
The result consists of a gnd layer construct with two extra Clipping Masks which are used to control the shape of the gradient.
The final shape of the gradient in this graduated exposure adjustment can be seen by turning all the other layers off like this.
The image will now show the shape of the gradient. The dark center corresponds to no exposure adjustment, and the white corners show an increase in exposure to correct for the vignetting.
To create this shape, first start with the base gnd/direction layer. Modify the gradient to a Radial Style with a 0 deg Angle and a 122% Scale to insure the gradient is smooth into the corners of this rectangular image. Again the shape of the gradient can be seen by turning off all other layers. A small screen shot of this can be seen below.
To shape the base gradient, use extra Gradient Adjustment Layers set to Clipping Masks with blending mode set to Multiply. Then Opacity can be used to control the effect.
In this case I wanted to slightly adjust the shape of the gradient horizontally and vertically, so I used two extra layers at low opacity levels. The effect, while subtle in these screen shots of the gradient, is noticeable in the final development as more vignetting correction in the upper left and less in the lower left.
The final adjustment is to shape the gradient using the gnd/curve layer. In this case removing any exposure adjustment from the center, and localizing on the corners.
The final result with all layers back on, is corrected vignetting.
Localized Exposure Adjustments the Easy Way
Often the easiest method to do localized exposure adjustments is to use the dodge tool and simply draw out the exposure adjustment into a Layer Mask.
In this case the top right most section of Bryce Canyon is in the transition area (between the sky and foreground) for the digital graduated neutral density filter built previously with the gnd tool.
To increase the exposure of that ridge line, I added a dodge layer below the contrast layer, and used the Layer Mask to draw out the shape of what I wanted to increase in exposure.
The result.
Final Adjustments
With exposure and contrast settings finished it is time to go in and adjust white point and color. Usually the best place to adjust color is right above the knee layer.
In this case I used about 20% increase in saturation in the sky, and used a Levels Adjustment Layer to adjust the color temperature by reducing the Green Output Level to 245.
And the final result.
