Darkroom Challenge Digital Darkroom Challenge #98 - Winners announced

[kae1]

This is Digital Darkroom Derby #98, a digital image editing/processing challenge.

Please read the rules here. Short version: Host provides the challenge image and selects the winner, who then becomes the next host.

Not from choice but my muscles are encouraging me to find lighter options and one of those is trying a small sensor bridge camera. Here is a picture of either "some bloke on a bike" or "an amateur trials rider who has just crossed a stream and is looking for his next marker and wondering about how much accelerator or brake to apply as well as adjusting his balance to get round this 90 degree corner without touching the ground with his foot (penalty points) or falling off" - I'll let you decide .
Lets see what you can do with blown highlights and dark shadows.

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RAW and JPEG files are here #98

Derby closes on Wednesday 15th at 8:00 am UTC

 

[RobD]

#1. Topaz, ACR & PS - Replaced image after sharpening.

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[griffljg]

Entry #1:

Capture One Pro 23 wouldn't recognise the raw file and so I fed the raw file through DxO PureRAW 2 first to remove any residual noise and do a bit of sharpening, before importing the resulting DNG file into Capture One Pro 23 (which it did now recognise) for further processing. Then cropped out the yellow flag at the bottom left of the photo, did a bit of highlight recovery and shadow recovery, added some contrast and finally fiddled around a bit with the clarity using the "Punch" method.

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[BosseBe]

entry #1:

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[BosseBe]

Entry #2:

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[WhidbeyLVR]

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DxO PL6 and Gimp/Nik. Took care of blown highlights and general exposure in DxO from the RAW file, and softened the background very slightly to make the subject pop. Then there was a major session in Nik Color Efex (Pro Comtrast, Warmth, Vignette, Borders) and a few other tweaks in Gimp.

 

[Piano]

A bit of ACR, some cut/paste/transform, crop and sharpen.

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[kae1]

Still got plenty of time to have a go!

 

[betamax]

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[kae1]

Thank you all for your submissions. I know a small sensor bridge camera won't provide the same quality of a "better" camera and lens but it is interesting (for me) to find out whether today's post processing tools can compensate for the camera's small sensor. I think you have proved it can. There is always a compromise with equipment - IQ, cost, weight, ergonomics etc. and unfortunately for me ergonomics is one that is moving up as my number one priority.

Even though there was only seven submissions there was still a wide range of interpretations of the image . Apart from the rider I liked the bits of sunlight in the background, but didn't like the blown highlights in the stream nor the lack of DoF of a small sensor. You've all corrected elements but to my eye there is only one which meets all four of my criteria.

So my winner is @WhidbeyLVR - I feel you've nailed all four of my criteria - the rider pops, the sunlit bits still stand out, the blown highlights are sorted, and the background is slightly softened
Joint runners up are @BosseBe #1 - I liked the sunlit bits, the sorted blown bits, the toned down background but I felt that the rider was a bit too dark
@Piano - I liked the OTT approach to the water but struggled to cope with only half an handle bar

Congratulations, Lyle and over to you!

For info my attempt

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[Piano]

Oops - missed the handlebar Ken!

 

[WhidbeyLVR]

Thank you all for your submissions. I know a small sensor bridge camera won't provide the same quality of a "better" camera and lens but it is interesting (for me) to find out whether today's post processing tools can compensate for the camera's small sensor. I think you have proved it can. There is always a compromise with equipment - IQ, cost, weight, ergonomics etc. and unfortunately for me ergonomics is one that is moving up as my number one priority.

Even though there was only seven submissions there was still a wide range of interpretations of the image . Apart from the rider I liked the bits of sunlight in the background, but didn't like the blown highlights in the stream nor the lack of DoF of a small sensor. You've all corrected elements but to my eye there is only one which meets all four of my criteria.

View attachment 366140

So my winner is @WhidbeyLVR - I feel you've nailed all four of my criteria - the rider pops, the sunlit bits still stand out, the blown highlights are sorted, and the background is slightly softened
Joint runners up are @BosseBe #1 - I liked the sunlit bits, the sorted blown bits, the toned down background but I felt that the rider was a bit too dark
@Piano - I liked the OTT approach to the water but struggled to cope with only half an handle bar

Congratulations, Lyle and over to you!

For info my attempt
View attachment 366141

Thank you for the challenge, Ken. This one was quite different from the usual.

DDD #99 is live:

Challenge! - Digital Darkroom Derby #99

This is Digital Darkroom Derby #99, a digital image editing/processing challenge. Please read the rules here. Short version: Host provides the challenge image and selects the winner, who then becomes the next host. Another sunset image, although not quite as ready-made as my last. Plenty of...

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