Darkroom Challenge Digital Darkroom Derby #52

wee-pics

Legend
Location
Germany
Name
Walter
This is Digital Darkroom Derby #52, 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.
This photo did in several aspects not come out as I wished. It's a bit different from what came in lately. Sorry I do not have a raw version of it.

P7081934.JPG
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Jpg can be found here: P7081934.JPG

Challenge closes Wednesday midnight CEST.

Thank you for participating.
 
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DxO PL5
Entry #1
P7081934_DxO_Web-1.jpg
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Edit: I used an auto mask in local adjustments to try to isolate the blade and stuff in DxO, I masked it and then reversed the mask, much easier to control the mask that way.
Added blur to the mask and negative exposure.
I first used the same size of mask for all the parts but did not like the results, so I tried to use different sizes of the auto mask tool on different parts of the picture for a better result.
I can see now that I should have gone even further with the different sizes of the auto mask tool as there is some kind of artifacts in the result.
 
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I don't know how to use masks, so I cut out everything but the leaf and I added a color layer beneath (not so imaginative :( but ensures that I can participate yet not run the risk of wnning :)) Anyway it looks like I'm late again.

View attachment 322930
I don't know if you use DxO, what I meant by auto-mask was the auto-mask tool under Local Adjustments, just choose it and then control the size by pressing Ctrl and rolling the mouse wheel.
To invert the mask go to the Local Adjustment tab in the right hand panel and choose the Auto mask, then the button below with 2 opposing arrows will invert the mask.
Hope this helps.
 
DDD #52 is closed now. Thank you all for taking part and posting your fascinating results. As always, judging is not easy. Yet you'll have the results within the next few hours (just let me have a nice cup of morning coffee and a look again at all of your posts). :)
 
Let me just share a few remarks about my choice of the contest photo. My aim was to take a photo that is not really strong or good enough for serious PP improvements, that will rather invite some creative fooling around. In the last contests the focus went very much mainly in the direction of overall improvement with few creative attempts. So taking a shot where I did not have a raw ruled out the possibility of working with a better source than the jpg.

I was shaking with laughter when Lyle's entries popped in. Wow, full success, you had taken the clue, Lyle. And I was so happy others followed in this line. I had to cool down myself to give likes (and not wows or winners which I would have preferred) in order to not influence the entries to come. And I was surprised to get almost as many PPs as were in the last contest.

So now to your posts (in the order of the entries):
• Lyle: What a stunning surprise, two very creative entries with beautiful colours.
#1 this "surfing" version has the absolute wow-factor
#2 what a beautiful paper-serviette this would make
thanks for giving me a really nice start into the day, a good laugh in the morning keeps the sorrows away
• Robert: nice crop, good colours
• Rolf: gave me another fit of laughter, disturbance yes ... but not mental (luckily)
• Alan: warm colours, nice paint-brush frame, a bit dark
• Ken: #1 good colours as well, close to my own rendition
#2 the b&w version has the same problem as mine when I tried it: the background is too "noisy"
• Colin: #1 the portrait format comes out well, the colours are a bit on the dark side
#2 with the colour dissolve gives it nice structures, I like this one better than #1
• Bo: #1 with a nice slight crop and the best colours in this contest
#2 I didn't think it possible, but you made it Bo: what a wonderful b&w rendition
really fantastic how you get rid of the "noisy" background and what shades of colours and greys you get
• David: another superb creative rendition, the heavy crop suits it and the reindeer are just hilarious
• Rastid: #1 and #2 the leaf alone looks a bit lost, I would have reduced the background almost completely
the background colour would improve the overall impression if you took complementary colours

The winner is: Lyle #1 for superb art-work
1st follower-up: Bo for wow colours and b&w
2nd follower-up: Ken #1 which comes closest to my own attempt as to colour rendition (see below)

honours mention: Rolf (cute disturbance), David (reindeer invasion), Colin #2 (colour dissolve) and Alan (paint-brush framing)
Thanks to all of you who took the bait and followed the creative path and to Bo and Ken for doing better than myself. I thoroughly enjoyed hosting this contest and hand over the baton to Lyle.

Just for a comparison: my own attempt (and this is the one with better composition, posted today #5)
P7081934.4.JPG
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P. S.: Does anyone know how to get the "winner announced" on the front page and would do this for me?
 
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