What can I do with this?

dazdmc

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Been a while since I've been in here, so many other commitments at the moment! I have eventually got round to going through the blending and contrast grading tutorials again, been so long since I touched them I had forgotten it all. Below is a photo I took a short time ago, I exposed for the highlights. Opened in PS and corrected exposure for the lowlights, saved and then blended a few times. I know it's not a great picture but is there any further I can take this? I've been trying to give it more depth but failing. (I am not trying to turn this into a masterpiece by the way, just using it for learning. Taking a rather meh image and trying to get the best out of it)

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It is a little dark in these eyes, and the tones are quite compressed.

I would probably start by lifting the mid-tones with curves universally, and then make separate localised contrast adjustments in the sky, the mountain peaks, the mass of the two mountains, the grass in the valley bottom, and the foreground. I might also sharpen the foreground and the mountain tops very slightly to improve the illusion of depth.

I'd be tempted to warm the image a little by toning it.
 

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Did you also make an exposure just for the low values. If not then you need to do this if blending as this is done linear.
No I didn't take two photos. I took one exposed for the highlights knowing I'd be able to recover the rest from the RAW file. I made a copy and used the exposure settings in PS to lift the shadows. I opened up both in PS and blended them, then flattened. Opened up the original again and adjusted using exposure settings for the mids, then blended and flattened again. I repeated this around 5 times just trying to make sure I had no blown highlights or blocked shadows
 
It is a little dark in these eyes, and the tones are quite compressed.

I would probably start by lifting the mid-tones with curves universally, and then make separate localised contrast adjustments in the sky, the mountain peaks, the mass of the two mountains, the grass in the valley bottom, and the foreground. I might also sharpen the foreground very slightly to improve the illusion of depth.
Thanks for the in-depth info Glenn, it really helps. It doesn't look too dark on my screen but then again I have the sun shining through onto a monitor that I haven't calibrated for 3 months!!! It's the only space I have for my pc so I should maybe wait until the sun starts going down to have another look
 
You haven't mentioned which camera, but if you have exposed for the high values by opening up +2 from the metered exposure, your histogram should be exposed to the right in which case you should have ample tones in the lower values.

Be interested to see your histogram from the Raw file
 
Nikon D5300 which has a half decent dynamic range, everything is there in the raw file at least. There are maybe a couple of very small blown out highlights, but everything else is there. I was in apperture priority, around f8 from memory but the exif data will probably say different
I wasn't being very scientific Ian, I just pointed the camera at the sky and locked the exposure, recomposed and took the shot. I can try and send you the raw file if you want a closer look?
As above, I'm not trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, I'm not planning on printing this out and hanging it. I'm just trying to get my head round digital processing.
 
Been a while since I've been in here, so many other commitments at the moment! I have eventually got round to going through the blending and contrast grading tutorials again, been so long since I touched them I had forgotten it all. Below is a photo I took a short time ago, I exposed for the highlights. Opened in PS and corrected exposure for the lowlights, saved and then blended a few times. I know it's not a great picture but is there any further I can take this? I've been trying to give it more depth but failing. (I am not trying to turn this into a masterpiece by the way, just using it for learning. Taking a rather meh image and trying to get the best out of it)

View attachment 14728
The bit I like as it is the far right distant hills. The sky I’d give more luminance by adding clarity ( Lightroom) in small amount have played with the contrast also in sky being careful not to let the clods get dark or broody or lose softness completely

I’d leave the foreground til last as it is dark and will probably look better that natural way than by later adding vignette

The mid ground needs mid tone contrast and lightening carefully to match the sky new luminance and the road should reflect this too literaaly

I think that a bit of tidying up and that would probably do the job. As you know I do like a bit of toning too

Just my 2p
 
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