# Trimotor



## The Barbarian (Sep 23, 2013)




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## KmH (Sep 23, 2013)

And an SR-71 Blackbird cockpit in the foreground.

Like a lot of HDRs it has a murky, or hazy look often caused by the micro-contrast adjustment.

What HDR software do you use?


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## The Barbarian (Sep 23, 2013)

I'm looking, but there's more detail in that shot than most "regular" images.   I use Luminance precisely because it is capable of doing that kind of sharpness.   What kind of monitor do you have?


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## tirediron (Sep 23, 2013)

Seattle Museum of Flight?


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## Gavjenks (Sep 24, 2013)

Agreed on the gray murkyness.  Here, I tried some edits to address that, and then got carried away with other stuff:


1) Recropped a bit
2) Cloned out some of the really distracting airplane bits in the top in the windows
3) Upped the contrast on the interesting parts in the middle a lot, less so toward the edges (S shaped curves tool)
4) +15 vibrance

The weird tail-less plane on the upper right now doesn't really bother me for some reason =P


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## The Barbarian (Sep 24, 2013)

> Seattle Museum of Flight?



Yep.   

Gavjenks:


> Agreed on the gray murkyness.  Here, I tried some edits to address that, and then got carried away with other stuff:



Pretty much the way it would look without HDR.   But all that lovely detail on the side of the plane and in the passenger cabin, has been lost.   Which is why I did it in the first place.   It's an interesting shot, and technically well done.   But the point of the picture is gone.

It's possible to Kodak it up a bit, without tossing the detail:


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## timor (Sep 25, 2013)

Very colorful picture. :thumbup:
Is that Blackbird in the front ?


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## Gavjenks (Sep 25, 2013)

Okay so I made it too dark for your taste, whatever. My point is more that contrast and HDR are not necessarily related dimensions.

You can have low contrast HDR that shows all details.
You can have high contrast HDR that still shows all the details you want.
You can have low contrast non-HDR.
You can have high contrast non-HDR.

You may not prefer my particular edit, but the broader issue is that HDRs often end up way too gray, while there's no reason they have to be, because you can control contrast and HDR-ness separately.  And usually a really gray photo is MUCH more of a problem than a tiny loss of detail  here or there. Too gray on the large scale means people won't even stop and look in the first place, so they're not gonna see the detail anyway.

HDR is not a replacement for compelling large scale composition and large scale contrast and shapes.


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## The Barbarian (Sep 25, 2013)

> Okay so I made it too dark for your taste, whatever.



And blocked the shadows, which was why I did the HDR in the first place.



> My point is more  that contrast and HDR are not necessarily related dimensions.



Very true.  I often get comments saying "this doesn't even _look_ like an HDR."   Whatever that's supposed to mean.   This one works better with more muted tones.   But if you like more vivid colors, you see that's also an option, but you don't have to lose detail to get them.



> You can have low contrast HDR that shows all details.



Or high contrast, if you like.   See above.



> You may not prefer my particular edit



For a good reason.   There are some really lush and interesting details in the shadows, and if you like aircraft and vintage technology, they are well worth the effort to keep them.



> but the broader issue is that  HDRs often end up way too gray, while there's no reason they have to be,  because you can control contrast and HDR-ness separately.



You don't like muted tones in a photograph.  That's not a problem, it's a personal preference.   Which I honor.   We don't all like the same things.   But shooting aircraft, detail counts a great deal.   And I like the more vivid one I did for you, because the detail isn't lost.



> And usually a  really gray photo is MUCH more of a problem than a tiny loss of detail   here or there.



Depends on how much detail, and how much "gray."   



> Too gray on the large scale means people won't even stop  and look in the first place, so they're not gonna see the detail  anyway.



It's been well-received on a number of photo sites.   That doesn't mean you're wrong; it just means that not everyone sees it the way you do.



> HDR is not a replacement for compelling large scale composition and large scale contrast and shapes.



It's just to increase the dynamic range so that more of the photo is accessible.   And that's how I generally use it.   The "neon sign" school of HDR is interesting, and has valid things to say.   But it's not what I like.   So we end up at the issue of personal preference.   And yours is as legitimate as anyone else's.   

I see why you could like your edit.   It's not a bad approach.   It just doesn't do what I wanted the shot to do.   Thanks for your interest and input.   I mean that sincerely.   These conversations help to make us better photographers.


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## The Barbarian (Sep 25, 2013)

> Very colorful picture. :thumbup:



Thanks.   I love the green-and-cream with orange trim.   A classic scheme of the era.



> Is that Blackbird in the front ?



Yep.   A unique version, designed to carry a recon drone to be launched over enemy territory.   It didn't work out, and this is the only surviving model of that one.


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## timor (Sep 26, 2013)

The Barbarian said:


> > Is that Blackbird in the front ?
> 
> 
> 
> Yep.   A unique version, designed to carry a recon drone to be launched over enemy territory.   It didn't work out, and this is the only surviving model of that one.


Aha, Lockheed M21/D21. What color is this plane currently ? I suppose the plane was stripped from his original paint before it got to any museum at all and was repainted few times. It is now in green camo ?


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## The Barbarian (Sep 27, 2013)

The black was actually done to maximize radiation of thermal energy from the aircraft.   It runs a bit cooler, because it's black.   The paint is a bit faded, but most of the green tint comes from the windows of the display hall; they are very slightly tinted, and do give a bit of a green cast.  The mottled look is from the shadows of the structural supports for the glass roof.


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## CaboWabo (Sep 28, 2013)

The real color of it is a dark shade of Indigo Blue 
The exterior was painted a very dark blue color, so dark it actually  looks black. This color was selected to increase the emission of  internal heat and to offer camouflage at night, not to mention its body  was designed to reduce its radar signature, so it could hide in the  &#8220;black&#8221; on radar.


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## eswebster (Sep 30, 2013)

I really enjoyed the original.  Thanks for sharing.


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## lambertpix (Sep 30, 2013)

Great airplanes -- Thanks for sharing.

Anyone here ever been to Airventure?  They usually have a couple of these giving rides during the convention.


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## ArtByPaolo (Dec 1, 2013)

I love the planes , however for me the background is too busy. I'm not a fan of people in photos like that. I do like all the variation effects of the photos , definitely captures detail in the planes 


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