# Post-processing: suggestion on that picture...



## nicolasnico (Mar 13, 2017)

hi, 
I have much to learn in post-processing (obviously?). Any advice on the here enclosed picture? (there is the initial version: too dark and not processed) and some attempts I've made on it with Lightroom 5.7.1. and Nik collection. Any advice? 
(One of the thing: there's this kind of halo in front of the horse (towards the left a bit maybe). I don't know how to (really) get rid of it)
But that's not just the halo. I welcome other advices, too . Thank you!


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## john.margetts (Mar 13, 2017)

Underexposed pictures are always harder to get right without producing artifacts. Slight overexposure without clipping the bright parts is best.

That doesn't help with the picture you already have, I know, but you might just have to put up with some degradation to use that particular picture.


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## nickgillespie (Mar 13, 2017)

This doesn't look that underexposed to me. It looks like there was a ton of dirt in the air. Am I right? If so... You're not not going to be able to do much. If that's the case, I'd actually leave it dark to accurately portray what it looked like.


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## john.margetts (Mar 13, 2017)

It is underexposed as far as the light reaching the sensor is concerned or it would be brighter.


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## Derrel (Mar 13, 2017)

Adobe's newest *Dehaze control *can handle images like this better than anything I have ever seen.


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## nicolasnico (Mar 13, 2017)

Thank you, everyone! I appreciate! It's good to have feedback on the question of underexposure (how difficult it might be to recover such pictures without creating artefacts). Yeah, you are right regarding the dust: I think a lot of it on that day! The effect was interesting! Unfortunately, might have been more interesting if there was more sun. 
I've worked on the picture again. Not fully satisfied yet.


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## Cody'sCaptures (Mar 14, 2017)

I like the first edit better. Perhaps just a bit too much orange in the haze. Maybe bring down the vibrance, adjust hsl or split tone the highlights. 
What game are they playing? It looks like rugby with horses


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## nicolasnico (Mar 16, 2017)

hey, thanks for the thoughts! I had a look at split toning, but finally worked it with maybe with HSL saturation (yellow and orange down), and vibrance down a bit. What do you think? (picture here enclosed)
Yeah, cool game! It's called ulak (or Kok boru). It's kind-of soccer but with horses, and the ball is replaced by a dead goat.


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## Cody'sCaptures (Mar 16, 2017)

That is quite odd. From the video it just looks like a bunch of people on horses fighting for a dead goat. Do you win the goat somehow? I'm lost


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## Trever1t (Mar 16, 2017)

I really like the first, low contrast image. I think if shot in raw I could bring out a bit more detail. I do like the low light, dusty look of it. What a fantastic and exotic festival.


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## Cody'sCaptures (Mar 16, 2017)

Trever1t said:


> I really like the first, low contrast image. I think if shot in raw I could bring out a bit more detail. I do like the low light, dusty look of it. What a fantastic and exotic festival.


Could you elaborate on how you would bring out this detail?


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## Trever1t (Mar 16, 2017)

Cody'sCaptures said:


> Trever1t said:
> 
> 
> > I really like the first, low contrast image. I think if shot in raw I could bring out a bit more detail. I do like the low light, dusty look of it. What a fantastic and exotic festival.
> ...



If it were my raw image I think I'd be able to manipulate it in LR/CS to extract detail. I'm not able to give you a step by step, I'd have to play with it to see what effect each adjustment had.


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## nicolasnico (Mar 16, 2017)

hi everyone, here's a link to the original file: 
Dropbox - IMG_7787.CR2


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## Derrel (Mar 16, 2017)

I took a shot at it in Lightroom. I added some clarity and shaopening in various areas, messed around with the green and red saturartion and luminosity, tweaked the WB, and tried to make it look "dusty". It was a tough file to work with. This is how I envison the shot.


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## qmr55 (Mar 16, 2017)

Here's my go at it all done it photoshop


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## nicolasnico (Mar 16, 2017)

qmr55 said:


> Here's my go at it all done it photoshop
> 
> View attachment 136668



thanks! hey, what are some of the adjustments you made?


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## nicolasnico (Mar 17, 2017)

thanks, Derrel, I appreciate! I'm glad to hear you find the file difficult, too! ;-) It was a very dusty day!


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## qmr55 (Mar 17, 2017)

nicolasnico said:


> qmr55 said:
> 
> 
> > Here's my go at it all done it photoshop
> ...



I bumped exposure and clarity up on the center out, brought the center of the tone curve up a tad, reduced the noise only a little to keep the semi dusty look, turned the yellows and the oranges down on both hue and saturation, dehazed and also added a slight vignette.


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## limr (Mar 17, 2017)

nicolasnico said:


> hey, thanks for the thoughts! I had a look at split toning, but finally worked it with maybe with HSL saturation (yellow and orange down), and vibrance down a bit. What do you think? (picture here enclosed)
> Yeah, cool game! It's called ulak (or Kok boru). It's kind-of soccer but with horses, and the ball is replaced by a dead goat.



I like this version the best of all the edits on this thread. You still get a good sense of the dustiness, but the faces are clearer. The faces along with the jumble of horse legs really convey the struggle, and I think they are both highlighted the best in this version. The colors are warm but not too saturated as in the first edit you posted.

I refuse to watch the video, however - this was all fascinating until you got to 'dead goat.'  Nope, nope, nope, nope....*shuts eyes, plugs ears* LA LA LA LA LA...


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## bianni (Mar 17, 2017)

Here's an edit


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## nicolasnico (Mar 18, 2017)

qmr55 said:


> nicolasnico said:
> 
> 
> > qmr55 said:
> ...



Thanks, everyone! It's helpful to see your work and hear your feedbacks! I like qmr55 version, too! clarity, very dusty atmosphere... When you say you changed exposure and clarity "on the center out", do you mean you did it only in the center of the picture? 
(Yeah, the dead goat... I don't like the killing part either! But they do eat it at the end... ;-) )


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## Trever1t (Mar 18, 2017)

IMG_7787-Edit by Bill Grayson

Not knowing your artistic tastes I just edited it to bring out detail. There are many good variations. It's pretty grainy having been a bit underexposed.


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## nicolasnico (Mar 19, 2017)

Trever1t said:


> IMG_7787-Edit by Bill Grayson
> 
> Not knowing your artistic tastes I just edited it to bring out detail. There are many good variations. It's pretty grainy having been a bit underexposed.



Thanks, Trever! it's a nice version, too! The colors comes out nice, the guys show up clearly, and the dusty atmosphere is preserved. (How did you manage to make it so clear? you didn't use Clarity too much, right? it would give to the picture a "crunchy" look). (Yeah, my problem with underexposing my picture has now been exposed! - through different comments people have shared on the forum. That's helpful for me to know!)


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## Trever1t (Mar 20, 2017)

nicolasnico said:


> Thanks, Trever! it's a nice version, too! The colors comes out nice, the guys show up clearly, and the dusty atmosphere is preserved. (How did you manage to make it so clear? you didn't use Clarity too much, right? it would give to the picture a "crunchy" look). (Yeah, my problem with underexposing my picture has now been exposed! - through different comments people have shared on the forum. That's helpful for me to know!)




Import to LR, raw adjustments there, opened adjusted frame in CS and back into LR for final adjust. I don't know what I do, I just do what looks about right.


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## binga63 (Apr 2, 2017)

had a play too


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