I just added a Log-in feature at the top of the main page in the top,top of the page. If you log-in as a user, then you should not have any future problems.

I’m looking forward to reviewing your Images, as well as trying your workflow (thanks for sharing !!), and you’ve selected a great mentor for fine art Images, Alain Briot. I am reading and using his advice recently from a few books that I purchased. I also will be strongly considering attending one of his workshops in 2011…..

I’m trying to post a reply the interface doesn’t allow me – it seems the reply is posted, but I don’t see it.

So for the sky processing:

#1 SKY MASK # First I select the sky with the (-) gradient selection tool. If there are buildings, trees, hills,… overlapping the horizon line I deselect the out with a (-) selection point.

#2 LUMINOSITY # I apply a LCH on the selection. I push the blacks point curve to the right and slightly pull-down the mid-tone point. In this way I darken the sky without (significant) color shifts.

#3 CONTRAST # In step #2 some contrast is lost. I restore it back with a Levels&Curves step on the same selection. Generally I make an S curve, but with black and white point adjusted to taste.

#4 DESATURATION # Usually steps #2, #3 over saturate the blue in the sky. I return to step #2 and act only on chroma by selecting the blue from the sky in pull in down a little bit. The result should be natural looking sky.

#5 SHARPENING # With a soft brush I apply high-pass sharpening with a value ranging from 4~6 only on the edges of the clouds. This bumps them out.

#6 NOISE # The above steps could introduce some noise depending how hard you push the sliders. I apply a noise reduction step with a soft brush on the sky only, excluding the clouds.

Here are some examples. Hope you like them:
http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106182&limit=6&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106052&limit=7&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106579&limit=4&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=95940&limit=17&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=96403&limit=16&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106304&limit=5&sortby=search

Marko

As for my sky processing below is the general approach. Then, each image has it own particular settings.

1) I first select the sky with a gradient tool. If there are objects from the ground (hills, buildings,…) that overlaps the sky I deselect them with a ‘-’ selection point.

2) Then I apply a LCH curve. I simply move the (curve) blacks toward right and pull down the mid tones a little bit. This affects luminosity only.

3) I then apply (on the same selection) a Levels adjustments in order ot restore the contrast which is lost in the previous step.

4) As step #3 tends to increase the saturation of the sky which could look unnatural I go back to step #2 and intervent only on Chroma. I put a point on the sky and pull it down to desaturate.

5) Then I apply high pass filtering with a value of 4~6 with a brush only on the cloud edges. This bumps them out and pronounces them.

6) If there is noise on the sky I apply a noise reduction step on the blue sky. Again selectively with a soft brush.

Some examples:
http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106182&limit=6&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106579&limit=4&sortby=search

ttp://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106304&limit=5&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=106052&limit=7&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=95940&limit=17&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=94468&limit=22&sortby=search

http://www.e-fotografija.com/galerija/gallery_bigpic.php?id=96403&limit=16&sortby=search

Thanks,
Marko

I like to share, so I’ll post any info that I think will be useful from the workshop, yea Greece is not very close to Conn. , I’ll let Jason know that he’s needed for a workshop in your country….

I also had a D80, I can’t recall ugly skies, but the camera had a bad reputation for being released by Nikon with overexposure imbedded into AF algorithms, (I call it hot pixels). I liked the camera otherwise, but wanted full frame so I held off until the D3 was released.

The D90 is a very sweet camera, my daughter shoots with it, and loves it and has done very well in school with it. Her link is on my lower menu bar MaddyFritz… I’m very proud of her skills and creativity.

You have a good one/two camera now with D300(s)…a lot of my friends use that camera and love it…

Thanks for linking our site into your browser…photography is a shared art-form, no one person can see all the Images the world can offer in a lifetime, or have the same vision when capturing Images … you keep up the good work also, teaching is a rewarding experience

Interesting thinking about the timing of V225, I hadn’t put those thoughts together for CNX3 and maybe D90 future is in this release, time will tell.

Sounds like you have an interesting workflow for sky/clouds and USM and using LCH,curves and high pass on cloud edges, does this resemble tonal contrast control ?

If you can point to a URL, I like to see what you’ve been creating….

About the D80-rendering. I understand your point and in the beginning it was indeed what caused part of the ‘troubles’. Later on though I used the D80 as a backup to my D300 and it was set up as much as possible the same. Ofcourse, stuff like Picture Control was not. But View NX took care of that. And still, at about 40% percent of my pics I had huge shifts when I took it into ACR. Most of the time in the sky area or other extreme parts. I now think I may know what might causing it. It must be somewhere in the software of the D80. You can get this ugly blue skies. I saw this in the D40 to and in other D80s. NOT in my old D70 and not in D50 or D700. Have not had the privilage to get a student with a D90 to check that. But I will in two weeks time.

I now sold the D80 and got me a D300s as second camera. So my problems are over. The D70 I will keep. Using it for Infrared. But I am still gratefull to this D80 for getting me into the pro-business and leading me to Capture NX.

Keep up the good work, I have you now in my favourits-list.

In the spirit of Continuos Improvement, I’ve decided to attend Dr. Jason Odell master class workshop being held in Connecticut early next month to ‘Become an NXpert’. I emailed, Jason about the flux in user opinions on his Raw conversions workflow advice and he responded, “I’ve been working very hard on refining my sharpening techniques in NX2 of late, and I can tell you that it’s a very good application for it.”

When I have the opportunity after the workshop, I’ll Post some of his tips. If you’re interested in attending the workshop, I have a link on the home page side bar under Upcoming Workshops…

Anton, early on, I also had those types of big shifts from NEF to Tiff, came to find out that they were self induced, as I had different color spaces set in each application. That might not have been your issue. But everyone s/b using ProPhoto RGB for NX2, PS5,Photo Mechanic, ect…right thru your entire workflow….

I’m also seeing a speed increase with NX2 V225, opening up, saving and rendering…. even on my Leopard laptop ……