48-Hour Post-Processing Challenge #557 (closed, results announced)

[WhidbeyLVR]

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The 14-150 has never been my favorite birding lens, and for good reason. But a challenge is just for fun, right? So see what you can do with this turkey.

RAW and JPG files are here.

Contest will close Saturday, May 30th at 6PM, Pacific Daylight Time (UTC -7)

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Post-Processing Challenge Rules:

1. The Challenge Master provides an image to be "improved" upon by way of post-processing, as well as a closing date for entries.
2. Entrants are to post their entries, visible in this thread, at a resolution of 1000 to 1600 pixels in the longest dimension, prior to the closing date.
3. Each entrant is allowed two entries in the Challenge. Please mark entries clearly by number.
4. At the close of the Challenge, the Challenge Master will select a Winner and Runners-up.
5. The Winner of the Challenge is honored as the Master of the next Challenge.

Notes:

• The image(s) used for the challenge must be the Challenge Master's own. Source images are posted solely for the purpose of this Challenge and are not posted to invite critique or criticism nor for other uses. If Entrants post their entries at a photo sharing site, they should credit the owner of the original source material.
• "Improve" is a subjective term, and may include many creative ideas, as well as traditional "fixing". The Challenge Master agrees that Entrants may make any changes they deem fit in their entries.
• Entrants are encouraged to enter their best efforts even if this means replacing versions. Please do this by exchanging your latest effort with the image you wish to remove. You may note the replacement in a comment in the edited posting.
• Entrants are also encouraged to share the tools and techniques used for their entries, however this is not a requirement for entry.
• As we all know, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The Challenge Master is encouraged (but not required) to state the criteria used to decide upon a Winner. While we may not all agree with the result, the Challenge Master's decision is final. Please refrain from posting adverse comment.
• If the Winner is unable to post a new Challenge within five days, the honor passes to the next Runner-up.

 

[Mooglover]

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[BosseBe]

Nice picture! And fun to work on a bird that I have never seen IRL! (Ugly one isn't it?)
Entry #1:

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[BosseBe]

And as usual a B&W from the above. With some added vignetting and blur.
Entry #2:

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[BosseBe]

I tried to get rid of the bright straws in front of the birds body, but DxO PL3 is not up to it!
Will try to use PS Elements to do that, so I might change pictures later.

 

[GregRed]

#1
Luminar 4 and some selective Topaz Sharpen AI turkey sharpening...

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[WhidbeyLVR]

Nice picture! And fun to work on a bird that I have never seen IRL! (Ugly one isn't it?)

Modern myth is that Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as an American symbol for the Great Seal of the United States. The truth is a bit more nuanced. Franklin's proposal for the front of the seal was biblical in nature, and it lost out to the Bald Eagle. In a private letter to his daughter, Ben complained of the choice. He wrote that the the eagle was, "... a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. " In contrast, he wrote, "... the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on." I think Ben was just miffed that his idea was passed over.

 

[relic]

I tried to get rid of the bright straws in front of the birds body, but DxO PL3 is not up to it!
Will try to use PS Elements to do that, so I might change pictures later.

I tried to remove them in PL2 using the "repair" tool, and increasing its size to easily cover the straw, and it appeared to work (at least to my bad eyes), but I decided not to do that as the program does not support layers, and when changing things like that I'd like to use a separate layer so I can instantly compare with and without to make sure I wasn't doing something I didn't want to do

 

[relic]

I edited the raw file in DxO PL2 (wasn't happy with my 1st attempt so I started over). I changed the default color to camera body OM-D E-M1, added a bit of fine contrast and I think nothing else. Odd thing is that DxO did not provide "lens sharpness", so I used a bit of unsharp mask.

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[todd]

I won't be home this weekend for the results but took the pleasure of processing the shot anyway...

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[Robert Davidson]

ACR and Photoshop - removed some of the bright straws.
#1.

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[Mooglover]

Entry #2

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[cjoliprsf]

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[todd]

Sorry, again won't be here for results this weekend, but just had to have one more go...

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[Robert Davidson]

#2. Adjusted crop and WB

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[betamax]

fine fellow this turkey. Processed in Exposure X5 and then into AI Clear to sharpen and reduce noise, and snap-heal to get rid of the foreground log.

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[rpatodia]

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[relic]

Entry #2: Edited entry #1 further using Elements (moved black point in "levels" a bit to the right) and ON1 Effects plug-in ("increased color" and applied a vignette).

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[RichardC]

A heavy handed approach seems inappropriate here, so I've opted for a lighter touch.

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[RichardC]

Entry 2 - Playing it straight.

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