That's great. You've basically used exactly the same technique that famous painters have been using for centuries. A darker, high-contrast foreground and a lighter, lower-contrast background. Just with the latest technology. I like it!
There is so much to absorb here! Thank you for sharing your mastery of the medium; the depth of which is made possible by your visual acuity and imagination, under the direction of your excellent taste and understanding of nuance and subtlety. Bravo!
G'day Jim What a tremendous transformation! I have never thought about "highlighting" the blow-out area before as you did in this presentation. The result is incredible. Thanks for sharing. Greg
Very nice edit. It doesn't have to be perfectly balanced or absolutely realistic. We take pictures and edit them to our taste, and everybody has it's own. It would be boring if we all had exactly the same looking shots 😉👌
I'm like you--I see the histogram but pay little attention to it while I'm editing. 😄But this is a really effective edit that's slightly different from your other ones. Being intentional pays off. One question though: most of your images start off very dark and then you start lifting the shadows. Any fears of excessive noise when you do this? (I use a smaller crop sensor.)
Hi Carl and thanks for watching. I don't fear noise bc noise reduction is so good these days (and super easy), plus I still like to leave a fair bit of shadow so I don't really brighten them too much overall.
I love the stunning improvement you got here and your thinking and process. Leaving a few clipped highlights when they serve was a new idea to me. Many teach not to do that generally, because when printed, blown-out whites don't lay down ink. When warmed, as here, some ink would be used, and most of us aren't printing very many images anymore, so is that really a concern when it helps the image, as here? No. Thanks!
Interesting; that's the first time (that I can remember) watching Luminar being used . Basically you are (advanced) dodge and burning, something I feel is not taught enough . I use Affinity layers D&B to add bits of colour to B&W. My first bit of editing is to add a Lr preset to make something like a JPEG look to the raw file . I have another Affinity photo macro that adds the basic bits and pieces I usually use to do advanced edits. I just find removing things I don't use easier than adding them one at a time. With one click I have half dozen or more adjustment layers, thin border, orton (softlight and Screen) ...... Cheers, your videos are always good to watch
I use to use Affinity all the time, but I can get better results overall in far less time and less steps with Neo. I still use Affinity for some things you can't do in Neo and a few things are easier in Affinity. Many times I start in Neo and finish in Affinity. Both are great programs. All the new mask in Neo make it so much easier to control what you want to do. Ready to see how the color mask works next month.
Good question. Develop Raw is like the base image so there is no masking there. You do your raw development there. You can then mask additional tools (including Develop) after using Develop Raw. It's essentially like have an adjustment layer in PS if that makes sense.
Hey Jim, thanks for the video. I have a subscription to Luminar Neo Pro but don't have the Supercontrast module or can't find it. Is this something I need to pay extra for? Thanks again!
Do you have any charts or something to get me to use some your stuff. I have a loss of memory so I need help keeping up with you. I will appreciate it.
Hi there and your best bet is to get my free ebook which is at the link below. It's free to anyone who subs to my newsletter. It contains a lot of info, tips, tricks and more for Luminar Neo, so it could be a handy reference guide for you. jimnix.com/free
Ever since Jim and others began to do tutorials for Luminar 2018, for the ones I own including NEO, I simply create a folder- currently NEO, Then I create subfolders of topics that are tutorials by many creators so that if I need info on some topic, I simply can access various creators ideas from any folder dealing with that particular topic. I love to have the use of Chrome and not an MS browser so that the urls can be dragged and dropped into the appropriate folder. Eg. for this one, I will go to my NEO folder that is on Quick Access and open it and scroll to the folder called Tips and drag the url to that folder. One day I likely also will grab the handy guide although I might have done that already and just don't remember. Because I use PhotoScape X4 as my goto editor, I still keep up with NEO tutorials being created but by few creators since C19 but I can learn from ideas presented in these tutorials which can be applied to a PSX edit.
@@JimNix I was thinking the same thing until I looked closer. The water edge at the top of the image is straight but the contrast difference between the lower edge of the water and the land naturally draws the eye there and it is not straight. However, there is no way to have both straight due to the waves of the water. When one looks at the vertical rock structure at the edge of the water it is straight vertically so no matter what something will look not straight when that is due to the contrast draw of the eye to the lower water edge. Can't be helped I don't think. However Jim, I seem to be the only one that disagrees with the lighting of the image. The difference between the highlights and the shadows are so great it seems unrealistic that with the amount of highlight even from the rear, the shadows seem still to be too deep. Deeper than one needs (in my opinion) that allow the eye to view the most visually important aspect of the image -- the rocks in the foreground and the structural rock rising from the sea. Just a thought -- sunset overall, with glow of orange from the backlighting sun with some sunrays cascading into the water and catching some of the various rock outcropping in the rest of the image???
That's great. You've basically used exactly the same technique that famous painters have been using for centuries. A darker, high-contrast foreground and a lighter, lower-contrast background. Just with the latest technology. I like it!
thanks so much!
Fabulous job, you are my official Luminar Guru Jim!
thank you so much for watching!
Instructive and useful edit today! I've been giving a lot of thought to light in my photos lately, and I like your light hand with it.
thank you Theo!
Always learn something new from your videos Jim. (Or re-learn what I forgot!)
thank you Hal and I hope you are doing well!
There is so much to absorb here! Thank you for sharing your mastery of the medium; the depth of which is made possible by your visual acuity and imagination, under the direction of your excellent taste and understanding of nuance and subtlety. Bravo!
oh thanks so much, I appreciate the kind words!
Brilliant. In more ways that one. Thanks for another great tutorial.
thanks so much for watching!
G'day Jim
What a tremendous transformation!
I have never thought about "highlighting" the blow-out area before as you did in this presentation. The result is incredible.
Thanks for sharing.
Greg
thanks so much Greg, glad you enjoyed this one!
Very nice edit. It doesn't have to be perfectly balanced or absolutely realistic. We take pictures and edit them to our taste, and everybody has it's own. It would be boring if we all had exactly the same looking shots 😉👌
yep totally agree, thanks for watching!
Thanks for this excellent video Jim. Quite a transformation.
thank you so much Ken!
Well done. Appreciate how you point out essentially shaping the light.
thanks so much Jeff!
Great ideas on shaping the light and having a plan. I find it interesting that you seldom use the Curves tool.
thanks Bruce and yeah I use it some but not in a lot of videos - but it's powerful and useful for sure
I like to use Curves to expand dynamic range from absolute black to white and to expand the contrast a bit. Great tool.
I'm like you--I see the histogram but pay little attention to it while I'm editing. 😄But this is a really effective edit that's slightly different from your other ones. Being intentional pays off. One question though: most of your images start off very dark and then you start lifting the shadows. Any fears of excessive noise when you do this? (I use a smaller crop sensor.)
Hi Carl and thanks for watching. I don't fear noise bc noise reduction is so good these days (and super easy), plus I still like to leave a fair bit of shadow so I don't really brighten them too much overall.
For some reason I keep forgetting about color harmony when I edit. Thanks (again) for reminding me about it!
it is a great color tool for sure, and thanks for watching!
Great tutorial, thank you!
thanks so much!
I love the stunning improvement you got here and your thinking and process. Leaving a few clipped highlights when they serve was a new idea to me. Many teach not to do that generally, because when printed, blown-out whites don't lay down ink. When warmed, as here, some ink would be used, and most of us aren't printing very many images anymore, so is that really a concern when it helps the image, as here? No. Thanks!
thanks so much and glad you liked this one!
Jim how would you print this and what adjustments for printing would you do?
Honestly printing is my biggest weakness so I send to a print shop and get professional help when I need to print.
Interesting; that's the first time (that I can remember) watching Luminar being used . Basically you are (advanced) dodge and burning, something I feel is not taught enough . I use Affinity layers D&B to add bits of colour to B&W.
My first bit of editing is to add a Lr preset to make something like a JPEG look to the raw file . I have another Affinity photo macro that adds the basic bits and pieces I usually use to do advanced edits. I just find removing things I don't use easier than adding them one at a time. With one click I have half dozen or more adjustment layers, thin border, orton (softlight and Screen) ......
Cheers, your videos are always good to watch
thanks much for watching!
I use to use Affinity all the time, but I can get better results overall in far less time and less steps with Neo. I still use Affinity for some things you can't do in Neo and a few things are easier in Affinity. Many times I start in Neo and finish in Affinity. Both are great programs. All the new mask in Neo make it so much easier to control what you want to do. Ready to see how the color mask works next month.
Very well done.
thanks so much Nigel!
Hi, I have a question, why are there no adjustment masks in the RAW development section? Wouldn't it be more appropriate for them to be there?
Good question. Develop Raw is like the base image so there is no masking there. You do your raw development there. You can then mask additional tools (including Develop) after using Develop Raw. It's essentially like have an adjustment layer in PS if that makes sense.
Hey Jim, thanks for the video. I have a subscription to Luminar Neo Pro but don't have the Supercontrast module or can't find it. Is this something I need to pay extra for? Thanks again!
Nevermind - I see Superconstrast is found in a Professional tab at the bottom of the menu.
@@TravelsByTrike ok great glad you found it - I have mine as a Fave so it's near the top of the stack - sorry if that was confusing
Do you have any charts or something to get me to use some your stuff. I have a loss of memory so I need help keeping up with you. I will appreciate it.
Hi there and your best bet is to get my free ebook which is at the link below. It's free to anyone who subs to my newsletter. It contains a lot of info, tips, tricks and more for Luminar Neo, so it could be a handy reference guide for you. jimnix.com/free
Ever since Jim and others began to do tutorials for Luminar 2018, for the ones I own including NEO, I simply create a folder- currently NEO, Then I create subfolders of topics that are tutorials by many creators so that if I need info on some topic, I simply can access various creators ideas from any folder dealing with that particular topic. I love to have the use of Chrome and not an MS browser so that the urls can be dragged and dropped into the appropriate folder.
Eg. for this one, I will go to my NEO folder that is on Quick Access and open it and scroll to the folder called Tips and drag the url to that folder.
One day I likely also will grab the handy guide although I might have done that already and just don't remember.
Because I use PhotoScape X4 as my goto editor, I still keep up with NEO tutorials being created but by few creators since C19 but I can learn from ideas presented in these tutorials which can be applied to a PSX edit.
Nice demo. The Image is still crooked though!
haha thanks and yeah I was thinking the same thing
@@JimNix I was thinking the same thing until I looked closer. The water edge at the top of the image is straight but the contrast difference between the lower edge of the water and the land naturally draws the eye there and it is not straight. However, there is no way to have both straight due to the waves of the water. When one looks at the vertical rock structure at the edge of the water it is straight vertically so no matter what something will look not straight when that is due to the contrast draw of the eye to the lower water edge. Can't be helped I don't think.
However Jim, I seem to be the only one that disagrees with the lighting of the image. The difference between the highlights and the shadows are so great it seems unrealistic that with the amount of highlight even from the rear, the shadows seem still to be too deep. Deeper than one needs (in my opinion) that allow the eye to view the most visually important aspect of the image -- the rocks in the foreground and the structural rock rising from the sea.
Just a thought -- sunset overall, with glow of orange from the backlighting sun with some sunrays cascading into the water and catching some of the various rock outcropping in the rest of the image???
The word you are looking for for your early edits--TASTELESS!
haha yeah some of them really were