Images to dark?

[Perry]

A bit of a silly thing, but are my last images, the ones of Nerja to dark in yr opinion. (last 28) I suddenly see a change in it after years of uploading. It was a cloudy day but think I must have changed something in processing them. Or not?

 

Thanks in advance. Perry

Edited November 21, 2019 by Perry

[John Morrison]

They look fine on my monitor...

[John Mitchell]

They don't look too dark on my monitor. Some do look a bit washed-out, though, compared to your earlier images, which might just be a result of the dull day and the soft light. Perhaps increasing the contrast would help.

[Ed Rooney]

Too dark? As John says, a bit more contrast. And I would add a bit of saturation too. 

[Perry]

Thanks. John & John 😁I got somehow paranoid lately about the images not having enough "Punch". Did change my way of processing lately. But these last ones are somehow dull or dark. I am going to redo these. Give them more contrast and maybe some more highlights. 

 

Thanks Ed indeed maybe a bit more saturation will "pop" them more.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Perry

[John Mitchell]

Just now, Ed Rooney said:

Too dark? As John says, a bit more contrast. And I would add a bit of saturation too. 

 

Yes, that too.

 

Maybe experiment with bringing up the mid-tones as well. I find that it can help with some cloudy day shots.

[Chuck Nacke]

Perry,

 

On my 24' calibrated Dell Ultra Sharp your images do not look too dark, but the contrast appears off (low)?

Few like me much on this forum today, but...

 

Note: I have noticed that in my opinion images appear darker after uploading to Alamy?  I asked this question

on the forum last month and have started making my TIFF's a bit lighter then look right on my monitor, before

upload.

 

Chuck

[Perry]

Indeed Chuck, missing contrast wat makes them flat. In Lightroom they defenitly look a bit lighter.

They need at least half a stop more I would say.

Was looking at this, but you come to a point that somebody has to tell you (to believe it😄)

 

Thanks for advice guys.

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

It seems to be in the eye of the beholder. Many of those on the first page look great to me. I feel there is a place for subtle colors that give a happy, calming appearance.  Not everything needs to jumpstart me with energy.  I actually liked that look on one of my Monarch butterfly images while developing it and other than checking WB, left it alone.
I do think one needs to be able to judge which images lend themselves to a subtle dreamy look. I’d think the majority should be developed with punch and color, but depending on the subject, not all.  If I were a buyer, I’d buy the one looking through the tiled courtyard at the vista outside. Just as it is. 
Now I’ve opened up a can of worms and argument. Bring it on! 😁

Betty
 

Added...I like 2AT07R, 2A95083, and 2A8NGH4 just as they are. Really like them.

And one not in your 28, 2A5K26X, seems developed similarly, and I would hate to see it all punchy.

I consider these a “style”. Maybe I’m too arty for my own good.

Edited November 22, 2019 by Betty LaRue

[John Mitchell]

39 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

It seems to be in the eye of the beholder. Many of those on the first page look great to me. I feel there is a place for subtle colors that give a happy, calming appearance.  Not everything needs to jumpstart me with energy.  I actually liked that look on one of my Monarch butterfly images while developing it and other than checking WB, left it alone.
I do think one needs to be able to judge which images lend themselves to a subtle dreamy look. I’d think the majority should be developed with punch and color, but depending on the subject, not all.  If I were a buyer, I’d buy the one looking through the tiled courtyard at the vista outside. Just as it is. 
Now I’ve opened up a can of worms and argument. Bring it on! 😁

Betty
 

Added...I like 2AT07R, 2A95083, and 2A8NGH4 just as they are. Really like them.

And one not in your 28, 2A5K26X, seems developed similarly, and I would hate to see it all punchy.

I consider these a “style”. Maybe I’m too arty for my own good.

 

I'm not a fan of the current trend of highly saturated colours. Not too keen on the HDR look either (although it can be appealing if used in moderation), but then my world is fuzzier than it used to be. The "subtle dreamy" look is fine with me. However, many buyers seem to prefer "punchier" images. Sign of the times, I guess, so one goes with the flow...

Edited November 22, 2019 by John Mitchell

[spacecadet]

13 hours ago, Perry said:

A bit of a silly thing, but are my last images, the ones of Nerja to dark in yr opinion. (last 28) I suddenly see a change in it after years of uploading. It was a cloudy day but think I must have changed something in processing them. Or not?

 

Thanks in advance. Perry

I don't mean to offend but I wonder if there's a language issue here- do you actually mean "dark" in English, as in underexposed (they're certainly not), or just what we'd call "flat"? To my eye your shadows are too light.

"Clarity" in Lightroom is worth a try- I usually use quite a lot.

Your images in bright sunlight have more "punch"- perhaps you just need to go back on a sunny day, if you can.

Edited November 22, 2019 by spacecadet

[Allan Bell]

Some thing I do when images don't come out quite right and look a bit like your last few is to use the "Dehaze" slider in LR and move it to the right to about 20 but you will need to experiment with setting for your images.

 

I find this adds some contrast and brings up the colours too.

 

Allan

 

Edited November 22, 2019 by Allan Bell

[Russell]

14 hours ago, Chuck Nacke said:

Few like me much on this forum today, but

Chuck, please don't get paranoid, you're a good photographer with a lifetime of experience and your comments are valuable. Relax and try to ignore any carping.

[Perry]

3 hours ago, spacecadet said:

I don't mean to offend but I wonder if there's a language issue here- do you actually mean "dark" in English, as in underexposed (they're certainly not), or just what we'd call "flat"? To my eye your shadows are too light.

"Clarity" in Lightroom is worth a try- I usually use quite a lot.

Your images in bright sunlight have more "punch"- perhaps you just need to go back on a sunny day, if you can.

Hi Spacecadet, sorry english is not my native english, yes I mean underexposed. But you are right, it was a greyish clouded day.

Could go back on a sunny day. I do use Clarity and dehaze often. I did noticed you have to watch out for noise in dark parts using Clarity though.

 

13 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

It seems to be in the eye of the beholder. Many of those on the first page look great to me. I feel there is a place for subtle colors that give a happy, calming appearance.  Not everything needs to jumpstart me with energy.  I actually liked that look on one of my Monarch butterfly images while developing it and other than checking WB, left it alone.
I do think one needs to be able to judge which images lend themselves to a subtle dreamy look. I’d think the majority should be developed with punch and color, but depending on the subject, not all.  If I were a buyer, I’d buy the one looking through the tiled courtyard at the vista outside. Just as it is. 
Now I’ve opened up a can of worms and argument. Bring it on! 😁

Betty
 

Added...I like 2AT07R, 2A95083, and 2A8NGH4 just as they are. Really like them.

And one not in your 28, 2A5K26X, seems developed similarly, and I would hate to see it all punchy.

I consider these a “style”. Maybe I’m too arty for my own good.

 

Betty, you are spot on. Agree, not everything has to jump of the screen.  

To be honest I do spend a lot of time on post processing. Maybe to much sometimes. 

Also true for objects I tend to give it a bit more a "style" on purpose. But again to let it stand out more.

 

For personal work I tread this all different. Tend to process these in a way as how I remember the scene, or maybe even better, how I experienced it, lights etc. Do a lot of processing to get it the way I "think" it was. Not so much as it comes out of the camera. However, for stock I would not go so far that way. 

 

Hope it makes sense what I am trying to say, as english is not my native language.

 

Perry

 

To ad.. Start to think that my main problem is that I am not very used to take photos during overcast weather. 😎😄

Edited November 22, 2019 by Perry

[spacecadet]

4 hours ago, Perry said:

I did noticed you have to watch out for noise in dark parts using Clarity though.

It's never been a QC problem for me, and I sometimes use a lot of clarity.

And there's nothing wrong with your English.

[Chuck Nacke]

9 hours ago, Russell said:

Chuck, please don't get paranoid, you're a good photographer with a lifetime of experience and your comments are valuable. Relax and try to ignore any carping.

Thanks Russell,

 

I do appreciate it.

 

Chuck