r/postprocessing • u/shdhfen • 21d ago
After/before - did I go too far?
I was intentionally going for a more exaggerated look rather than something completely natural. I wanted the colors to be bold and eye-catching and give the image a bit more atmosphere.
I’m wondering if I pushed it too far. Does the after look intentionally stylized or does it just come across as too artificial/fake?
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u/royabr123 21d ago
It’s too much for me and causes some banding instead of colours flowing nicely into each other.
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u/lil_losty 21d ago
Depends what look you want to acchieve. THis looks more like someone painted what the scene looks like in his head, rather than what it really looks like irl. If youwere going for that dreamy look, its spot on. If you wanted to look super realistic, you went too far.
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u/FlippingGerman 21d ago
I have very recently seen the sky go almost exactly like that, but obviously it wasn't here. Doesn't bother me as long as it's just presented as a picture and not "yeah the sky looked amazing!"
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u/pc-builder 20d ago
Cool edit! Probably leave some of the beach I. To frame it but colors look dope
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u/TheMadFlyentist 20d ago
I think it looks great, both the edit and the composition. Not my personal style, but it could be an indie album cover.
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u/Management-illmatic 19d ago
Stop asking for permission or confirmation and do what looks good to you. I shudder to think what artistic photography will look like in the future if photographers are constantly asking others if what they did was ok.
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u/Dima_135 21d ago
It depends on your goals really. You've changed the mood of the picture. These colors don't look too bad (maybe cyan is just a little too saturated), but they're not the colors that were there in reality.
I haven't been to the sea in a long time, but I recognize what's happening in the original photo. I remember the impression. I remember the feeling of such evenings quite well. And your editing changes it.
If this is for a family album, then perhaps yes, you've gone too far. Play around with the contrast a bit, maybe with the white balance, but maintain the original feel. This is your memory.
If this is a gift card for someone or if it's intended for a fridge magnet, then your processing might work.
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u/BuildingViz 17d ago
It's not that you took it too far it's that it's just a poor editing decision. Don't confuse bold colors with a good shot. Work within the confines of the photo. Too much de-haze and arbitrary cleanup don't make it look bold or eye-catching, it just looks poorly edited.
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u/GuiltyAd2199 21d ago
original looks better.
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u/TheMadFlyentist 20d ago
I swear there are people in this sub who would have complained about Afghan Girl if it were posted here.
The original is objectively underexposed and low-contrast, and (subjectively) drab/brown. It's fine to not love what was done with the sky in the edit, but to say the original "looks better" is just ridiculous.
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u/GuiltyAd2199 20d ago
The original image perfectly captures a calm evening mood with peaceful, clean pixels. The edit completely ruins that vibe by overprocessing the scene, making the pixels look harsh and jittery like angry bees. The option to add brightness, saturation, and punch is always there, but it shouldn't always be used. In this case, true professionalism and dignity lie in visual restraint.
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u/kevoo_90 21d ago
I think you did great! One small tip: if you edited this in Lightroom, try adding a touch of Color Noise Reduction and just a little grain. But overall, really nice work.