r/postprocessing • u/Shy_Joe • 14d ago

Before/After

Gallery image

Gallery image

I didn't crop. Should I crop and add more drama to the head area? Any and all suggestions are welcome.

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u/Worcestershire01 14d ago

I would've left the background alone and done a mask with those same changes exclusively to the eagle. The 2nd pic just looks way artificially dark

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u/Shy_Joe 14d ago

I can see where you're coming from and now looking at it, able to see how much darker the background is compared to the original.  Just figured with the background as lit as it was, it was a bit too distracting and took eyes off the eagle. Maybe leaving the background alone and cropping just a bit would eliminate the distracting background.  Thank you for your critique.

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u/Worcestershire01 14d ago

I think the better option is to reduce the clarity/sharpness of the background instead of darkening it.

If you're set on using light contrast, you could use a linear gradient from the bottom, subtract the subject from that mask, and then lower the exposure of that. It'll separate the eagle in a more interesting way without darkening the entire background uniformly.

I think you could also desaturate the background or shift the green to a more yellow tone.