Tip #51: Skylight Filter

In yesterday's tip I reduced the noise from a pretty good photo. Today, I enhance the sunset in the same photo to make the image come alive. I got the idea of using the Skylight filter from Moose Peterson, renowned outdoor photographer.

With the image loaded in Capture NX2, I finished the edit by choosing the Skylight filter from the Color EFEX Pro 3 plug-ins that are integrated in my copy of Capture NX2. I liked the way the sunset went from drab to bright. Then, I added a second use of the same filter. The result was like magic. Tastes may vary on color intensity; however, the use of stacked filters is an idea that everyone can use.

Before Skylight Filter:


After Skylight Filter #1:


After Skylight Filter #2:







Now to reveal the finished edit, here's the photo before edits:

Photo -- Randy Wohlert (this was a self portrait -- camera sitting on a stump with a timer set)




And, here's the completed photo that I returned to my friend:

Edits -- Dave Rackley



[Back to the Main Site]

Tip #50: Noise Reduction

Except for a few special cases, I do not like noisy photographs -- you know, the grainy, speckled images that have taken over the social media sites of the world. I prefer clear, crisp images.

A friend recently asked me, if post-processing would help an image he had captured. Without even looking at the photo, I said yes. The first step in my editing workflow is noise reduction. Here's how I reduced the noise in my friend's photo:

1. I loaded the image into Capture NX2.


2. I zoomed to 100% and scrolled to a portion of the sky. The 100% zoom is critical for noise adjustments. The sky is where noise most often shows its ugly self.


3. I chose the noise reduction tool, and I clicked on "Better Quality" and "Edge Noise Reduction"


4. In this case, I moved the slider to 27%, the point at which the noise melted away.

Before Noise Reduction (click the image for a closer look):



After Noise Reduction (click the image for a closer look):




I will be revisiting this image with a future tip, so stay tuned.


[Back to the Main Site]