Digital Light & Color

If there is interest, you are invited to view an after/before comparison of "A waxing Extreme Supermoon" at: http://www.ncplus.net/~birchbay/11/IMAG ... _11_97.htm

The base image is a Canon 350D CR2 RAW file converted with Canon's DPP with the initial intent to limit the appearance of inherit noise of this low dynamic, low contrast image when expanded to full range as DPP tends to provide 'softer' images then PWP's converter.

As it turned out the noise was used to create virtual stars by removing the dark specks with the AdvanceSharpen Speck Removal tab and sharpening the the light specks to near spectral brightness with the Sharpen tab. Further, dark noise reduction was done with the Biliateral Sharpen transform with the the 'skin smoothing' settings suggested here: http://www.dl-c.com/board/viewtopic.php ... +smoothing

Other than conversion, all edits were made with PWP5 and were specific to this image, occurring over several days and for the most part too numerous, back-tracked, and re-done to be recalled except in general terms but included most of PWP's transforms and tools at one time or another.

Overall image 'Creative' sharpening was generally limited to mid-tones where the light tones were two-thirds of the dark tones of the sharpening radius and a preference amount... as described here: http://www.dl-c.com/board/viewtopic.php ... re+sharpen.

This image makes a good 'desktop background' and if of further interest, I can upload for 30 days, a 1440x900 pixel 100% quality JPEG [approx. 1MB] for your download and non-commercial personal use. Other uses require permission and the attribution: "IMAGEs by DEN".... Let me know me if anyone would like the 1440x900 JPEG version.

This image for me is somewhat of a fluke. I am more of an 'opprotunistic' photographer, taking a shot when I recognize an opprotunity and it is convenient [camera accessible] rather than pre-planning and lying in wait for the 'right' light or composition...etc. I stepped out to get the mail from the road side mail box and happen to see the moon peaking through light haze scattered clouds, on the rise during late afternoon. I returned outdoors with my camera, stepped into the middle of the yard and took a handheld, manually focused [in-frame contrast was too low for auto-focus], auto WB, iso100 shot at f8 and then the clouds moved in... did not get a chance to use a tripod, re-adjust the focus, and change to f11 which would have been my preference...

Had a look at you very dramatic moon, Den. I was very surprised to see what you'd started with. Works well, for me, as a fantasy image . Virtual stars and a planetary body that owes something to our very own moon!
Mike.

Mike G.... thanks for the obersvation/comments

I think for my next life, I would like to be a CGI [computer generated image] artist. The less obvious aspects of an image's data file intriques me... and the possibilities of accessing/manipulating that data with PWP's transforms/tools even more so... you do not need to have a PhotoShop varient to make near realistic photo-art images. Also by straying beyond the normal edits of: full range, color balance, tone/colors, etc... one becomes more adept with PWP's transforms/tools.

This extremely edited image version is really based on a memory recall of a night's passage across the Strait of Georgia [British Columbia, Canada] under monochromatic lighting at nearly daylight brightness of a full moon surrounded by high clouds that created a nimbus... ...and 'milky way' peek-throughs.