Mission San Jose - Need Some C&C

[redleash]

This is a shot from last year but I just processed it in Photomatix; it's another single image tonemapped and then tweaked in PS. I like the texture and the lines, but how is the color? Is there too much noise in the shadows on the right?

http://redleash.smugmug.com/photos/515499034_myrmm-L.jpg

For larger version, click here: http://redleash.smugmug.com/gallery/6657656_S2oZX/5/515499034_myrmm#515499034_myrmm-X2-LB

[Azzaro]

That is a really nice shot Lauren..... Good composition, it is shown larger than in the past:thumb good depth of field. I would have shown it with more pop, but that doesn't make me right, just different. :clapazzaro

[Roadkill]

I like the composition and the detail, good shot. Suggestion: Maybe burn the top arch and the left pillar a bit so that the lightest area is down the walkway. Looks like you might have done some burring on the sidewalk.

[anonymouscuban]

Very nice. I think the color is just right. No noise that I can see, at least not at this size. I also like the composition.

BTW, how did you like the Mission in San Jose? We've seen 8 of the 21 Missions. San Jose is one that we have yet to see, but plan to next visit to my sister-in-law's.

[dlplumer]

Very nice shot but there is clearly quite a bit of noise that is visible in the larger shot on the right side under the arches. Have you tried using your noise reduction software?

[redleash]

All- Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I may take another stab at this one in PS. Or maybe I'll just go shoot it again. The missions are just "down the road apiece." :D

Cuban - I have only seen 2 missions (plus the Alamo, of course) but I liked San Jose the best, partly because of the arches you see here. All of them provide nice photo ops, especially for detail shots.

Dan - What noise reduction software? :rofl I tried a demo of one but didn't like it much. If I'm going to keep shooting HDR or tonemapping other shots, I really have to get some good software. Have a suggestion?

[TonyCooper]

All- Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I may take another stab at this one in PS. Or maybe I'll just go shoot it again. The missions are just "down the road apiece." :D

Cuban - I have only seen 2 missions (plus the Alamo, of course) but I liked San Jose the best, partly because of the arches you see here. All of them provide nice photo ops, especially for detail shots.

Dan - What noise reduction software? :rofl I tried a demo of one but didn't like it much. If I'm going to keep shooting HDR or tonemapping other shots, I really have to get some good software. Have a suggestion?
Funny you should mention that. I've never used noise reduction software before last night, but I downloaded the Noiseware Community Edition (freeware) last night and tried it.

Here's the output. The photo on the left is the original, and the one on the right was run through Noiseware Community Edition using the defaults. I haven't tried any of the more sophisticated settings. (This was done on a .jpg. Dunno if it works on .psd files yet, but there is a plug-in version for the paid program.)

Look at the arm holding the scroll, for example. This is a table-top shot of a 3.5" figure with a chrysantheum in the foreground.

You can Google "Noiseware" for their site, but it's difficult to navigate to the free Community Edition. They hide it, but you can Google for "Noiseware Community Edition" and find the download.

I'll probably end up buying the program that works as a Plug-In for CS4. The stand-alone free edition requires a separate run-through of the image.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/cooper213/noise.jpg

[Travis]

Dan - What noise reduction software? :rofl I tried a demo of one but didn't like it much. If I'm going to keep shooting HDR or tonemapping other shots, I really have to get some good software. Have a suggestion?

I'm not Dan but since I'm hanging out, I'll start the answer and let Dan hit you up with the rest :wink . Noise Reduction (NR) software is specialty software designed to minimize the amount of noise in an image (okay, that seems obvious huh?). The real question is how do they work. Each NR app has a set of algorithms to reduce noise caused by various conditions. For example, Nik Define has presets for Sky, Shadows, Heavy Noise, etc.

The reason they are called "noise reduction" and not "noise removal" is that they don't actually remove the artifacts causing the noise. Instead they usually apply a level of gaussian blur to soften the pixels contributing to the noise or apply some level of color adjustment to hot offending pixels. For this reason, NR software needs to be used carefully and with moderation because it will reduce the sharpness of the detail in the image. HDR images in particular seem to be very susceptible to increased noise in the shadows and skies due to users pushing the HDR effect. A good NR app can help but understand what understand what the trade-offs are.

I believe the gold standard is Noise Ninja. I personally use Nik Define (received as part of a package) and have been happy with the results. There are a few others out there that I cannot recall the names of offhand. Download a couple of them for trials and compare your results, ease of use, etc. and see what works best for you.

[dlplumer]

All- Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I may take another stab at this one in PS. Or maybe I'll just go shoot it again. The missions are just "down the road apiece." :D

Cuban - I have only seen 2 missions (plus the Alamo, of course) but I liked San Jose the best, partly because of the arches you see here. All of them provide nice photo ops, especially for detail shots.

Dan - What noise reduction software? :rofl I tried a demo of one but didn't like it much. If I'm going to keep shooting HDR or tonemapping other shots, I really have to get some good software. Have a suggestion?

I use Noise Ninja Lauren.

[redleash]

Thanks, Travis and Dan. I'll check out the demos and see if i have better luck.

Lauren