Decision, Take II

Here's the other rework, with is the same image file as the original posted a couple days ago, here.

Thanks for any comments,

Lon

This is far superior to your earlier post IMHO.  I still don't care for the short bare branches in the extreme left bottom, but the brightening of the tree really brings this image to another level.  Even then, however, this is not an image that really thrills me, which is sad because the bare tree itself, especially brightened, is a fantastic subject.

Thanks Bill for your honesty. 

Ya know, one of the reasons I continue posting and commenting here, is that we don't have to love every image that's posted, and certainly don't expect everyone to love what we post.  Honest opinions are all we're looking for.  

One thing is certain that I think we all can agree upon, is that the feedback is valuable and more often than not, we are improving our work when we consider that feedback.

Thanks!

I also think "Take II" is a major improvement, Lon. I like the way the bare tree stands out, and I think straightening the tree is a big improvement as well. My only nit are the small, bare vertical trunks or branches in the far LLC, but this is minor. Overall, I like it.  I appreciate the rework and being able to see the changes. 

Lon, I think the rework is the best rendition. There is nothing else there that offends the eye (amazing what a difference straightening the tree made).

Nature seldom gives a perfect picture that fits in a square/rectangular format. My opinion  is formed around what commands or dominates the scene; and here, the tree certainly does. All the rest of the scene supports that subject. Any imperfections are just lumps in a beautiful and tasty gravy.

Even though I liked the prior post the brightening of the tree has elevated this another notch, Lon. I am still leaning; pun intended; toward the second version here. It just seems more natural and relaxed with the tree at a slight angle where as the other seems to rigid and structured. I hope that makes sense.

Ed

Lon, I like this new version with the lightened bare tree.  Would you mind explaining your processing to "boost" the bare tree?  The lightening does not seem to have affected the remainder of the image, but I'm puzzled as to how you did this given the very fine branching of the bare tree.

Thanks,
Julie

Lon, I really like this version of the image a lot (much stronger than the earlier post). This is an amazing tree, and I like how you lightened it in the re-post, it really pops out from the background now. I also like the slight lean too, it makes the image more dynamic. I love having both the yellow and rust colored foliage, the dark rusty foliage (oaks?) in the background really makes the tree stand out. I also like how you chose to crop the branches on the right side of the tree and not show the entire tree. I think that crop places more emphasis on the interesting shaped branches on the left side of the tree. This is a very stark image, but has a lot of impact with me.

Thanks for the comments folks! And for the validation of the rework.  As I've said, the feedback we get is so helpful in improving our work and images. So Thanks!

Any imperfections are just lumps in a beautiful and tasty gravy. - Phil
 

Phil - LOL, one of the best photographic analogies I can remember! 

 Would you mind explaining your processing to "boost" the bare tree?

Julia, thank you for your comments - and what a great question, thanks for asking! With out writing a novel, which I tend to do... I'll try and summarize a few things.  As we all know, there are countless ways on accomplishing things in Photoshop.  And my disclaimer? I have no idea if my methods are the best, most efficient or least destructive in PS. One thing I have learned though is that questions like this are what spur me to learn more about image processing.  Having said that, I was able to increase the luminosity of the tree in a number of ways. But first, you are correct that it would be quite impossible to select the tree itself with all the tiny branches and color/tone variations to make specific adjustments to the tree.  The MAIN key (at least for me) is to address adjustments to tones, color, luminosity, saturation, etc., rather than trying to select objects like a single tree. Keeping that in mind, here are a few things I did:
1. Starting in RAW, I used the Luminance in the HSL(Hue, Saturation, Luminance) adjustment.  Knowing that the tree contains more blue/cyan and very light tones compared to the rest of the image, I boosted the luminance values of blue and cyan.  Now these are global adjustments so the cyan was also picked up in the color/luminance of the pine trees. But that's ok.  I also made Clarity and Vibrance adjustments as I do with most images.
2. Once in PS a great way to adjust luminosity without affecting color is by using a B&W layer (or a Hue/Sat layer can be used too.) The key though is to use these adjustment layers with the Blending mode set to Luminosity.    Here I did the same thing as in RAW and increased the sliders for the blue and cyan adjustments.  This actually turns out to be a pretty good sample image for this technique. The reason I say this because the yellows are concentrated in the willow, the reds mostly in the rusty oak leaves (as well as in the willow) and the greens of the pine/cedar - although I've let them go fairly dark. So I could also tweak the yellows/reds/greens to go a little darker, which by default make the white-ish (with blues and cyans) appear lighter.  Hope that makes sense
3. The other round about way to make the tree stand out is to increase contrast - lights go lighter, darks, darker.  Any number of ways to do this. One tip I picked up somewhere was the use of LAB mode (instead of RGB.) Now this is a topic for an entire tutorial and there are lots of them out there. I'll link to one.  But I've been using a duplicated layer I process in LAB Color mode and add it to the layer stack using a variety of Blending modes and opacities. Mostly use Soft Light, Overlay, but also Normal works as does Color and Saturation blending modes.  Here's one tutorial. Or just google "using LAB Mode in Photoshop" and you'll get tons - some quite advanced and complex. The link above is one of the more simple ones.
4. Another way to increase contrast or give an image a little punch is using a Curves or Levels Adj layer.  The trick is to just add the Adjusment layer, but do not make any adjustments.  Simply change the blending mode to Soft Light and change opacity to taste. Real simple.  Got that one from Mr. Preston Birdwell!  Thanks buddy!  

Attaching a rough idea of what the layers look like.

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you need more clarification.

Lon

thanks again everyone for your help!

Lon, I keep coming back to this image because of the wonderful bare tree.  It's just too good to leave behind.  I would like to offer suggestions on how to make it more pleasing (to me), but I really don't have any.  I would like to play with it some - may I have your permission to capture a screen shot and play with it a little?  If you would prefer that I not, I certainly understand. If granted permission and I come up with anything I like I will email to you and not post it here.

Processing of the tree looks great Lon.  I can remember an image of yours using similar trees, maybe a BE that I thought was much better from a compositional standpoint.  The stark tree within the context of the other trees still doesn't grab me. Maybe a tighter view of the tree and it's branches would be stronger for me. The brightening of the tree does make it stand out more and creates more dimension.

Bill - Absolutely and I appreciate you asking and offering to take a look and offer alternate suggestions.  I am more than happy to send a more appropriate RAW file if you want that.  But certainly you can start with the screen shot.  Drop me an email any time.

Harry - 

 I can remember an image of yours using similar trees, maybe a BE that I thought was much better from a compositional standpoint

Not sure if a typo, but I can't figure out what "BE" is?

Thanks all!

I like what you did with the light on the main tree, and on the rework in general, but I think the composition with the leaning tree has more emotional impact, and shows the forest as it truly is. 
--P

Lon, I like the increased contrast and the extra view of the bare tree in Take II.  Your processing has created a combination of starkness and mystery that make this easy to look at repeatedly.  To me, enjoying repeated views is what good photography is all about.  The bare verticals in the lower left are both somewhat distracting and interesting.  In the long run, I think they add to the atmosphere.

Yep, this one works for me. Nice job on the repost.