Mike wrote:
> I'm looking for recommendations for an application/plugin that will even out
> the color of polarized skies with the click of a button. .....
>
Ooooh, I'd like that too!
> right, OK then how about describing a PS2 work flow for accomplishing same
> without too much trouble and without ending up with a plastic sky.
>
First a truism about PS, skies and polarizers. It's much quicker and
easier to achieve the polarizer look in PS on shots taken without one
than to correct image problems arising from shooting with one. For me,
polarizers are now for taming reflections and seeing through
water/glass, not for skies and increasing saturation.
I haven't used a polarizer for skies in ages, so I don't have any
examples at hand. I do have my share of super wide shots where one side
is brighter than the other to a greater extent than I would like and
those with one of both upper corners of sky too dark. I've tried several
processing procedures for these.
- For modest differences and areas, simple techniques like artful
dodging or creating a layer that is brighter overall and blending it in
with mask painting can work well. They do depend on some eye-hand dexterity.
- Gradients have always seemed to me the obvious solution. However, I
have found that approach to have drawbacks I have yet to get around. It
works well for blank sky, giving a result that doesn't go so far toward
tonal uniformity as simply filling the whole sky with the same color. It
does take a bit or practice and trial and error, at least for me, to get
the right result, but it's fast and easy to apply.
With clouds, though, it damps down the cloud in the affected area in
ways that I don't like.
- I've had some success using vignetting compensation, either in ACR or
PTLens. Even where the problem is only on one side, two layers, one with
vignetting compensation, and one without, may be blended pretty easily.
This image illustrates the processes and differences.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/Process/DarkCorner/CloudGrad.htm>
1. No polarizer, but a 17mm lens with the sun barely out of the image.
This is more effect than this lens by itself in other situations.
Natural polarization?
2. I applied the gradient tool to each corner. It lightens, but reduces
contrast, losing cloud detail.
3. Reduced the layer to 50% opacity. It brings the clouds partway back,
but leaves slightly dark corners.
4. Vignetting correction with PTLens evens up the far corners.
5. When LCE and curves are used, their effect is very uneven, only
having full effect in the central area and overdoing the corners.
6. Strong vignetting correction applied in ACR. I overdid it a bit, but
decreasing layer opacity easily corrects that.
7. LCE and Curves apply evenly. Compared to #5, the centers are very
similar, but sky and clouds go all soft and flat moving towards the
corners.
If you look at this compared to the others, flipping back and forth, it
may look overcooked. Try just leaving it up for a while, do something
else, then look at it again.
If you have an image suffering from this affliction, I'd be happy to
take a shot at it. If it works, I'll let you know what I did.
Moose
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