Beach

Time for a new installment in my Before and After series. For this week, it is another pair of adjustments made in Adobe Camera Raw and Topaz Adjust.

The Before Image

This image was taken at D.T. Fleming Beach in September ‘07, in the early afternoon. I really liked the composition, with the symmetry between the water and the clouds above. The rocks add a nice touch in the foreground, although the horizon is off and the colors are a little dull.

The After Image

A little color saturation, straightening the horizon, and a little cropping (notice the difference in the rocks) in ACR set this one up for Topaz Adjust. I chose the Photo Pop preset in Topaz Adjust to help achieve the look you see here.

Another Old Photo Saved

I like to think the next time I’m at D.T. Fleming Beach with my camera gear to find a scene like this, I would have learned enough in the last 2 1/2 years to get it better in-camera first. I also like to think I’ll be back to Maui sooner than later.

Until that next 9 hour plan ride to that beautiful island in the Pacific, I will continue pushing my post production skills and working on new tools and techniques to create these “new” images, while at the same time reliving the great memories of capturing the originals.

Stay tuned for another edition of Before and After next week as more of my early works get a new look on the digital life.

– Kris

Like many of the photos to being posted here over the few weeks, this one comes from my new-ish Maui by Photo website. You can more photos from Koki Beach there as well.

Now, on to the photo. This one doesn’t look like you’re typical Maui beach, but there’s something about this mist in this photo that does a lot more to capture the spiritual and magical feeling I get from thinking about Maui than just another one of those postcard shots do. Don’t you agree?

Koki Beach is all the way on the East side of the island, just passed Hana and before Hamoa Beach, which is indeed one of those postcard beaches.

Photo Update: Jan. 13, ’10

As part of my Flickr reset, I am going back and reprocessing some of my favorite shots from previous posts and applying the new Photoshop skills I’ve acquired in the past few months or so.

Here’s one from an early morning session I just finished with, and after applying a little Spicify action with Topaz Adjust, the result blew me away. See for yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the original image for the misty effect it has, but when I saw what I was able to do with this shot using Topaz, I couldn’t pass up on it.

Thoughts?

Interested in hearing your thoughts on the before and after. I know it’s a matter of personal taste, but if you had to pick, which one and why?

- Kris

Photo: The bluest of blue skies at Wailea Beach in South Maui.

Update: Softness effect recently added with TopazDetail.

Photo: One of the most beautiful and remote beaches you’ll find on the island of Maui.

Photo: Are the patterns in the water below mimicking the clouds above, or is it vice versa?

Image updated on Jan. 13th, ’10. Reprocessed in Adobe Camera Raw and tweaked using Topaz Adjust – Photo Pop settings.