Can you believe it? It’s been a year for this very fun challenge. I’ve got to start off by thanking Stacy for coordinating this challenge every month. It’s not easy to do when receiving images and links from everyone and I really appreciate all her hard work, so please check out her blog and the entire challenge here.
This challenge is about everyone editing the same image and today I’m honored that it’s my image everyone will be editing. I’m surprised how well the original jpeg did with all the editing. Normally I take RAW photos but when my camera came back from repair I didn’t realize they had reset my settings so I ended up with a jpeg for this challenge.
This abandoned boat is in Tomales Bay on the north side of the SF Bay Area near Pt. Reyes. I’ve taken this boat before when I first started getting into photography, so I thought I’d take it again and make it part of this challenge. You can find the before and after below.
Here’s the general process:
- Cropped and adjusted clarity, whites, blacks, etc. in LR and then opened in PS.
- Found royalty-free moon and starry sky images on web and uploaded into PS and masked out the image to include the sky and moon.
- Adjusted the moon layer with a layer style color overlay and added a glow.
- Put a moon reflection in the water.
- Added a gradient for the red horizon glow
- Added a color overlay layer for entire image.
- Used a color balance layer to tweak the overall highlights, shadows and midtones.
- Isolated the grass with color selection and added vibrance and color.
- Added a color lookup layer for a nighttime effect and used a mask to adjust opacity in various areas of the image.
- Added 3 layers consisting of clouds on a transparency background and used a layer style to add a color overlay and blend mode.
- Added some ND gradients around the edges.
January One Photo Focus
Should you wish to purchase the above image, please click here.
Original by Laura Macky
Laura Macky Photography 
January 1, 2016 at 5:09 am
Hope you had a wonderful end to 2015 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 7:34 am
Thank you Alex! Happy New Year!
January 1, 2016 at 7:36 am
Your new year’s resolution should be to take even more photos! haha
January 1, 2016 at 8:01 am
LOL
January 1, 2016 at 6:54 am
Great edit. It creates such a different feel to the image. I like the warm tones too. Happy New Year!
January 1, 2016 at 7:34 am
Thank you Laura. I hope you have a Happy New Year!
January 1, 2016 at 8:23 am
Very nice Laura. Thanks for sharing the steps. Happy New Year!
January 1, 2016 at 10:30 am
Thanks Dan and you’re welcome! Happy New Year to you as well. 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 8:50 am
It’s a great edit and end result. Once again, you’ve encouraged all of us to up our game!
Nancy
January 1, 2016 at 10:31 am
Why thank you! I think I went a bit over the top but it was fun anyway. 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 10:43 am
But it’s not fun if you can’t overdo it! Otherwise, you’re just processing photos.
January 1, 2016 at 12:00 pm
True!
Pingback: One Photo Focus – January | Cee's Photography
January 1, 2016 at 10:32 am
Thanks for linking! Happy New Year. 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 9:55 am
I love this boat!!! I take photos of it every time I go to Tomales Bay; it has a sense of mystery, and I would love to know its history. Who used it? Why was it abandoned? Why are we lucky enough that it has not been trashed? I don’t know how to do photo editing at all. You have taken one my all time favorite places and turned it into a work of art. Beautiful. Thanks.
January 1, 2016 at 10:33 am
Thank you Carol! This boat has not much history. I’ve googled and googled. I posted this boat when I first started getting into photography more seriously a few years ago. I tried finding info on it but there is not much to be had. It definitely has mystery about it!
January 1, 2016 at 10:14 am
Oh Laura, I absolutely adore how you edited your photo. It was a fun photo to play with. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. You have given me ideas on how to branch out on editing.
January 1, 2016 at 10:33 am
Thank you so much Cee. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed working on it. I love changing things dramatically…can you tell?? lol Have a wonderful new year and I look forward to seeing more of your work!
January 1, 2016 at 10:50 am
A nice, otherworldly reimagining.
Happy New Year! May it be a good one.
January 1, 2016 at 12:01 pm
Thank you so much. Happy New Year to you as well!
January 1, 2016 at 11:34 am
Love the edits, it makes the image much more interesting and much more appealing to my eye.
January 1, 2016 at 12:01 pm
I’m glad you think so Charlie, thank you. Happy new Year to you. 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 12:16 pm
Fantastic editing! Gorgeous image! 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Thank you so much!!
January 1, 2016 at 7:07 pm
I saw you on Reinhold Staden’s site 🙂
January 1, 2016 at 7:30 pm
You did? Talk about being surveiled! 😉
January 1, 2016 at 7:38 pm
Hope it’s legal
January 2, 2016 at 7:38 am
laffs
January 1, 2016 at 7:39 pm
i’m going to have to mentally process what I’ve seen this week before I really comment but I want to say your original image was perfect until I saw what you did with it. No words, just wow!
January 2, 2016 at 7:39 am
Just a bunch a colors with a moon plopped in. 😀 Thanks much Emilio!
January 3, 2016 at 9:07 am
Well, I think you are short-changing yourself. But, until I can plop a moon, I think I shall retire from 1PF.
January 3, 2016 at 10:17 am
Awww 😦 Noo, not really. You won’t retire will you??????? I don’t want to do it if you’re not there. 😦
January 4, 2016 at 10:07 am
I’m going to write you on facebook, if you don’y mind!
January 4, 2016 at 10:13 am
Be my guest!
January 1, 2016 at 9:52 pm
Both versions are great. I love the colours and atmosphere you have created in your edited version. Thanks for the original image – I’ve enjoyed working with it. Marie
January 2, 2016 at 7:40 am
I’m glad you enjoyed working on it. Thank you for your lovely edit and comment!
January 2, 2016 at 9:39 am
My pleasure.
January 2, 2016 at 3:55 am
Very cool. Love seeing how one turned into the other. Happy New Year Laura!
January 2, 2016 at 7:56 am
Thank you! Happy New Year to you as well.
January 2, 2016 at 9:41 am
Nice edit, very original, you always manage to bring something extra to the OPF forum! Of course it was a gorgeous picture to begin with! 🙂
January 2, 2016 at 10:49 am
Thank you Katie! You know me and my heavy edits lol. Especially with this challenge. I try learning something new everytime!
January 2, 2016 at 11:57 am
Love it with the moon. Really fun.
January 2, 2016 at 2:36 pm
Thanks sherry. Moons are so handy. 😉
January 2, 2016 at 7:21 pm
Very artistic interpretation with great results. I like the change of mood and the warm glow.
January 2, 2016 at 8:44 pm
I always love it when I get a comment that uses artistic in it. Thank you!
January 3, 2016 at 1:27 pm
Wow, what a great start to the new year. Hope it’s a good one.
January 3, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Thank you! I hope the same for you.
January 5, 2016 at 1:23 am
Nice edit. I was planning to participate and even had some ideas, but forgot about the whole thing.
January 5, 2016 at 6:48 am
Thanks! Maybe next time. I’d like to see what you do.
January 5, 2016 at 1:50 pm
Fantastic shots Laura, really a beautiful way to bring in the New Year ~ a great post and best to you with your writing and photography in the New Year. Cheers to a great 2016.
January 5, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Thank you so much Dalo. I really appreciate your kind comments!
August 17, 2016 at 1:46 pm
Beautiful use of color! So different from images I’ve seen before. 🙂
August 19, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Thank you so much! I appreciate it. 🙂