LUAS at Night, Benburb Street, Dublin; Two versions of one image.

I made this photograph the other night using my Lumix LX-7 set for ‘Monochrome’.

The complexity of the scene features several visual layers.

Here are two versions of the photo. The top image is the camera generated Jpeg, unmodified except for scaling. The bottom image is the result of some modifications in post processing.

The unmodified file; this is the camera generate Jpeg, scaled for internet presentation.
The unmodified file; this is the camera generate Jpeg, scaled for internet presentation.
This version was modified from the camera RAW file.
This version was modified from the camera RAW file.

Using the ‘levels’ slider, I’ve lightened the mid-range shadows to reveal greater amounts of detail inside the pub and improve the overall contrast. Then I made some localized contrast adjustments with the dodging tool.

With the saturation slider I de-saturated the image, removing all color. Although, I’d exposed it in ‘Monochrome’, the camera-file gave the file a bluish hue that I didn’t feel was necessary or desirable.

I like the second version of the image better. However my changes have had the secondary effect of de-emphasizing the LUAS tram that was the original primary subject.

Comparison of the two versions shows a little bit of work can improve a digital image.

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