New Photoshop technique

I just learned a new one; gradient filter. Tried it on this old photo. No other adjustments other than this technique. Create fill layer, gradient, overlay blending mode, adjust gradient to suit. Rasterize layer. Touch up some areas to add light. Boom. Two minutes max.

Nice! Wonder if it will work for underwater shots and shots where the sun is off to the side a bit.

Just curious, is that photo from Costa Rica?

Cheers

James

I've done this underwater as well. The Kodak sometimes has color shifts with primes. I fixed an image with that problem using a gradient and a blend.

This was Lembeh Resort. I was carrying a laptop and a Flashtrax for backup on this trip. Once I forgot to transfer to the laptop. It was only on the Flashtrax. I misplaced the unique one-of-a-kind unusual voltage AC adapter for the Flashtrax. Finally bought another. I was just going through that one card for the first time.

The gradient layer can be used in several different ways to do exactly what you are thinking. With this technique no one has to worry about the sunball issue ever. The gradient allows you to do the same as a GND filter only with more flexibility. The gradient can be angled any way you like. It can be as hard or soft as you like. It can be radial as opposed to linear.

Send me an S2 sunball shot to play with. g.vincentatcomcastdotcom

oops, wrong e-mail

g.vincentatcomcastdotnet

I've used this technique on underwater shots a few times. Tricky to position the gradient at first, but I'm getting better at it. It's useful with fisheye or 12-24.

Not just sunball. With 10.5 or 12-24 at wide settings, for example, the lens scans a much wider field of view than a normal lens, or even human eye. This can compress the actual light-dark gradient spanning 100-180 degrees in the background water into a smaller apparent area in the image. It doesn't look natural when the background goes from light to very dark over what seems like a very short distance, though in reality the lens may be taking in a field of view of 100 degrees with the 12-24 to 180 degrees with the 10.5. (I'm not sure about the exact actual fields-of-view through a port with these lenses.)

Careful use of gradient can reduce this unnatural appearing effect.

Frogfish

Of course, you still need to worry about not blowing out the sunball. Dynamic range in the camera is still important.

That would be this pool, right?