# POC Pelican - Backlit and blown out sky



## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

I don't know if I like this sort of hi key effect, or if it would look better with some kind of sky. I spot metered for the birds body, and the sun was overhead and behind the bird, hence the sky's all blown out.

If there is anyone out there with Photoshop skills who can put some kind of sky back in behind the bird, I'd sure be curious to see how it looks. When it comes to making a foreground selection to do that in PS, I have no idea how to do so with something that has edges as intricate as this bird does with all his feathers sticking out.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

That's a nice shot. The sky doesn't bother me at all! If it was on a magazine cover, they would fill in with text.
Mike


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## grayfish (Jul 31, 2005)

Filling sky behind it would change the viewers perception of the colors. As an example, in the attached, I masked the color areas of the image. I had to add some mask to a few area edges that were blown out. then I added a computer generated sky. (one of hundred of thousands I can generate). I did not do any other edits. I did mess up the upper and right border from the original a little.


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

*Very nice*

Great capture under tricky conditions - besides with Grayfish around there's no need for perfection. Good stuff you guys.


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## Terry G. (Jul 17, 2006)

funny you shoud do just that subject in that pose, i did this about a month ago. dajavo ?


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

grayfish said:


> Filling sky behind it would change the viewers perception of the colors. As an example, in the attached, I masked the color areas of the image. I had to add some mask to a few area edges that were blown out. then I added a computer generated sky. (one of hundred of thousands I can generate). I did not do any other edits. I did mess up the upper and right border from the original a little.


 I like this edit. What technique did you use to create the mask? I see what you mean about the sky changing the color perception. Now the bird needs a bit more saturation with the sky blue versus white.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Terry G. said:


> funny you shoud do just that subject in that pose, i did this about a month ago. dajavo ?


 That must be his twin brother. Very nice. I've never seen so many juvenile Pelicans as I have this year so far. There must have been a bumper crop of hatchlings.


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## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Hey Pocketfisherman, I liked Terry G's sketch so much, I thought I'd attempt one with your image. Hope you don't mind.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

I don't mind, I love it ! Noice...


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## Terry G. (Jul 17, 2006)

ok, so the "all white" ones must be the young ones and the gray 7 blck are the older ones?
we were down in Baycliff and San Leon and saw 20 or 30 so of the all white ones doing "strafining runs" at some piers.

Dorado-Mahi, what did you use for the "drawing", its good..


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## my3peas (Jan 9, 2007)

here's my try 

grayfish, I like your clouds. How'd you do that?  I tried and tried but couldn't get 'em as nice as yours.

This was justa gradient overlay 

Kinda messy around the stump, though.








http://my3peas.smugmug.com/photos/135481025-M.jpg
http://my3peas.smugmug.com/photos/135481025-M.jpg


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Terry G. said:


> ok, so the "all white" ones must be the young ones and the gray 7 blck are the older ones?
> we were down in Baycliff and San Leon and saw 20 or 30 so of the all white ones doing "strafining runs" at some piers.
> 
> Dorado-Mahi, what did you use for the "drawing", its good..


 Gray and white pelicans are two different species. You can tell the juveniles by the yellowish head feathers.


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## grayfish (Jul 31, 2005)

my3peas said:


> here's my try
> 
> grayfish, I like your clouds. How'd you do that?  I tried and tried but couldn't get 'em as nice as yours.


M3P As you know I use Corel PHOTO-PAINT so I do not know what or how you could do it in PhotoShop. In Corel it is a Texture fill. You should be able to do similar thing in PS. You may want to google up "photoshop texture fill". Looks like you got the mask part down so I won't go into that.


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## grayfish (Jul 31, 2005)

Pocketfisherman said:


> I like this edit. What technique did you use to create the mask? I see what you mean about the sky changing the color perception. Now the bird needs a bit more saturation with the sky blue versus white.


I do not know what progam you use. I use Corel PHOTO-PAINT so unless you have you will have to convert into what ever program you use...

I used a magic wand mask tool and selected the white background in the picture. I normally use a red overlay mask. But it was a bit too dark so I changed to a light blue so I could see through it. Then I inverted the mask which selects the opposite of what I initiall done. This causes the every thing in image to be masked with the exception of the white backgound (mostly). Then I used a mask brush tool with a soft edge to add or remove areas that needed toughing up (Adding or subtracting to the mask I created with the magic wand)

I then feather the mask to the inside by 1 pixel. to soften where the masked image and the texture fill meet. (part of the mask tools)

This is just like masking a car for painting. Now I had all the areas with the exception on the white background which allows me to fill the unprotected area with the texture fill (sky and clouds).

I did it very quckly so I have several area the really should have been reworked but the purpose was to demo the effect the color background would have on the image. Look at the edges on the land (?) and between the legs of the birds.

It is a little more deatailed but that is the gest of how it is done.

Check you help files on masking in your program or google making using
"yourprogramname mask"

If you use photoshop you may want go to the tube site and and search for thephotoshop. Lot of video lessons there. I view it and convert what I get out of it to PHOTO-PAINT.


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## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Terry G. said:


> Dorado-Mahi, what did you use for the "drawing", its good..


I wish I could draw by hand like you but I have to cheat. I used PSCS to get this sketch effect.


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