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I took this shot of the Museum of Contemporary Art on the Ferry Hop. While the subject matter isn't exactly exciting, I was hoping for something with a bit more oomph. This picture just looks flat but I don't know why. Is it the original or is it likely to be my post processing (of which I haven't done much)?

I look at Peter's (stubbsy) shots from the same weekend and mine don't even come close.

would you like me to play......

Go ahead... as long as you tell me what you did.

Andrew

Not the most arresting of images to start with (I rejected all my MCA shots from that day as lacking the wow factor), but here's my attempt:

Did the following
- perspective correction (Edit/Adjustments/Perspective) to stretch top left up and bottom left down
- perspective correction to pull top left to left and top right to right to straighten the sides
- stretched the whole image (Edit/Adjustments/Distort) to the right to adjust for the perspective correction - I aimed for a circular clock in the centre
- remove colour cast (Nik Color Efex) - reduced orange tones - similar to increasing blue and cyan in Adjust colour balance but easier
- increased hue saturation
- cloned out the building top left and replaced the flag with a clone of the one on the right end of the building (I found the building top left drew the eye there)
- dodged the shadow on the building on the right where the tree is
- also did a noise reduction (Strength 10 other settings 58%, 10%,33%)

black slider in levels to add contrast....... and straighten using crop tool and perspective...... I could have opened the mid tones for more detail centre control move to the left, but you need to practice......

I find that a lot of images tend to go flat when using smugmug, not all but some do as this one

Thanks for the efforts. Looks like the problem is with the original image and not the post processing. While you guys have made it look better, it still lacks the wow factor.

ATJ wrote:Thanks for the efforts. Looks like the problem is with the original image and not the post processing. While you guys have made it look better, it still lacks the wow factor.

Ahhh yes, but look at the magical under water shots you constantly take...the recent seahorse is a fine example...(sea) horses for courses

ATJ wrote:Thanks for the efforts. Looks like the problem is with the original image and not the post processing. While you guys have made it look better, it still lacks the wow factor.

I dont' think it's your image that lacks WOW. It's the building. Sure it might be the museum of modern art, but the building is stuck in an art-deco / Russian conservative monumentalism timewarp.