Hi Mark, found your videos on RUclips lately and I really love them !!! Learned a lot about Lightroom editing and techniques, so practical. By the way, which lens plate do you use on your Nikon Z180-600 ?
Hey Mark. Great editing and I love this. Personally I don't have a problem with it. I feel that the Tech is available and it's each artists right to do what they like when creating something. That said if you enter a competition and the rules state that you can't do it, different story. In the film days a lot of manipulation was done on photos in the dark rooms and no once cared. Honesty is the thing at the end of the day if someone asks what was done to the photo. Thank you for sharing.
Did you updated your preset pack recently? I’m not 100% sure but if I remember right I don’t think I have the Lightroom tools v1.2 and I probably bought your preset pack at the end of July but I’m gonna have to double check when I get off work…. Thank you again for making these kind of videos I absolutely love your dark moody edits and I’ve been doing some of my own lately and I’ve gotten tons of good feedback along with a few negative comments about the dark edits but hey I’m alright with that bc I’m the one stepping away from the normal bright beautiful edits like most people do and I just wanna try and be different!
Hi Mark. Another great video demonstrating your editing abilities to tease out exactly what you want from the image. While removing the bright bit of grass would make the image ineligible for most competitions, it would improve the final image. For competitions, instead of removing the bright the bright blade of grass could you use an object mask with a small brush and de-saturate and slightly darken the bit of grass to make it less visible? Or would this mess up your background? This may be a way around the 'no removal or additions' to the image, demanded by most competitions, as it would fall under editing.
Hi Garnet, thanks for the message. I agree that removing the bright grass would help the image, but darkening it will assist greatly in removing the distraction, but keep it eligible for competitions. Perhaps a new idea for a video 😃
Interesting but at times I felt like one step would wind up negating an earlier step resulting in an almost dizzying number of steps when possibly all that was needed was to modify an earlier step?
Thanks for the comment. Although I do agree with your comment, editing is not an exact science and this is exactly how I edit. It’s a back and forth process trying to figure out the exact result I want and I want people to see the reality behind editing. All sliders and masks etc react with each other and at the end of the day I go back and forth a lot. Hope that makes sense.
Beautiful photo and edit! I don't think there is anything unethical about this at all. My ethics align with making sure the animal is being respected when the photo was taken, not our artistic choices in the editing process 😊 Of course, I'll follow guidelines of contests I'll submit to, but if the contest or purpose of the photo doesn't have strict guidelines, then go for it!
Hey Mark, I have no issues with editing of any nature. It all depends on the purpose. If the image is for a contest or for a publication, then I guess there'll be standards for journalistic integrity. But if the image is for printing on a wall, or our personal portfolios, "ethics" should only refer to personal lines we don't want to cross. I for one, have no issues removing twigs and blades of grass. On the editing style, I like it. I often oscillate between dark and moody and bright and airy. I don't like tweaking colour too much though, but again that's a personal preference. The only nitpick/ suggestion I have, is to attempt tones first and colour next. I notice you go back and forth between your colour grades and tone corrections. While some of this is unavoidable, I find it more structured to go in the following order. 0) Remove distractions on edges and crop. 1) Correct white balance and lens issues and select the right profile. 2) Adjust exposure and blacks to taste. 3) Define subject, foreground and background masks. I reuse these for lots of local adjustments with inversions and intersections. 4) Get the tones right with a combination of masks and global curves. When using curves I apply them in a pure luminosity mode. 5) Finally use a combination of HSL, colour grading, callibration and vibrance to get the colours to taste. 6) Optionally I use extra masks with point colour, temp, tint, etc to fix very local issues. Great vid though. You're an inspiration. Keep creating!
Thanks so much for the great comment Sumeet, and thanks for the suggestions on a structured workflow. Sometimes I find structure works, but sometimes find it stunts the growth of the edit for me, but I can definitely see the benefit of a structured approach, especially when trying to teach an editing workflow.
@@MarkDumbleton yeah, spot on. I think as we gain experience, we naturally go back and forth with steps. The back and forth is also because we know the tradeoffs and feedback loops quite well. For example we know the impact that tone curves can have on saturation. But as you rightly noted, the structured steps are great to help someone learn the the black magic of the darkroom. And then with experience, they'll learn how to skip steps or go back and forth when they feel like
@@SumeetMoghe Thanks for the reply. It really is interesting to see how we develop as time goes by, and I guess that's also how we develop a certain style through the process. Thanks again for the initial comment 😀
@@MarkDumbleton >> I saw a Facebook query on Z8 IQ and post processing and lots of advice was given but then I saw a long response by the Well known Nancy Elwood , the USA Photographic Nature Tour leader to places like India , Costa Rica etc and is a Pro online trainer on the Z9 and Z8 and gives Online one on one training on Adobe LR and Photoshop .. She was adament that the Query is easily rectified by using Camera Matching Profiles where you can also choose within Camera matching Profile Flat, Neutral , Standard v2 etc etc >> I prefer Flat >. I took it on board and have been using Camera matching Profiles ever since (About 4 months now ) Look her up in F Book and she will answer the Adobe/Camera Matching Query far better than me . She is very helpful
You certainly got to dark and Moody; a very nice editing demonstration. However, I feel it was way too Repetitive; seemed like you were always adjusting, contrast, adding a filter, changing colors, etc. I would much rather hear fewer iterations and more thorough explanations of what was going on. For example, when you go to tone curves, which kind of curve, and why these instead of sliders. There was a lot of good stuff but a little too much to follow and digest. Perhaps it was above my level of Lightroom mastery
Thanks for the comment. The reason it seemed repetitive is because that’s exactly how editing is for me. This was a full live demonstration and I hardly ever move a slider and then leave it alone. It’s a huge balancing act trying to find the sweet spot. I agree that thorough explanations will be greatly beneficial to the viewer, but I’m keeping those demonstrations for an editing course that I’m releasing soon. I have to hold something back when it comes to free content.
@@MarkDumbleton Awesome end point. Here is what I would ask you. Now that you showed what you do, which is based on deep skill, how could an intermediate user, say one that knows masking well, get to something like this in roughly 10-15 steps with fewer masks. Not sure this comment matters, but it will keep people coming back to your channel.
I love this darker look. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks a lot, always happy to share these tips 😊
nothing unethical about it. For me the picture is just the start of what I want to make of it. Love the edit!
Thanks so much Carole! Appreciate the comment. Hope you’re doing well 😊
Amazing editing!!!
Thank you so much! Appreciate your time to watch the edit.
Hi Mark, found your videos on RUclips lately and I really love them !!! Learned a lot about Lightroom editing and techniques, so practical. By the way, which lens plate do you use on your Nikon Z180-600 ?
Thanks so much for the comment. It’s such an old plate, not sure what the brand is anymore but it’s a basic arca Swiss compatible plate.
Hey Mark. Great editing and I love this.
Personally I don't have a problem with it. I feel that the Tech is available and it's each artists right to do what they like when creating something. That said if you enter a competition and the rules state that you can't do it, different story.
In the film days a lot of manipulation was done on photos in the dark rooms and no once cared.
Honesty is the thing at the end of the day if someone asks what was done to the photo.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for the detailed comment Kobus. I agree with it 100%. Thanks for watching and for the continued support.
Did you updated your preset pack recently? I’m not 100% sure but if I remember right I don’t think I have the Lightroom tools v1.2 and I probably bought your preset pack at the end of July but I’m gonna have to double check when I get off work…. Thank you again for making these kind of videos I absolutely love your dark moody edits and I’ve been doing some of my own lately and I’ve gotten tons of good feedback along with a few negative comments about the dark edits but hey I’m alright with that bc I’m the one stepping away from the normal bright beautiful edits like most people do and I just wanna try and be different!
Hi Jake, the free Lightroom tools pack is on v1.2 currently. If you signed up for the pack you would have received an email with the version update.
@@MarkDumbleton oh okay yeah I’ll have to look for the email then I bought the full package when I bought them
Hi Mark. Another great video demonstrating your editing abilities to tease out exactly what you want from the image. While removing the bright bit of grass would make the image ineligible for most competitions, it would improve the final image. For competitions, instead of removing the bright the bright blade of grass could you use an object mask with a small brush and de-saturate and slightly darken the bit of grass to make it less visible? Or would this mess up your background? This may be a way around the 'no removal or additions' to the image, demanded by most competitions, as it would fall under editing.
Hi Garnet, thanks for the message. I agree that removing the bright grass would help the image, but darkening it will assist greatly in removing the distraction, but keep it eligible for competitions. Perhaps a new idea for a video 😃
Interesting but at times I felt like one step would wind up negating an earlier step resulting in an almost dizzying number of steps when possibly all that was needed was to modify an earlier step?
Thanks for the comment. Although I do agree with your comment, editing is not an exact science and this is exactly how I edit. It’s a back and forth process trying to figure out the exact result I want and I want people to see the reality behind editing. All sliders and masks etc react with each other and at the end of the day I go back and forth a lot. Hope that makes sense.
Beautiful photo and edit! I don't think there is anything unethical about this at all. My ethics align with making sure the animal is being respected when the photo was taken, not our artistic choices in the editing process 😊 Of course, I'll follow guidelines of contests I'll submit to, but if the contest or purpose of the photo doesn't have strict guidelines, then go for it!
Thanks so much for the comment and sharing your opinion on how you would approach editing ethics 😊
I really like the edit and the only time it would be a problem is for a competition which might have strict rules in relation to processing.
Thanks so much for the comment. I agree, competitions may frown upon this type of editing.
Hey Mark, I have no issues with editing of any nature. It all depends on the purpose. If the image is for a contest or for a publication, then I guess there'll be standards for journalistic integrity.
But if the image is for printing on a wall, or our personal portfolios, "ethics" should only refer to personal lines we don't want to cross. I for one, have no issues removing twigs and blades of grass.
On the editing style, I like it. I often oscillate between dark and moody and bright and airy. I don't like tweaking colour too much though, but again that's a personal preference. The only nitpick/ suggestion I have, is to attempt tones first and colour next. I notice you go back and forth between your colour grades and tone corrections. While some of this is unavoidable, I find it more structured to go in the following order.
0) Remove distractions on edges and crop.
1) Correct white balance and lens issues and select the right profile.
2) Adjust exposure and blacks to taste.
3) Define subject, foreground and background masks. I reuse these for lots of local adjustments with inversions and intersections.
4) Get the tones right with a combination of masks and global curves. When using curves I apply them in a pure luminosity mode.
5) Finally use a combination of HSL, colour grading, callibration and vibrance to get the colours to taste.
6) Optionally I use extra masks with point colour, temp, tint, etc to fix very local issues.
Great vid though. You're an inspiration. Keep creating!
Thanks so much for the great comment Sumeet, and thanks for the suggestions on a structured workflow. Sometimes I find structure works, but sometimes find it stunts the growth of the edit for me, but I can definitely see the benefit of a structured approach, especially when trying to teach an editing workflow.
@@MarkDumbleton yeah, spot on. I think as we gain experience, we naturally go back and forth with steps. The back and forth is also because we know the tradeoffs and feedback loops quite well. For example we know the impact that tone curves can have on saturation.
But as you rightly noted, the structured steps are great to help someone learn the the black magic of the darkroom. And then with experience, they'll learn how to skip steps or go back and forth when they feel like
@@SumeetMoghe Thanks for the reply. It really is interesting to see how we develop as time goes by, and I guess that's also how we develop a certain style through the process. Thanks again for the initial comment 😀
I use Camera matching Flat Profile instead of Adobe Profiles
Hi Peter, what is the reason for that? I mainly use Adobe standard just so that all my viewers can have the same rough starting point.
@@MarkDumbleton >> I saw a Facebook query on Z8 IQ and post processing and lots of advice was given but then I saw a long response by the Well known Nancy Elwood , the USA Photographic Nature Tour leader to places like India , Costa Rica etc and is a Pro online trainer on the Z9 and Z8 and gives Online one on one training on Adobe LR and Photoshop .. She was adament that the Query is easily rectified by using Camera Matching Profiles where you can also choose within Camera matching Profile Flat, Neutral , Standard v2 etc etc >> I prefer Flat >. I took it on board and have been using Camera matching Profiles ever since (About 4 months now ) Look her up in F Book and she will answer the Adobe/Camera Matching Query far better than me . She is very helpful
Thanks for this. I’ll definitely check that out.
You certainly got to dark and Moody; a very nice editing demonstration. However, I feel it was way too Repetitive; seemed like you were always adjusting, contrast, adding a filter, changing colors, etc. I would much rather hear fewer iterations and more thorough explanations of what was going on. For example, when you go to tone curves, which kind of curve, and why these instead of sliders. There was a lot of good stuff but a little too much to follow and digest. Perhaps it was above my level of Lightroom mastery
Thanks for the comment. The reason it seemed repetitive is because that’s exactly how editing is for me. This was a full live demonstration and I hardly ever move a slider and then leave it alone. It’s a huge balancing act trying to find the sweet spot.
I agree that thorough explanations will be greatly beneficial to the viewer, but I’m keeping those demonstrations for an editing course that I’m releasing soon. I have to hold something back when it comes to free content.
I agree - I consider this part art with these changes. I am 100% fine with that and it's awesome in the end.
@@MarkDumbleton Awesome end point. Here is what I would ask you. Now that you showed what you do, which is based on deep skill, how could an intermediate user, say one that knows masking well, get to something like this in roughly 10-15 steps with fewer masks. Not sure this comment matters, but it will keep people coming back to your channel.
Not that I am great at editing, I always find myself leaning towards dark edits
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I do enjoy the darker style often.