New Edit (Input wanted)

I've switched my working space and have been reevaluating how I look at color. Here is an edit of a beach scene that I took back in January.

Comments appreciated.

Older image:

Pretty nice. If I recall right, the original post had darker rocks on the right which were distracting. Now it is more balanced so it's more pleasing, less odd at first look.

It looks like the shadows are more open. What changes did you do?

- Dan.

Benjamin, I recall the original photo and do also remember the comments outlining the shadows on the right side that Dan has mentioned too. This is a marked improvement over that image, so, whatever was done seems to have lifted that up nicely without pushing the original exposure beyond the highlight limits.

Hi Ben. It's a little difficult to compare to two photos because they're a different size and one with a border. I like two flip between two tabs to compare, and it's difficult with different presentations.

By just a rough eyeball, the shadows are opened up. The yellows and greens also look like they have more oomph. So I definitely like the new version better.

Do you mind explaining what colorspace you're using now or what you're doing differently?

The new version is an improvement. Very nice scene.

Thanks for the comments thus far.

To elaborate on my changes:

I switched from Adobe 98 to prophoto. The adjustments made on the image were levels, curves, hue/sat, and color balance adjustments. I knew how to use all of these controls before, but after reading a book on color correction, I learned how to better manage my corrections regarding color.

Quick question:

I removed some of the magenta in the clouds, gave the sky a little bit more contrast, added some yellow, and dodged/burned some areas. The sky still doesn't look finished to me though, any thoughts or suggestions?

Just don't forget to change to rgb for the posting on the net or the color gets wierd. Big differece there.

Sky is fine to me. You've managed to remove the harshness and add nice colors. It's fine as is to me. I like the sky's hue and brightness.

I've always liked this shot. Looking at this on a non-calibrated laptop I hesitate to offer any suggestions in regards to color and density. I will say it looks good to me as presented though... beautiful work!

I really like the processing on the newer image.

Can I ask what book on color correcting you read?

Greg- The book is called "Photoshop Color Correction- The Essential Guide to Color Quality for Digital Images". It's from '03, but its still a great book.