Quick question on processing. How do you deal with a the white balance issues when you have air glow, and yet don't want the sky to look like sludge? I think I may have caught some cool air glow at Mono Lake during my recent trip, and really have no clue as to how I should deal with it in post. Your input is much appreciated!
Attached is the unprocessed RAW file converted to a jpeg
Posted by Roger Clark on November 11, 2014 at 1:06 AM
Please see my article on processing night images:
http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/night.photography.image.processing/
But before you do, see my article on the color of the night sky:
http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/color.of.the.night.sky/
Roger
Posted by Myer Bornstein on November 11, 2014 at 12:35 PM
I utilize David Kingham's presets in LR. The are free or a donation http://www.davidkingham.com/night-photography-lightroom-presets
Posted by Roger Clark on November 11, 2014 at 2:40 PM
David discusses in his videos, an airglow removal brush. This is just my opinion, but removing airglow, a natural phenomenon in the night sky, is as disturbing a trend as if landscape photographers decided the daytime sky is cloudless blue and started removing all clouds from landscape images. Embrace the true beauty of the night sky, and airglow is the "night clouds in the sky" giving each night photo character and uniqueness just like clouds do in daytime landscape photos. For example,consider this image of the Maroon Bells:
http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries/gallery.nightscapes/web/maroon-bells_nightscape_rnclark_c09.28.2013.o-bin6x6c1-1024vs.html
(and click on the next button to see the full height image). Notice the red streamers pointing upward near the right edge, and the red streamers are connected with another red streamer heading toward the Maroon Bells. Together they form an outstretched hand and arm with upward pointing fingers, saying BEHOLD the beauty!
If all that were erased, the image would lose all its character and be like many other nightscapes these days, usueally which are turned into an (unnatural) blue sky with no "clouds."
Embrace of the night sky and show its real beauty, and airglow is part of that beauty.
Roger
Posted by Peter Cross on November 11, 2014 at 7:21 PM
I copied into Google and it came back that it had a broken link. Would you double check it. Thanks.
Posted by Roger Clark on November 11, 2014 at 10:54 PM
I checked the link and it works fine for me. Try:
http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries/gallery.nightscapes/
Discussion
5 repliesQuick question on processing. How do you deal with a the white balance issues when you have air glow, and yet don't want the sky to look like sludge? I think I may have caught some cool air glow at Mono Lake during my recent trip, and really have no clue as to how I should deal with it in post. Your input is much appreciated!
Attached is the unprocessed RAW file converted to a jpeg
http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/night.photography.image.processing/
But before you do, see my article on the color of the night sky:
http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/color.of.the.night.sky/
Roger
http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries/gallery.nightscapes/web/maroon-bells_nightscape_rnclark_c09.28.2013.o-bin6x6c1-1024vs.html
(and click on the next button to see the full height image). Notice the red streamers pointing upward near the right edge, and the red streamers are connected with another red streamer heading toward the Maroon Bells. Together they form an outstretched hand and arm with upward pointing fingers, saying BEHOLD the beauty!
If all that were erased, the image would lose all its character and be like many other nightscapes these days, usueally which are turned into an (unnatural) blue sky with no "clouds."
Embrace of the night sky and show its real beauty, and airglow is part of that beauty.
Roger
http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries/gallery.nightscapes/
The Maroon Bells images are about half way down.
Roger