Cleaning up blotchy sky

(Screwed up my cross-posting the first time. Reposting from rec.photo.digital.)

Cynicor wrote:

I recently took a pano of the San Francisco skyline
(http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/60120638) that I like. I want to print it out, but on the right side the sky looks blotchy. (A cropped example at
http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/62282342.) As a PhotoShop super-novice, my question is what's the best way to clean this up and reduce the blotchiness in this one irregular area. What would you do for it? Thanks for any advice.

"Cynicor" wrote in message

(Screwed up my cross-posting the first time. Reposting from rec.photo.digital.)

Cynicor wrote:

I recently took a pano of the San Francisco skyline
(http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/60120638) that I like. I want to print it out, but on the right side the sky looks blotchy. (A cropped example at http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/62282342.) As a PhotoShop super-novice, my question is what's the best way to clean this up and reduce the blotchiness in this one irregular area. What would you do for it? Thanks for any advice

For each image of the pano, convert to Lab mode, and dup to a new layer by draggint the background layer to the "New" icon in the Layers palette. Type ctrl-3 to see just the a channel, and notice the blotches. Apply a gaussian blur to the b channel with a very large radius. Then use Layers>Create Layer Mask>Reveal All to create a white layer mask. Paint the buildings and other items you want to retain blue or yellow color white. There is no need to be precise with this mask, it can be very rough.
--

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

"Mike Russell" wrote in message

should have said black instead of white:

Mask>Reveal All to create a white layer mask. Paint the buildings and other items you want to retain blue or yellow color *black*. There is no need to be precise with this mask, it can be very rough.

--
Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

In article <ao5Xf.64863$>, RE-
says...

"Cynicor" wrote in message

(Screwed up my cross-posting the first time. Reposting from rec.photo.digital.)

Cynicor wrote:

I recently took a pano of the San Francisco skyline
(http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/60120638) that I like. I want to print it out, but on the right side the sky looks blotchy. (A cropped example at http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/62282342.) As a PhotoShop super-novice, my question is what's the best way to clean this up and reduce the blotchiness in this one irregular area. What would you do for it? Thanks for any advice

For each image of the pano, convert to Lab mode, and dup to a new layer by draggint the background layer to the "New" icon in the Layers palette. Type ctrl-3 to see just the a channel, and notice the blotches. Apply a gaussian blur to the b channel with a very large radius. Then use Layers>Create Layer Mask>Reveal All to create a white layer mask. Paint the buildings and other items you want to retain blue or yellow color white. There is no need to be precise with this mask, it can be very rough.
--

Mike Russell

Mike,

Thanks for the tip! I won't go into the gyrations that I've gone through to get some pano skys to look great. I've saved your "tutorial" for future use.

Hunt

www.curvemeister.com

--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

"Hunt" wrote in message

In article <ao5Xf.64863$>, RE-
says...

"Cynicor" wrote in message

(Screwed up my cross-posting the first time. Reposting from rec.photo.digital.)

Cynicor wrote:

I recently took a pano of the San Francisco skyline
(http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/60120638) that I like. I want to print it out, but on the right side the sky looks blotchy. (A cropped example at
http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/1279919/1/62282342.)
As a PhotoShop super-novice, my question is what's the best way to clean
this up and reduce the blotchiness in this one irregular area. What would
you do for it? Thanks for any advice

For each image of the pano, convert to Lab mode, and dup to a new layer by draggint the background layer to the "New" icon in the Layers palette. Type
ctrl-3 to see just the a channel, and notice the blotches. Apply a gaussian
blur to the b channel with a very large radius. Then use Layers>Create Layer
Mask>Reveal All to create a white layer mask. Paint the buildings and other
items you want to retain blue or yellow color white. There is no need to be
precise with this mask, it can be very rough.
--

Mike Russell

Mike,

Thanks for the tip! I won't go into the gyrations that I've gone through to
get some pano skys to look great. I've saved your "tutorial" for future use.

Gorgeous pano, BTW. I live up the hill from where you took those images - Berkeley. Let's get together for a beer or some such. I'll be at Laval's Northside tonight at 5pm on an otherwise rainy day.
--

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

Mike Russell wrote:

Gorgeous pano, BTW. I live up the hill from where you took those images - Berkeley. Let's get together for a beer or some such. I'll be at Laval's Northside tonight at 5pm on an otherwise rainy day.

I'd like to thank you (and others) for your help on this. The LAB conversion is working pretty well, although it's changed the color cast a little bit on the photo.

Unfortunately, I live in New York and only photograph the gorgeous Bay Area when I'm on business there. I always build in an afternoon to o out and shoot.