Enhancing the image

This first image is the 'RAW' file although as it has been converted to JPEG there will be some changes.

The second image is the product of work both in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Photoshop.

With all RAW images I follow the same procedure each time (not always in the same order - senior moments happen!). I start with 'Camera Calibration' to see if any of the settings (e.g. portrait, landscape, neutral etc) offer a more pleasing result. I have the facility to create custom profiles, so for example I have one that I created for a sunny day at the seaside. The profiles offer correct colour and white balance assuming the lighting is the same as when the profile was created. (Unless the colour is absolutely critical e.g the bridesmaids dresses, then the profile offers good results in similar conditions)

I next use 'Lens Correction'. Using the metadata downloaded from the camera with the image the software adjusts the image to correct for known distortion of the lens used. My favourite lens is a 24-70mm so there is some distortion at the edges.

The next is the 'Detail' slider that determines how much the edge areas are affected by sharpening. Matter of personal choice but generally high settings work with architecture and other shots with lots of edges.

All of these have changed the original image in some way, usually subtly. Whether this can be seen as attempting to deceive the viewer is a moot point but in discussion with others it is generally accepted as a legitimate exercise.

The next set of sliders is 'HSL/Grayscale'.  Up until recently I had assumed, mistakenly, that this was solely for use for converting images to grayscale (must have been something in the title). Recently I have learned that it offers much more, particularly in the luminance of colours. The second image above has been changed by adjusting the luminance. The change is particularly noticeable in the colour of the blue sky to the right of the horizon. The colour of the beach has also been altered by darkening the reds and oranges in the image whilst the grass has been lightened by changing the greens and yellows (there is a surprising amount of yellow in grass).

The 'Tone Curve' was another facility to which I adopted a very simplistic approach. I chose either Medium or Strong contrast only occasionally tweaking the curve. Someone suggested to me that I start with the Parametric Curve that offers the opportunity to start from scratch and create your perfect curve using the sliders. I find it particularly useful to keep my eye on the histogram as well as the overall image.

Some of the changes can be significant in the way that the image is altered. I have found in discussion that photographers are more accepting of the practice than non-photographers. For the latter they feel that the changes border on cheating although they do not seem ready yet to throw me into prison.

The 'Basic' panel offers more changes as well as an 'Auto' feature (not bad and always worth trying but sometimes it gets it hopelessly wrong). I use this for final tweaking but I find it a bit of a blunt tool. I also use the tools offered such as the Targeted Adjustment Brush if necessary.

Having done all that I can in ACR I move the image to Photoshop. In the second image I applied a Curves layer to dramatise the clouds and then a gradient as a mask to restore the lightness of the lower part of the image. I also cropped the image to remove the footpath that is in the lower part of the first image.

The argument about cheating at this stage often generates strong views although the tolerance level appears to be an individual thing affected by the nature of the changes and the subject matter of the image. It also seems to be linked with the general moral approach of the person. Personally I am happy to tell people what I have done and sometimes why. The difficulty is when, and this seems to happen more and more, I am accused of manipulation of an image when I have only done the minimum possible or, if I have taken a JPEG image, nothing at all.