a snap from the boat

It's quite a nice shot but I believe you may have a bit more there to play with.

Here's my 2 minute effort which may appeal ?

It's quite a nice shot but I believe you may have a bit more there to play with.

Here's my 2 minute effort which may appeal ?

Thank you Vulcan i wish i knew how to that and I am not been sarcastic

Tell me you have Photoshop and I'll tell you how to do it.

it really is only a few minutes

I only have iphoto, picasso or acd at my disposal must try to get photoshop.

I find myself using Photoshop less and less and using Aperture most all the time. I suspect Lightroom may be a little better - but Aperture is $100 cheaper is an excellent program for Macs and easy to use with Apples other programs. When Apple upgrades its system with Snow Leopard in September - upgrade cost will be $26.00 - watch for the next edition of Aperture which will take full advantage of the latest operating system. You can down load a free trail version of both Lightroom and Aperture.

Sorry Vulcan, I have a new love in my life called Aperture. Photoshop is a fond old memory who I still visit from time to time as an outside editor.

I find myself using Photoshop less and less and using Aperture most all the time. I suspect Lightroom may be a little better - but Aperture is $100 cheaper is an excellent program for Macs and easy to use with Apples other programs. When Apple upgrades its system with Snow Leopard in September - upgrade cost will be $26.00 - watch for the next edition of Aperture which will take full advantage of the latest operating system. You can down load a free trail version of both Lightroom and Aperture.

Sorry Vulcan, I have a new love in my life called Aperture. Photoshop is a fond old memory who I still visit from time to time as an outside editor.

Wait 'til you try Capture One Pro !

Makes the rest look sick!

p.s. In terms of RAW development and detail extraction Aperture is a poor second to Lightroom which in turn hasn't a prayer against C1 (imho)

p.p.s and how I just love CS4 - cant live without it for re-sizing, curves, colour synch, masking, levels etc etc

I did try Capture One Pro but didn't feel comfortable with it - although I love the input from Nik Software. I use Viveza and Dfine with Aperture. I used Lightroom 1 and never used version 2, but from the reviews I read I suspect it is better than Aperture in some ways. Thats why I waiting to see what the new Aperture will bring in September. I bet Lightroom and Aperture leapfrog each other with each new version. Photoshop CS 4 must really be a package, but I can't afford it even with a student discount price of $300 available if I enroll as a continuation student at the community college this Fall. CS3 will continue to work just fine for me.

Thanks to you and this web site, and a few Photoshop classes my photos have improved greatly over the last two years. MY goals are not the same as yours, most of my work is photo restoring from old negatives and slides. I am happy with the results I am getting. Even if I did improve, the people who see my pictures wouldn't know the difference if the picture were more professional. I have more to say about that in a while as a different topic, its about the advantage of storing old photographs unsorted in old shoe boxes..

Meanwhile, I'm turning 70 next month, want to just finish up scanning several thousand pictures and saving them using Aperture's file management system. My wife will kill me if I keep spending money on photography - she doesn't know I'm saving for a new $3000 kayak.

Not only am I running out of money, I'm running out of years. :D

I only have iphoto, picasso or acd at my disposal must try to get photoshop.

Hi 'paulfromphuket',

I use ACDSee 5.0 on the first one below

Opened Edit, then Editor and then clicked 'Auto Levels'. Then 'Save as', changed the name and posted it here.

Next one was in ACDSee Pro 2.5

Edit then used the 'Shadow/Highlights' and tweaked it a bit and added a touch of sharpness.

Hope this helps folk out that do not or cannot use PP

Yours truly,

Win in Kan

Thanks you Kan Win will start to play around with those functions.

Win in Kan

The second one in particular is very nice and was what was in my mind as I viewed the original. Kudos to the original by the way! Very nice angle and setting.

a snap from the boat

nice