Digital BW, The Print

I am reluctant to get into this as I am a rank amateur, but I don't 
understand why increasing the density of the image via an overlay or 
softlight blend layer, for example, is "photo illustration."  All you 
are doing is insuring that all of the information in the original 
negative is visable in the final print.

Steve

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., Jerry Olson 
<jerryolson@r...> wrote:
> Clayton, I do this all the time. Its my workflow. No matter how 
good the
> original photograph is, I can always make it better in Photoshop.  
What
> in the world is wrong with photo illustration? John Paul Capinigro 
and
> Jerry Ulesmann do it VERY well!
> 
> Jerry
> 
> 
> 
> Clayton Jones wrote:
> > 
> > Alan,
> > 
> > >>>>
> > Some people build an image from countless layers that they diddle 
with
> > endlessly.  I call that digital illustration. Do you want to do 
that?
> > >>>>
> > 
> > Isn't this a dangerous generalization?  How much diddling with 
layers
> > does it take to cross the line?
> > 
> > I have a 6x7 neg of the St. Marks lighthouse on the Florida 
panhandle
> > coast (taken in 1987) which I was never able to print because the 
sun
> > side of the lighthouse matched the background sky tone almost 
exactly
> > (didn't think to use a filter - duh).  I theoretically could have
> > masked it on the neg with magenta dye but it was too small and I 
never
> > seemed to have a knack for brush skills anyway, so I gave up on 
ever
> > getting a good print from it.
> > 
> > In PS I was able to zoom in on a pixel level and find that faint 
edge
> > of the lighthouse.  It took nearly 3 hours but I was able to
> > completely separate the background sky from the lighthouse, trees 
and
> > other foreground objects.  Putting it on a separate layer, I was 
able
> > to bring it down in value just below the lighthouse bright side, 
plus
> > add some gradients for edge and corner burning and so on.  After 
15
> > years I finally got a good print from this neg I've always liked.
> > 
> > Does this cross the line into digital illustration?  I really 
like the
> > print because it conveys the mood of the original scene.  To me 
it's a
> > miracle after a 15 year wait.  This is the sort of thing that 
thrills
> > me about digi printing.
> > 
> > Any other miracle stories?
> > 
> > Regards, - cj
> > 
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