Nik software - crow deconstruction

I saw this crow on my way home from work as I was crossing Centre Street Bridge.  In the background are the stairs that lead up to Rotary Park.

Thought maybe I should talk a little bit about how I edit.  The following is a step by step view of how this crow photo was edited using Nik software (a recent acquisition) and Photoshop CS5.

The original crow photo, shot with a Canon PowerShot G15 using the Auto setting.  I chose Auto because it gives me a little more zoom than the other settings.

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Crow cropped in camera. (Say that 10 times fast.)

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Using PhotoShop CS5s Spot Healing Brush tool, set to Replace mode, I removed the white bridge wall just below the crow's tail.

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Next I used one of the Nik Silver Efex filters to turn the photo black and white.

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Maybe I should have stopped with the Silver Efex, but I wanted to see what would happen if I combined effects.  So I ran the photo through one of the Analog Efex filters hoping to add shading to the background and to make the crow stand out more.

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Finally, using Photoshop, I tweaked the levels and contrast a bit and added a signature. 

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Nik software

Well, I bought the Google Nik Collection photo editing software, mostly because I loved the b&w filters, and partially because it only cost $145.  The need to up my photography was also a factor.

So now comes the playing.

"funky blue truck"

A funky little truck seen at the Calgary Horticultural Society's annual Garden Show held this weekend at Spruce Meadows.

Almost went a little overboard with Nik until I found the look I wanted... meaning I don't remember all the tools I used until I got the eureka moment.  I do remember adding a little bokeh effect to blur up the stones a little.

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"apple & book"

Combined an HDR filter with a vintage filter (to get the frame) and a very slight vignette blur. Then made some minor level and contrast adjustments with Photoshop CS5.  For this one, the tricky part was to not make it look obviously HDR.  In hindsight, I should've removed the wood bar in the background before taking the shot.

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"tye-dye sky"

I don't remember what exactly I used, but it upped the blue sky and brightened the statue.  Will have to pay better attention (read: write things out), so that I can duplicate this sort of thing.

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