Week 40 good to WOW Edit Leaves

I'll start with my most complicated edit...the one where I did a bit more than just change a few sliders in LR and crop.  Mouseover to see the original.

1/250    f/5.6     102mm   ISO 200

I did my usual boosts--My combined Flat Tone and General Punch preset, plus a little to blacks.  I also adjusted white balance a tiny bit and boosted +10 brightness and +18 saturation.  Then I used the clone brush in LR to remove the extra bits of glass that cropping still left.  Then I used an adjustment brush to desaturate and brighten the background until I was satisfied with it.  The automask feature for the brush kept it off the leaf quite satisfactory.  None of the automasking in PSE6 is as good as the new technology.  One reason alone to upgrade to PSE10 in the distant future (when 11 comes out.)

For the rest of my edits I basically used my preset, boosted the blacks, brightness, and saturation, and for some cropped.  Again the original is under the edit on mouseover.

1/640    f/4.2   80mm    ISO 100 

I did play with white balance a little on the one above a bit cooler and +9 in tint. 

1/60   f/5.6   135mm  ISO 800

Because of the high ISO I did move the luminance noise reduction slider a tiny bit.  I didn't want to take away the details, but I wanted the background to not be as grainy.

1/500    f/1.8   50mm  ISO 100

So there are the four photos I shared on Monday.  You would THINK that meant I was done.  However, I have some more leaves to share with this or that Thursday.  One Monday comment suggested that the last picture could be improved by taking it from a different angle.  Since I totally agreed, on Wednesday I went back.  The original was taken on Saturday so first there was just a lot more leaves, so it couldn't quite be duplicated.  Also, I tried to take pictures before Bible study (this puddle is at my church) and couldn't quite get myself to get on the ground...so I shot blind by lowering the camera to the ground.  Again you can see the original on mouseover, and on these all there is just my basic preset, plus +5 to blacks, and some cropping.

After Bible Study was over, I went back to take some more.  First I got down on my knee.  It is wet pavement after all and no one is paying me for these photos!

It was good to have more focus control, but still, this wasn't the original shot just from a lower perspective, so one more.  I actually laid down on the pavement.  Luckily pretty much everyone had left the church by then so I didn't get run over (Sunflower was home with her dad which is what allowed me the opportunity.)

I also straightened this one a little bit.  So now I have another 100 leaf pictures and none are exactly what I envisioned (that does not mean I don't like them).  I could personally now go back and take the same pictures with a slightly narrower aperture (larger dof).  With the extra leaves having fallen, I don't have the original puddle reflection as much.  I do have some from above as was also suggested, but I'm saving those for another prompt.   This post has enough for today.  After all, almost everyone has their own leaves to look at and if you don't check out the linky party over at Ashley's for other edits!