Backyard focus check with the 80~400

[GregW]

One thing to check out is the drawing tools for masks. Under just about any module, you can create shapes to either affect or exclude a particular effect. You can make as many shapes as you want. In your photo, you could use local contrast on the license and mailbox only.

 

[DrEntropy]

I'll need to spend a LOT more time with the software!

 

[Basil]

I'll need to spend a LOT more time with the software!

one of the downsides of today’s processing software- with capabilities comes complexity

 

[DrEntropy]

I spent many, many hours in my youth learning darkroom processing & printing techniques. This Brave New World of digital photo "processing" would require the same.

Reminds me of a Bill Mauldin cartoon:

 

[Basil]

I spent many, many hours in my youth learning darkroom processing & printing techniques. This Brave New World of digital photo "processing" would require the same.

Reminds me of a Bill Mauldin cartoon:
View attachment 86480

My foray into darkroom processing was, shall we say, less than impressive.

 

[DrEntropy]

Mine as well. The Old Man got tired of running rolls of 127 B&W to the local shop and got me a tank and chemistry. I was eleven. First used a utility room to attempt to load it, took a while to get any reasonable results. By fourteen I'd had some mentoring by a pro, in a true professional darkroom, and dad helped build a real darkroom in the garage. I spent all my free time in there building on my knowledge of the craft. With the digital "darkroom" it's not like starting from scratch, but daunting none-the-less to figure out how to achieve what I want from an image. Just takes time.