Ocean Beach Pier | San Diego, CA
A break in the Storm
I captured this photograph back in January, just after a storm – one of my favorite times to get out and shoot. I did a lot of work on this one in post to bring out the colors and details.
Below is the original with just a few minor tweaks in Lightroom.
Quite a difference, right?
To make it happen I used Topaz Adjust to bring out the colors in the clouds and water. I also used Topaz Clarity to bring out the detail in the pier, and Topaz Detail for a bit of sharpening. With all of this processing there were a few artifacts so I minimized those with Topaz Denoise.
Selective Adjustments
The key to using Topaz plugins (or any plugins) is to apply the effect selectively. The vibrant color looks great in the sky and water, but looked unnatural on the pier. Conversely, emphasized detail worked great on the pier but looked terrible in the water – it made it waaaayyyy too choppy.
The beauty of Topaz Software is that they have masking capabilities built in so you aren’t limited to layers/masking in Photoshop. You can make selective adjustments within the plugin! Its a great time saver! (Or you can do it in Photoshop…up to you.)
NOTE: Topaz Adjust was one of my favorite tools for adding creative effects to my photos, but unfortunately, it is no longer available. These days, I primarily use Luminar Neo for creative photography effects. Its AI-powered features make it an excellent choice for enhancing and transforming photos. Click here to explore Luminar Neo.
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