So, I’m temporarily restoring the “Like” button for the posts . . . until after New Year’s Day.

“Tell us, Disperser, why you would do that?“

Well, it’s the holiday season, and people are busy.

“So?“

OK, so I’ve always told readers they don’t have to a) read every post, and b) comment on every post. Sometimes, I feel like regular readers want to let me know they were here and level a comment.

As much as I don’t particularly enjoy getting “likes” from people I’ve never heard of and that I’m sure haven’t read anything of mine, I can appreciate that sometimes regular readers don’t have anything else to say other than to click on that button and let me know they read the post.

“That’s pretty shaky logic there, Disperser, init?”

Not really. I aim to have several posts over the course of this month, some posts just me dropping stuff that’s been collecting dust and other posts trying to catch up or close out previous efforts.

For some of these posts, maybe for many posts, no comments may be necessary or warranted. Personally, I don’t ‘need’ a like, but if readers want to let me know they were here and they’re struggling to find an appropriate comment, a simple ‘Like” will suffice. It will save time for both them and me.

To be clear, comments and discussions are always appreciated . . . but for the next month or so, you have another option (one that people using the Reader already have, but I don’t see those).

Edited to Add: there are two places you have to turn it on, and it’s not retroactive, so it won’t work for this post. It will be present in all subsequent posts (I hope).

---

OK, and now, for a brief interlude on editing photos.

That’s a photo I snapped in October, along with other photos having to do with Fall colors (a future post in the making).

I liked the colors, but the ‘in-person’ photo had more punch than what you see above. In part it’s because I shoot in RAW and with a ‘flat’ or ‘neutral’ color setting. This tends to make photos rather bland, but I post process everything I shoot, so that’s not a problem.

The other difference from the actual scene is that while everything was wet and made the leaves’ colors pop, they only do so in real life because our eyes tend to ignore what we’re not looking at. So, in person, I was focused on the leaves and they had lots of ‘punch’ . . . in the photo, all the other stuff intrudes, ‘flattening’ the scene.

So, I set to work, and I specifically wanted readers to experience what I saw in person . . . more, even.

This is my first attempt in Lightroom. Some global adjustments, four local masks, and lots of tweaking of many adjustments sliders.

Trust me, it will look better if you click on it or if you wait until the slideshow at the end. And, by better, I mean ‘more impact’, especially on a large or high-definition screen.

The next four offerings combine Nik Collection Color Efex Pro 5, Aurora HDR 2019 (in single photo mode), Luminar AI 4, Luminar Neo, and final tweaks in Lightroom to give subtle or not-so-subtle different ‘looks’ to the scene.

Edited to Add: based on a comment below, I’m also adding what would be my “regular editing for the photos.

There’s a whole other discussion to be had about “showing what is there” versus “showing what you saw“, but that’s a topic for another post (I touch on the topic in THIS, THIS, and THIS post. Wait! . . . let’s not forget THIS post).

Here’s the Slideshow for the above six photos (click anywhere on this sentence).

OK, for them who made it this far, a quick poll (E.t.A: a few people have already voted, so the addition of another photo might skew the results).

If you have an opinion about why you like one more than the others, AND if you can articulate it, feel free to comment below.

I emphasize “AND” because sometimes we like things without knowing why, and if pressured, we just make up something to justify our preferences. If you like something but don’t know why, just vote and don’t worry about commenting.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

<><><><o><><><><><o><><><>

Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website.  Could be they also torture small mammals.

Note 2: it’s perfectly OK to share a link that points back here.

<><><><o><><><><><o><><><>

If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, it’s definitely a good idea to read both the About page and the FAQ page.