RustyBug Offline Upload & Sell: On
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Depth is a perception based on the variation/difference.
When we selectively vary our tools (sharpness, contrast, saturation, gamma, exposure, hue, etc.) that are largely based on HSL in one form, combination or another, we can create the differences that global application often cannot. Also, variation in blend modes is another tool that can help drive controlled variation.
Many times when we talk about "great light" it is a lighting scenario that has "great" variation in one form or another in different areas of the image. Our beloved "flat" lighting on the other hand, has little deviation in lighting patterns, contrasts, etc.
In that regard, whenever I desire to create depth, I try to imagine a different lighting, but still reading the direction appropriate to the scene orientation / time of day. From that, I will look to make a variety of selective adjustments ... all depending on what I think I would have expected to see, had the lighting been a bit different.
To that end, masks are invaluable for selective application ... but our available tools are much more than D&B and contrast. A little push/pull of several can render a bit more depth than one starts with.
For me, I try to study paintings & trompe' l'oeil (fool the eye) to see what it was that the artist utilized to create his depth. While he has full control, and we may only have partial control in PP (things like shape/mass aren't going to change much post-capture) ... tonal values, color/sat & sharpness/blur seem to be the ones I lean on the most.
One other thing that I find steals from depth is color casts (slight as they might be).
HTH
I've never been to Yellowstone, so it's a tough one for me to envision all its uniqueness. Here's a little "this & that" as a crude representation of the change. This is a rather complex scene, so it deserves quite a bit more attention and may be a bit overdone for illustration, but hopefully you get some of the gist.
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