This is a totally new area for me so definitely open to critique. I like the way it looks but not having done this type of stuff before I'm not sure if it's "too much", too distracting, etc. Some of the highlights on the rigging as well as the water is due to ice and snow.This was shot in winter and the water was partially iced in with snow on it.
Showing just part of the boat chopped off is not too appealing to start with. Don't know if that filter effect suits the subject matter. Do you know that you can reduce the effect of Photoshop filters by using Edit > Fade?
Thanks Tony for the feedback. When I originally shot this I had not considered manipulating it in any way, but then I didn't like how it turned out so thought I would experiment a little with it. I purposely cut the boat off that way. The sky was a terrible grayish white but there was a nice heavy sea smoke coming off of the water. Originally the primary focus was the sea smoke with a portion of the blue boat for some contrasting color. As far as the filter I did try a couple different things with it but really had no idea, was just experimenting.
Have to agree that the composition is not appealing, nor is the chosen filter, but there are some other ways to try filters.
If we keep this simple, and without getting into smart objects, try experimenting on a lightweight jpg to prevent end up with a large file. A large RAW could quickly get huge.
Duplicate the base layer (never change this original) and apply a filter to the copied layer. You can only use Fade if you do it immediately after applying the filter; any other activity will eliminates the option, so it's really not a good choice for this kind of playing IMO.
Instead, you can just decrease the opacity of the "test" layer with the filter and it will have the same effect. In this way, you can experiment with as many filter options as you want. Just stack them up, turn visibility on/off at will (use layer comps), control individual layer blend modes, etc. You could even duplicate the filtered layer and apply additional filters to it, while preserving your ability to track back to the beginning.
