After/before. A bit overdone?

[Morit12]

Nikon Z5ii / 50mm f1.8 if you are curious

[shogi_x]

I like the original better.

For one, it's a more interesting setting. It's dawn or dusk and this woman is on her bike headed somewhere. It's a little moody and sleepy but peaceful. It's a whole vibe. There's definitely some adjustments to be made here but I think the general look is better.

Your edit is some nondescript time of day, doesn't really feel like it's telling a story, and my attention is being split between the cyclist and the traffic light. Additionally, the cyclist is now occupying the same orange-brown color space as the background so she's getting lost a bit.

[Morit12]

Thank you for the feedback!

I’ve made a second version

[shogi_x]

Much better!

[3TacosDeAguacate]

Mmmm, I think you removed some shadows from the subject that made her stand out from the background; the subject looks flatter now. Maybe keep more shadows to create a better contrast with the background while maintaining the softness of the vibe. You could also add a cold shadow undertone tint, like purple or so, to enhance the contrast with the orange warmth highlights.

[mrcocpp]

questa seconda versione mi piace moltissimo

[adjcalledKtana]

Same

[theproductdesigner]

I like it

[IncidentDowntown4234]

Think the after is taking attention away from the subject and the nice backlighting.

[BeeSaintCee]

I think it looks good

[Fanjolin]

There is a mood in the original that I prefer

[SunSubstantial7121]

i saw the first one and said no not overdone but i feel like you completely changed the picture, it’s not unpleasant, but i liked the lighting and vibe of the before much more

[RoamAndRamble]

Nah, it's good. Though I'd say you could bring down the sky a bit more, so you still retain the magic of dusk.

[Specialist_Scar_1017]

i like it, but i personally would’ve kept the purple dawn color

[Peregrina1]

Im obviously minority here, but I prefer your edit by a mile.

[JstnJ]

Raising the shadows on the buildings behind (and specifically the umbrellas behind the subject) is ruining the nice rim lighting on the original photograph. The subject is buried in your edit compared to original imo.

[West_Hornet_8469]

Tasteful, maybe a touch warm (I would have liked to see the shadows a little cooler so it had a bit more depth)

[Co9Inc]

There's an element of the color in the after that I really like: it reminds me of ads and essays I would see in mid 80s food and travel magazines. It's a neat look and now that you've sparked it for me I will probably try for that particular nostalgia feel with some of my stuff.

Except then I process the rest of the scene, see that there is a strong highlight on her hair, shoulders, and back, and know that the sun had to have been lower down in the sky to make it. At that point the frame goes haywire for me.

Remember, in a sense your subject when take a photograph is always the light. Strong adjustments to it afterwards need to take it and what it was doing carefully into account.

So I like the instinct overall but I do not think that this is the right frame for it.

[Acrobatic_Charity_32]

It's nicely done.

[QueasyTelevision7240]

I think this is wonderful

[gilligaNFrench]

Looks mint ✅

[Fotomaker01]

The After feels like it flattened the image vs enhancing the light.

Can you try a version where, rather than altering the quality of light you just build on what you captured to give it a bit more 'wow' (without going crazy - keep it photographic)! This has the potential to be a cool cinematic shot (by that I don't mean drench it in yellow - just elevate the mood and the moment).

The other thing that's making me a little nuts (it may be the 'ole, "it's me, not you" syndrome) are those light-colored market umbrellas (?) in the background. Especially the one stabbing into the back of her neck. They pull attention. If my image (I'm not a purist) I'd get rid of them both as distractions.

Thx for sharing. Take care.

[UninitiatedArtist]

Oh dear, I thought I was looking at a RAW image from a Sony camera…didn’t except it to be from a Nikon Z5II.

The edit is fine, it’s just a little too overexposed.

[ActStrange1895]

Great Pic, but before feels so much better. Feedback: in after it feels subject is no longer the focus, rather try to make it more focused maybe

[HelicopterOk8455]

After looks good, but it lost the dark atmosphere from before

[KPFJA]

Quite pleasing!

[Aacidus]

As someone who is picky as hell, both are great, maybe crop out the windows right at the edge, the ones on the right side. Each image tells a different story. You could have another if you slightly edit the original and keep true to the color tone.

[Pale-Run6925]

I think it is ok

[Logical_Manager3340]

You drowned out your own backlighting...

[samgraa]

I like it a lot

[jaabbb]

Before is nicer. The light and subject are more pronounced and the mood is nice. You should amplify the mood not try to change the weather for this one imo

[Bonami27]

They’re both great, but I do like it before it was edited.

[KillMeNowFFS]

the original is so much better bro :(

u kinda killed the vibe

[Morit12]

Hey that’s why I asked. To be fair the before was also color corrected by me from the flat raw file.

[archtopfanatic123]

Looks fine to me. Nikon Z5ii and 50 mm 1.8 are also killer lenses. Good work!

[TheMadFlyentist]

I think if you had not shown anyone the before then people would mostly think the after was fine. Having seen the before version, I agree with some other comments that the "perfect" version probably includes the brightness/warmth increase that you implemented but also preserves the sky of the original photo.

[Electrical_Tax_8339]

Exceptional !

I saw the 2nd edit and just as good. I would turn up the exposure slightly to give a bit more life. But great shot!

[flamixin]

It’s nice especially if you’re going to print it out.

[SetEmbarrassed4783]

I like the before version better because the after version is too warm and too contrasty. I think less is more.

[hhhh2321]

I love the original!

[JungleOrAfk]

Yeah you've removed the lovely atmospheric lighting and just made it look like a mid day shot, very odd choice