Photoshop Before And After: Deep and Moody Macro

This summer I purchased a macro lens, and though I have a lot of practicing to do, I really enjoy trying to get neat macro shots!  I generally don’t do much editing when working with macro shots, but I thought I would try something different with this one.  Although I love the vibrant colors of the original, I wanted to create another effect for this one.

 

Here we go!  This is our Before, the SOOC (straight out of camera) shot:

 

First I converted the image to black and white.  I played around a lot with the layers, but ultimately I created a black-to-white Gradient Map layer and set it to 39% opacity.

 

Next I created a Black & White adjustment layer and played with the color adjustment sliders until I had some decent contrast in the image.

 

Next, I created a merged layer on top of my ‘Black & White 1’ layer by hitting Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+Shift+E.  On this layer I ran my FREE Silky Punch action.  Here is what the Layers palette looks like:

 

Next I deleted all the black and white layers: Layer 1, Black & White 1, and Gradient Map 1.  Then I brought the Silky Punch layer down to 48%.  Here’s how things are looking:

 

I like the effect but wanted to add a little more depth and warmth.  So I created a Color Fill adjustment layer using color #583507 (a warm brown).  I reduced the opacity to 57% and set it to the Soft Light blending mode.  I also masked out (at low opacity) the center of the flower on the Silky Punch layer to bring back a bit of the color.  Here are my layers…

 

…and here is the after:

 

What do you think?  I do love the colors in the original, but if I were to hang something on my wall, it would probably be the edit.  I’d love to hear what you think!  Thanks for stopping by.  :)