Shoot and Edit: Spring edit

I did not realize how dull and faded my SOOC shot was until I began to edit it.  I looked back into my previous Shoot and Edit posts to help guide me.  Here's the path I took to get to my final (and much more exciting) photo ...

• Levels - set white and black points.  Adjusted input and output levels until they "looked" right.
• Duplicated background layer and used high pass filter.
• New adjustment layer - curves.  
• Merged all layers.
• Duplicated background layer and applied Gaussian Blur (1.8px).
• New adjustment layer - levels.  Set white and black points.  Tweaked RGB as well as red, green and blue individually.
• New adjustment layer - brightness/contrast (+3/-2).
• New adjustment layer - color balance.
• Solid fill layer using color #FFE53A.  Soft light blend.  50% opacity for layer.
• Merged all layers.

After I saved my edited photo, I followed Ashley's instructions this week for sharpening photos for the web.   I'm quite pleased with the outcome.  Kind of leaves me feeling like I might find a few bits of sand on my desk.  :)

Join in the fun with Jill Samter Photography and Ramblings and Photos: