And the winner is...

There were quite a lot of entries in my post-processing challenge. I hope you had some fun playing with photos taken by me. From my point of view it was also a great experience and inspiring as well to see so many different versions of those photos.

Based on the number of submissions I decided to pick 3 photos which I found most interesting ones. The choice was very tough in fact as I liked many more versions. Also it's very subjective (maybe next time I will make Facebook voting?) so please don't be sad/angry/disappointed if you don't see your photo today.

#1 Vineets Photography:

https://www.facebook.com/VineetSuthanPhotography

http://www.vineet-suthan.com/photoblog/

For me it's the most interesting version (and so it's the winner). Use of brown tones looks really interesting and in my opinion fits the image. Also the highlights are properly restored (they weren't in my version ;) ).

#2 Frank Bramkamp:
https://plus.google.com/104762767414084728435/posts

Frank used my photos in quite creative way adding a lot of details and some elements that weren't present in the original shots. This resulted in some great mood.

#3 Foto Buddy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/foto-buddy/

And last but not least - version with some excellent contrast and sharpness (especially when viewed in large).

Post-processing challenge: Monastery in Lisbon

Today I would like to invite you to a small fun challenge. Below you will find some 3 bracketed images taken by me. I used them to create a HDR photo above and I'd like to see your version of this image.

Download the bracketed photos for above image here.

Please share the links to your versions in the comments below. I will feature the best of them (how many depends on number of submissions) in a separate post on my blog in about a week. Please also make sure to give a link to your website/FB profile so I can link to them too and give you some viewers.

Also here is a brief description of what I did to give you some ideas and inspiration:

1. I tone-mapped image in Photomatix Pro 4.2.7 using Details Enhancer.
2. I applied some global contrast adjustments in Lightroom.
3. I removed a person from an image using cloning tools.
4. I increased details clarity.
5. I added a few solid color layers and blended them with image from Photomatix using different blending modes to get old and desaturated feel.
6. I increased contrast.
7. Finally I increased sharpness.