Bend to the left...

... bend to the right

[finished version on my [url=http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1360773]Kinda Horrigans[/url] journal]

At first glance, this probably doesn't look like I've done a lot too it, and I haven't really done that much. First, I tweaked the RAW file to warm the tones and give it a little extra clarity. Then, opened in Photoshop and to bring out the sky, I used the polygonal lasso tool to select the sky, feathered the selection by about 100, then created a new levels adjustment layer. With this, I tweaked it to bring out the detail in the sky, then used a black brush on the layer mask just to make sure no other bits had accidentally been caught up in the adjustment (i.e. to mask out the effect on the bits I wanted to be unaffected). I also had to reduce the noise because it was just a bit too grainy in the sky after I'd done the levels adjustment layer.

After that, a little dodging and burning to bring out the white lines on the road using a 50% grey layer set to soft light and a white brush at about 10% opacity to lighten the whites. Then, sharpened and saved.

If you're interested in the camera settings - well... they're all wrong! I should have dropped the ISO to about 200, used a narrower aperture - around f/8 to f/22 is far better for landscapes and then used a slower shutter speed. However, I'd been taking a photo in a much darker area and on my way to work then saw this little scene and snatched a shot from the side of the road. Lesson? Check your settings!

Tip of the day:
Nothing connected with today's landscape, but something to think about in this article called Sometimes close-ups are better from far away. Doesn't sound like it makes sense until you read the article!