I like this image better in B&W than the color version, but I think it is too soft. The subject was sharper in original 2. Although the people in the background have been blurred, the background is still too distracting to me.   Posted: 06/09/2018 20:41:53

I think I would still try to darken the very light areas. That is where my eyes wander. Your subject is much sharper in this one and that is great.   Posted: 06/12/2018 11:07:56

I like your reversal of the image, moving the sky has stopped the eye going straight to it in the top right corner. Your mono treatment is effective, and would benefit some darkening of the lighter areas. I would suggest using the reverse high pass technique to soften the image rather than gaussian blur, it does not appear as obvious or bleeds into other elements.   Posted: 06/12/2018 12:48:56

I do not use Topaz, it is not used a lot in the UK. Look at my version of Renee's image to see how the reversed High Pass differs from gausian blur - effect is similar to negative clarity in Lightroom.   Posted: 06/13/2018 12:14:59

I do not use Topaz, it is not used a lot in the UK. Look at my version of Renee's image to see how the reversed High Pass differs from gausian blur - effect is similar to negative clarity in Lightroom.   Posted: 06/13/2018 12:15:06

I do not use Topaz, it is not used a lot in the UK. Look at my version of Renee's image to see how the reversed High Pass differs from gausian blur - effect is similar to negative clarity in Lightroom.   Posted: 06/13/2018 12:15:08

Reversing the subject helped a lot.. I think I prefer the main image, it is probably the best background of the bunch of iterations. The change I would make to the main would be to increase the exposure on just him.   Posted: 06/19/2018 18:15:27

You did a great job in making this an interesting image. Reversing the image somehow makes a great difference (maybe because we normally look at things form left to right).I would not increase the contrast: as you show the guy, he is part of the crowd, the lone smoker. That already sets him apart.

A request to Jon: you mentioned the reversed high pass a number of times. Would you mind telling us how you do that? Thank you.   Posted: 06/24/2018 10:15:31

The High Pass filter is normally used to sharpen images - you create a copy layer then apply the High Pass filter and use soft light or overlay blend, the effect can be adjusted by the radius used, using a layer mask and or adjusting the layer opacity. The reversed effect which is rather like negative clarity is achieved by inverting (making to negative) the grey layer before applying the blend. High Pass layers can be stacked and by careful masking you can have both sharpening and softening on different parts of the image. You will need to experiment to find how it works best for you.   Posted: 06/26/2018 01:53:12

I don't mind the people in background. That is part of street photography. Mono conversion is good as the other colours were far too strong.   Posted: 06/27/2018 08:26:35