wouldn't say an expert Couldn't be bothered with the bridge - looked like too much work - maybe another day. I have to be 'in the mood'

Anyway I had a play with this one Put a Qbist layer over one - lowered the opacity and merged
Did the same thing with a fractalized layer. Had to scale one because it was too big for the forum.

Good Sallyanne, new ideas to apply are always good.
I have tried to apply the nice guide methods David gave me. I hope he to like my improvement on Aunt Alice picture.

Issabella,

Your results on Aunt Alice are superb!!! What did you do to make them better than mine? They seem cleaner and crisper.

Now I have found the scan of Aunt Annie - 13 years younger. The photograph, again taken in a studio, is when she was working as a tram girl during the First World War.

david.

David, Sorry I go to back with your nice bridge, but I had to test your indications about applying colour. I like this method yours a lot. I'll practise it more but at the moment I'm happy with my first result. I'll try Aunt Annie photograph tomorrow. Nice photo too. Thank you so much.
Thank you also for your nice comment with my previous tries. I only followed your guide.

Could not resist testing my symmetry script on that one...

This will be my first thread to enter.
You know, I consider Gimp especially as a tool for enhancing/interpreting photos.
There is a lot of interesting pictures, here.
One at a time I'll try to show my "interpretation".

First photo of this collection.
It's quite good per se
Only moderate changes:
1-duplicate the layer
2-set to overlay
3-duplicate again (still overlay)
4-value invert
5-set opacity to 50%
6-apply on the latter G'MIC Mighty details
Here the oucome

Now the second photo of the collection.
A bit more processing.
1-stretched all RGB values
2-applied G'MIC Mixed Lab, only to increase the contrasts both on A and B components (no changes in the red over green balance or yellow over blue balance, the photo is well balanced), to let colours emerge
3-applied G'MIC Freaky details, important for the bridge, mainly.
Here the outcome.

Dinasset, are you back? We missed you. Hope you are feeling better and more rested now. You made the colors really pop in that bridge. I will need to follow your instructions so can learn. How do you "stretch" the RGB values?

Edit: I didn't see that you have answered my questions beforehand in another thread.

Thanks Pat, I'm feeling better.
To "strecth" RGB colours you may use: Colors/Curves for each component: be sure the low limit includes the 0 value and the upper limit the 255 value.
Because I'm lazy I'll do that with a small filter I wrote which performs that alltogether.
(Sorry, the filter is not released- yet)

Third photo.
Similar "treatment" as applied to the first one.
1- duplicated layer
2- set to softlight (overlay is the same in Gimp...so far)
3- duplicate layer and mode
4- value invert
5- new layer with a gradient BtoW top-down, set to softlight, to let the far area be more opaque
6- new from visible
7- G'MIC Freaky Details
8- Applied a limited B&W mask to reduce the details on the far area

Here the outcome

Fourth photo.
I like the "atmosphere" of that one.
Hence, I enhanced specifically the atmosphere, to my taste.
1. duplicate the layer
2. applied over this an "asparago" nuance (asparago colour is defined as: 123-160-91), opacity at 90%
3. new from visible
4. added Gimp Fog (Filter>Render>Clouds) with a greenish nuance on top, opacity at 80%

Here the outcome.

dinasset,

Welcome home!!!
Great results on all those photos. I will have to study your methods, take notes and try them - I have a lot to learn!

I couldn't resist having another go at Issabella's picture of bracken with frost.

david.

Dinasset - so glad you are back and also that you are contributing your knowledge via the explanations you are openly providing. That will help people like me who do not really have any idea on what to use or how to use it in regard to improving photos.

Dinasset, I'm happy to see your contributions in this thread, not only for me but all members in the forum to learn your fantastic advice / guide on photography enhancement. Thanks.

Fifth image (David's)
Well balanced photo.
I wanted to underline the "destination" of the lane (like if I were a wayfarer).
1-duplicate layer
2-applied a "Bronzo antico" nuance (defined as RGB 117-102-63), soft light
3- duplicated the "bronzed" layer and applied a mask to put emphasis on the central area

This is the outcome

Sixth image (Sallyanne's)
Nice tree.
1-doubled the image (G'MIC Upscale dcci2x)
2-applied G'MIC Mighty Details (defaults)
3-added some sky (there is a small filter: Blue Sky & Clouds)
4-applied G'MIC Mixer Lab (set contrast to 2 on both components A & B)

Here the outcome

I hope you all don't mind but since you are fixing up photo's, I have one that I would have liked to get framed but it's just a little bit lacking. I took this picture out my front window at dusk of an owl sitting in an oak tree.

Serious Tom, this thread is for all of us and your pic is very nice. I suppose that we will do our try on it. Well done for posting it.

Seventh image.
This one is really difficult to adjust.
I did many steps, which can't be detailed as in my previous interpretations (sorry, readers).
I can only specify the generalities of the actions:
- used the Gimp curves to reach a better overall balance (done twice, at a beginning and later on)
- added a nuance (corallo) to overlay a bit the exaggerated green emerged
- overimposed (using a mask and a medium opacity) a texture on the background

This is the outcome, but I don't know whether it's worth showing it



Edit:
a second attempt