Hey ladies and gents.  I am ready to upload my April challenge entry.  It is a fairly dark image (brightness-wise)   I don't know which version to upload because of different member's monitor settings.  The darker image I like better on my monitor but it may be too dark for most people

Do you like image 1 or 2 better?

I like 1...more contrast and thus better defined.

 Well I have a fairly hot monitor and the dark one seems a tad dark for the details overall, though it's the more vibrant image...I might go with the dark one any way.. ...

Definitely #1...the mood is more mysterious.

Both are way too dark.

Taking into account that you'll probably want most people able to enjoy the image, I would go for #2, simply because it'll look better on monitors that arent quite that bright.
However, artistically, i like the contrast of #1 better...

I think Bryster s right when he says both are too dark. You can still capture the same mood if not a stronger one, by boosting contrast and brightness both.

Maybe you could try taking the 1st version, and try to boost the brightness and the contrast both so the brightest area's become brighter, but the darkest areas remain as dark as they are in #1
If you have photoshop, try using the auto contrast, auto color, auto tone (if you have cs4) and auto levels.
Personally i like to duplicate my original image to a few identical layers, and apply these automatic filters each to their copy of the original image (each in its own layer). Then you can properly see what they do to your render and combine features u like.

Also, after you have your brightness and main color tones set out, you could apply a "curves" adjustment layer to do some final tweaking.
You can also use layer blending modes on adjustment layers so by putting it to "color" blending mode you could play around with the colors without adjusting the overal brightness and contrast of the image.
This might come in handy because big changes in brightness and contrast tend to also change the perception of color and saturation in an image.

If i may add my peronal artistic vision; i would try making the bright area's of the image nice and strong, while leaving the shadows dark, but onyl entirely black in the darkest regions like the top right corner so you dont lose definition in the nebula's on the background.
Then i would make the yellow highlights slightly more orange and add a subtle more deep blue-ish tint in the dark area's. Then perhaps even, if you feel up to it, the slightest hint of green in the lower end of the midtones, or higher end of the shadows so the dark areas would flow from a deep blue just a little towards a really dark aqua before hitting orange and yellow tints in the bright areas. It'd probably fit the sort of oldschool sci-fi feel really well.

I could upload an example but i dont wanna go runnin wild with your challenge entry...

Kinda what Rayraz said, kinda what Quest, Bobby, & Grafikeer said...  I like image 1, over-all, but really have very little issue with either.

I think in the lighter one, the backside of the small moon is too light... Even if the planet we're standing on has a wicked high albedo, my brain doesn't want to see the "dark" side of this moon being so bright.  (Or, is that the planet, and we're on the moon?  Either way, I think washing out the 'moon' detracts too much from the beautiful surface detail you've put into it.

Were it me, I'd break up the image as far as applying different post work to different elements:  I like the dark side of the figure and the moon dark, so I'd mask and leave them as is in #1...  I'd probably black up the space elements even more and pop some elements of the nebula and stars, with contrast or dodge & burn or both (with the caveat that, admittedly, I usually contrast the heck out of my nebula images anyway... More like NASA false-color photos than actual photography.  I just like the really bright nebular elements.) 

I'd preserve the detail in the surface area behind the figure as in #2, also, and (after playing with it a bit) maybe even amp up some of the highlights on the suit. 

I guess the short version of all that is I'd keep most of the darker one, make some selected areas even a little darker, amp up contrast more.  Some of that might reflect that I'm on a laptop in a dimly lit room (rather than utter darkness, which I prefer) but, in general, I prefer space images to be more dark and contrasty... No atmosphere to dim and gray stuff out, perhaps.

Thanks, folks

I've been playing with masking the foreground and increasing contrast of "space"  I still have not found the right recipe.  (I just thought I was through with this image, that was a mistake).   Even with the power of PS CS3, I can't find the button labeled "make my image same as my imagination".

My method of creating the star field and nebula dust is different from what will be most peoples approach.  My method is what is causing problems in tweaking the image satisfactorily ( I'll share that with the entry upload.)

I like image 1 better, 2 has that "pastle-yness" that bryce images often have. I always render with the gamma-correction switched off.
I would suggest placing a radial or spotlight behind the camera with falloff set to none and intensity set at one. That would illuminate the figure better without brighteneing the whole image.
Excellent image btw!

The second has more contrast.

Thanks again.

I'm done with it.

#1 most definitely, and I love that star field. Great space suit too!

> Quote - The second has more contrast.

Ok, sorry... I know the OP is done and the conversation's kinda, therefore, done too... But, to quote my favorite LOLCat...   ;-)

Both images are really great, Willie.  Personally, i like #1 better....a higher contrast to it.