Nik Tip: From Flat to Fabulous - Pro Contrast

Some of the best times to shoot outdoors is when you have some nice overcast so that the light is diffused and you don't have those harsh highlights or dark shadows. This will often leave us with images that are flat and don't have much contrast. One of the best filters to use to help bring out the detail is Pro Contrast. Here is an example:

Original

I used the Pro Contrast filter to globally enhance the entire image and then I used a Control Point to selectively remove the filter from the rocks in the background to retain the soft warm colors.

Final Image with Pro Contrast