This picture taken in Old Montreal needed to be kicked up a notch. Notice the After shot is much sharper, brighter and has more feeling, more ambiance. It’s a friendlier looking place, than the darker Before shot.

Make the jump to see how I did it

ADDED:

For anyone interested how I did this, here’s the rundown.

• As always, convert image to LAB color and sharpen only the Lightness layer using Unsharp Mask. Then return to RGB color mode. (PS action here)
• Add Hue Saturation adjustment layer and increased the reds +51
• Add Levels adjustment layer for contrast/brightness (Midtone Input Level=1.05, Highlight Input Level=182)

Link to larger image on Flickr
Or, buy this image at Imagekind (be kind.)