This is the new Gerald Desmond bridge in Long Beach. It's not really that new anymore, but this is the first time I've captured it at sunset.
Two things of note. First, the view is better now that they've demolished the old Gerald Desmond bridge. Second, there were a whole bunch of electrical wires spanning the entire image horizontally, but Photoshop's AI-powered generative fill eliminated them. I'm still sort of awestruck by this even though the effect isn't perfect.
The bottom photo is the uncropped original for comparison.
The AI fill seems to have done a number on those bridge cables. At the small size, you can't notice it, though.
Hold it in awe if you must, but I don’t see this broadening of the Memory Hole as a good thing. It’s like handing everyone a five megawatt laser with limited firing time and unlimited range and saying let them figure-out how to use it … https://youtu.be/HoT-h0S1gkE
Stunning - love this picture.
How do we know that’s not the Tobin bridge in Boston at sunrise?
Or the Brooklyn Bridge that been photoshopped to look like the Gerald Desmond bridge?
You don't! You just have to trust me.
Without knowing what the original image looked like, it's impossible to say if this stupid AI thing worked well or not.
True. I thought about posting the original. But really, the only defect is that the cable stays at the top got a little deranged.
OK, you talked me into it. I'm pretty bored here in the hospital. Before and after pictures are up now.
Wow. I drove the thing earlier today and didn't notice or think about the old bridge being gone. We've all been wondering when they were going to take it down, and there has been little discussion about it lately. Meanwhile, Caltrans is trying to figure out when to close down the other bridge (Vincent Thomas) to replace the road surface. It will probably be closed for a year plus. Apparently the grant money requires that the fixes be done before the start of the LA Olympics.
Maybe I'm a philistine, but I much prefer the version with the electrical wires. They give the picture a lot of texture, and the horizontal lines accentuate the diagonal bridge cables.
I don't have a camera as nice as Kevin, but it's very good. I've taken 40,000 outdoor pictures over the last 10 years and have a rule: Keep it honest with zero post-processing. That means there are times when to get a clean picture (e.g. sans power lines) I have to go to some difficult to get to position, or frame as appropriate. And sometimes nothing can be done, so I move on. Also, I never move anything to make it photograph better (like rocks or sea shells or branches).
I've got the digital tools (though not Photoshop) but use them for diagrams and other technical/industrial images where enhancing detail and cleaning up helps understanding the physical properties and functionality.
Not complaining about what Kevin does! Everyone has their own set of standards and practices.
I went to high school in the 60s with Gerald Desmond. He was on the cross country team with me, and he drove a Morris Minor, the only such vehicle I have ever seen in my life.
Of course, the bridge was named after his father.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Desmond