Many roads - actions aplenty

I am going to share a couple of the things that go on behind the scenes today - some photo work that gets done before I upload images. This may well bore the socks off you - if so, perhaps you'd rather read about this or this. Or just skim the words and vote for your favourite version at the end! I promise I won't hold it against you.
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If you are remotely interested in photos, then forge on with me. But remember I am no expert. (There should be a massive disclaimer right up at the top of this blog - but I reckon the drip remark in this month's header should be hint enough, right?)

This is an image I snapped while driving home from Toowoomba recently. It was simply shot through the windscreen as the Prado hurtled towards Granite Glen - this stretch of road is notoriously whoopy (that's a technical term for 'not smooth'). Actually I very nearly got seasick trying to shoot it. But I was reasonably happy with this shot (which is SOOC - straight out of camera) - I liked the natural lines and balance and the mirage effect. It needed cropping slightly and I just couldn't leave alone the whole 'dull colour' thing.

What to do?

Here is my first effort. I simply played with the 'curves' tool in Photoshop (I am still plugging along in PS 7) to find a better white and punch up the contrast to better reflect what I thought was 'real'. It's what I do to most of my images. Someone recently said they liked the 'honesty' of my photos - I suspect this means that I don't do enough work on them! Heh.

Next I thought I would try the "Fresh and Colourful" action from The Pioneer Woman. This really saturates and sharpens things up - the final version is not at full blast (I reduced the opacity of the layers a little before flattening). I don't mind this action but use it judiciously - too much saturation is well... too much. Especially on faces - people can tend to look VERY sunburned.
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Now I thought I'd push the envelope a bit more - I have to admit that I downloaded these actions from a site I picked up from Kate (Chronicles of a Country Girl) and I cannot recall the site. (I think it was here).

Most action sets have a black and white action - I quite like this one as it allows you to mess with it a bit. It's called Black and White Sepia. Feels like something from the 50's - as long as you don't look too closely at the shape of the vehicle hovering over the mirage!

This one is called Vintage.
I love that it gives a little border to the shot but I have toned back the texture layers and allowed a little more colour to seep through with this one. It appeals to me - like something printed on some very groovy rich paper.
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So your turn now...

Do you mess a lot with photos?

Would love you to share your favourite actions - pop in links if you have them please.

What is your favourite version of the road shot here?

(The BBfix, the PW Fresh&Colorful, the Black&White Sepia, or the Vintage?)

The most popular will be added to the prints section of the blog.

Thanks for playing!