I took the top image and used my old favorite curve tool - but I tried a few new tricks. I adjusted RGB to taste but then boosted the green channel at the bright end. That left the dark-green trees dark on the left but strengthened the shrubs by the water just right of center.
I then used the HDR-effect sliders to make things jump a bit more. I like that this tool can be used push-button style or as a gentle slide to keep any cartoon effects to a minimum.
I like the reprocessing quite a bit, but those branches along the top went too dark. At some future point I will revisit and make use of the layers tool to bring them back closer to the original image. Perhaps the bridge can also be pulled into better definition that way?
Any software has features and complications that can only be learned with time. PhotoDirector 8 has caught my interest and I plan to keep learning its features.
