"Summer Show-Off #1"

My After Edit at The Golden Gate Bridge

My Before Picture at The Golden Gate Bridge

I chose this picture to edit because I really loved the shot but was
disappointed with the washout of the background and my family.  I was hoping to bring some of the blue back into the sky but no matter what I did to the picture it looked fake, so I gave up on the blue sky that was there and focused on the bridge and my family.  I first added a hue/saturation layer and upped the saturation to bring the colors back into everyone and to show the sun shining on everyones hair.  The Golden Gate looked anything but golden so I added a color balance layer and adjusted the mid tones to the red side until the correct color was achieved in the bridge.  I then painted the layer black and used white to revel just the bridge.  Finally I added a levels layer and darkened up the photo just a touch.  That is where I stopped.  I did consider removing the lens flare, but decided that I liked it and left it.  I like this picture so much more now that is edited,  What a cute family I have!