took the mini up into the hills last month and got some stills that i actually really like but every time i edit them i feel like im overdoing it. like i add contrast and they look punchy for a second and then i push it a little more and suddenly it looks like a fake postcard. been going back and forth on three of them for weeks now.

anyone else get stuck like this? im thinking maybe i should just post the raw looking versions and see what people think. the mountains were covered in snow and the shadows had this really blue tone that i keep trying to preserve but it keeps getting crushed when i mess with the highlights.

yeah post them, sometimes you just need fresh eyes. i do this thing where i export, close everything, come back the next day and half the time i immediately see what was wrong. the blue shadow thing you're describing sounds like it could be a white balance issue creeping in when you adjust exposure

honestly just post the flatter version and let people see what the scene actually looked like. everyone overprocesses mountain shots, its like a reflex. the ones that get me every time are the subtle ones where you can still feel the cold