My daughter with her beloved blue baby doll. I processed this using a Kodachrome 25 emulation process. I love the look of Kodachrome 25 but at times Kodachrome film was just too warm for every photo. For me this photo is just a bit too warm.
In Photoshop, I would have thought that Wratten filter equivalents would be listed under the Filters tab. However, they are not there. To find these equivalents, you have to either search for the word 'filter' or go to the Image tab, scroll down to Adjustments and then select Photo Filter. Not easy to find, but at least these filters are still there for times when they are needed.
Once you have found this almost hidden feature, the application of these filters is straightforward. Just use the pull down feature in the pop-up box to select a filter you want to use. Here, I have applied a warming filter. For me it is just too much so I need to cool things down.
Since I know that Kodachrome 25 was a little warm/red for this type of photo I needed to cool down the photo a bit. I know from experience that a Cooling Filter 82 will quickly fix the photo I simply select it from the list of available filters.
I wish I could give you a recipe for every occasion, but I can't. I just want you to know that these filters exist and that they can make a big difference in your final product. I encourage you to play with these filters, read about how they were used with film and incorporate these great filters into your post production processes.
The photo on the left is a standard black and white conversion of a color photograph. The photo on the right is the same conversion except that a red Wratten filter was used prior to conversion to black and white. I learned this technique from reading about Ansel Adams and his photographic technique. Ansel Adams loved using colored filters in front of his lens when taking black and white photos. They are a simple way to increase contrast and detail in a black and white image.
-- Enjoy
]]>"I go out into the world. I take a photograph. I give it to you as the equivalent of what I saw and felt." -- Alfred Stieglitz
In other words, it is not enough for a photograph to reflect what any random person might have seen, but it should reflect what the artist saw in his mind's eye and the feelings the scene evoked.
Ansel Adams might add something to that quote, such as: the time to decide how to post-process an image is ideally before the shutter button is pressed. The image should be, if possible, visualized prior to lifting the camera to your eye.
A lot of times color and texture can make or break a message that is being conveyed in a photo. I had the opportunity to take some photos at a 1950's - 1970's style summer camp. When I started taking photos at the camp, I was taken back to a period of time when I went to this camp as a kid. Nothing had changed in the last 30+ years. I envisioned this scene in Kodachrome Color Positive Film. So, when I sat down to post-process the image, I had to pull out the Kodachrome filter from DxO. The color and film grain make this an image that could have been captured 40 years ago or today. Without the color and grain, it is just a digital image that is firmly rooted in the 21st century. With the Kodachrome processing I am a kid again.
Left: Before Kodachrome Processing
Right: After Kodachrome Processing via DxO
-- Enjoy
This essay concerns itself with a specific type of failure that is common and predictable: taking pictures with mixed lighting can result in colors that don't match reality.
When we shoot outside there is usually one source of light. A camera's white balance system is very good at determining the average color of the light in a scene. At different times of the day, the sunlight will be more orange colored (warmer) or more blue color (cooler); but as long as sunlight is the only source of light, or at least the dominant source of light, the camera's white balance detection will seldom have trouble determining true white in the scene and will then adjust all the other colors accordingly.
When we shoot photos indoors we often rely on artificial light. This light might be florescent light, halogen light, tungsten (traditional light-bulb) light, LED light or even sunlight from a window. As long as there is only one source of light our cameras will also do a good job of setting the right white balance and then adjust the other colors as well.
Cameras tend to start to fail at adjusting white balance when a scene has a mixture of light sources. The human eye is a million times better than a digital camera sensor at determining true colors, even in mixed lighting settings. This means that sometimes the photographer has to manually adjust the camera's white balance in order to accurately reproduce colors.
A school gymnasium (or other areas with similar lighting) is the place I have found that cameras fail in a regular and predictable manner. Gymnasiums often use a mixture of light source. Many use sodium vapor lamps, similar to street lamps, as a primary lighting source. They often also have fluorescent lamps and halogen lamps to complement the sodium vapor lamp. This type of mixed lighting is a recipe for disaster if you plan on letting your camera just sort things out. More often than not, photos will turn out with a weird green, yellow, or orange tint. Never fear, there is a way to fix things, but it means that you have to take a little control away from the camera and make some decisions that the camera just is not good at doing in a mixed light source situation.
This essay is going to cover fixing color problems in mixed lighting when you are shooting jpg images and have no desire to do any post processing. This essay will also cover the process used by people that shoot RAW and fix the color at the computer after the images have been taken.
Setting a Manual/Custom White Balance in-Camera for jpg images with no need for post processing.
1) Evaluate your lighting when you enter a room.
This is the lighting at a local museum play area. When I entered the area I immediately noticed the lights. There are Sodium Vapor Lamps, Fluorescent, Incandescent (Tungsten), and LED lighting fixtures. When I saw this setup I knew this room would be impossible to shoot in if I was to rely on my camera to determine white balance.
2) Find something that is supposed to be white or, if you planned ahead, take out a white piece of paper that you keep in your camera bag or pocket just for these occasions.
I found this sign. It looked white to my eyes. Cameras can and are fooled by mixed lighting. To the camera this white sign looks a weird orange/green/yellow. I can tell right away that any photo taken in this light is going to be a disaster if white balance is left up to the camera.
3) Set the camera white balance manually (this is most likely going to cause you to pick up the book that came with your camera, or take a walk through the menu settings of the camera and then hope that it is a intuitive). DSLR cameras often have a dedicated button just for white balance options.
White balance menus are often very similar, even between camera manufactures.
This is what the typical white balance icon looks like. Again your camera may be different, so be sure to consult the documentation that came with your camera.
Once you have found the manual white balance icon, the process of setting a custom white balance is generally simple. In most cases it involves pointing you camera at a white surface and following on screen instructions to sample the white area and then the camera is calibrated to see that particular color as white and will adjust the other colors accordingly.
4) Take a photo to check the settings.
The photo on the left was taken with auto white balance and the photo on the right represents the results of a manual or custom white balance.
5) Pay attention to your lighting as you move around the room. The custom white balance you set may not work well in every part of the room since the intensity of the various lights may vary greatly in different areas of the room.
This enlarged portion of a snapshot was taken in the same room where my white balance sign was located and is a good example of how just moving to the other side of the room can change the white balance drastically.
This enlarged portion of a snapshot was taken moments after the first image but it has a manual/custom white balance that is specific for the part of the room in which the photo was taken. Notice how much more natural the colors look. The colors could be improved upon in post processing but they are very close to where they need to be in-camera.
6) Do not forget to reset your camera to auto white balance when you finish shooting.
Shooting RAW and Correcting White Balance in Post production.
1) Evaluate your lighting when you enter a room.
This shooting situation is tricky because it has fluorescent overhead lighting and incandescent (tungsten) lighting as accent lighting.
2) Find something that is supposed to be white or, if you have planned ahead, take out a white piece of paper that you keep in your camera bag or pocket just for these occasions. Better yet, buy a white balance card to use. When when you move to a new location in the room, just take your first photo of the white object, white paper or white balance card near the subject of the photograph.
I carry a white balance card with me. Here I have proped it up against some equipment in front of a wall I was preparing to photograph. You do not have to worry about the focus being spot on just as long as you have a photo of the gray color on the card.
3) Take your photo and remember that when the light conditions change then just take another reference photo of the white balance card.
4) Load the images into your favorite post processing program. In this example I will be using DxO Optics Pro 9.
5) Find your gray card reference frame and use the White Balance Eye Dropper tool to sample the gray area of the card. Taking a sample on the gray area of a gray card is more accurate than sampling white (which is why I recommend purchasing an actual 'calibrated' gray card for photography).
7) Copy the correction settings from your photo of the reference card. In most programs, you simply right click on the photo or photo thumbnail and select Copy Correction Settings (or a similarly named feature).
8) Paste the correction settings onto your photos that were taken in the same lighting conditions.
That is it. You will have a good white balance even in terrible mixed lighting conditions.
The photo on the left is pre-white balance correction and the photo on the right is after pasting the color correction from a white balance correction card. The stone wall was actually more tan than it was gray, and the white balance correction, as seen on the right, generated an accurate depiction of the color of the stones.
I try to have a white or gray reference in every set of photos that I take, it makes life easier. Using a gray card is also good photographic technique. You do not need mixed lighting to benefit from custom white balance, so feel free to use these techniques with any picture you take. -- Enjoy.
2) Use the eye dropper tool, in the Color adjustment module, and select the portion of the grass that needs to be toned down. The area that needed toned down is where the red lines cross in this screen shot.
3) Use the Luminance slider to reduce the luminance of the sampled area.
4) Use the Saturation slider to increase the saturation of the sampled area until it is a closer match to the darker areas of the photo.
5) Use the Range slider to reduce the range of colors that are affected by the changes to the sampled area. It is common for the corrections to bleed over into the darker areas. This can be corrected by limiting the range of color that is included in the sample.
That is it. The same type of process could be used to brighten up the darker areas which I did in the finished photo.
Here are the before and the after photos.
-- Enjoy
2) Select the crop tool and then select Size and Resolution from the drop down menu.
3) Enter your dimensions 1920 x 1080 making sure the unit value is set to pixel and that the dpi is set to 72dpi.
4) Click OK and you will see a preview of the cropping.
5) Press Enter to apply the crop. Notice how much smaller the image is. Then save your image.
That is all there is to it. Most other programs work in almost the exact same manner.
]]>This is a quick walk through of how to do basic exposure and contrast adjustments of a RAW image without having to use curves.
The starting image is a little dark, and lacks saturation and contrast.
Press the M key to compare between Original image and the Finished product.
Here is a before an after side by side comparison.
These same techniques can be used in almost any RAW development program such as Lightroom or DxO Pro. Depending on the program used, these exact tools may have different names and will be located in different menus on each program.
]]>2) Position your model or a stand in for your model. This is necessary to determine how your light falls on the subject.
3) Position your main source of light. In this case I am using a fluorescent bulb on a light stand. An open window and daylight would work just as well.
Note that a lot of light was spilling onto my background. I used a piece of black foam board to keep light from spilling onto the background. This was an artistic decision and not a requirement.
4) Position your reflector on the opposite side of the main light.
I did not have a anyone to hold my reflector. I just propped it up using an office chair.
5) Launch the PureShot Photo App on your iPhone (This App is not included with your iPhone and must be purchased from the App store). This app allows you to select separate exposure points and focus points.
This is a screen shot from the iPhone running the PureShot App. The green circle represents the area of the photo that will be metered to determine exposure. I decided that I wanted to make sure and not over expose the image so I selected one of the brightest areas to be my point for exposure metering.
The green square is t he focus box. I placed it on the face of the subject to make sure that this portion of the photo was in focus.
6) Push the shutter button.
The final photo, no contrast or color adjustments were made in post processing.
-- Enjoy
Shadow - a constant companion. ©Desireé D. Winkler 2014
My shadow interest came about during a photo challenge. I was doggedly trying to get this picture to turn out right and I just wasn't feeling it, so stopped for the night. The next morning, I was stopped in my tracks, for there, shadowed on my kitchen wall, was my "window of opportunity." I called for my boys and my interest was hooked.
What's unique about what I see in shadows is, they are everywhere! I can bring a shadow to life so they can tell a story of its own.
Many times, I'll just photograph a shadow (boy with ball shadow photo "Let's play Ball!") but depending on the angle or fun-ness I see in my mind, I'll also bring an object in, which not only adds more depth but added interest. (Boy with ball and real ball photo)(I don't have a title for this one yet)
I've taken pictures as close as 6 inches up to 4 feet away. Just keep in mind, "do I want less or more contrast to work with in editing, do I want to leave or crop out objects?" While several of my photos are B&W, there have been times I want color. I have no rhyme or reason, I just see a photo and think- this one needs to have color for contrast-this other photo can be more poignant just B&W.
Now, I understand lighting is a Biggie for many so please don't be too disappointed when I tell you, most of my work comes from natural light or the use of a room light, sometimes both. I just lower my EV so there's no glare from the wall to lighten the shadow.
Then, if I want a B&W photo, I start with Snapseed (my main go-to). Headed to "Tune Image" I'll start with contrast to darken my shadow, use a little of saturation (this depends on lighting & the picture itself, on how much play is needed) and then more shadow. Hardly ever do I use brightness and ambience because then my window lines are diminished.
If working on a photo for 30 minutes doesn't get me the result I'm looking for, then it means that the photo was poorly taken and I need to try again. Mainly it would be because my photo was too light or too dark to work with and darkening/lighting just makes it more blurry.
Why Shadows? It piqued my interest when my tween son, who is at an awkward age, hated to have his picture taken yet would jump at the chance to be a willing model in my shadows. So Shadows became a perfect way for us to interact, have a unique look yet still be a part of who he is. While I hope he can one day grow out of his shyness, it's thanks to him that I've found my passion.
My "window" will be used often because a window looks into a person's soul-there are SO many possibilities out there I have yet to explore!
So open your "window" wide and find your passion, find that "one thing" that shines a light into your soul. ("How do you View the World?" Photo)
Thank you all for your time and this opportunity to share a little from my soul.
Desireé D. Winkler
Photo for this essay and essay are ©Desireé D. Winkler 2014
If it is spring time, it is time to clean the sensor of your DSLR. Spring time means pollen and pollen means dust spots on the sensor of your DSLR. Every flowering plant dumps tons of pollen into the air and that pollen does a couple of things. The first thing it does is pollinate plants, the second thing it does is make everyone sneeze, and the third thing it does is stick to the sensor of any DSLR camera it can find.
The above photo is marred by dust spots. Many of these dust spots are actually flecks of pollen that are super sticky and have affixed themselves to the sensor of the camera.
Most DSLR cameras have dust reduction systems. These systems work well for run of the mill dust. Pollen is not run of the mill dust. Pollen is big and sticky. Simply using the built in dust reduction systems or a blower is not going to take pollen off of a camera sensor. To remove pollen, the sensor must be cleaned.
Sensor cleaning can be done using a wet method (the method I prefer for extremely sticky pollen) or by using the dry method (sufficient for all but the most sticky pollen).
Before Cleaning
After Cleaning
Before and after photos of a sensor that is covered with pollen and that has subsequently been cleaned using a wet method. The cleaning is not one hundred percent perfect but it is usable. The few small dust specks that remain will not show up at apertures below f22. I had to use an f32 to get them to show up in the after image whereas I used an f22 for the before image.
*Here is the caveat in this essay. I do not recommend that you clean your sensor unless you understand that if something goes wrong you can ruin your camera. I do not recommend that you clean your sensor unless you understand that if something goes wrong you can void the warranty of your camera. I do not recommend that you clean your sensor unless you understand that you can send it to a qualified technician for cleaning and if they muff it up then it is their responsibility. If you still want to clean the sensor yourself then here are some YouTube videos that will be of help.
Dry Cleaning of a Sensor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRW9AmDPqr0
Wet Cleaning of a Sensor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6S3jHA21w
]]>
I saw this giant fork and spoon in Virginia City, Nevada. I love Americana, and this is a classic piece of Americana so when I saw it I knew I had to photograph this hold-over from the not so distant past.
Here is the original in camera photo:
Not a bad snap shot as it was in camera but I had a different vision in mind when I shot the work. In post processing I went to work to create the image that I saw in my mind's eye. This was the result:
After all was said and done, I had indeed created the image I had seen in my mind's eye. However, one thing was missing. The thing that was missing was a sense of scale. I had always envisioned this image without the two electrical outlets. I felt they took away from the scene, but I soon found out that by removing them, I just a had a photo of a fork and spoon and not a photo of a GIANT FORK and SPOON. So I had to put them back into the photo (thank heavens for non-destructive editing).
The finished photo, with the electrical outlets, allows the viewer to stand in my shoes and understand just how large these giant utensils really were. The take away here is that sometimes an image needs something in it to give the subject of the image a sense of scale. In this case without the outlets, you have no way of knowing how big the utensils are and most likely you are left wondering why I took a photo of some letters and a fork and a spoon. In your own photography you might need to show how high a water fall is or how small a miniature figurine can be. In cases like these, remember to give your audience a reference point by which to judge, or the audience might just end up asking why they are looking at some letters and a fork and a spoon.
-- Enjoy
-- Enjoy
The cyanotype is generally viewed as the third major step in the evolution of photography. Previous to the cyanotype photographs had been made on pewter plates coated with bitumen and then the Daguerreotype was developed. The Daguerrotype used a copper plate coated in silver to capture the photographic image. The pewter/bitumen and copper/silver photographic processes were expensive and dangerous. The cyanotype, like the previous processes, is a direct print method of photography. That means that the final image is produced directly on the paper or the photographic plate.
A Cyanotype is one of the easiest types of photography to master and is perhaps the safest and most economical forms of classical photography ever developed. Since cyanotype photography is a direct print method it is making a comeback in the digital age because you can produce cyanotype prints of digital images.
The following links and videos provide a good overview of the cyanotype process and how to make true cyanotype prints from your digital images.
Suggested further reading:
http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_4947182_experimental-photography-pinhole-camera-cyanotype.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Cyanotypes---super-easy-photo-prints-at-home./
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanotype
http://www.mikeware.co.uk/mikeware/New_Cyanotype_Process.html
http://www.christopherjames-studio.com/build/ALTcyanotype.html
]]>If Charles Burnett had had his way, perhaps the popular Google//NIK Efex software package Silver Efex Pro would instead be called Uranium Efex Pro. During a period of 1855 - 1857, Charles Burnett experimented and then perfected the process of using Uranium to produce photographic images. The process was known as Burnett's Printing Process.
The reason I bring up this topic is two fold. One, my last name is Burnett. OK, that was the only original reason I brought up the topic. However, I think that the printed results of the process are worth being remembered. In the current digital age we can recreate the look of this ancient photographic process without the lingering radioactive side effect.
The resulting prints of the Burnett Printing Process very closely resemble the results that are obtained in cyanotype (blue print) printing process. The principle visible difference between the two processes is that the Burnett Printing Process would yield red/orange or brown tinted prints.
How to digitally duplicate the look of the Burnett Printing Process (no radioactivity needed).
Step One: Take a photo.
When selecting a photo for use with the Burnett Printing Process keep in mind that you are attempting to replicate the look of an 1857 printing technique. The cameras of the period had slow shutter speeds compared to modern cameras. This means you need to pick relatively stable subjects and that your subjects need to be will lit. Once you take your photo, transfer it to your favorite editing software and make a copy of the image. You should always work from copies.
Step Two: Convert your image to black and white.
I tend to adjust the brightness and reduce the contrast of the image when converting the image to black and white. Most cameras in the middle part of the 19th century produced lower contrast images than the cameras of our day and age.
Step Three: Apply a color overlay.
I use Aperture to apply a Color Monochrome layer over the entire image. This can also be accomplished in Photoshop by adding a semi-transparent fill layer and selecting the appropriate fill color and then adjusting brightness and contrast levels to your likening. I searched Google for Uranotype and then kept the browser open next to my editing window. I then matched the color of my color overlay to approximate the brownish/orange tint of the Burnett Printing Process. This process is a subjective one as the process would yield various results depending on chemical concentrations and developing inconsistencies.
Decide to stop here or continue to make changes. At this point you can print or share your image or you can continue on to step four to add even a bit more realism to your simulation of the Burnett Printing Process.
Step Four: Add film grain and adjust contrast.
I use Google/NIK Color Efex Pro to add a medium-course film grain. Film grain can be added in Photoshop as well or using almost any other post processing program. I decided to forgo adjusting contrast in Color Efex Pro and decided to make my final brightness and contrast adjustments in Aperture.
Step Six: Share you final image on your blog, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, or print the image.
-- Enjoy
Suggested Additional Reading:
http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/miscellaneous/ableuranotype.htm
]]>
I am a huge fan of found art. By 'found art,' I mean the organic placement of things and/or people into an arrangement that is interesting, pleasing to the eye, thought provoking, or novel. I think that this is a primary reason to always have a camera with me. I want to be able to record the 'found art' when I see it. I want to be able to preserve the way I saw the world at that moment and then show it to others.
This photo is entitled What is in your pockets? While visiting a local museum I was searching for a coat check ticket and I could not readily find it, so I ended up taking everything out of my pockets and depositing them on a bench. I looked down and I saw art. I am sure most people would have just seen junk, but I saw art and I captured it with my iPhone.
I encourage photographers to always be on the lookout for art. Look for organic patterns that can be captured and shared through the medium of photography.
-- Enjoy
- Enjoy!
]]>In my opinion Film Noir is the work of Orson Wells. He established the style and techniques that dominated the genre in his classic film Citizen Kane. Although most Film Noir movies never reached the artistic vision of Wells' work, they all harken back to his genius and ability to use extremes in contrast, angles, lens selection and story line to involve the audience in film in such a way that had never been accomplished before the birth of this cinematic art form.
Wikipedia defines Film Noir as "a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classical film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression."
"The term film noir, French for "black film", first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era. Cinema historians and critics defined the category retrospectively. Before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic films noirs were referred to as melodramas. Whether film noir qualifies as a distinct genre is a matter of ongoing debate among scholars."
Film Noir and the Still Image Photograph
Film Noir is first and foremost a cinematic term, not a photographic term. But there are photographic elements that are common to Film Noir cinematography. The mixing and matching of these elements can convey the feeling of Film Noir in a static print.
Film Noir is about extremes. The following are common components of a Film Noir photograph.
When planning a Film Noir photograph, I start to look for natural instances of contrasting light and shadows. I look for something that has some backstory to it that the viewer may be able to infer or imagine.
Making the Image
Angle
After selecting a subject, I then start looking for shooting angles. I keep in mind the common angle used in Film Noir. I see if a wide angle shot, a dutch angle shot, or an up angle shot will help the viewer infer or create a backstory or mystery.
In these three photos I am looking for angles to best tell a story about this walking stick.
Exposure and focus decisions are critical. You can choose to keep everything in focus or in this case to narrow the depth of field as I have done in this photo. I have blurred the extreme foreground slightly because this is a walking stick and I wanted to imply movement. My exposure decision was a simple decision to keep most of the image in shadow and not blow out the highlights. In Film Noir, it is fine to occasionally bury the histogram to the left since part of the genre involves always asking the question "what is in the shadows?"
Since I am shooting this photograph with a cell phone camera, I would have had to change my angle to control for sharp depth of field. If you are using a camera with manual aperture control, you would only need to reduce the size of the aperture to bring the entire frame into acceptable focus. This image has an aperture opening of f2.2. If I moved that aperture opening to f8 or f11, the entire image would have come into acceptable focus.
My post processing work flow for this image is as follows.
I then shared my work. You can share your work on Google+, Facebook, a website or make a print of the image.
The image on the left is the original photograph and the image on the right is the finished Film Noir B/W version of the photograph.
Since Film Noir is essential a cinematic genre, it is often difficult to translate into a single frame of a still image. But if you keep in mind that Film Noir is about mystery, and about setting a tone for the viewer to try and decipher the mystery, you will be off to a good start. Remember to use the basic elements of the Film Noir genre, do not be afraid to exaggerate contrast, and you will be well on you way to creating a Film Noir masterpiece of your own. If you need any inspiration, I recommend watching a Orson Wells movie, 1950's crime movie on late night TV or pull out a Mickey Spillane novel and look for inspiration. Remember there are eight million stories in the naked city (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naked_City).
Suggested Further Reading:
Step One: Set up your scene.
I have set the roses in front of a black background and lit them from the top using the kitchen lamp. I then placed the white board below them to reflect a bit of light back up to the under-side of the rose petals.
Step Two: Set your white balance.
Using the Pure Shot App on my iPhone, I point my phone at the white reflector on the table and lock the White Balance (WB) in the App. Setting the White balance lets me be assured that my colors will turn out correctly.
Step Three: Set and lock Exposure and Focus.
Focus on the flowers by moving the touching the screen where you want the focus, then hit the Focus Lock (AF) button. Repeat this for the exposure (AE). Try and keep your color histograms near the middle of the graph. You don't want the histograms to be smashed against the right or the left of the graph.
Step Four: Take the photo and transfer the digital file.
Save the file to your editing program on your computer and make a copy of the image. We always work with copies and never the originals.
Step Five: Run Noise Reduction and Pre-Sharpening tools in the Nik Suite of software.
Noise Reduction on RAW and TIFF RAW files is performed using the Define 2 plugin.
RAW and TIFF RAW images often need a bit of pre-sharpening to an image prior to manipulation.
Step Six: Adjust Levels.
Adjusting levels, in its simplest form, is moving the sliders on the histogram to get rid of dark and light areas without information. There are many ways to use levels and also the curves functions to customize luminance and color, but these are outside the scope of this tutorial.
Step Seven: Burn out the background to darken it up.
Burning is a method of making dark areas darker. It is a term that is left over from the Wet Darkroom days of photography. Of course you would not have to use the Burn Tool in Aperture to accomplish a darkening of the background. There are literally hundreds of ways to do this. You could mask out the background (Masking is a more advanced Photoshop technique), and you can adjust the black point of the image using the curves adjustment in your editing software. Since I am going for simple here, I will just use the burn tool.
Step Eight: Open the image in the Nik Color Efex Pro 4 plugin and experiment with the different filter options.
Do not be afraid to try everything. Remember you are working with a copy of your image and that means even if you mess it up, you always have the original sitting on your hard drive. Here are the filters I used on this image.
I used the Pro Contrast to adjust the color cast of the image a bit.
I thought the roses might look good with a little glow so I used the Glamour Glow effect.
I thought that the greens could be a little greener. The Enhance Foliage tool can really help with that.
I decided to use the Darken/Lighten Center tool to direct the viewer's eye to the blooms of the roses. A neat thing about this tool is that you can place the center of brightness anywhere you want on the image and adjust the size of the area that will be brightened or darkened.
The last thing I did in Nik was to apply a little bit more reflection of light to the underside of the flowers. The Reflector Efex tool lets you choose the color of the reflected light, the strength of the light, how fast the light falls off or gets dimmer, and the direction of the light.
Step Nine: Apply final sharpening of selected areas of the image.
Back in Aperture, I used the Sharpening tool to sharpen a few select rose petals and leaves that I wanted the viewer to really notice. Our eyes are drawn to areas of sharp focus, and this technique lets you essentially tell the viewer what you think is important in an image.
Step Ten: Compare the before and after, and then export your image to Google+, Facebook, Twitter, a blog, or print the final image.
The in-camera image is on the left and the final image is on the right.
The final image.
During this tutorial I was careful to only apply global effects to the images while using the Nik plugins. 'Global application' means that changes are applied to the entire image. I did this to demonstrate how easy it is to start using filters on images. However, as you advance in photo editing, your application of global adjustments will slow and perhaps stop. I rarely use most plugins globally. Nik plugins and many other plugin packages allow for great precision in their application. I also want to emphasize that plugins are not a substitute for learning how to post-process an image. I encourage you to use plugins, if they fit your budget and needs, but I also encourage you to learn how to do these same effects in a software package like Photoshop, Corel, Gimp, or Pixlemator. I know how to do these effects in those programs, but many of the effects are time consuming to do manually. Learning how these effects are accomplished is important for the time that you no longer are content with global application of filters or effects. If you know how they work, you can apply them as an artist would apply paint to a canvas.
I hope that your Valentine's Day was a good one, and I hope that this tutorial helps you preserve some memories long after your roses are gone.
-- Enjoy
Notice the reflected ambient light in the photo above. Even with a polarizing filter I might not be able to eliminate all of the reflections in this shooting situation. So, a different approach should be taken.
The Solution: Get up close and personal.
When you find yourself unable to eliminate the reflection, either because the reflection is too large or because you don’t have a polarizing filter it is time to get up as close to the glass as you can. Sure, it will change the type of photograph that you would like to take but in most instances it will improve the quality of your images so much that you will wonder why you wanted the other images in the first place.
This photo is of a model of a prehistoric fish. I shot this through glass with a camera phone.
Steps to getting up close:
As can be seen in this cell phone photo, leaving the flash on will result in a large bright spot in the image.
While not shot through glass, this image was shot in very low light and I used an ISO of 12800. I chose to shoot this image in Black and White to prevent the noise from detracting from the final image.
Notice the magnified area of this image. This image was taken with a cell phone. The increased noise caused by the low light conditions can be clearly identified.
Here is the same image converted to Black and White. Notice that the digital noise is not as much of a distraction in the Black and White version.
If you follow these steps you will get some terrific shots. To prove it, here is a recent photo of a pike that I took while visiting the Cabela’s store near my home.
So, get out there and get to shooting, and most of all -- Enjoy.
The good folks at google are hard at work bringing photo editing to the masses. You might not be aware but last year Google acquired NIK software. NIK makes the award winning HDR software HDR Efex Pro ( http://www.google.com/nikcollection/products/hdr-efex-pro/ ) that is included in the Google NIK Collection. The great news for non-professionals is that Google is taking part of the power of HDR Efex Pro and bringing it to Google+ and the Chrome Browser.
Groovypost.com has all the details. Click through to find out how to use the new HDR effects for yourself.
http://www.groovypost.com/howto/hdr-google-plus-photo-editor/
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The Asia division of CNET has a Great Tutorial on Editing Self Portraits
This CNET tutorial on editing your self portraits is fantastic. The break the process down into five easy steps that include clearing up your skin, and slimming down your face. The whole tutorial takes about five minutes to read but it is still packed with useful real world skills that every portrait artist needs to know. If you are talking senior photos or just taking iPhone selfies this tutorial is for you.
http://asia.cnet.com/five-easy-steps-to-editing-self-portraits-62223606.htm
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TIME LightBox has a Great Article about Queen Victoria and Her Royal Obsession with Photography.
Queen Victoria might well be know as Queen of the selfie. This Time Lightbox article details the late Queens love of and influence on photography. Did you know she had her own Royal Darkroom and she once edited herself out of a family photo? In the days before Photoshop taking yourself out of a photo was no easy feat. Find out how she accomplished this edit and more in this great article.
http://lightbox.time.com/2014/02/04/magnificent-obsession-how-queen-victoria-influenced-photography/#end
Andy Warhol -- Next to Ansel Adams I think that Andy Warhol has been one of the biggest influences in my artistic life. If you are in Rhode Island you should take the day and visit this new Warhol exhibit at The Rhode Island School of Design Museum.
http://www.browndailyherald.com/2014/02/11/warhol-photography-exhibit-captures-everyday-magic/
If you cannot make it to Rhode Island you can still get your Warhol fix at http://www.warhol.org/collection/art/
I have to admit that this photo was inspired by Warhol and his ability to find art in everyday life.
No Bun Needed -- 2012
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Sigma -- The New Look of the Sigma dp2 might be the look of digital photography in the future?
Tech News World has a look at the new Sigma camera and the Sigma Foveon Sensor. I have to admit that if I were just starting in photography I would consider this camera. I like the concept of the layered sensor. I am a huge fan of film photography and this seems to be the nearest thing to film that I have seen in the digital world.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/79948.html
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Full Frame, Crop, or Point and Shoot vs Cell Phone Cameras, and why the cell phone should not replace your camera anytime soon.
Fox News gives five really good reasons to keep a "real camera" around. I am a huge fan of Cell Phone Photography and have a web site www.cellphonephoto365.com devoted to cell phone photography. However, my cell phone falls short in many situations and I have to keep my Point and Shoot or DSLR handy to fill in the gaps. In this web article Terry Sullivan details the five reasons for keeping your "real camera" in service.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/02/11/5-reasons-digital-cameras-leave-smart-phone-photography-in-dust/
One of the best ways to improve your photography is to look at great photography. This archive of photography is an online treasure and it is completely free. Start at A and go to Y (no Z yet) or just browse the archive.
Just click the following link to enjoy this classic collection:
http://ccp.uair.arizona.edu/online-gallery
Enjoy!
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Step by Step instructions:
Here is an example of the moon shot using exactly this method:
ISO 200 / f5.6 / Shutter Speed 1/160 / 300mm
Good luck and enjoy Shooting the Moon.