Advertising Photography. Photos made to illustrate a service or product. These images are generally done with an advertising agency, design firm or with an in-house corporate design team. Read more…
Aerial Photography is the taking of photographs from above with a camera mounted, or hand held, on an aircraft, helicopter, balloon, rocket, kite, skydiver or similar vehicle. It was widely used for military purposes during World War I. Read more…
Architectural Photography. Find analyses of the various uses and techniques of architectural photography.
Astronomical Photography. Find various techniques developed or modified since 1975 specially for the unusual demands of astronomical photography at the Anglo-Australian Observatory.
Baby Photography. Find some must-have baby photography tips on taking the best pictures of your baby from Alexis Dawes.
Black and White Photography. Find a vast collection of b&w images.
Cityscape Photography. Find tips that will help you to take digital photos capturing the essence of the ‘big city’. Composition, lighting and exposure settings, photo subject ideas, and more.
Commercial photography includes advertising photography, editorial photography, photojournalism, portrait and wedding photography, fine art photography.Read more…
Concert Photography is up there among the most difficult ones. You have five thousand fans behind you, and there is a band in front of you. Nobody stands still… Read more…
Digital Photography, as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record the image as binary data. This facilitates storage and editing of the images on personal computers, and also the ability to show and delete unsuccessful images immediately on the camera itself. Read more…
Documentary photography usually refers to a type of professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur or student pursuit. The photographer attempts to produce truthful, objective, and usually candid photography of a particular subject, most often pictures of people. Read more…
Equine Photography includes photographs of horses and everything connected with horses. Read more...
Family Photography. Find family photography tips, including everything from snapping off 20 baby pictures to posing everyone at your family reunion.
Fine art photography, sometimes simply called art photography, refers to high-quality archival photographic prints that are produced to fulfill the creative vision of an individual professional and often reproduced in limited editions. Read more…
Fine Art Nude Photography, or Erotic photography dates back to the history of the art and process of taking pictures of unclothed subjects. Find the webs best fine art nude photography.
Food Photography. Find a collection of articles intended to inform and educate the viewer regarding the craft, science, business, and art of food photography.
Glamour or Fashion photography is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by exotic locations and story lines.
Infrared Photography. With this type of photography you can get interesting “in-camera effects”: false-color or black and white images with a dreamlike or sometimes lurid appearance. Read…
Landscape Photography is artistic interpretations of the land, its features, beauty and its definition. Gallery of Landscape Photography
Macro photography is a type of close-up photography, where the image is as large or larger than the subject. Read more…
Nature photography refers to a particular form of photography with a stronger emphasis on the aesthetical value of the photo, taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, plants and wildlife. Read more…
Night photography generally refers to photographs taken outdoors between twilight and dusk. Read more…
Pet Photography. Seven Habits of the Successful Pet Photographer.
Portrait photography has been around since the invention and popularization of the camera, and is a cheaper and often more accessible method than portrait painting, which had been used by distinguished figures before the use of the camera. Read more…
Seascape Photography. Find the gallery of beautiful seascape art and seascape photography.
Travel Photography. Find pictures landscapes, nature, architecture and night photography of different places.
Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while underwater. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming. Read more…
Wedding photography is probably one of the most complicated, but at the same time challenging forms of photography that requires a great deal of responsibility, skills, and knowledge. Read more…
Wildlife photography is the act of taking photographs of wildlife, which is regarded as being one of the more challenging forms of photography as it has several different requirements. Read more…
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Understanding RAW Format
by
Alton Vance
I'll start by explaining where RAW format comes from.
All digital cameras take their original image in some kind of RAW format. RAW files are usually proprietary to the camera manufacturer and sometimes to the specific model of camera. That means, only the camera that takes the picture can understand the information collected on the camera sensors. That information is then translated by means of firmware (software) built into the camera and the usual result is a more user friendly format called JPEG. That is why most cameras produce images with an .jpg extension. JPEG is a compressed format (and has the ability of varying degrees of compression). JPEG has become a fairly universal digital standard for photo images.
What happens is that all digital cameras use firmware to apply various qualities to the RAW format before it is written to the memory card in JPEG form. The firmware in the camera will apply varying degrees of sharpening, varying degrees of saturation, varying degrees of contrast, etc. Most cameras have facilities to change these settings to the photographers liking. The only hint you have of what that photo will look like is the small LCD on your camera. This is usually too small to tell enough to make changes until it is too late. Often the photographer doesn't want to mess with those changes on the field anyway. So you set your camera based on the last experience. Many people never experiment with changing these settings anyway.
Thus enters the advantage of shooting RAW. The RAW information settings can be set in the software after you get the image home or downloaded to your computer where you can see the image on your large computer screen before you develop it into JPEG. There are two RAW software publishers (which I discuss below) that I use and I'm sure there must be others of which I am unaware.
Adobe Photoshop CS (the latest version) now reads RAW format for many late model digital cameras. PHASE ONE publishes RAW format conversion software called C1 for most (but not all, though they continue to upgrade quickly) professional and prosumer cameras.
Many digital cameras still do not give you access to the RAW format so JPEG is your only choice. I prefer C1 for its workflow ability over Photoshop CS. For me C1 is better for mass development (when you have a lot of files to work with). However I use Photoshop CS when I have just one or two files to work on because it is convenient to have the file in Photoshop for further processing if desired. I have noticed that each of these titles give somewhat different results in development. You might prefer one over the other but if you already have Photoshop CS you probably won't want to invest $99 to $500 in C1, (it comes in various version with different features but quality is the same in all versions). However if you are still using an earlier version of Photoshop, a reasonable decision would be one of the lesser versions of C1. http://www.phaseone.com.
Both of the software packages above allow you to adjust exposure settings by plus or minus two stops. This can be one of the biggest advantages of shooting RAW. You can make adjustments, as slight as it may need, as if you were doing it in your camera at the time of exposure. (Although I do recommend an accurate exposure at the time of shooting. That will still result in the best deatail.) Also you can adjust settings for saturation, contrast, sharpness, white balance (another wonderful feature of RAW and perhaps the one that makes the biggest difference) etc. just like the settings in your camera would have done, but now you can adjust it as many ways and as many times as you want for each picture and see what's happening with each adjustment before it is developed.
A RAW file might be considered similar to a film negative with adjustments.
One big disadvantage of RAW files: they are large and take up 2 to 4 or more times the space of JPEG files, depending on the compression choice you use in JPEG. So keep in mind your storage space when making a decision to use RAW.
When making a choice to use RAW files there are three other things to consider.
Number one: RAW files cannot be saved back to RAW once they are converted to JPEG. The advantage of that is your original RAW file is never changed nor is any information lost in compression because you cannot resave to the original file. So your original information is always left intact. I understand that every time you save over an original JPEG file it is further compressed each time you save it. If you loaded, edited, resaved, closed then opened, edited, resaved, and closed a JPEG file 100 times you would see considerable degradation in the resulting file. (The solution to that dilemma is to always rename your file so you do not save over the original JPEG.)
Number two: If you need to save space you can always delete your RAW files after you have arrived at your best settings and converted to JPEG. Personally I like to choose my best shots and keep the best RAW files and save over my JPEGs. If the JPEG gets degraded I can always go back to the original RAW file and develop again from the original information. (However keeping my RAWs may mean buying a larger hard drive or two down the road.)
Number three: It takes considerably more time to develop RAW files than to have the JPEG already finished out of the camera. It has taken my son quite awhile to see the advantages of RAW solely based on this fact alone. It is just too much trouble for some people. For me it lends versatility.
I do not in anyway pretend to be an expert in RAW file development but I am sharing my personal experiences over the past 1 and 1/2 years. Since the day I bought my Canon 10D I have rarely (and then only accidentally) shot in straight JPEG. (I have shot more than 8000 images in that period of time and have developed most of them from RAW.)
There are professionals who shoot in RAW. There are professionals who shoot in JPEG and both do wonderful work. It is somewhat a matter of your preference, your time, your space, and your desire or need to have the extra flexibility of RAW format. My son shoots and works for Michael Shaffer Photography (http://www.schafferphotography.com/) and they still shoot most of their work in JPEG. I am the amateur hobbyist who can take the extra time to work with RAW. I don't have deadlines to meet.
I hope this is helpful. I also hope it is somewhat accurate. Thanks!
Alton Vance
I'll start by explaining where RAW format comes from.
All digital cameras take their original image in some kind of RAW format. RAW files are usually proprietary to the camera manufacturer and sometimes to the specific model of camera. That means, only the camera that takes the picture can understand the information collected on the camera sensors. That information is then translated by means of firmware (software) built into the camera and the usual result is a more user friendly format called JPEG. That is why most cameras produce images with an .jpg extension. JPEG is a compressed format (and has the ability of varying degrees of compression). JPEG has become a fairly universal digital standard for photo images.
What happens is that all digital cameras use firmware to apply various qualities to the RAW format before it is written to the memory card in JPEG form. The firmware in the camera will apply varying degrees of sharpening, varying degrees of saturation, varying degrees of contrast, etc. Most cameras have facilities to change these settings to the photographers liking. The only hint you have of what that photo will look like is the small LCD on your camera. This is usually too small to tell enough to make changes until it is too late. Often the photographer doesn't want to mess with those changes on the field anyway. So you set your camera based on the last experience. Many people never experiment with changing these settings anyway.
Thus enters the advantage of shooting RAW. The RAW information settings can be set in the software after you get the image home or downloaded to your computer where you can see the image on your large computer screen before you develop it into JPEG. There are two RAW software publishers (which I discuss below) that I use and I'm sure there must be others of which I am unaware.
Adobe Photoshop CS (the latest version) now reads RAW format for many late model digital cameras. PHASE ONE publishes RAW format conversion software called C1 for most (but not all, though they continue to upgrade quickly) professional and prosumer cameras.
Many digital cameras still do not give you access to the RAW format so JPEG is your only choice. I prefer C1 for its workflow ability over Photoshop CS. For me C1 is better for mass development (when you have a lot of files to work with). However I use Photoshop CS when I have just one or two files to work on because it is convenient to have the file in Photoshop for further processing if desired. I have noticed that each of these titles give somewhat different results in development. You might prefer one over the other but if you already have Photoshop CS you probably won't want to invest $99 to $500 in C1, (it comes in various version with different features but quality is the same in all versions). However if you are still using an earlier version of Photoshop, a reasonable decision would be one of the lesser versions of C1. http://www.phaseone.com.
Both of the software packages above allow you to adjust exposure settings by plus or minus two stops. This can be one of the biggest advantages of shooting RAW. You can make adjustments, as slight as it may need, as if you were doing it in your camera at the time of exposure. (Although I do recommend an accurate exposure at the time of shooting. That will still result in the best deatail.) Also you can adjust settings for saturation, contrast, sharpness, white balance (another wonderful feature of RAW and perhaps the one that makes the biggest difference) etc. just like the settings in your camera would have done, but now you can adjust it as many ways and as many times as you want for each picture and see what's happening with each adjustment before it is developed.
A RAW file might be considered similar to a film negative with adjustments.
One big disadvantage of RAW files: they are large and take up 2 to 4 or more times the space of JPEG files, depending on the compression choice you use in JPEG. So keep in mind your storage space when making a decision to use RAW.
When making a choice to use RAW files there are three other things to consider.
Number one: RAW files cannot be saved back to RAW once they are converted to JPEG. The advantage of that is your original RAW file is never changed nor is any information lost in compression because you cannot resave to the original file. So your original information is always left intact. I understand that every time you save over an original JPEG file it is further compressed each time you save it. If you loaded, edited, resaved, closed then opened, edited, resaved, and closed a JPEG file 100 times you would see considerable degradation in the resulting file. (The solution to that dilemma is to always rename your file so you do not save over the original JPEG.)
Number two: If you need to save space you can always delete your RAW files after you have arrived at your best settings and converted to JPEG. Personally I like to choose my best shots and keep the best RAW files and save over my JPEGs. If the JPEG gets degraded I can always go back to the original RAW file and develop again from the original information. (However keeping my RAWs may mean buying a larger hard drive or two down the road.)
Number three: It takes considerably more time to develop RAW files than to have the JPEG already finished out of the camera. It has taken my son quite awhile to see the advantages of RAW solely based on this fact alone. It is just too much trouble for some people. For me it lends versatility.
I do not in anyway pretend to be an expert in RAW file development but I am sharing my personal experiences over the past 1 and 1/2 years. Since the day I bought my Canon 10D I have rarely (and then only accidentally) shot in straight JPEG. (I have shot more than 8000 images in that period of time and have developed most of them from RAW.)
There are professionals who shoot in RAW. There are professionals who shoot in JPEG and both do wonderful work. It is somewhat a matter of your preference, your time, your space, and your desire or need to have the extra flexibility of RAW format. My son shoots and works for Michael Shaffer Photography (http://www.schafferphotography.com/) and they still shoot most of their work in JPEG. I am the amateur hobbyist who can take the extra time to work with RAW. I don't have deadlines to meet.
I hope this is helpful. I also hope it is somewhat accurate. Thanks!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What is Exposure?
The Basic Elements of Exposure
Exposure, in photographic terms, is the process of capturing light with your camera to produce an image on film or a digital sensor. (Film and digital sensors will be referred to as film throughout this document unless specifically noted otherwise.) Your camera mechanically controls the incoming light and directs it to the film. The film is sensitive to the light and is exposed.
We can create a simple analogy of exposure in terms of filling a bucket with water. We can fill the bucket slowly with a small stream of water, or we can fill it quickly with a large stream. In either situation, it will take a combination of time and water flow to fill the bucket. The size of the bucket is also a consideration. A small bucket will fill more quickly than a large one.
Based on this brief analogy, we have three items to consider. We have water flow, the amount of time it takes to fill the bucket, and the size of the bucket. We can approach our Fill the Bucket project from several angles. We can choose to use a larger or smaller hose. We can choose to fill the bucket quickly or slowly. We can choose the size of the bucket we want to fill. Whichever approach or combination of approaches we choose, the result will be the same. We will put water in our bucket. We may fill it completely full, partially full, or let it overflow.
How do we relate this analogy to our camera?
Light is the water that flows through our hose.
Our camera's aperture is the hose. The camera's aperture is the device that controls the amount of light that is allowed into the lens. This aperture is adjustable. We can make it larger or smaller.
Our camera's shutter speed is the amount of time it takes to fill the bucket with water. The camera's shutter is the device that opens to allow the incoming light from the aperture to expose the film and create the image. The film's sensitivity or ISO number is the size of the bucket. Small buckets (more sensitive films) can be filled faster than large buckets (less sensitive films.)
The Four Elements
So, we have four elements of exposure: light, aperture, shutter speed, and film sensitivity. Each of these elements plays a distinct role in the process of creating a photograph. Each of these elements may be used in creative ways.
Light
Light is probably the most important element of exposure. In many cases, good and bad photos are only differentiated by the available light in the scene. Learning the difference between good and bad light is part of the overall experience of learning about photography. Light creates shadows, highlights textures, accents colors, creates moods and emotions, and a vast array of other enhancing effects in a photo. By the same token, light can also create harsh contrasts, bright spots, dark spots, glare, and other issues that are sometimes associated with poor photographs. Finding the good light is a skill that comes with experience and a lot of trial and error.
Aperture
Your camera's aperture controls the amount of light that is allowed into the lens. The aperture is an adjustable hole inside your lens that may be made larger or smaller to control the intensity of the available light. The aperture is also used to control depth of field. Depth of field will be discussed in detail as we explore exposure a little deeper.
Shutter Speed
The camera's shutter is the device that opens and closes for a specified amount of time to allow the light entering the lens to expose the film. The duration of the opening is determined by the amount of light entering the lens. The aperture and shutter work together to produce correct exposures.
Film Sensitivity (ISO)
Some films are more sensitive to light than others. The ISO rating of the film describes its sensitivity to light in numbers such as 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800. 200 speed film is twice as sensitive to light as 100 speed and four times more sensitive than 50 speed film. 200 speed film will expose twice as fast as 100 and four times faster than 50. Different speeds of film are used for various reasons that we will discuss soon. These four elements of exposure work together to produce a photograph. Light enters the camera through the aperture inside the lens. The shutter opens and then the film is exposed. In our quest to understand exposure, we must learn how each of these elements interacts with each other. We also must learn how to control each element to produce our desired result.
Full Article
To learn the details on all these four elements and go through the complete tutorial, download the Exposure full article in PDF version (1.35 MB).
Note from the Author
This document was created as an educational tool. If you find this document useful, please support it by giving me feedback on it. This document may be distributed freely in an unmodified form. I encourage you to share this with your friends. If you have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know. If you choose to use this document in a classroom environment, I would appreciate any instructor and student feedback on the contents and layout of this presentation. This document may be modified and expanded occasionally. You may email me for update info.
Exposure, in photographic terms, is the process of capturing light with your camera to produce an image on film or a digital sensor. (Film and digital sensors will be referred to as film throughout this document unless specifically noted otherwise.) Your camera mechanically controls the incoming light and directs it to the film. The film is sensitive to the light and is exposed.
We can create a simple analogy of exposure in terms of filling a bucket with water. We can fill the bucket slowly with a small stream of water, or we can fill it quickly with a large stream. In either situation, it will take a combination of time and water flow to fill the bucket. The size of the bucket is also a consideration. A small bucket will fill more quickly than a large one.
Based on this brief analogy, we have three items to consider. We have water flow, the amount of time it takes to fill the bucket, and the size of the bucket. We can approach our Fill the Bucket project from several angles. We can choose to use a larger or smaller hose. We can choose to fill the bucket quickly or slowly. We can choose the size of the bucket we want to fill. Whichever approach or combination of approaches we choose, the result will be the same. We will put water in our bucket. We may fill it completely full, partially full, or let it overflow.
How do we relate this analogy to our camera?
Light is the water that flows through our hose.
Our camera's aperture is the hose. The camera's aperture is the device that controls the amount of light that is allowed into the lens. This aperture is adjustable. We can make it larger or smaller.
Our camera's shutter speed is the amount of time it takes to fill the bucket with water. The camera's shutter is the device that opens to allow the incoming light from the aperture to expose the film and create the image. The film's sensitivity or ISO number is the size of the bucket. Small buckets (more sensitive films) can be filled faster than large buckets (less sensitive films.)
The Four Elements
So, we have four elements of exposure: light, aperture, shutter speed, and film sensitivity. Each of these elements plays a distinct role in the process of creating a photograph. Each of these elements may be used in creative ways.
Light
Light is probably the most important element of exposure. In many cases, good and bad photos are only differentiated by the available light in the scene. Learning the difference between good and bad light is part of the overall experience of learning about photography. Light creates shadows, highlights textures, accents colors, creates moods and emotions, and a vast array of other enhancing effects in a photo. By the same token, light can also create harsh contrasts, bright spots, dark spots, glare, and other issues that are sometimes associated with poor photographs. Finding the good light is a skill that comes with experience and a lot of trial and error.
Aperture
Your camera's aperture controls the amount of light that is allowed into the lens. The aperture is an adjustable hole inside your lens that may be made larger or smaller to control the intensity of the available light. The aperture is also used to control depth of field. Depth of field will be discussed in detail as we explore exposure a little deeper.
Shutter Speed
The camera's shutter is the device that opens and closes for a specified amount of time to allow the light entering the lens to expose the film. The duration of the opening is determined by the amount of light entering the lens. The aperture and shutter work together to produce correct exposures.
Film Sensitivity (ISO)
Some films are more sensitive to light than others. The ISO rating of the film describes its sensitivity to light in numbers such as 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800. 200 speed film is twice as sensitive to light as 100 speed and four times more sensitive than 50 speed film. 200 speed film will expose twice as fast as 100 and four times faster than 50. Different speeds of film are used for various reasons that we will discuss soon. These four elements of exposure work together to produce a photograph. Light enters the camera through the aperture inside the lens. The shutter opens and then the film is exposed. In our quest to understand exposure, we must learn how each of these elements interacts with each other. We also must learn how to control each element to produce our desired result.
Full Article
To learn the details on all these four elements and go through the complete tutorial, download the Exposure full article in PDF version (1.35 MB).
Note from the Author
This document was created as an educational tool. If you find this document useful, please support it by giving me feedback on it. This document may be distributed freely in an unmodified form. I encourage you to share this with your friends. If you have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know. If you choose to use this document in a classroom environment, I would appreciate any instructor and student feedback on the contents and layout of this presentation. This document may be modified and expanded occasionally. You may email me for update info.
Nude Art Images in Digital Black & White
Introduction
The first thing is that photography is a VISUAL art. This means there are no standards, which order you to do 'good' things (although we will use that word later on, meaning an image without clear exposure errors) and forget everything else. You are the master of the image and only your imagination and perception limit what you will produce.
Some of your images may not be acceptable to all-knowing critics, but if they meet your own personal criteria of value, that's exactly what photography is all about. Pour your individuality into your work, be creative, leave wide lanes others rush along and strand into uncharted lands.
If you can manage it, drop all photography courses and schools. Masters in any are not educated at formal institutions. Your individual taste has to be born out of your own personality, even if you lack technique.
Actually, this is no lack, but a hidden treasure. Technique can be mastered by anyone. Your vision cannot.
Whatever methods you may read about here, are thus only an indication of direction you may want to follow. When you do, explore all possibilities to find the results which are unique to you.
The myth of post-processing
Image processing software allows deep image manipulation, including recovery of details lost in shadows and reducing overexposure. One may feel tempted to forget the basics of photography and rely on post-processing to obtain acceptable results.
This is not the best way, though, as you will lose a lot of time trying to make a good image out of faulty exposures and, more importantly, you will never learn tricks of the trade which make taking good images a snap.
By all means, try to take properly exposed images right on the spot, so that further use of programs is limited to creativity. Digital tools will help you greatly in this, histograms playing the major role. Experiment, use a variety of exposure settings and check the results. You have them immediate, so learning is easy and the only cost is your time.
There is a message in this introduction. Digital cameras take color images. Conversion to B&W may be difficult or at least time-consuming if you don't take a properly exposed, color-balanced and focused color photo first. On the other hand, when you take a well- balanced color image, you have infinite possibilities ahead for converting it or using as a point of departure for your creativity.
Color to B&W conversion methods
Having said that, we may now proceed to the practical part. The following methods are universally applied in almost all more popular software packages. For clarity reasons, we will use Photoshop commands. If you use a different program, find corresponding functions and options and re-create the procedures.
For comparison purposes, the images in the side column are processed with the described methods, with default settings used. The source was a typical 333x500px website-use full-color image (01).
There are a number of software conversion methods. Grayscale conversion (Image > Mode > Grayscale = 02) is the most straightforward. Use it for previewing images only, as in most cases the resulting grays are flat and images lack contrast and depth. The worst thing is that color channel data are lost irreversibly here, making further adjustments impossible.
Color desaturation is much better ( Image > Adjustments > Desaturate = 03). All color data are still there in the image file, and this is quite a good method to start with.
Hue-Saturation adjustment (Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation = 04) loses much of the original data. To make a B&W image, move the Saturation slider to 0.
Gradient application makes use of the standard software option and gives controllable results (Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map... = 05), far better than obtained with other 'simple' methods.
Lab color (Image > Mode > Lab Color = 06) conversion may produce amazing results when the Lightness channel image is taken as the source, with a and b channels discarded. Re-convert the Alpha 1 channel to Grayscale (= 07) and then to RGB and tweak channel or brightness/contrast values for best visual results.
Single channel selection (use Red = 08, Green, or Blue as source for further B&W image processing, depending on your perception) to find the image you expect.
Mixing channels (Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer = 09) may surprise you with good resulting photographs when channels are tweaked. To avoid blowing whites, make sure the histogram preview is turned on (Window > Histogram).
Filters are plug-in add-ons. There are a number of solutions available in this form, to start with you may want to check freeware filters from Cybia Fotomatic BW-Plus (= 10), PhotoWiz B/W (= 11) or virtualPhotographer (= 12).
To give a hint of what can be done with seemingly simple color > BW conversion, we will follow the LAB conversion method in detail.
Color > BW through LAB color
The following is a bit lengthy procedure, yet it gives quite a lot of flexibility in producing the image you want. Follow it and you'll see it does not take much time to obtain impressive results.
Convert the image to LAB colors (Image > Mode > Lab Color). Discard the a and b channels in the Channels palette. You should have the Alpha 1 channel left only. Convert it to grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale. The Alpha 1 channel has turned now into the Gray channel.
Control+Click on it to load luminosity as a selection. Invert selection (Select > Inverse) and convert the image to RGB (Image > Mode > RGB Color). Create a new Solid Color... adjustment layer in the Layers palette (at the bottom). Select gray close to 50% and confirm your choice.
Select the Multiply blending mode in the drop down menu in the Layers palette to get the basic BW image. Now you can make some final touches in Brightness/Contrast or Levels adjustment layers (these would have to be created from the Layers palette) to arrive at what suits your visual taste best. Save the PSD image for archival purposes, and flatten it to save in the format needed. (= 13)
Tinting the image
You may use this step to tint the BW image. Double click the square icon in the Color Fill 1 adjustment layer in the Layers palette and choose the color you want. Set its Opacity and Color Fill parameters with sliders in the Layers palette. (= 14)
Adding simulated 3D depth
To add more depth to the image, duplicate the Background layer in the Layers palette and run the High Pass filter (Filters > Other > High Pass... = 15), adjusting its Radius by experiment. Change the Background copy blending mode to Hard Light and adjust its Opacity as required. Try and experiment with different blending modes and Opacity / Fill values for different effects.
Pure black?
Tweaking color in RGB black and white images may result in deliberate warming up the image or cooling it down a bit. The final image may turn out to be extremely appealing to the eye. To practice it, open the final BW image and call up the color balance palette (Image > Adjustments > Color Balance...).
Moving the Yellow / Blue slider to increase Yellow in the Midtones range by 5-10 warms the image up (= 16). Try to experiment with all shadows, midtones and highlights for best results. Similarly, moving the Cyan / Red slider to increase Cyan in the Midtones range by 5-10 cools down the image a bit (= 17).
Final notes
For best results, always use 16-bit images if you can, only converting them to 8-bit depth if needed. Saving images optimized for website display may be done directly from 16-bit images without reducing their bit depth.
If you primarily work with website presentations, remember that grayscale images saved as optimized JPEGs may become illegibly blackish (= 18). The same grayscale image converted to RGB and saved for web will have a different gray spectrum (= 19).
Image post-processing may involve a number of steps with different settings used for different parameters. If repeated procedures are needed, make sure to write down what you are doing. When you come across a special effect which you particularly like, you may want to make an automated task of it (Create new action... in the Actions palette).
Enjoy this process. Taking and making photos should make you fulfilled and happy. Try to understand what you are doing and you have an extra benefit of learning the tricks of the trade. After a time, you will be able to consciously apply various tools and options.
A good approach is to ask yourself a question when looking at the final image you have created: 'Would I like to have it exhibited in the Museum of Art?' Your image speaks about your subject, but also about you. Are you proud of it? Or would you rather have another try and adjust it? Become your own judge and improve your skills. Practice makes perfect.
Copyright
This article is reproduced with permission from http://www.miragette.com, check the original article for more sample photos.
The first thing is that photography is a VISUAL art. This means there are no standards, which order you to do 'good' things (although we will use that word later on, meaning an image without clear exposure errors) and forget everything else. You are the master of the image and only your imagination and perception limit what you will produce.
Some of your images may not be acceptable to all-knowing critics, but if they meet your own personal criteria of value, that's exactly what photography is all about. Pour your individuality into your work, be creative, leave wide lanes others rush along and strand into uncharted lands.
If you can manage it, drop all photography courses and schools. Masters in any are not educated at formal institutions. Your individual taste has to be born out of your own personality, even if you lack technique.
Actually, this is no lack, but a hidden treasure. Technique can be mastered by anyone. Your vision cannot.
Whatever methods you may read about here, are thus only an indication of direction you may want to follow. When you do, explore all possibilities to find the results which are unique to you.
The myth of post-processing
Image processing software allows deep image manipulation, including recovery of details lost in shadows and reducing overexposure. One may feel tempted to forget the basics of photography and rely on post-processing to obtain acceptable results.
This is not the best way, though, as you will lose a lot of time trying to make a good image out of faulty exposures and, more importantly, you will never learn tricks of the trade which make taking good images a snap.
By all means, try to take properly exposed images right on the spot, so that further use of programs is limited to creativity. Digital tools will help you greatly in this, histograms playing the major role. Experiment, use a variety of exposure settings and check the results. You have them immediate, so learning is easy and the only cost is your time.
There is a message in this introduction. Digital cameras take color images. Conversion to B&W may be difficult or at least time-consuming if you don't take a properly exposed, color-balanced and focused color photo first. On the other hand, when you take a well- balanced color image, you have infinite possibilities ahead for converting it or using as a point of departure for your creativity.
Color to B&W conversion methods
Having said that, we may now proceed to the practical part. The following methods are universally applied in almost all more popular software packages. For clarity reasons, we will use Photoshop commands. If you use a different program, find corresponding functions and options and re-create the procedures.
For comparison purposes, the images in the side column are processed with the described methods, with default settings used. The source was a typical 333x500px website-use full-color image (01).
There are a number of software conversion methods. Grayscale conversion (Image > Mode > Grayscale = 02) is the most straightforward. Use it for previewing images only, as in most cases the resulting grays are flat and images lack contrast and depth. The worst thing is that color channel data are lost irreversibly here, making further adjustments impossible.
Color desaturation is much better ( Image > Adjustments > Desaturate = 03). All color data are still there in the image file, and this is quite a good method to start with.
Hue-Saturation adjustment (Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation = 04) loses much of the original data. To make a B&W image, move the Saturation slider to 0.
Gradient application makes use of the standard software option and gives controllable results (Image > Adjustments > Gradient Map... = 05), far better than obtained with other 'simple' methods.
Lab color (Image > Mode > Lab Color = 06) conversion may produce amazing results when the Lightness channel image is taken as the source, with a and b channels discarded. Re-convert the Alpha 1 channel to Grayscale (= 07) and then to RGB and tweak channel or brightness/contrast values for best visual results.
Single channel selection (use Red = 08, Green, or Blue as source for further B&W image processing, depending on your perception) to find the image you expect.
Mixing channels (Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer = 09) may surprise you with good resulting photographs when channels are tweaked. To avoid blowing whites, make sure the histogram preview is turned on (Window > Histogram).
Filters are plug-in add-ons. There are a number of solutions available in this form, to start with you may want to check freeware filters from Cybia Fotomatic BW-Plus (= 10), PhotoWiz B/W (= 11) or virtualPhotographer (= 12).
To give a hint of what can be done with seemingly simple color > BW conversion, we will follow the LAB conversion method in detail.
Color > BW through LAB color
The following is a bit lengthy procedure, yet it gives quite a lot of flexibility in producing the image you want. Follow it and you'll see it does not take much time to obtain impressive results.
Convert the image to LAB colors (Image > Mode > Lab Color). Discard the a and b channels in the Channels palette. You should have the Alpha 1 channel left only. Convert it to grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale. The Alpha 1 channel has turned now into the Gray channel.
Control+Click on it to load luminosity as a selection. Invert selection (Select > Inverse) and convert the image to RGB (Image > Mode > RGB Color). Create a new Solid Color... adjustment layer in the Layers palette (at the bottom). Select gray close to 50% and confirm your choice.
Select the Multiply blending mode in the drop down menu in the Layers palette to get the basic BW image. Now you can make some final touches in Brightness/Contrast or Levels adjustment layers (these would have to be created from the Layers palette) to arrive at what suits your visual taste best. Save the PSD image for archival purposes, and flatten it to save in the format needed. (= 13)
Tinting the image
You may use this step to tint the BW image. Double click the square icon in the Color Fill 1 adjustment layer in the Layers palette and choose the color you want. Set its Opacity and Color Fill parameters with sliders in the Layers palette. (= 14)
Adding simulated 3D depth
To add more depth to the image, duplicate the Background layer in the Layers palette and run the High Pass filter (Filters > Other > High Pass... = 15), adjusting its Radius by experiment. Change the Background copy blending mode to Hard Light and adjust its Opacity as required. Try and experiment with different blending modes and Opacity / Fill values for different effects.
Pure black?
Tweaking color in RGB black and white images may result in deliberate warming up the image or cooling it down a bit. The final image may turn out to be extremely appealing to the eye. To practice it, open the final BW image and call up the color balance palette (Image > Adjustments > Color Balance...).
Moving the Yellow / Blue slider to increase Yellow in the Midtones range by 5-10 warms the image up (= 16). Try to experiment with all shadows, midtones and highlights for best results. Similarly, moving the Cyan / Red slider to increase Cyan in the Midtones range by 5-10 cools down the image a bit (= 17).
Final notes
For best results, always use 16-bit images if you can, only converting them to 8-bit depth if needed. Saving images optimized for website display may be done directly from 16-bit images without reducing their bit depth.
If you primarily work with website presentations, remember that grayscale images saved as optimized JPEGs may become illegibly blackish (= 18). The same grayscale image converted to RGB and saved for web will have a different gray spectrum (= 19).
Image post-processing may involve a number of steps with different settings used for different parameters. If repeated procedures are needed, make sure to write down what you are doing. When you come across a special effect which you particularly like, you may want to make an automated task of it (Create new action... in the Actions palette).
Enjoy this process. Taking and making photos should make you fulfilled and happy. Try to understand what you are doing and you have an extra benefit of learning the tricks of the trade. After a time, you will be able to consciously apply various tools and options.
A good approach is to ask yourself a question when looking at the final image you have created: 'Would I like to have it exhibited in the Museum of Art?' Your image speaks about your subject, but also about you. Are you proud of it? Or would you rather have another try and adjust it? Become your own judge and improve your skills. Practice makes perfect.
Copyright
This article is reproduced with permission from http://www.miragette.com, check the original article for more sample photos.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Understand Noise in Digital Image
There is lots of confusion about image noise. The noise that is produced by image sensors when used at high ISO (amplified output).
Bottomline is, that nature sets the limits of the perfomance of sensors that use the same basic technology. And all current sensors do. Meaning, that they will all produce noise. Small differences can be established by using amplifying technology that produces little noise. And again all cameras do, some a little better than others.
So what makes that there are larger differences in noise performance between camera models? Well, one comes from the sensor/pixel size, because larger pixels capture more photons/light and need less amplification. A 12 mpixel full frame sensor (like the D3) will produce less noise than a 12 mpixel cropped (smaller) sensor (like the D300).
But the biggest difference comes from ........ noise reduction and not from the sensor or some wonderful new technology. This is nothing new and noise reduction was first widely used in digital compact cameras which use very tiny sensors. These cameras and their small sensors produced so much noise that noise reduction was necessary to get decent output even at lower ISO. No wonder that strong noise reduction is used in all modern compacts. Fuji was the first to introduce clever noise reduction in compacts that didn't damage the image data too much.
For DSLR's very little to no noise reduction was used in the earlier models. But when the megapixel race started and the pixel sizes began to shrink, it became necessary to use more noise reduction at higher ISO, but still very moderate compared to compacts.
So what has Nikon actually done with the D300. Well. they didn't invent a noise free processor unfortunatelly. They just introduced massive noise reduction in the DSLR world like the compacts already used for some years. So, noise reduction has nothing to do with the performance of sensor or amplifiers. It's a computational process that uses a clever noise reduction algorithm. These calculations need computing power which is only limited available inside a camera body. It's not possible to house a quad core processor on 3 Gigaherz inside a camera. The camera would run out of power after 1 picture. With the limited computing power inside cameras only relatively simple noise calculations can be performed. Manufacturers have to make choices how to remove the noise, what part of the noise they want to remove and to what extent. It is clear that Nikon made some clever choises with the algorithms used in the D300. A good compromise.
But is this a blessing or a curse? Well, a bit of both. For reporter stile photography it is very easy now to use high ISO and get very decent results. A bit like the snapshooter that uses compacts. But for less action driven photography (landscape, artistic, architecture, ...) it is still much better to use noise reduction outside the camera with RAW converters and/or dedicated noise reduction programs designed for use on powerful computers, not aimed at compromises but at maximum results. These results will in many cases be better than from noise reduction in camera. But more importantly, YOU will be in total control of the noise reduction and the end result.
This I see as the biggest draw back of putting more and more post-procesing inside the camera. It could create laisy photographers that find it convenient that their camera makes all the decisions for them. You don't buy an expensive D300 to become a snapshooter.
Ron - Netherlands
Art Director
Bottomline is, that nature sets the limits of the perfomance of sensors that use the same basic technology. And all current sensors do. Meaning, that they will all produce noise. Small differences can be established by using amplifying technology that produces little noise. And again all cameras do, some a little better than others.
So what makes that there are larger differences in noise performance between camera models? Well, one comes from the sensor/pixel size, because larger pixels capture more photons/light and need less amplification. A 12 mpixel full frame sensor (like the D3) will produce less noise than a 12 mpixel cropped (smaller) sensor (like the D300).
But the biggest difference comes from ........ noise reduction and not from the sensor or some wonderful new technology. This is nothing new and noise reduction was first widely used in digital compact cameras which use very tiny sensors. These cameras and their small sensors produced so much noise that noise reduction was necessary to get decent output even at lower ISO. No wonder that strong noise reduction is used in all modern compacts. Fuji was the first to introduce clever noise reduction in compacts that didn't damage the image data too much.
For DSLR's very little to no noise reduction was used in the earlier models. But when the megapixel race started and the pixel sizes began to shrink, it became necessary to use more noise reduction at higher ISO, but still very moderate compared to compacts.
So what has Nikon actually done with the D300. Well. they didn't invent a noise free processor unfortunatelly. They just introduced massive noise reduction in the DSLR world like the compacts already used for some years. So, noise reduction has nothing to do with the performance of sensor or amplifiers. It's a computational process that uses a clever noise reduction algorithm. These calculations need computing power which is only limited available inside a camera body. It's not possible to house a quad core processor on 3 Gigaherz inside a camera. The camera would run out of power after 1 picture. With the limited computing power inside cameras only relatively simple noise calculations can be performed. Manufacturers have to make choices how to remove the noise, what part of the noise they want to remove and to what extent. It is clear that Nikon made some clever choises with the algorithms used in the D300. A good compromise.
But is this a blessing or a curse? Well, a bit of both. For reporter stile photography it is very easy now to use high ISO and get very decent results. A bit like the snapshooter that uses compacts. But for less action driven photography (landscape, artistic, architecture, ...) it is still much better to use noise reduction outside the camera with RAW converters and/or dedicated noise reduction programs designed for use on powerful computers, not aimed at compromises but at maximum results. These results will in many cases be better than from noise reduction in camera. But more importantly, YOU will be in total control of the noise reduction and the end result.
This I see as the biggest draw back of putting more and more post-procesing inside the camera. It could create laisy photographers that find it convenient that their camera makes all the decisions for them. You don't buy an expensive D300 to become a snapshooter.
Ron - Netherlands
Art Director
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