Little Nervous

[millz]

done nthing to it so far was excited thats why posted it quick

[seanhoxx]

Nice work both Millz and Don, 50mm is a sweet lens. So Don I look at other peoples shots, look at yours, look at your PP on shots, then look at mine, I seem to 'like' things about one stop to 'dark' when i see a shot I like then see it lightened up to more natural color I can see the difference and see it is more 'real' so after the Holiday rush any advice so I can keep a eye on staying true? or point me towards a tutorial on color balance and 'true color'

[dr4gon]

If you want to get a pretty good white balance. You should probably pick up a small gray card so that you can reference a neutral gray in that lighting/exposure and apply it to all the same images. If lighting changes though, you'll have to "re-calibrate" them.

I tried looking for some links, but can't find anything good. They're either too basic or too wordy (to me at least lol).

Maybe some of these would help:

http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_white-balance.html

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...te-balance.htm

http://digital-photography-school.co...white-balance/

The goal is just to get the most accurate color. I usually use lightroom and cycle through the presets until one matches what the original colors were and looks the most natural.

[DonSchap]

So Don I look at other peoples shots, look at yours, look at your PP on shots, then look at mine, I seem to 'like' things about one stop to 'dark' when i see a shot I like then see it lightened up to more natural color I can see the difference and see it is more 'real' so after the Holiday rush any advice so I can keep a eye on staying true? or point me towards a tutorial on color balance and 'true color'

Well, I tend to use the "Curves" White Balance feature (the white dropper) ... and then hop around the whitest (not blown out) area in the image.

Before Image - orig WB from camera



You can tell the exposure is a little off by the right-hand gap in the histogram. Adjusting just one f-stop wider or doubling the length of the exposure ... and that gap would disappear.


After WB adjust w/ eyedropper from PS CS3



If I cannot locate a "white" spot <- one that is really supposed to be white - like a t-shirt or a white badge or something in the "main lighting"), I then look for a cool gray spot and work from there. Forget black alignments ... it's just too hard to judge them.

This is why it is important to have a true white spot in your image, if at all possible. It sets up all the other colors. Eye-white in not a good idea. Teeth are often better (I used a tooth for this shot) ... in younger folks. You just have to hunt it down.

Now, with this image, because I went with a tooth, there are some additional corrections you will need to make for each of the RGB settings, to get it totally "tuned up." Notice how far aopart the three colors are staggered. That, is a major shift in WB and adjusting for a proper exposure. It can be a struggle to avoid blown out skin, from the lighting (usually having to mess with green settings, of all things). You can see it in the bridge of the subject's nose ... this is touchy stuff. Moving the green & red ranges just a little further to the right will recover most of it.



Anyway ... from there I given it the "Curve" adjust w/ 3-points ... which should be pretty minor after that WB stuff.



Then, I desaturate it, just a tad ... to take away some of the color intensity.



Look at the histogram ... and see how it has filled in the gap after closing the "Curves" window.

Anyway, that's about it, as a rule ... unless it needs some sharpening ... and with this image, Millz' wife looks "sharp enough!"

[DonSchap]

Okay ... the computer "WB" says it is still on the blue-side ... and needed some warming up, but it was a much better exposure to work with. Slight sharpening added, also.



Nice capture, Millz. You're definitely in the ballpark and moving fast. A slight tweak on your WB and/or color temperature could pull it all in.

[millz]

so is this something i need to set different on the camera or is it something i need to fix on the computer. i hate to say it but i believe that was one of the photos taken on auto dont flame me please

[DonSchap]

AUTO mode is a valid way to use the camera ... there's a lot to be learned by analyzing the settings it initially comes up with. What the challenge is ... is adapting those settings and getting what you want out of the shot.

Obviously, AUTO will not know you are shooting an action shot, when you are a football game, so it will often select a slower shutter speed than what you need to "freeze the action." There are various creative modes that the cameras offer, that takes these things into consideration and still offer a lot of AUTO mode convenience.

The only way you are going to be able to change the setting is to select one of these creative modes (probably with limited success) or go to P, A, S, or M mode and then use a manual change to "make it so, number one."

But hey, it's Christmas ... enjoy the day!

[seanhoxx]

Wow, good info. as always guys, thanks much, no to start playing with the programs, I have both Lightroom 2 and elements 6 saved on my computer but haven't done anything with them. I am on vaction till 01/05 so maybe after the hectic holiday weekend I will sit down and start working on learning, think I will start with elements first, as my daughter is somewhat used to working with it!

[DonSchap]

One of the best aspects, I feel, of the digital revolution, has been the incredible speed and in the daylight approach you can use to improve your shots. Just having that capability truly lends the digital camera its real power ... and that's all I have to say about that.
signed "Forrest"