So what have we done so far?
Adjusting lighting, colours and even venturing into the realms of Black and White or Sepia.
Ok. So what can we use this for ... other then the exciting world of envelopes?
Well, the processes are valid for just about any shot. Since people tend to pick up or portray colours badly in poor lighting, lets go with that ...
Here, we can see that I'm working hard at my desk. The clean background and subtle hint of tone makes for a reasonable portrait ... and not badly done as a blind shot either, I might add. It's amazing what you can do with a rough eyeball of a scene and a timer ...
Anyways, as this shot was taken only inches away from the previous two (here and here), it still suffers from the same long exposure times and crap lights. Now, in my case, getting the subject to remain still for a slightly longer period of time was no biggie, however you will need to take that into account for your shots. An eighth of a second is a surprisingly long period of time when you're actually paying attention.
Since I've already made the corrections for lighting etc here twice before, I've saved the pattern as an Action in Photoshop (I'm sure you can look up how to do that if you're clueless on the fiddlies), so it's a simple matter of running the action script and waiting a few seconds.
Now, because this is a portrait, you will find a few minor details may need to be adjusted. Typically (but not always) you will find that a slightly lower then average Contrast level will give you a more human looking shot. Also, I've added a slight diffusion to the image, which helps to smooth the skin, making the person look slightly younger and more healthy (your subjects will appreciate the thought, I'm sure).
Also, to clean up the image slightly, I've removed a somewhat distracting poster from the background. There have been no truer words in photography then "What does not add to the picture, takes away".
Below you can see the initial dismal image:
Bland, isn't it?
Note that now I have the pattern for the initial corrections and general maintenence scripted, the total time for processing this shot was less then 20 seconds.
It's worth recording if you're doing any more then 3 or 4 shots, even if you delete the process shortly there after.
Adjusting lighting, colours and even venturing into the realms of Black and White or Sepia.
Ok. So what can we use this for ... other then the exciting world of envelopes?
Well, the processes are valid for just about any shot. Since people tend to pick up or portray colours badly in poor lighting, lets go with that ...
|
Location:
??.????°N,
-??.????°W
Alt: ???m
|
|
|
Photo Date: 1 October, 2008 |
| ISO: 100 | |
| Aperture/Shutter: F/5.6, 1/8" | |
| Focal Length: 40mm | |
| Camera: Olympus Evolt E-510 | |
| Category: None | |
Here, we can see that I'm working hard at my desk. The clean background and subtle hint of tone makes for a reasonable portrait ... and not badly done as a blind shot either, I might add. It's amazing what you can do with a rough eyeball of a scene and a timer ...
Anyways, as this shot was taken only inches away from the previous two (here and here), it still suffers from the same long exposure times and crap lights. Now, in my case, getting the subject to remain still for a slightly longer period of time was no biggie, however you will need to take that into account for your shots. An eighth of a second is a surprisingly long period of time when you're actually paying attention.
Since I've already made the corrections for lighting etc here twice before, I've saved the pattern as an Action in Photoshop (I'm sure you can look up how to do that if you're clueless on the fiddlies), so it's a simple matter of running the action script and waiting a few seconds.
Now, because this is a portrait, you will find a few minor details may need to be adjusted. Typically (but not always) you will find that a slightly lower then average Contrast level will give you a more human looking shot. Also, I've added a slight diffusion to the image, which helps to smooth the skin, making the person look slightly younger and more healthy (your subjects will appreciate the thought, I'm sure).
Also, to clean up the image slightly, I've removed a somewhat distracting poster from the background. There have been no truer words in photography then "What does not add to the picture, takes away".
Below you can see the initial dismal image:
Bland, isn't it?
Note that now I have the pattern for the initial corrections and general maintenence scripted, the total time for processing this shot was less then 20 seconds.
It's worth recording if you're doing any more then 3 or 4 shots, even if you delete the process shortly there after.
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