Photo 101 workshop

[Jim]

To kick off the new Darkroom Forum The mod team thought we would start a workshop thread.

So you have a great shot BUT it needs to be cropped or someone has redeye, or the color needs to be corrected.
Heres what you do;

Upload (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2474) your photo to the GALLERY (http://www.badgerandblade.com/gallery/upload.php?&c=).
Post the photo in this thread,the Mod team will then work on this photo and repost it with what they did and how they did it.

Now for the best part- You can do the same thing and work along with us.

To save a photo to your computer right click and select > save photo.
You can then work on it in your PC and make what ever changes you wish.Then repost it here in this tread.

So lets get the cameras out and start shooting.

[joel]

To kick off the new Darkroom Forum The mod team thought we would start a workshop thread.

So you have a great shot BUT it needs to be cropped or someone has redeye, or the color needs to be corrected.
Heres what you do;

Upload (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2474) your photo to the GALLERY (http://www.badgerandblade.com/gallery/upload.php?&c=).
Post the photo in this thread,the Mod team will then work on this photo and repost it with what they did and how they did it.

Now for the best part- You can do the same thing and work along with us.

To save a photo to your computer right click and select > save photo.
You can then work on it in your PC and make what ever changes you wish.Then repost it here in this tread.

So lets get the cameras out and start shooting.

Oh this is too awesome.... I think I might keep you guys mighty, mighty busy :tongue:

I'll take some tonight in the light box for some reviews (I have like 20-30 reviews I have been meaning to get to) and post some of 'em for tips tricks etc.

We might also want to post the specifics of the uploaded shots and such IE what kind of camera, the mode it was in (if you have a digital SLR the aperture, lens, shutter speed, etc) so we can all see what different cameras, modes, and settings actually create.

This is gonna be a REALLY fun forum.... and.... Jerry's back!

:biggrin:

[joel]

Can you photo guru's post pic info on your SOTD's - like lens, aperture, shutter speed, or mode (IE: macro, landscape, etc) lighting setup/source, etc?

I'd love to try to duplicate some of your guys photos. :smile:

hmmm.... that might be kinda fun... we could all pick a few common products, everyone more than likely has, then all post the same general SOTD (IE: proraso shave cream, or Tabac shave soap) and see who has the best pic, and how different people set it up.

Could be fun?

[Jim]

Can you photo guru's post pic info on your SOTD's - like lens, aperture, shutter speed, or mode (IE: macro, landscape, etc) lighting setup/source, etc?

I'd love to try to duplicate some of your guys photos. :smile:

hmmm.... that might be kinda fun... we could all pick a few common products, everyone more than likely has, then all post the same general SOTD (IE: proraso shave cream, or Tabac shave soap) and see who has the best pic, and how different people set it up.

Could be fun?

Joel
That sounds like a lot of fun.

So whats the first SOTD-athone photo?

[joel]

Maybe Proraso? Everyone seems to have at least one Proraso item. (doesn't HAVE to be the full set - just one item from the brand in particular) How should we get the word out?

Wednesday - Proraso
Thursday - Trumper
Friday - Taylors
Saturday - Musgo
Sunday - Crabtree & Evelyn


Sound like fun? :biggrin:

[Jim]

Maybe Proraso? Everyone seems to have at least one Proraso item. (doesn't HAVE to be the full set - just one item from the brand in particular) How should we get the word out?

Wednesday - Proraso
Thursday - Trumper
Friday - Taylors
Saturday - Musgo
Sunday - Crabtree & Evelyn


Sound like fun? :biggrin:

I think you just did!

[DoubleE]

Maybe Proraso? Everyone seems to have at least one Proraso item. (doesn't HAVE to be the full set - just one item from the brand in particular) How should we get the word out?

Wednesday - Proraso
Thursday - Trumper
Friday - Taylors
Saturday - Musgo
Sunday - Crabtree & Evelyn


Sound like fun? :biggrin:

Does sound like fun! A thread announcing it may be in order.

[DoubleE]

Can you photo guru's post pic info on your SOTD's - like lens, aperture, shutter speed, or mode (IE: macro, landscape, etc) lighting setup/source, etc?


http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5648

Shutter speed - 3/10 of a second
Aperature - f5.0
focal length 35mm
flash off
white balance set to custom and metered off a white piece of paper
Macro function set for close focusing ability
100 ISO
Shot in aperature priority for enough depth of field (really could have used a tad more)

For most of my shots I'm using a Canon G7. It has two custom settings and I have one set for the settings above. I can then turn on my camera, set it to C1, and the above settings are there and ready to go.

This particular shot was done in my bathroom. I used the black setup that I pictured in the Digital Photography primer (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=24344&postcount=1).

I have a row of 5 lights (standard vanity lighting) above my sink and use them for the main light. I then reflect light back into the shaving gear either by one or two folding mirrors to put highlights where I want them. This can really accent select items within the photograph. Or, I may use a large piece of white fome core as a reflector to bounce back light. Here's a picture of what the setup might look like.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5649

Any type of mirror that you can move around will work. The big white object in the front of this picture is the white foam core. You can buy it at any crafts store. This piece is probably 3x4 feet that I use for portraits and a much smaller piece would work for what we're doing here. It does a great job of bouncing light back into the entire image vs spot lighting with the mirrors.

I have two mini tripods for point and shoot cameras I'll use for different heights or I may just grab a wooden bowl of soap to steady the camera. I've use stapers, soaps, just about anything I can think of that will give me the height I'm looking for.

I liked the idea Lyrt posted on the light box (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=148599&postcount=1) made from a cardboard box. I built one and it only took about 10 to 15 minutes from start to completion and it works very well. If I want a white background, I use it and if I want black, I use the black felt covered foam core and a piece of black felt tossed on the countertop. 30 second setup and tear down. Now the time to compose, that's a different story.......

[Jim]

Jerry
You just cracked me up -I would have sworn that you were using umbrella flashes with 4 strobes and remote triggers on that photo when you posted it today!

Just goes to prove its the man behind the camera not the gear! :biggrin:

[DoubleE]

Jerry
You just cracked me up -I would have sworn that you were using umbrella flashes with 4 strobes and remote triggers on that photo when you posted it today!

Just goes to prove its the man behind the camera not the gear! :biggrin:

Jim, while I own all the stuff you mentioned, it's just too darned time consuming to set it all up and tear it down!! My wife won't let me leave it set up in the living room!:mad: Very narrow minded that way!!

I strive for ease of set up and tear down. I do like the little cardboard lightbox. Easy and simple. I forgot to mention I have a desk lamp that I position right on the top of the light box to evenly illuminate the gear in the box.

[Jim]

OK seems that everyone is pretty shy about this so I will post a stinker.

Who can square this away for me? Take note there will be questions!


http://www.badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5702

[Lyrt]

What is it exactly you want? Something like this? Note the result would be better if I could have worked on the original file before it had been downsized.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5811

[Jim]

Thanks Yukio

The purpose of this thread is to do a workshop for specific photos so everyone can pick up tips- size wise we are constrained by the limits of the gallery.

So what did you do?

[Lyrt]

This is what you should do in Photoshop. Note I used ACDSee to correct your image.

Step 1:
Open your file in Photoshop

Step 2:
Go to image => adjustments => levels. A window will pop up:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5808

Step 3:
Toy with the small pointers so they cover the spectrum:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5809
Step 4:
Toy with brightness and contrast
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5810&original=1



There are many, many other roads to walk if you want to improve your image. You can adjust selective colours, use plug-in that will spoon-feed you, etc.

[Jim]

Super job thanks!

Anyone else want to give it a whack?

[Lyrt]

I added some surface blur to reduce noise.
Before:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5811

After

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5812

[Jim]

"surface blur" Where would you access that adjustment?

[Lyrt]

First, you must select the area you want to blur. In your toolbox, select a lasso tool so you can draw the limit of the area you’ll work on. You can also use the magic wand which will often prove useful.

Illustration 1: select a lasso tool (try all of them, they are fun)
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5813&original=1

Illustration 2: select an area
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5814&original=1

Illustration 3: the magic wand is indeed magic
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5815&original=1



Once you’ve drawn the limit of your area, simply go to filter => blur => surface blur. Of course, you can choose to blur the whole pic and just go to the surface blur option without selecting any specific area. Voilà! :thumbup1:

[Lyrt]

I add a personal opinion. You should use all these Photoshop artifices only to improve the photographs you’ve taken and that you cannot take again. For our SOTD photographs, I think it is better to just take another photograph and try to learn from past mistakes.

[DoubleE]

Here's my setup for the 1-19-07 SOTD picture. Very easy to do! I just used 3 small flexible mirrors to direct light where I want in the image (your wife or girlfriend may already have some). You can see the reflection of the six vanity lights lights on the brush handle. These provide my main light so you don't have to have expensive lights....just regular room lights. you just need to move the light around to bring light to where you want it. Keep in mind, this took about 2 to 3 minutes to set up. We're not looking for perfection here. Not one of my favorite images but I thought I'd show how it was done. If you want to see the type of lighting used, look for reflections (as in the handle), as well as where shadows fall. Shadows tell you the direction of the light.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5714

Here's the image from that set-up.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5715

[ratcheer]

I'm not sure if this is better, but it is certainly different. :redface:

I tried to get a better color balance, then I steepened the color curves, applied a gentle unsharp mask to the luminance channel, and finally applied a contrast overlay mask.

Let me know what you think.

Tim

[TraderJoe]

Before:
http://www.badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5702

After:
4552

Using ACDSee:

The typical "auto" adjustments:
1) Auto Exposure
2) Auto Color
3) Auto Noise removal

And a personal favorite:

Under color adjustment, I use the "Cast" tool, to select a certain color-cast out of the photo and add/remove it. In this picture, I chose to remove some of the blueness in the background that became more evident once exposure was corrected.

Time required: < 30 seconds :biggrin:

[berzerkeleyan]

Not being a pro, or a passionate photo hobbyist, I use Picasa 2. Using two adjustments -- "I'm Feeling Lucky," and "Sharpen" -- I came up with the following. Like Lyrt, I also think the results could be better with the original image.

Before:
http://www.badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5702

After:

[TimmyBoston]

Here's my SOTD photo from yesterday. I'm not even close to a hobbyist. I've had a digital camera for 2 days and I don't think it likes me very much. :smile:

4557

And here's today, somehow thing managed to get worse. :frown:

4556

[xChris]

Tim,

I get a lot of blurry images too. It's usually because I'm not using a tripod, or I don't increase my aperture (smaller number) or ISO (film speed) setting to help reduce the likelihood of capturing my movement. Another thing is to increas the amount of light as much as possible in the scene to help the camera capture the image in a faster time.

[DoubleE]

Here's my SOTD photo from yesterday. I'm not even close to a hobbyist. I've had a digital camera for 2 days and I don't think it likes me very much. :smile:

4557

And here's today, somehow thing managed to get worse. :frown:

4556

Tim:

A couple of things here. It does look like you might have a little camera shake so make sure your camera is on a solid surface or braced sufficiently.

Most of your light seems to be coming from above or above/right side so it would help if you could reflect some light back into the gear with a mirror or white card of some kind. (although I do see a small reflection in the base of the brush)

I did this without using Photoshop because most members are aren't going to have a $600.00 imaging program. This type adjustment was done with an imaging program that came with my computer. I just added a little exposure to it, sharpened it a little, and cropped it. Remember, sometimes less is more. If I were to overhaul this in Photoshop, I could make many more adjustments. This literally took me less than a minute. However, remember, it's better to shoot it correctly than try to fix in with an imaging program! I strive for the least amount of post processing possible.

I personally would recompose the shot a litte to try to eliminate the open area on the top right side of the image. Don't be afraid to experiment with different angles of product and camera.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5745

[TimmyBoston]

Wow, Jerry, I'm impressed. It was a lousy picture to begin with, but you made it look so much better.

I'm sorry, I'm so ignorant on the subject, but I don't understand the modifications you made. And I appreciate you not going into photshop, because I definately do not have a $600 program. :biggrin: I have a Canon Powershot SD600 and software that came along with it, (Zoombrowser EX) and GIMP, but to be honest, I am not knowledgeable about either. I've only had my camera for a few days.

But thanks again very much, it was a huge improvement. :biggrin:

[ratcheer]

Not being a pro, or a passionate photo hobbyist, I use Picasa 2. Using two adjustments -- "I'm Feeling Lucky," and "Sharpen" -- I came up with the following. Like Lyrt, I also think the results could be better with the original image.



Yours came out a lot like mine. I think it was the USM that gave mine that squiggly look.

Tim

[DoubleE]

I don't understand the modifications you made. :

Tim:

In Zoombrowser, you'll have a button that says "edit". Click on the drop down and youll have adjustments for color/brightness, sharpness, trim, ect. Pull up an image and just play around with them to see what they all do. It's really pretty easy and you'll understand it and get good at it with just a little practice.

I don't have Gimp but maybe someone will offer up where the tools are in that program.

[ratcheer]

I can help with the GIMP. PM me with any questions and I'll help where I can. I can also point you to a few tutorials.

Tim

[berzerkeleyan]

Yours came out a lot like mine. I think it was the USM that gave mine that squiggly look.

Tim

I noticed the similarity as well. I don't know what you mean by "squiggly." Would you explain, please?

[Lyrt]

I forgot there was a very simple way to lighten up an underexposed photo.

Open Photoshop.

In the layers window (if it doesn’t show up, go to “window” => “layers”), right-click “background” and choose “duplicate layer”:

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5804&original=1


In the blending options, choose “screen”:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5805



If it is not enough, duplicate layer again. You can control the effect with the opacity box.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5806&original=1



When done, don’t forget to flatten your image.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=5807&original=1

[GeeQue]

You can also do stuff like this with your images with Photoshop. Print it out on canvas paper (Office Depot) frame it, and hang it in your bathroom.

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7056/bb15du.jpg

[ratcheer]

I noticed the similarity as well. I don't know what you mean by "squiggly." Would you explain, please?

I am referring to the printing on the shave soap container. In most of the copies of this photo, the printing appears smooth and clear. In mine and the one I said looked similar, the edges of the lettering look jaggy. "Squiggly" was probably the wrong word to use.

I did not see that effect in my work until I applied the unsharp mask. I should have reverted that change and either tried again with different settings or just skipped it. But, I didn't.

Tim

[ratcheer]

I forgot there was a very simple way to lighten up an underexposed photo.

Open Photoshop.

In the layers window (if it doesn’t show up, go to “window” => “layers”), right-click “background” and choose “duplicate layer”:



In the blending options, choose “screen”:



If it is not enough, duplicate layer again. You can control the effect with the opacity box.




When done, don’t forget to flatten your image.


That looks like a simplified (by the software) way to create a contrast overlay mask. I don't know if my software has such a shortcut, but I do it manually in the GIMP.

I create a duplicate layer, desaturate it, invert it, apply a Gaussian blur, and change the layer to an overlay layer. Then, just like you, I have a slider control to change the amount of the effect from 0 to 100&#37;. When I get what I want, I flatten the image.

Tim

[Lyrt]

I just repeated step by step the operation you described and the result is quite different.

[ouch]

This is friggin awesome.

I may have to rethink my long held opinion that digital isn't "real" photography.

You guys do some terrific work.

[berzerkeleyan]

I am referring to the printing on the shave soap container. In most of the copies of this photo, the printing appears smooth and clear. In mine and the one I said looked similar, the edges of the lettering look jaggy. "Squiggly" was probably the wrong word to use.

...

Tim

Okay, I understand what you mean now. I noticed the degradation of the picture when I first posted. That's why I wrote that working with the original would improve the result. That being written, I do see there are plenty of posts where the end result looks smoother than ours.

If I remove the Sharpen step from my original post, I get the following, which looks less jagged:

[Jim]

Please use this new thread (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?p=160916#post160916)as this one is file rich and takes a long time to load.