Photography - Revision history

Dickie: /* Results */

2008-12-05T10:09:02Z

Results

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:09, 5 December 2008
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	[[Image:FinalPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|The final version that has been ''slightly'' adjusted in a photo editor, to remove the slight colour cast, and brightened just a little bit]]		[[Image:FinalPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|The final version that has been ''slightly'' adjusted in a photo editor, to remove the slight colour cast, and brightened just a little bit]]
	[[Image:Corrected_From_Original.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This is the original under exposed and incorrect white balance version of the photo, but ''corrected'' in a [[photo editor]]. This is as close as I could get it to the right look. Notice though that the colour is not as vibrant as the picture above and that the shadows have a slight orange tinge. The picture is also more ''grainy''. Although this may be acceptable to you the correct version is far superior.]]		[[Image:Corrected_From_Original.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This is the original under exposed and incorrect white balance version of the photo, but ''corrected'' in a [[photo editor]]. This is as close as I could get it to the right look. Notice though that the colour is not as vibrant as the picture above and that the shadows have a slight orange tinge. The picture is also more ''grainy''. Although this may be acceptable to you the correct version is far superior.]]
	You can see the results of these techniques in the last [[photograph]] above, but I personally would ~~tweek~~ them a bit in Photoshop (see the two photographs on the right).		You can see the results of these above techniques in the last [[photograph]] in the series above, but I personally would tweak them a little bit in [[Photoshop]] (see the two photographs on the right).

	The final two pictures are quite similar but the first one is a very ''slightly'' corrected version of the best shot from the series, this is just to correct the small amount of ''colour cast'' that was there and brighten it just a bit more, as +2 stops was not quite enough, but my camera only allowed me to add 2 stops. I could have used manual mode, but we will go into that later.		The final two pictures are quite similar but the first one is a very ''slightly'' corrected version of the best shot from the series, this was just to correct the small amount of ''colour cast'' that was there and to brighten it just a bit more, this is because +2 stops was not quite enough, but my camera only allowed me to add 2 stops. I could have used manual mode to get it spot on, but we will go into that later.

	It is possible to get the pictures even better from the camera, but beware that if you push the exposure too far, then you are in danger of ''burning out'' the image, and you will then loose highlights. It's much better the leave a bit of ''headroom'' in the image and then adjust out that little bit in Photoshop as you are in complete control over the amount you can change the [[exposure]] by.		Note that it '''is''' possible to get the pictures even better from the camera, but beware that if you push the exposure too far, then you are in danger of ''burning out'' the image, and you will then loose highlights (which you will '''not''' be able to get back). It's much better the leave a bit of ''headroom'' in the image and then adjust out that little bit in Photoshop as you are in complete control over the amount you can change the [[exposure]] by.

	~~The~~ final picture on the right is a ''[[photoshopped]]'' version of the very first [[underexposed]] and ~~bad~~ white balance picture at the top of this page.		To show the difference in getting the picture ''right first time'' the final picture on the right is a ''[[photoshopped]]'' version of the very first badly [[underexposed]] and incorrect white balance picture at the top of this page.

	Although this ~~does~~ not look too bad the colour vibrancy is not as good, ~~and~~ the ''[[grain]]'' of the camera's sensor is also visible and detracts from the image. ~~The~~ picture is just not as sharp or as crisp, especially when viewed large or printed.		Although this may not look too bad, the colour vibrancy and accuracy of the colours to the original beads is not as good, also the ''[[grain]]'' of the camera's sensor is also visible and detracts from the image. Basically the picture is just not as sharp or as crisp, especially when viewed large or printed.

	~~Click~~ on the images to see larger versions...		Remember to click on the images to see larger versions...

	== Manual Exposure ==		== Manual Exposure ==

Dickie at 23:04, 4 December 2008

2008-12-04T23:04:51Z

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	[[Image:AutomaticPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|A Picture taken on fully automatic under tungsten light, notice the orange tinge to the picture and the fact that it is also underexposed (i.e. too dark)]]		[[Image:AutomaticPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|A Picture taken on fully automatic under tungsten light, notice the orange tinge to the picture and the fact that it is also underexposed (i.e. too dark) this is a common problem with all cameras]]
	[[Image:WB_Adjusted.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This picture is now taken with the white balance set to manual in the camera by setting it from a grey card, notice the fact that although the picture is still underexposed the white paper is now grey rather than orange]]		[[Image:WB_Adjusted.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This picture is now taken with the white balance set to manual in the camera by setting it from a grey card, notice the fact that although the picture is still underexposed the white paper is now grey rather than orange]]

Dickie: /* Manual Exposure */

2008-12-04T23:02:26Z

Manual Exposure

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	== Manual Exposure ==		== Manual Exposure ==

	If your camera has a full manual mode (i.e. allows you to set both [[shutter speed]] and [[aperture]] together this is the way to go.)		If your camera has a full manual mode (i.e. allows you to set both [[shutter speed]] and [[aperture]] together and separately then this is the way to go.)

	If you don't have a [[grey card]] and you want to get a good approximation for 18% grey for metering you can do a lot worse than using the back of your hand....(assuming you are a white skinned Caucasian that is) I'll tell you how to do this, but I would suggest getting a [[grey card]] anyway, they are also useful for [[white balance]] as described above...		If you don't have a [[grey card]] (as described above) and you want to get a good approximation for 18% grey for metering you can do a lot worse than using the back of your hand....(assuming you are a white skinned Caucasian that is) I'll tell you how to do this, but I would suggest getting a [[grey card]] anyway, they are also useful for [[white balance]] as described above and don't cost very much...

	Basically, set up your [[photo studio]] [[lighting]] as usual then fill the frame with your hand and ~~try to~~ take a picture of the back of your hand (in the same position as the bead would be), remember try to ensure that as much of your hand fills the fame as possible, don't bring your hand closer to the camera than the bead, ~~but~~ zoom in with the camera to the level that you would want to photograph anyway.		Basically, set up your [[photo studio]] [[lighting]] as usual. Set your camera to full auto mode then fill the frame with your hand and take a picture of the back of your hand (in the same position as the bead would be), remember try to ensure that as much of your hand fills the fame as possible, don't bring your hand closer to the camera than the bead will be, so that the lighting is the same as it would be for the bead picture, so zoom in with the camera to the level that you would want to photograph anyway.

	Now note down the [[~~exposure~~]] and [[aperture]] that your camera ~~used~~ to take this shot. ~~e.g~~ 125th second at f5.6		Now note down the [[shutter speed]] and [[aperture]] values that your camera decided to use to take this shot. (for example 125th second at f5.6)

	Now ~~if you set~~ your camera to manual and dial in the same settings as noted above. Now any pictures you take should be exposed correctly for the scene, assuming the [[lighting]] does not change.		Now, change your camera to manual mode and dial in the same settings as those noted above. Now any pictures you take should be exposed correctly for the scene, assuming the [[lighting]] does not change that is.

	~~The~~ camera will desperately be trying to tell you the picture will be over exposed... but don't believe it... It's lying (after all what does it know, it's only a camera, it isn't as educated as you in glass ~~beads~~)		Don't worry, the camera will probably be desperately trying to tell you the picture will be over exposed... but don't believe it... It's lying... honest (after all what does it know, it's only a camera, it isn't as educated as you in glass bead photography)

	And that's it... if you '''do''' have a [[grey card]] then you do exactly the same thing but replace your hand with the grey card... well... keep your hand attached to your wrist, just put the card in front of your camera where you hand once was. (I think you understand!)		And that's it... if you '''do''' have a [[grey card]] (and again I strongly suggest you do) then you do exactly the same thing as above but replace your hand with the grey card... well... keep your hand attached to your wrist, just put the card in front of your camera where you hand once was. (I think you understand!)

	It is sometimes also useful to leave a bit of the [[grey card]] visible in the corner of a shot so that when you come to crop and edit your shots later you can double check both the white balance ~~AND~~ the [[exposure]] in Photoshop as ~~they~~ grey card should read at ~~50%~~ grey in Photoshop and with an even [[white balance]]. You can click it with the eye dropper tool to select the white balance setting.		The grey card's usage is not just restricted to setting the exposure while taking pictures, It is sometimes also very useful to leave a bit of the [[grey card]] visible in the corner of a shot so that when you come to crop and edit your shots later you can double check both the [[white balance]] '''and''' the [[exposure]] in [[Photoshop]] as the grey card should read at mid point grey in [[Photoshop]] and with an even [[white balance]]. You can click it with the eye dropper tool to select the white balance setting and all three of the red green and blue values should be 127.

	== Technical bit - Why can't I just edit in Photoshop? ==		== Technical bit - Why can't I just edit in Photoshop? ==

Dickie: /* Results */

2008-12-04T22:52:08Z

Results

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:52, 4 December 2008
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	== Results ==		== Results ==
	[[Image:FinalPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|The final version that has been ''slightly'' adjusted in a photo editor, to remove the slight colour cast, and brightened just a little bit]]		[[Image:FinalPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|The final version that has been ''slightly'' adjusted in a photo editor, to remove the slight colour cast, and brightened just a little bit]]
	[[Image:Corrected_From_Original.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This is the original under exposed and incorrect white balance version of the photo, but ''corrected'' in a photo editor. This is as close as I could get it to the right look. Notice though that the colour is not as vibrant as the picture above and that the shadows have a slight orange tinge. The picture is also more ''grainy''. Although this may be acceptable to you the correct version is far superior.]]		[[Image:Corrected_From_Original.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This is the original under exposed and incorrect white balance version of the photo, but ''corrected'' in a [[photo editor]]. This is as close as I could get it to the right look. Notice though that the colour is not as vibrant as the picture above and that the shadows have a slight orange tinge. The picture is also more ''grainy''. Although this may be acceptable to you the correct version is far superior.]]
	You can see the results of these techniques in the last photograph above, but I personally would tweek them a bit in Photoshop (see the two photographs on the right).		You can see the results of these techniques in the last [[photograph]] above, but I personally would tweek them a bit in Photoshop (see the two photographs on the right).

	The final two pictures are quite similar but the first one is a very ''slightly'' corrected version of the best shot from the series, this is just to correct the small amount of ''colour cast'' that was there and brighten it just a bit more, as +2 stops was not quite enough, but my camera only allowed me to add 2 stops. I could have used manual mode, but we will go into that later.		The final two pictures are quite similar but the first one is a very ''slightly'' corrected version of the best shot from the series, this is just to correct the small amount of ''colour cast'' that was there and brighten it just a bit more, as +2 stops was not quite enough, but my camera only allowed me to add 2 stops. I could have used manual mode, but we will go into that later.

	It is possible to get the pictures even better from the camera, but beware that if you push the exposure too far, then you are in danger of ''burning out'' the image, and you will then loose highlights. It's much better the leave a bit of ''headroom'' in the image and then adjust out that little bit in Photoshop as you are in complete control over the amount you can change the exposure by.		It is possible to get the pictures even better from the camera, but beware that if you push the exposure too far, then you are in danger of ''burning out'' the image, and you will then loose highlights. It's much better the leave a bit of ''headroom'' in the image and then adjust out that little bit in Photoshop as you are in complete control over the amount you can change the [[exposure]] by.

	The final picture on the right is a ''[[photoshopped]]'' version of the very first underexposed and bad white balance picture at the top of this page.		The final picture on the right is a ''[[photoshopped]]'' version of the very first [[underexposed]] and bad white balance picture at the top of this page.

	Although this does not look too bad the colour vibrancy is not as good, and the ''[[grain]]'' of the camera's sensor is also visible and detracts from the image. The picture is just not as sharp or as crisp, especially when viewed large or printed.		Although this does not look too bad the colour vibrancy is not as good, and the ''[[grain]]'' of the camera's sensor is also visible and detracts from the image. The picture is just not as sharp or as crisp, especially when viewed large or printed.

Dickie: /* White balance */

2008-12-04T22:36:47Z

White balance

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:36, 4 December 2008
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	Most cameras do this automatically when you take pictures, but quite often get it wrong, especially if there is a lot of one colour in the scene. Higher end cameras will often allow you to take a picture of something grey or white and set the cameras white balance from that picture, many low end cameras often have this feature as well, so it is well worth checking your user manual for "'''Manual white balance'''".		Most cameras do this automatically when you take pictures, but quite often get it wrong, especially if there is a lot of one colour in the scene. Higher end cameras will often allow you to take a picture of something grey or white and set the cameras white balance from that picture, many low end cameras often have this feature as well, so it is well worth checking your user manual for "'''Manual white balance'''".

			If your camera does not have a manual white balance setting then what you '''must''' do instead is set the white balance to match the lighting conditions. Although auto mode is OK. It often gets things wrong, but if you are taking pictures with tungsten lights then set to tungsten. etc.
			Remember that direct sunlight is a different setting from shade, even though the light is coming from the same source. Shade is actually very blue in colour, so you should ensure that your camera is set to the correct setting.

			=== White or grey? ===
	In real life, due to the nature of white not always being ''pure white'' I would thoroughly recommend buying a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_card grey card] from the likes of [http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/Accessories/General%20Camera%20Accessories/Grey%20Cards/products/Jessops/Grey%20Card%208%20x%2010in-9652/Show.html Jessops]. This is calibrated to be a mid grey (often called 18% grey card) and is ideal for setting the white balance and also for getting the correct exposure as the brightness of the card is also calibrated. But if you do not have one don't worry a piece of the whitest paper you can find will be fine.		In real life, due to the nature of white not always being ''pure white'' I would thoroughly recommend buying a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_card grey card] from the likes of [http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/Accessories/General%20Camera%20Accessories/Grey%20Cards/products/Jessops/Grey%20Card%208%20x%2010in-9652/Show.html Jessops]. This is calibrated to be a mid grey (often called 18% grey card) and is ideal for setting the white balance and also for getting the correct exposure as the brightness of the card is also calibrated. But if you do not have one don't worry a piece of the whitest paper you can find will be fine.

Saffie at 18:47, 3 December 2008

2008-12-03T18:47:11Z

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	It is generally regarded that the better your original image (off the camera) the better the final result will be. Yes you can adjust pictures in Photoshop afterwards but the final quality of the image will suffer (see final pictures).		It is generally regarded that the better your original image (off the camera) the better the final result will be. Yes you can adjust pictures in Photoshop afterwards but the final quality of the image will suffer (see final pictures).
	For the best image quality you should aim for an image that is as close to how you would like it before it even touches Photoshop. Then all you need to do in there is a bit of sharpening (perhaps) cropping and maybe adding a watermark.		For the best image quality you should aim for an image that is as close to how you would like it before it even touches [[Photoshop]]. Then all you need to do in there is a bit of sharpening (perhaps) cropping and maybe adding a watermark.

	== Problems with glass ==		== Problems with glass ==

Dickie: /* Results */

2008-12-03T17:47:15Z

Results

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:47, 3 December 2008
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	== Results ==		== Results ==
	[[Image:FinalPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|The final version that has been ''slightly'' adjusted in a photo editor, to remove the slight colour cast, and brightened just a little bit]]		[[Image:FinalPhoto.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|The final version that has been ''slightly'' adjusted in a photo editor, to remove the slight colour cast, and brightened just a little bit]]
	[[Image:Corrected_From_Original.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|~~A corrected version of~~ the original under exposed and incorrect white balance version of the photo, but corrected in a photo editor. This is as close as I could get it to the ~~correct~~ look. Notice that the colour is not as vibrant as the picture above and that the shadows have a slight orange tinge. Although this may be acceptable the correct version is far superior.]]		[[Image:Corrected_From_Original.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|This is the original under exposed and incorrect white balance version of the photo, but ''corrected'' in a photo editor. This is as close as I could get it to the right look. Notice though that the colour is not as vibrant as the picture above and that the shadows have a slight orange tinge. The picture is also more ''grainy''. Although this may be acceptable to you the correct version is far superior.]]
	You can see the results of these techniques in the last photograph above, but I personally would tweek them a bit in Photoshop (see the two photographs on the right).		You can see the results of these techniques in the last photograph above, but I personally would tweek them a bit in Photoshop (see the two photographs on the right).

Dickie: /* Basic Set-up */

2008-12-03T10:41:30Z

Basic Set-up

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:41, 3 December 2008
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	When taking pictures with this type of equipment it is important to set up the camera correctly to get the best shot, because if you just turn your camera on and take a picture you will generally be very disappointed with the result.		When taking pictures with this type of equipment it is important to set up the camera correctly to get the best shot, because if you just turn your camera on and take a picture you will generally be very disappointed with the result.

	'''Just to make a point all the pictures on this page were taken on a white piece of card (balanced on a clothes airer) under a halogen ceiling spotlight.''' (OK the camera was a Canon EOS 20D but I could have (and have) got very similar results with a point and shoot camera, as long as it has white balance and exposure compensation adjustment)		'''Just to make a point, all the pictures on this page were taken with no more than a white piece of card (balanced on a clothes airer) under a halogen ceiling spotlight.''' (OK the camera was a Canon EOS 20D but I could have (and have) got very similar results with a point and shoot camera, as long as it has white balance and exposure compensation adjustment)

	There are two setting that are very important that you understand to be able to take good bead photographs.		There are two setting that are very important that you understand to be able to take good bead photographs.

Dickie: Added categories

2008-12-03T09:52:24Z

Added categories

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:52, 3 December 2008
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	*[http://www.tabletopstudio.com/HowTo_page.html Tabletop Studio Techniques]		*[http://www.tabletopstudio.com/HowTo_page.html Tabletop Studio Techniques]
	*[http://www.beadybugs.co.uk/hintsandtips.htm How to clean up photos - by Helen P]		*[http://www.beadybugs.co.uk/hintsandtips.htm How to clean up photos - by Helen P]

			[[Category:Tutorial]]
			[[Category:Techniques]]

Dickie: /* Basic Set-up */

2008-12-03T01:35:08Z

Basic Set-up

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:35, 3 December 2008
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	* White piece of paper.		* White piece of paper.
	* A Digital Camera.		* A Digital Camera.
			* Tripod (if you have shaky hands, or not much light, or both)
	* Oh yes and some glass work to photograph.		* Oh yes and some glass work to photograph.