Wave forest
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RX100 - bee on onion blossom
- Thread starter Wave forest
- Start date
SoCalWill
Veteran Member
Plenty more light and range in there, fun pic though..
--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.
--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.
elliottnewcomb
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OP, nice photo!Plenty more light and range in there, fun pic though..
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Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.
Good fix, subject is much more 'alive', and the background remains blurred but adds color, I think now the background helps the centered composition work.
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Elliott
Wave forest
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Thanks for the comments.
@SoCalWill and Elliott, I need some education that I wasn't able to follow your conversation. Are you talking about post-processing? It is a OOC JPEG and I trimmed away the messy surroundings. The blurred background came from the big aperture an closeness to the subject.
@SoCalWill and Elliott, I need some education that I wasn't able to follow your conversation. Are you talking about post-processing? It is a OOC JPEG and I trimmed away the messy surroundings. The blurred background came from the big aperture an closeness to the subject.
SoCalWill
Veteran Member
Post-processing, yes; if you look at the histogram for your original pic, it doesn't even touch the right side - that means underexposed [for a daytime image.] There are areas in that image that are dark enough to appear empty black, when in fact there is color and detail there that just hasn't been made visible, hence range, as in dynamic range; the amount of detail your camera captured in very dark and very bright areas of your composition but isn't represented in the final image because exposure is too high or low. After bumping up exposure and making sure the histogram touches both sides, the full detail and contrast/color your camera is capable of was revealed.
Wave forest
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elliottnewcomb
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From what I see here by others, I encourage you to eventually try and learn good Post Processing software. If you like it, you will probably learn to shoot RAW, and gain enough skill to both improve and customize to preference your images.
Me, I am quite happy to learn how to get the best Jpegs from the camera, then do very little if any PP. Straighten, Crop, Lift Shadows, Cut Highlights, done. Rarely, for problematic indoor shots, fix color problems.
I have better photo software, but I use Windows 10 Photo Editor most of the time, it is absurdly easy and fast. Simple choices, hardly anything to learn or remember.
Open any photo, click the pencil edit icon on top.
You get two rows of buttons, right row (basic fixes), left row optional fixes.
Click any button on the right, a white circle appears outside of it. Simply drag the circle around, up or down, see the results instantly as you drag. (you also see +/- numbers as you drag).
Click any button on the left, it's options appear on the right. Click and drag the white circle. Top left button changes the right back to the basic fixes.
You can either save-as (original un-changed), or save the changes to the original.
Straighten, ridiculous how easy and fast it is.
Crop
Light ( a left button), (what was done here and mostly all I do after cropping).
click Light on the left, then 4 option buttons pop up on the right. Brightness, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows.
First, try lightening the Shadows, you will be amazed how much detail exists there. Next, only if needed, darken the Highlights. You do not want to do too much of this, noise will appear in skies, bright areas. My other software definitely cuts highlights better if it is important.
...........................................
Color correction? Click Color, 4 buttons on the right, click Temperature, drag up or down. It couldn't be easier.
Spots, lint, litter, gum spots on sidewalks, .... Bottom right, Retouch button. Hover over problem, click, bingo done. Increase the size of the image if needed to match the tool size to the problem size.
..............................
Enhance, top right button. Click it, wait a few seconds till done, presto, it does several things, including sharpening. Sometimes great, save-as, other times too much sharpening, too much color change, just click it again, back to original.
In most software, click Control Z undoes the last thing. click Control Y, it reverts to what you just un-did.
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Elliott
Last edited:
SoCalWill
Veteran Member
The histogram tells you what will and won't be exposed before you take the picture; a rather important tool if you want something more accurate than "eyeballing it" to expose your pics.
The full software suite used by the pros, Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop, is ten bucks a month.
Wave forest
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Really appreciated.
Wave forest
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Bottom
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Good shot! Slight underexposure partially due to the -0.3 EV setting. Decent blurring of the background and the darkness of the background helps. You ask about software to post process your photos. I recommend Photoshop Elements. Version 14 can now be had for around $50.
I downloaded your original and SoCalWill's original and also used Photoshop Element with Auto Smart Fix on Your original. I took screenshots of the histograms of each. and in Elements I made circular selections of the blossom in each photo and then took screenshots of the histogram of each selection. Every thing was put together on the composite below.
Let's look at the original on the left. The histogram of the entire photo indicates extreme underexposure however the histogram of the blossom and part of the bee indicates moderate underexposure. If you treasure the background which you were trying to blur out then you need greater exposure. I find the original quite acceptable for display on a screen although it would probably need lightening for a print.
The center photo using Auto Smart Fix also is under exposed overall. The histogram for the blossom (you should look at an enlarged version to see the selected area) now extends all the way to the right and indicates that the blossom has been lightened. The background is lighter but still controlled. I consider the very good for screen viewing.
SoCalWill's photo on the left overall has a nicely centered histogram extending from left to right. The blossom has been lightened considerably. I consider this a bit too bright for screen use and also feel that the background is now intruding as far a screen use is concerned, but I suspect it would be the best of the three for a print.
You really should have a program for post processing especially if you plan to print. Gimp is supposed to be a good open source alternative to Photoshop. It is free. I downloaded it and began downloading the instruction manual. This manual would put a Sony PDF manual to shame. At least 16 chapters, each with numerous subchapters each of which needed to be downloaded separately. I have a satellite internet connection and in 8 hours I managed to download 3 chapters. I decided that I couldn't afford to save any more money and ordered Photoshop elements and a book to go with the program.
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bottom=bottomdollar
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Wave forest
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Wow! This is a really serious analysis. Thank you, Bottom!
Your detailed analysis made me have a second look at all the three.
1. The right one done by SoCalWil is too white. It doesn't look real. The real colour of the onion blossom is a bit green-ish, not that white.
2. I think Auto Smart Fix (the centre) is still a bit too white. You see, the outer ring has been burned away. It can be better if the exposure can be adjusted down a bit. However, the bee is popped up better.
3. My original one's bee can be improved, but the onion blossom has all the details. Somehow, I'm amazed the amount of details that the old RX100 can keep.
However, it is just some my inexperienced observation. All your comments are very much helpful.
Thanks for your advice on post-processing software.
Best wishes.
Your detailed analysis made me have a second look at all the three.
1. The right one done by SoCalWil is too white. It doesn't look real. The real colour of the onion blossom is a bit green-ish, not that white.
2. I think Auto Smart Fix (the centre) is still a bit too white. You see, the outer ring has been burned away. It can be better if the exposure can be adjusted down a bit. However, the bee is popped up better.
3. My original one's bee can be improved, but the onion blossom has all the details. Somehow, I'm amazed the amount of details that the old RX100 can keep.
However, it is just some my inexperienced observation. All your comments are very much helpful.
Thanks for your advice on post-processing software.
Best wishes.
Good shot! Slight underexposure partially due to the -0.3 EV setting. Decent blurring of the background and the darkness of the background helps. You ask about software to post process your photos. I recommend Photoshop Elements. Version 14 can now be had for around $50.Wave forest wrote
I downloaded your original and SoCalWill's original and also used Photoshop Element with Auto Smart Fix on Your original. I took screenshots of the histograms of each. and in Elements I made circular selections of the blossom in each photo and then took screenshots of the histogram of each selection. Every thing was put together on the composite below.
Let's look at the original on the left. The histogram of the entire photo indicates extreme underexposure however the histogram of the blossom and part of the bee indicates moderate underexposure. If you treasure the background which you were trying to blur out then you need greater exposure. I find the original quite acceptable for display on a screen although it would probably need lightening for a print.
The center photo using Auto Smart Fix also is under exposed overall. The histogram for the blossom (you should look at an enlarged version to see the selected area) now extends all the way to the right and indicates that the blossom has been lightened. The background is lighter but still controlled. I consider the very good for screen viewing.
SoCalWill's photo on the left overall has a nicely centered histogram extending from left to right. The blossom has been lightened considerably. I consider this a bit too bright for screen use and also feel that the background is now intruding as far a screen use is concerned, but I suspect it would be the best of the three for a print.
You really should have a program for post processing especially if you plan to print. Gimp is supposed to be a good open source alternative to Photoshop. It is free. I downloaded it and began downloading the instruction manual. This manual would put a Sony PDF manual to shame. At least 16 chapters, each with numerous subchapters each of which needed to be downloaded separately. I have a satellite internet connection and in 8 hours I managed to download 3 chapters. I decided that I couldn't afford to save any more money and ordered Photoshop elements and a book to go with the program.
--
bottom=bottomdollar
www.bottomdollar.us
www.cdhs.us
www.alaskawildflowers.us
SoCalWill
Veteran Member
About three minutes in Lightroom, with darkened background too:
--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.
--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.
Wave forest
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Thanks. The bee is so popped up.
About three minutes in Lightroom, with darkened background too:
--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.
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