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Make em shine! Custom Curves for D70..

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davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise
Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
--
Dennis
 
Sorry for my delay replying - been busy...

You had the answer from the 'horses mouth' (thanks FotoGenetic) - but I'm his ideal customer - I liked the "normal but with a +0.5 EV" aspect of White W.

Dave's was just too much of a good thing - for me.

Can provide examples, but as you've noted, it is a personal thing - I find to discover why I like or disklike any of these curves you need quite a range of examples which you then have to examine in quite some detail - ie hard to do in a single example or two.

I'm convinced of a couple of things though - PlanetNeil, FotoGenetic, and Dave et. al. are all correct when they say KISS for the curves - two points seems optimal.

Tried a couple of curves myself - very hard to get it right - I now have a lot more respect for the currently published curves ;-)

--
Nikon D70
 
How come the curves here is .ntc whereas the NC software looks for .ncv?
davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise
Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
ed cheong said:
How come the curves here is .ntc whereas the NC software looks for
.ncv?
Click to expand...
That is for the Curves Dialog box - the post processing one. This operates after/in addition to the Custom Curve, and also after a gamma conversion, so works on a different scale -

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=8328812

Custom Curves are loaded and saved in Nikon Capture Control, not Nikon Capture.

Confusing I know ;-)

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/
 
After installing the curves what settings should I set my camera to inorder to get the results similar to yours? The settings I'm referring to are WB, mode the camera should be in (Vivid, sharp, normal..etc), Exposure compensations? For instance when your camera is in P mode what settings do you use with your curves?
Thank you for making the curves I enjoyed your pictures very much.
 
Thanks a lot.... for all the info
davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise
Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
could you explain this one David ?. 'before conversion ....'.

if i load in the new curve (if i buy the camera) and i shoot a jpeg, don't i just transfer the image into my PC and photoshop it if necessary ?. where does the conversion and compression come in ?. Maybe I am misunderstanding the workflow.

As well, maybe you can give me educated advice here. I have been a canon guy and am used to the more contrasty, saturated look of the pictures. which curve would you call the CANONCURVE.NTC.

YOu see, I am finding most d70 pics to be a bit dull and needing (for my eyes anyway) me to do an auto-levels (or manual tweaking) to get the more defined canon look. any suggestions ?
:)
. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
davexl said:
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
Read my webpage. It may help clear up your confusion. And, I'm afraid you've got it all wrong... Canon images are typically less contrasty and saturated than properly exposed Nikon images ;-)

Straight out of the camera except for slight shift of yellow hues to cyan and of course panoramic stitching using PTGui. Used a prototype of the White Wedding custom tone curve:



http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com
steve rudolph said:
Steve110587 said:
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com
 
Maybe i stand corrected. i am using an s45.. a point and shoot.. so probably why the pics look a little more lively to appease the masses. (did i mention this ??.... when i loaded in a few d70 pics, i noticed the left slider in LEVELS was positioned to the left of the beginning of the curve. when i slid the slider over to the beginning of the curve, the results were more pleasing)
your website is EXCELLENT thanks !
fotogenetic said:
Straight out of the camera except for slight shift of yellow hues
to cyan and of course panoramic stitching using PTGui. Used a
prototype of the White Wedding custom tone curve:



http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com
steve rudolph said:
fotogenetic said:
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com
Click to expand...
 
not sure i understand your question... auto-levels in Elements anyway doesn't allow for settings ... it's a one shot click....

otherwise, i go into the LEVELS dialog box and position the left slider (top sliders) so it aligns with the beginning of the curve.. and if necessary i align the right slider to where the curve ends. of course if you have blown hilights, there IS no right end to the curve.. but anyway.. when i do this process it seems to add more contrast(differerences between shadows and hilights) and liveliness.
:)
Iliah Borg said:
Iliah Borg said:
YOu see, I am finding most d70 pics to be a bit dull and needing
(for my eyes anyway) me to do an auto-levels
Click to expand...
Auto-levels with what settings?
--
no text
Click to expand...
 
steve rudolph said:
not sure i understand your question... auto-levels in Elements
anyway doesn't allow for settings ... it's a one shot click....
Click to expand...
I see.
Steve110587 said:
otherwise, i go into the LEVELS dialog box and position the left
slider (top sliders) so it aligns with the beginning of the curve..
and if necessary i align the right slider to where the curve ends.
Click to expand...
Which means that exposure was not correct. And by this move you risk distorting white balance.
--
no text
 
yes you have to be particularly careful with this.. especially with the right half of the curve which may alter colouration. Slight corrections only !.

I know with the custom curves suggested in this forum, many posters using these curves are also tweaking the white balance in-camera by -2.

i've never y corrected (or needed to) white balance when playing with the levels, most of the time. but when i do.. gee that's difficult. i haven't played with photoshop for a while (only Elements). can you emulate a white balance correction on a pic ? or do you just have to work around with color cast/hue/saturation ...etc...
Iliah Borg said:
Iliah Borg said:
otherwise, i go into the LEVELS dialog box and position the left
slider (top sliders) so it aligns with the beginning of the curve..
and if necessary i align the right slider to where the curve ends.
Click to expand...
Which means that exposure was not correct. And by this move you
risk distorting white balance.
--
no text
Click to expand...
 
davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise
Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
steve rudolph said:
fotogenetic said:
Straight out of the camera except for slight shift of yellow hues
to cyan and of course panoramic stitching using PTGui. Used a
prototype of the White Wedding custom tone curve:



http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com
steve rudolph said:
Steve110587 said:
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
thank you from the bottom of my heart.. I have just spent 4 hours trying to get my 4.0 version (which they included with the D70 for crying out loud) to recoginze my D70 with the camera control. I was about to put the thing on a stump and do it in with a sledge... anyhow, from your post I see new hope in that it looks like version 4.1 is the fix. I'll download that tonight after I go to work for the evening and try to regain my composure..

thanx again.. hallmark
davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise

Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise
Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
davexl said:
Hi all,

I have had a great response to my gallery of D70 pics at pbase.
Thank you everyone for your kind words, like many here, I am very
enthusiastic about photography again, and the D70 looks like a real
winner and a great tool. Don't worry about the FUD and the trolls,
look at the results and make up your own mind.

I have had many requests for my custom curve that I use to brighten
the conservative (slightly dark in mid-tones) exposure of the D70.

You can make it by adding in the following two points to the curve:
99-120 and 141-171 or by downloading it from:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dfx/DavidFmidtoneBoostA.ntc

For a great explanation of what a custom curve is, try this site:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/custom_tone_curves.html

Also search the forum for his recent posts:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/postersprofile.asp?poster=hjimixixhzie

I recommend you also try Neils and Fotogenetics curves for the D100
as well, to see what works best for you. They can be downloaded
from:

http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html
http://www.planetneil.com/nikon/d100-customcurves.html

Ok, now you have the curves… You will need the 30 day trial of
Nikon Capture 4.1 if you do not already have it, to install and use
a custom curve. That means getting the 4.0 trial, and updating it
to 4.1 so it will recognise the D70.
http://www.nikon-asia.com/downloads.php

Once installed, plug in your camera, run Nikon Capture Control, go
to the Menu called Camera, and select Edit Camera Curves. Load up
the curve there. The sample image box is not a good guide to what
it will make the image look like – it does not display a sample NEF
correctly.

The curve, when selected in the camera menu – Green – Optimise
Image – Custom – Tone Comp – Custom – will affect every picture you
take in P, A, S and M modes. It will be a permanent change to JPGs,
but if you are shooting NEF/RAW you can turn it off after you
shoot. Playing in Nikon Capture Editor later, in the advanced RAW
dialog, will show you the difference with and without the curve
applied. If you are shooting JPEG, it is much better to apply the
curve in the camera before conversion to 8 bit and compression,
than afterwards in Photoshop etc.

Have fun, and shoot great pictures.

Regards,

David F.
Melbourne, Australia.
http://www.pbase.com/davexl/d70_images
Click to expand...
 
This what I did to give it a try:
1.Open PS

2.Open the Tab "Image", "Adjustments", "Curves" and add the two points as mentioned in the original post. Save this new curve.

2.Open your pic. Open the Tab "Image", "Adjustments", "Curves" and load your saved curve. By clicking in your history tab you can examine the results.

For some images it works great, for others I have the feeling of loosing too much warmth and depth in the image.

Thanks for your great post!!

Johan
 
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