Tony, you mentioned that you use Noiseware with NR turned off on the EP-1. This means Noise Reduct. OFF and Noise Filter OFF - right? Does this make a significant difference compared to using the in-camera noise reduction?
Yes: both NR off and NF off.
By my experiments, I have found Noiseware Pro an amazing plug-in for Photoshop CS3 that I use. The results are far superior to in-camera NR. In-camera uses the Truepic V processor, but switching to my Macbook which uses a 2.4Ghz dual-core processor, it still takes 5-10 secs to process, but the results is basically less noise with zero-loss of detail. In fact, results are actually sharper with less noise than the original with the applied sharpen within Noise Pro. Plus, I have complete control over how much noise I will to reduce and how much to sharpen the shot – this is very important, as low-light shots with high-ISO would need more noise reduction while photos in good light would need less. Controlling that on-screen rather than just selecting NR in-camera before shooting gives me greater control.
What program do you use for PP? Any other information about your process that you could share?
I just use Photoshop CS3 and the Noiseware Pro plug-in. Other handy tools is the free Colormancer Whitebalance Plug-in which allows me to correct shots that have incorrect auto white-balance. I like to keep my workflow streamlined and simple to save time, so just shoot jpeg.
In Photoshop CS3, most photos I apply Curves to. In Curves there is a preset called: Linear Contrast. This applies a very soft ‘S’ curve to give photos a little more pop. If photos have highlights blown, I find the Shadow/Highlights menu in Adjustments very handy. This can also enhance background contrast and colours if they are a bit flat.
I am asking because I really like the look of your photos - I am hoping to benefit from your experience
Again, thanks for the pictures and your time.
Thanks. I hope you find my simple advice useful (I still have a lot to learn and improve). This site and the members here have been a great help for me to improve my photography.
Basically, I aim capture 90% of the photo before PP. With PP, I can enhance the image by 10% or so, but the image has to really be there in the first place. So, I think the key is to master the tool you have in your hand before shooting rather than relying too much on PP.
Regards,
Tony
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Scene: Han Solo saying his farewells after getting captured…
Princess Leia: “I love you Hans!!”
Han Solo: “I know, I know…”
Chewbacca: “Urrgghh, graaagghh…”
Han Solo: “…now THAT I didn’t know…”
– Robot Chicken Star Wars II –
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