Lots of Lessons--Best to Get it Right in the Field!

[Lorant Voros]

Here is the second image with the levels check.

 

[Lorant Voros]

Here is one more info. This is where the first red spots appear. With the above shown settings the hottest pixels are 253 on the red.

 

[Arthur Morris]

Lorant, You have done great. You have gone from having the whole bird flashing to having just a few hot pixels. The latter is quite acceptable. Though this repost is tiny, about 30kb as i was made from your screen capture, it will show you where I was going when I first saw the image.... You had a great image within the original image. I did get rid of the one flamingo in the llc.

One of the huge advantages of this crop is that you wind up with a lot more pixels.

 

[Arthur Morris]

The trick in these situations it to work with the RGB histogram to ensure not clipping the RED channel! This will usually mean using much less plus compensation than you would expect.

 

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Lorant, I can learn from you. How did you create that lovely arrow in pane #20?????? (Be specific!)

 

[Lorant Voros]

While I was using ACR and PS I took little "pictures" of the process with Grab that came with my Mcbook Pro. I opened the pictures with Photoshop, selected custom shape tool (u) and from the Shape window in the top tool bar I choose the arrow that I wanted to use. There are other possibilities as well.

I hope I am specific enough.

So Artie, you say I still have highlights, but I can't see them. Is it still like that with the above shown settings? My final image is dull. How can I correct it once my exp is good?

 

[Arthur Morris]

While I was using ACR and PS I took little "pictures" of the process with Grab that came with my Mcbook Pro. I opened the pictures with Photoshop, selected custom shape tool (u) and from the Shape window in the top tool bar I choose the arrow that I wanted to use. There are other possibilities as well.
I hope I am specific enough.

So Artie, you say I still have highlights, but I can't see them. Is it still like that with the above shown settings? My final image is dull. How can I correct it once my exp is good?

First off, thanks for the arrow info. I will have to try it. Never knew about custom shaped tools!

There are a very few flashing pixels in the screen capture in Pane #22. I will check the image in Pane #15 now and be back in a bit. (IM had sort of skipped over that one....)

 

[Arthur Morris]

I was confused. As stated above, the image in Pane #15 is way over-exposed. That was the one before you got your warnings turned on.

 

[Lorant Voros]

Ok, I went back and did the whole thing again having the histogram on all the time checking for the reds. I think where I made the mistake is with the sharpening. I sharpened with smart sharpen and it increased the highlights. (by the way, I read the new bulletin's sharpening just now). Also, to post I convert to sRGB at the very end of the process. Maybe it is a mistake too. I add a lot of highlights in the red by that.

If I convert to sRGB in ACR my highlights appear and I have to compensate a lot. If i work with that version after conversion to JPG I can end up with a photo that has no highlights, but flat and dull colors. If I increase any saturation I get the highlights back.

Here is the RGB version...looks very dull.

 

[Arthur Morris]

Lorant,

re:

Ok, I went back and did the whole thing again having the histogram on all the time checking for the reds.

Well, you have finally produced a version that is not over-exposed.

I think where I made the mistake is with the sharpening. I sharpened with smart sharpen and it increased the highlights.

Could be. I never use Smart Sharpen.

(by the way, I read the new bulletin's sharpening just now). Also, to post I convert to sRGB at the very end of the process. Maybe it is a mistake too. I add a lot of highlights in the red by that.

I work in and save my master files in Adobe RGB and convert to sRGB only for web and other electronic uses....

If I convert to sRGB in ACR my highlights appear and I have to compensate a lot. If i work with that version after conversion to JPG I can end up with a photo that has no highlights, but flat and dull colors. If I increase any saturation I get the highlights back.

Here is the RGB version...looks very dull.

Yes, that is the price you pay when you clip the RED channel. I may have found a partial cure. Let me know what you think of the repost here.

 

[Arthur Morris]

ps: You never let me know what you thought of the wider crop that I suggested in Pane #23?

 

[Lorant Voros]

Thank you again, Artie. A lot of things to learn, but I love every bit of it from going to take the photo to working on it and finding the way in processing.

I missed your crop suggestion. I went back now to see it....nice; I will try it for sure.

I will keep this lesson in mind next time and use my histogram more...though as far as I know it is only accurate for JPEG , since the camera produces it from that even if I take RAW. I am sure it works though, since this is what you describe in your bulletins and threads. I am visiting ER and read a lot already.

Thank you.

 

[Lorant Voros]

And your repost is better. What have you done exactly?

I just opened it in PS.....it has the highlights on the red channel.

 

[Arthur Morris]

I added RED and YELLOW to the REDs in Selective Color. There were no hot pixels when I saved the image. Not sure if uploading could have caused that....

 

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Lorant,

re:

Thank you again, Artie.

YAW.

A lot of things to learn, but I love every bit of it from going to take the photo to working on it and finding the way in processing.

Me too.

I missed your crop suggestion. I went back now to see it....nice; I will try it for sure.



I will keep this lesson in mind next time and use my histogram more

Good photographers use their histograms constantly. Ideal is to check the histogram as you encounter a new situation or when you sense that the light has changed.

...though as far as I know it is only accurate for JPEG , since the camera produces it from that even if I take RAW.

That's like saying, "I think that the horsepower for the engine in my Jaguar is slightly over-rated so I have decided to get out and push it." The histogram for the JPEG will be a bit ore contrastly than the actual histogram for the RAW. That is why I feel that having a few flashing pixels is often the best EXP.

I am sure it works though, since this is what you describe in your bulletins and threads. I am visiting ER and read a lot already.

It does and we need lots more folks spending time in the ER....

 

[Arthur Morris]

Well, this is nuts. I went back and checked the histogram on the file that I had uploaded and it too showed the bird as over. So the lesson is, get it right in the field! At times, you simply cannot save detail that is not there...

 

[Arthur Morris]

ps: I had added RED and YELLOW to the REDs in Selective Color, but as it turns out, that did not work....

 

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

What a thread!

I have to say that I have learned so much today. I can not recall when was the first time you were mentioning the use of the RGB histogram, may be it was when you and Juan Aragones discussed it. Any ways, since that time I have been paying more attention to the red channel, and boy, that channel can make or break a picture.

Thank you Arthur and Lorant for bringing this thread into discussion.

JC

 

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

This is a great read Artie and Lóránt. Thanks for sharing it!