Tri-X Flower with a Splash of Color

In this post, I combine several of tools and techniques to achieve a desired result.

First, the image taken with my D200 was brought into Lightroom for general RAW adjustments. The image was then converted to B&W using the Nik Software Silver Efex Pro tool by applying the Kodak Tri-X Film Type preset. At this point, the image looked great in B&W.

After looking at the image a while, I felt it needed something more, so given I have wanted to try taking a B&W image and add some localized color to it, I figured this would be a good photograph to do the test on.

To add the localized color, I started by using the OnOne software's Mask Pro. This did a decent job at maksing off the image, but being the first time I had used Mask Pro, there were similar colors in the backgroud that I did not properly select so I ended up reverting to Photoshop to erase the small number of unwanted image areas.

When I first completed the image, using the exact colors from the original image, the purples were very strong. I decided to go back to Photoshop and set the opacity of the layer down to 40% which I feel much better aligns with the tonal ranges of the B&W image.

Tri-X Flower with a splash of color 2, originally uploaded by dblphotography.

Here is the original attempt:

Nik Silver Efex Pro - Mini Review / Overview

After hearing a lot of great things about Silver Efex Pro plugin for Adobe Lightroom, and being a lover of Black and White photography, I decided to give it a try. I expected to gain a bit more control over the Black and White conversion process than the capabilities within Lightroom or Photoshop, what I didn't expect was the level of control and the clean efficient layout of the plugin for achieving the results I want. This tool really exceeded my expectations.

There are a number of presets that give you a variety of standard Black and White looks which are used as a starting point. Style presets are shown in a scrollable list of images on the left pane and unlike in Lightroom where you have to hover the mouse over the preset name to see the preset effect in the Navigator pane, the Silver Efex Pro list allows you to see 6 different Style presets at the same time which really aids in selecting the particular Style. You can also filter the list of styles to your favorites. Additionally the tool gives you the ability to create your own styles from an image you are currently processing. There is an import feature which will allow for bringing in Styles created externally, so just like with Lightroom presets, I suspect you will begin to see preset for Silver Efex Pro.

On the right hand bar, you have control over brightness, contrast, and structure as well as shadow and highlights. Being Nik software you also have access to the Control Point technology. Control points are great for making changes to specific areas of an image.

Color filters are available. Stylizing controls allow you to adjust toning, vignetting, and burn edges. Film Types gives you presets for a number of popular film types. You also have control over the grain, sensitivity, and tone curve, for achieving the exact look you are after.

There is a Loupe view box in the lower righthand corner that allows you to see detail on the changes you are making. When you move the mouse cursor over the image, the loupe shows the area right around the cursor. Several image display views are available to show the image in full, a split image screen with half the image from the before image and half with the style or preset applied, and finally the before and after images on the screen at the same time.

I will have to say my first impressions are very positive and at this point, what I like the most is it's Film Type presets for the look of most of the B&W films I use.

I really like shooting film and processing it, but the reality is that doing that takes time. Until now, I haven't been pleased with the level of control available within Photoshop, Lightroom or other processing software. Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro changes that mindset completely, so much that it makes me wonder how much film I will be shooting in the future. While I still enjoy the film process and will continue to shoot and process film, this tool really opens up a whole new set of possibilities. Many times I have tried to convert color images to black and white from my digital cameras with underwhelming results. Now I will be searching through my Lightroom catalogs for candidate images to convert, thus bringing life to forgotten images.

You can find more information about Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro at www.NikSoftware.com

Below is an example of a before and after image processed by Silver Efex Pro. The before color version and an after processed using the Ilford HP5 400 Film Type preset. I will admit that for me, getting a look like this in Lightroom takes some work. I am very satisfied with the results.


Image 1: Original image taken with Nikon D200:



Image 2: Processed with Nik Silver Efex Pro

PhotoTune 2 by onOne Software

Today's post focuses in on a plug-in tool for Adobe Photoshop, PhotoTune 2 by onOne Software. It can be purchased as an individual plug-in or as part of their Plug-In Suite, currently at version 4.5.

What I really like about this plug-in is the simple nature of the process in which you make a series of judgements to adjust your image. While Lightroom and Photoshop give a lot of control over many adjustments to you image, sometimes that can either be to daunting or it takes a fair amount of time to adjust your image.

PhotoTune walks you through a series of 6 comparisons. The plug-in tells you what control is being adjusted within the image and what to look for so you adjust correctly. It also allows you to make general changes in the images being compared to assist in your selection process. At the end of the six step process, you are given a set of fine tuning controls with both the original and tuned images displayed so that you can see the changes realtime. This feature gives you a high level of control over your image.

Within a couple of minutes I was able to adjust the below image to what I consider a more visually pleasing image. While I will not need to use this tool on every image, I do feel it will be very beneficial to my post processing workflow.

PhotoTune is broken into two separate plug-ins, one focused on color corrections (ColorTune) and one focused on skin tone (SkinTune) corrections. I will create another post when I utilize the SkinTune tool.

All of onOne Software is available for 30 day trial evaluation. Plug-ins are available for Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture.

Links for onOne Software's PhotoTune 2
PhotoTune 2 by onOne Software
PhotoTune 2.2 Tutorials

Red Poppies in a Field - Processed in PhotoTune 2 after using Lightroom


Poppies in the field - Lightroom Processing Only

The Falls at Niagra

American and Niagra Falls from the Canadian side.

This image was create from 5 separate images using the ArcSoft Panorama Maker Pro software. The images were taken in 2001 with my Olympus D-490z camera with a 2 megapixel resolution at 1600x1200. From there I pulled the image into Photoshop CS4 and used my Genuine Fractals 6 plug-in to increase the resolution from 200ppi to 300ppi so that I could do a bit larger print. After upsizing, I imported the image into Lightroom to perform some global changes. Once satisfied, I uploaded to Flickr.

Interestingly, this image came out darker on Flickr than I originally viewed in Lightroom. Could be the monitor needs calibrating. Now that it is posted on the Blog, the colors are better. Not sure what would be the difference between Flickr and Blogger.

I used the Blog feature of Flickr to post to this Blog. Still exploring options for the best ways to post to the Blog.

Multi-Image Post

The purpose of this post is really a test, but also a couple of pictures I took with film earlier in the year and had developed at Costco.

The Test: How will muliple images upload from Lightroom to the blog.

Test Results: Images uploaded in order as selected in Lightroom. This tool will make it much easier when showing a specific technique or when a series are images is used to provide a broader understanding.



Silhouetted Trees

Evening sun going down

Oh, the joys of film...
On my way home one evening, I saw the sun going down and hadn't had a chance to really try out my "new to me" Nikon FM-10 I recently got on Craigslist, so I took several test shots and this one turned out well.

Film: Ilford HP5 ISO 400 film
Developer: Diafine

The image was scanned in and used I Lightroom to remove a fair amount of dust that had somehow gotten onto the negative. I posted this to Flickr after using a Selenium Tone preset. The more I look at this, the more I prefer the original image.

Flickr post: Evening sun going down

It is also neat to see how the developed print from the enlarger and the print from the inkjet printer compare. I have to lean toward the developed print over the inkjet print at this time, though it is much closer than I have been able to achieve in the past.

HyperDrive

HyperDrive, originally uploaded by dblphotography.

Blurred motion exercise. I have done several motion-blur shots where the photographer was standing still and the subject was moving. In this shot I wanted experiment with the effect of motion blur when the subjects were still and the camera was the moving piece of the equation. To achieve this type of shot I took the image while driving along an open highway. I used the steering wheel as a support for this shot. I am considering making a mount for a time lapse photography experiment that will give me hands free control with a shutter release. It will also center the image better in the vehicle.

Time of day was around 9:00pm and the Sun was most of the way down, which I think added to the image.

Here are the camera settings I used:

ISO: 100
Focal Length: 18mm (27mm for 35mm equivelant)
Shutter Speed: 1.5 Second
Aperture: f3.5 (largest this lens would allow)
Exposure Bias: 2/3 EV

Once I have a beetter setup for holding the camera, I plan to take more images like this because I think the effect is interesting.

Blogging from Lightroom

Looking for a more efficient method of posting to my blog, I came across a very nice blog posting plugin for Lightroom 2 by Timothy Armes.

http://timothyarmes.com/lr2blog.php

The Trial version limits the image size to 300 ppi. Donations get an unlocked version. As this is my first test with the plugin, I will see how it works and make the decision to donate, but at this point, all looks good. A really nice feature is that it allows you to add the text to the blog before exporting while still in Lightroom. Requires Lightroom 2. I will continue to test with new images. I think this will help streamline to process of posting to the blog.

Twins make one

I will continue to test with new images. I think this will help streamline to process of posting to the blog.

Macro Jewelry Photography

Here is a test shot taken recently in preparation for my wife's jewelry website. Issues I am working to resolve in this type of shot is to provide a clear photograph of the piece of jewelry when blown up, elimination of glare and overexposure from the flash-lighting setup, and to eliminate any shadows that might occur based on the lighting setup.

Camera Settings:
- Exposure: 1/8 sec
- Exposure Bias: 0
- Aperture: f32
- ISO: 200
- Metering Mode: Pattern
- Focal Length: 105mm
- Flash: Did not fire
- Lighting Setup: Lightbox created using PVC frame with sheer fabric draped over it
- Lights: Three 120w Flourescent Flood Lights
- Diffusion: Sheer white fabric

Initial tests with more textured background fabric almost eliminated the shadows, however, the texture detracted greatly from the jewerly. Going to a less textured fabric in this example, the background does not compete with the jewelry, but the shadows are somewhat present. I plan to work with different placement of lights to try and overcome shadows. The three lights were placed in this fashion. One on each side angled at 45 degree toward the jewelry at jewelry height. The third light was placed above and slightly in front of the jewelry with the light aimed toward the jewelry at about a 60 degree angle.

I am finding that the 105mm f2.8D lens requires a lot of light with the smaller aperture settings than I am used to with other lenses. I guess I was expecting with 3 - 120w lights to be able to set the shutter speed to 1/250 second rather than the 1/8 I did to get the brightness I achieved.

I am relatively pleased with the elimination of glare and overexposure in this shot. While there is a bit on the silver, for the most part I don't feel that it detracts from the image.

I am pleased with the clarity of the image and feel it enlarges well. I decided to go to f32 to make for a larger depth of field to keep as much of the jewelry in focus as I could.

It's all about learning so any comments or suggestions you have, good or bad, so I would appreciate your comments

My first blog entry...

Well, I've decided to give blogging a try as a way to display some of my photography with the intent of generating discussion to receive feedback / suggestions on ways to improve my skills.

My initial thought is that I will post photography technique topics with one or more example photos to display the results of the technique. Some will be based on techniques I have learned, and some based on a technique I need assistance with getting right.

Camera setting information will be posted along with the photographs as I find it a good learning exercise to display what settings were used to achieve a given result. Where appropriate, setup shots will be taken as well to illustrate how a technique was executed.

The goal is for folks to make comments and suggestions related to the topic at hand to improve the outcome of the technique.

Over time, this will build a series of photography technique topics that will be available to myelf and others. Hopefuly as topics are discussed, others will have the opportunity to learn new techniques or enhance existing techniques.

Thanks, David