Photomanipulation and other digital arts thread

  • Thread starter qedprigmosyno
  • Start date
  • Tags Tags
    photo contest
7 replies · 3K views · last reply
qedprigmosyno
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Just wondering can we start one up for those who are interested in photography and like to mess around with their photos?
 
Okay why not.

Until today I did not do any photo manipulation. Just used the tools in the standard programs, like Canons DPP and Picasa and such.

But I felt the need for using HDR techniques, so I started contemplating to buy a software package for that. However google is your friend and I downloaded a public domain program, gimp following a step by step instruction that I found in Dutch, which included the manual installation of a plug in. If anybody is interested I can translate that and assist.

Next you need three pix, from the scenery, identical albeit one over exposed and one underexposed. Many cameras have programs for that (AEB), including the canons.

So I put the camera on the tripod, took a corner in the living, including the window which gave way too much contrast and the AEB took three piX:

first the normal exposed pic. The problem should be clear, the window is strongly over exposed while the shadows lost most details.

Living room corner with a brown sofa under a bright window with white curtains, a flat-screen TV on a wooden stand, a wooden coffee table, and a framed picture on the wall.


The next shot is under exposed by two stops, resulting in only a correct exposure for the window

Dim living room with a brown sofa, a wooden coffee table, a flat-screen TV on a wooden stand, and a tall window with sheer white curtains showing green foliage outside.


and the final one is over exposed two stops, resulting in correctly exposed shadows only

Living room corner with a tan sofa, a wooden coffee table, a flat-screen TV on a wooden stand, a teddy bear, a potted plant, and bright windows with sheer curtains.


We load the three pix in the program, sprinkle some stardust and wave the magic wand, voila; the three pictures merged with all parts exposed correctly:

Living room with a tan sofa, wooden coffee table, TV on a wooden stand, and white sheer curtains framing a bright window looking onto greenery.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks, Georgina, I'll play with it some more later.
 
Tried it today on a bit more interesting scenery

Again, the normal exposed pic:

Sunrise over a calm pond with reeds in silhouette in the foreground, lily pads on the water, a windmill and a weeping willow silhouetted against a hazy orange sky.


after merging with an under and over exposed frame (not shown) we get this:

Sunrise over a reed-lined pond with water lily pads, a weeping willow branch at upper right, and a silhouetted windmill on the horizon.
 
Another trick I stumbled upon is depth of field enhancing. Especially when shooting macro the very shallow depth of field can be embarrashing like this:


Orange and black butterfly with cream spots on its wings, perched on red pentas flowers, viewed from above with its wings spread open.


Body crisp, wings blurry.

The Depth of Field enhancing works with multiple pictures too, focussed in different planes also merged together. Obviously taking multiple pix requires an absolute static situation, so you'd have to work with static objects too e.g. dead insects. Not my style.

Anyway I found some info and programs for that, maybe I give it a try:

http://www.microscopy-analysis.com/files/jwiley_microscopy/2008_May_Piper.pdf
http://www.janrik.net/ptools/ExtendedFocusPano12/index.html
http://www.saphicon.com/extended-depth-field.htm
http://hadleyweb.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/CZM/News.htm
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Those are stunning photos, pictures merged with all parts exposed correctly. Good stuff!