How to deal with sky over exposing?
Jan 5, 2019 21:15:12 #
Here's a suggestion. Go to the YouTube Site and type in "Lightroom tutorial on ETTR adjusting for skies" lot's of information 'hands on'. Enlarge the screen so you can see better.
dat2ra wrote:
If you use a polarizer, the entire image is affected. I shoot a lot of day-time events and to avoid the situation you are experiencing, I use a graduated filter which darkens solely the sky. Works great! If a person or other object extends into to darkened part of the image, it can then be lightened in post. Results are better lightening in post than darkening, especially over-exposed sky. To me anyway, skies "saved" by post-processing look like just that.
Jan 5, 2019 21:35:31 #
I posted my comment under someone else's post...sorry about that. Here's a suggestion go to YouTube.com and type in "Lightroom adjusting for skies using ETTR" There is lots of information. Enlarge the videos so you can see them better. I find when I'm in the hunt for a solution to an issue I read & try, read & try. I have been studying on-camera flash for over a year. Bouncing light, using the BFT half snoot, abetterbouncecard, CTS Gels but I am so ahead of the game for my efforts. Eventually, you will come up with a process that works for you and meets your needs. And you will add it to you bag of knowledge.
hobbit123 wrote:
I've been experimenting with various things this m... (show quote)
Jan 5, 2019 21:41:59 #
larryepage
Loc: North Texas area
dat2ra wrote:
If you use a polarizer, the entire image is affected. I shoot a lot of day-time events and to avoid the situation you are experiencing, I use a graduated filter which darkens solely the sky. Works great! If a person or other object extends into to darkened part of the image, it can then be lightened in post. Results are better lightening in post than darkening, especially over-exposed sky. To me anyway, skies "saved" by post-processing look like just that.
Circular polarizers do not function just as neutral density filters. Their entire function is to reduce the partially polarized light from the sky more than they reduce the essentially unpolarized light from other parts of the scene. So while they reduce the overall scene by a couple of stops, at highest effectiveness, they should reduce the sky by between 3 and 4 stops. That extra 1.5 or so stops is why they work and why we used them with transparency film to darken sky, even at great cost of exposure.
Something I have occasionally done with some success also is to simply increase saturation a little bit in my picture control menu. This can help when you can get by with it. More blue equals less white, which equals slightly less exposure.
Sometimes the sky is just hazy and doesn't show much color. If you think about it, haze is just wimpy overcast. So you can "ooch" your white balance up toward 7000 or 7500K, which can put color into the sky. Increasing the color can effectively reduce the exposure, even if only a little bit, by making the sky less white.
Finally, several of the relatively newer cameras offer Highlight Weighted Metering. This is sort of a tamed version of ETTR, and it will avoid blowing out any area of the image. Post processing can bring back areas that might be too dark. I have found HWM to be pretty conservative. There is at least one stop of room above the default exposure determined by the camera.
Jan 5, 2019 22:15:58 #
hobbit123
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Here are two shots I did this morning. The first was taken using HDR in the camera. The second was shot in RAW. Both have had further processing in PS. Neither is among the best photos I've taken but I'm pleased to see sky detail in both :-)
Jan 5, 2019 23:14:26 #
In the case of window light blowing out a room scene, try this: Spot Meter for the light coming through the window, then engage the FV lock on the inside of the room. Inside is properly exposed, as is the detail seen through the window.
Jan 6, 2019 00:05:07 #
Don't know if this has been mentioned, but I simply consider an overexposed sky my "bokeh". Obviously this wouldn't work for pictures where the sky is integral to the scene, but I take pictures of ships/objects and I don't worry too much about the sky as it is equivalent to a birder's bokeh where they want the focus on the bird and not the background.
Jan 6, 2019 00:09:56 #
RRS
Loc: Not sure
Bokehen wrote:
Avoid any post process editing. Learn to use the camera for it's worth by adding either a drop in or circular polarization filter.
Every digital file benefits from post processing! My advise would be to learn how to PP, a CP filter will not be able to cure all ills. A CP filter sure wouldn't have helped Gene 51s shot.
Jan 6, 2019 00:12:24 #
RRS
Loc: Not sure
hobbit123 wrote:
Here are two shots I did this morning. The first was taken using HDR in the camera. The second was shot in RAW. Both have had further processing in PS. Neither is among the best photos I've taken but I'm pleased to see sky detail in both :-)
Both are nice but I much prefer the RAW image for it's truer color.
Jan 6, 2019 00:18:06 #
KEEP IT SIMPLE! So many times, we as photographers over complicate so many aspects of image capture. Take the shot in Raw, check the histogram, adjust the exposure (over or under) to keep the detail you want in the highlights, be aware of the detail you may want in the shadows, upload to Lightroom Classic, go to Develop and fine tune with the sliders to get the final image you want. It CAN be as simple as that! You have a choice to be a technical expert or a creative artist!
Jan 6, 2019 07:31:46 #
Dragonophile wrote:
Don't know if this has been mentioned, but I simply consider an overexposed sky my "bokeh". Obviously this wouldn't work for pictures where the sky is integral to the scene, but I take pictures of ships/objects and I don't worry too much about the sky as it is equivalent to a birder's bokeh where they want the focus on the bird and not the background.
Good point, Dragonophile! "Proper" exposure of the sky might only be important if it is a significant pictorial element in the overall subject and composition of the photo....
BTW, I also like to take pictures of ships!
Jan 6, 2019 09:05:44 #
barryb wrote:
In the case of window light blowing out a room scene, try this: Spot Meter for the light coming through the window, then engage the FV lock on the inside of the room. Inside is properly exposed, as is the detail seen through the window.
Barry, I'm trying to follow this but I'm not sure what the "FV lock" is. Can you clarify for me?
Thanks, JackM
Jan 6, 2019 10:05:00 #
Jan 6, 2019 11:45:13 #
Dragonophile wrote:
Don't know if this has been mentioned, but I simply consider an overexposed sky my "bokeh". Obviously this wouldn't work for pictures where the sky is integral to the scene, but I take pictures of ships/objects and I don't worry too much about the sky as it is equivalent to a birder's bokeh where they want the focus on the bird and not the background.
You are misusing the term Bokeh. It is not simply an out of focus background. Bokeh refers to the quality of the out of focus elements in the background - are they "busy" "nervous" or "hard-edged" or are they soft and smooth.
Can you post an example of a picture that includes sky where the sky is not integral to the scene? This is a confusing statement.
Bird photographers often shoot at large apertures for several reasons - shallow depth of field, and being able to use lower ISO and/or faster shutter speeds. A lens that provides smooth bokeh under these conditions is much preferred to one that doesn't.
Jan 6, 2019 12:43:17 #
I am no expert and have learned a lot from the experts who post here. Maybe you are not an expert and don't know how much difference shooting in RAW will increase your camera's dynamic range for handling dark and light areas in the same shot. As a realtor, I shoot the type of shot you describe as well as interior shots with a window; even more difficult.
Jan 6, 2019 12:55:17 #
texashill wrote:
I am no expert and have learned a lot from the experts who post here. Maybe you are not an expert and don't know how much difference shooting in RAW will increase your camera's dynamic range for handling dark and light areas in the same shot. As a realtor, I shoot the type of shot you describe as well as interior shots with a window; even more difficult.
Because we are on page 8, it would help if you quoted the person you are responding to.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.