My whites have no detail
Nov 17, 2011 07:18:14 #
I can't figure out why my white birds have no feathers or any other details! They are a nice BRIGHT white and I have messed with contrasts, bright, etc to no avail. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Nov 17, 2011 07:35:05 #
You need to change your white balance setting. Since I don't know what kind of camera you have, it is a bit difficult to offer up more advice. Professional cameras have setting that will aid them. These light setting allow you to specify lighting conditions. ie florescent light, overcast lighting, bright sunlight etc.
If you are shooting with a simpler version of camera you can still make changes. When using a regular camera you can set it to what is often called "snow" scene.
If you have a fancier camera do try bracketing your shot. Also, you can try a lower ISO setting and experiment around with your aperture.
Hope this helps.
If you are shooting with a simpler version of camera you can still make changes. When using a regular camera you can set it to what is often called "snow" scene.
If you have a fancier camera do try bracketing your shot. Also, you can try a lower ISO setting and experiment around with your aperture.
Hope this helps.
Nov 17, 2011 07:43:20 #
The bird is overexposed. Likely by as much as three stops.
If you had your camera on any auto setting that is why.
The camera exposed for the darker background and overexposed the egret.
The camera does not know you want the bird to look nice and it will be ok if the background goes a bit dark.
You have to tell the camera to do that and manualy setting your exposure will do that.
If you had your camera on any auto setting that is why.
The camera exposed for the darker background and overexposed the egret.
The camera does not know you want the bird to look nice and it will be ok if the background goes a bit dark.
You have to tell the camera to do that and manualy setting your exposure will do that.
Nov 17, 2011 08:00:19 #
GaZoomIn wrote:
You need to change your white balance setting. Sin... (show quote)
It is a Sony Cybershot and it does have a snow setting. I will try that tomorrow. Thanks so much!
Nov 17, 2011 08:01:36 #
Swamp Gator wrote:
The bird is overexposed. Likely by as much as three stops.
If you had your camera on any auto setting that is why.
The camera exposed for the darker background and overexposed the egret.
The camera does not know you want the bird to look nice and it will be ok if the background goes a bit dark.
You have to tell the camera to do that and manualy setting your exposure will do that.
If you had your camera on any auto setting that is why.
The camera exposed for the darker background and overexposed the egret.
The camera does not know you want the bird to look nice and it will be ok if the background goes a bit dark.
You have to tell the camera to do that and manualy setting your exposure will do that.
Guess I better learn to play with the settings better before I invest in a better camera! Thank you for the in-put!
Nov 17, 2011 22:32:23 #
rmbanas
Loc: Michigan
You should always try to expose for the highlights (white) and you won't lose that detail, the shadows will be darker, but you have to decide where you want to see the details.
Nov 17, 2011 23:24:15 #
ckcougar wrote:
quote=GaZoomIn You need to change your white bala... (show quote)
You have the ability of exposure compensation plus or minus 2 EV (2 full stops in 1/3 stop increments).
Photography 101....read your manual and learn your camera.
Nov 18, 2011 06:03:41 #
I think that basics apply here. Take a few minutes and learn how to use the histogram that your camera provides. A few test shots in either Aperture priority or Shutter priority (or better yet, Manual) and using the histogram to set your exposure compensation will prevent the blown-out whites. Try Googling histogram, learn it and then test it out with your camera. You will enjoy making your camera do what you want. It sounds complicated, but it is really getting to the basics of how your camera works that will make your images be what YOU want.
I remember back when I had my Argus C3 with a hand-held lightmeter and had to wait a week for developing before I could see the results of the film or slide that I had shot. These days you can get the information instantly just by pushing a button....and the test shots are free. Below is an image of how your camera displays the histogram:
I remember back when I had my Argus C3 with a hand-held lightmeter and had to wait a week for developing before I could see the results of the film or slide that I had shot. These days you can get the information instantly just by pushing a button....and the test shots are free. Below is an image of how your camera displays the histogram:
Nov 18, 2011 06:04:06 #
This is not a white balance problem. Strictly an exposure issue. Follow people's advice and stop down. Unless your camera displays a histogram, you will have to bracket and hope you are lucky. Now, the next problem is getting that bird to stand still while you fiddle with your camera.
Here is the bad news. Once you learn more about your camera, you will want a camera that saves as raw, displays a histogram and will shoot bracketed pictures rapidly and automatically. What is bad about this? $$$$$
The other challenge is to learn a photo editing program. You might be able to see the details upon proper editing. Mask the bird and to see if you can bring out any detail without killing the background. If you post the original file, I am sure some here will give it a try.
Good luck.
Here is the bad news. Once you learn more about your camera, you will want a camera that saves as raw, displays a histogram and will shoot bracketed pictures rapidly and automatically. What is bad about this? $$$$$
The other challenge is to learn a photo editing program. You might be able to see the details upon proper editing. Mask the bird and to see if you can bring out any detail without killing the background. If you post the original file, I am sure some here will give it a try.
Good luck.
Nov 18, 2011 06:15:08 #
Washed out highlights, hmmm. What everyone else said is true, but one thing to remember...you can often recover detail in deep shadow areas because the information is all there, just needs to be brought out. However with washed out whites, there is little or no information recorded, so there's nothing to bring out. White subjects with detail (feathers for example) are very difficult to keep pure white and record the detail at the same time.
In your photo, you have a white subject against a very dark background, possibly beyond the dynamic range of your camera sensor, so to preserve detail in the subject, you have to sacrifice the background detail by exposing for the white swan. What can help in fast-moving situations like this is to take an INCIDENT light reading with a separate meter and basing your camera settings on that. Your camera meter only records REFLECTED light.
In your photo, you have a white subject against a very dark background, possibly beyond the dynamic range of your camera sensor, so to preserve detail in the subject, you have to sacrifice the background detail by exposing for the white swan. What can help in fast-moving situations like this is to take an INCIDENT light reading with a separate meter and basing your camera settings on that. Your camera meter only records REFLECTED light.
Nov 18, 2011 06:17:47 #
Nov 18, 2011 06:18:51 #
Try using the shadow/highlight option in Photoshop to reduce the highlights. My example is below. Please note: reduction of the highlights made a dark area of the body look like a bad stain, so I cloned most of it out.
It would still be better to overcome this problem than to fix it in post processing. Some cameras have highlight priority options. If yours does, use it. Set the shutter speed up a bit, reduce the ISO, or the exposure compensation. You might have to lose a shot or two at first, but soon you will develop a knack for how to set your camera for such shots.
It would still be better to overcome this problem than to fix it in post processing. Some cameras have highlight priority options. If yours does, use it. Set the shutter speed up a bit, reduce the ISO, or the exposure compensation. You might have to lose a shot or two at first, but soon you will develop a knack for how to set your camera for such shots.
Nov 18, 2011 07:21:21 #
PNagy wrote:
Try using the shadow/highlight option in Photoshop... (show quote)
I decided to give a try to. I did a lot of masking but my result is essentially the same as Pnagy's. The main conclusion is that the file lacks a lot of information to do justice to the bird. By time you dial up the detail, you are blowing out the highlights. What works in both our versions is to create drama by increasing contrast and tonal range. As a result, the bird pops out from the background and this alone is an improvement over the original.
Two lessons learned here: get the right exposure (hard to do in a shot like this, the bird is not going to freeze in mid-air) and work the shot in post-process.
Nov 18, 2011 08:29:45 #
You're right. It would be better to get it right in camera. But, you did do a good job on the bird. Well done.
PNagy wrote:
Try using the shadow/highlight option in Photoshop... (show quote)
Nov 18, 2011 09:28:46 #
GaZoomIn wrote:
You need to change your white balance setting. Sin... (show quote)
How do you bracket a bird in flight? :-)
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