Blown out sky
Feb 20, 2018 07:30:39 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Lightroom can do a lot to bring back the sky. Move the Highlight slider all the way to the left. You can also use the Blue slider to increase the intensity of the blue in the sky.
One thing you should realize about the color of the sky is that your position relative to the sun makes a big difference. Shoot in one direction, and the sky will be blue. Turn around and shoot in the opposite direction, and it will be white.
One thing you should realize about the color of the sky is that your position relative to the sun makes a big difference. Shoot in one direction, and the sky will be blue. Turn around and shoot in the opposite direction, and it will be white.
Watch the video at this link
https://topdownvideos.com/training/tone-mapping/
you will see lightroom does some interesting things with tones including rolling off the gain in the highlights basically if you roll back the exposure a couple of stops all of a sudden what looked white often has a lot of detail.
it really is pretty sweet. If you use lightroom this video will really make you sit up and take notice.
Feb 20, 2018 08:01:10 #
There are many solutions to your dilemma, some better and easier than others depending on where your interests lie. I first approach each photo with "what is the subject" and begin with composition and exposure for that. From there I decide whether I want "out of camera" or "PP" as a final. If your goal is to get the best pic humanly possible then there is lots to think about but primarily becoming intimately familiar with 1 or more editing programs and resolving to shoot raw. If you prefer to shoot in JPG (JPEG) and you use photoshop, be sure to convert and work in 16 bit color mode. Having said all that, the sky is the easiest to deal with in post editing (in PS) as it can be selected fairly easily selected and adjusted.
Feb 20, 2018 08:19:04 #
All of the methods I see here can work well. A newer method involves luminosity masking/blending in Photoshop. I find it works very well for replacing bright skies. There are some good tutorials, just do an internet search. I like the results better, in general, than HDR and it avoids the banding you can get by overusing the highlight sliders. You still will have to take a separate exposure for the sky.
Feb 20, 2018 08:20:26 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Lightroom can do a lot to bring back the sky. Move the Highlight slider all the way to the left. You can also use the Blue slider to increase the intensity of the blue in the sky.
One thing you should realize about the color of the sky is that your position relative to the sun makes a big difference. Shoot in one direction, and the sky will be blue. Turn around and shoot in the opposite direction, and it will be white.
One thing you should realize about the color of the sky is that your position relative to the sun makes a big difference. Shoot in one direction, and the sky will be blue. Turn around and shoot in the opposite direction, and it will be white.
I did not know that. I'll have to check it out. Thanks Jerry.
Feb 20, 2018 08:30:04 #
Miss. Diaz, you are correct, by 9 AM here in South Florida the light is usually harsh with strong shadows. As you know, during our winter times it is much more pleasant than during the summer months.
When using digital your first priority are the highlights because as you have seen already once you loose details in them those details are very difficult to get back. Always meter from an important highlight and keep in mind that the exposure meter reproduces the highlight as a middle tonality (18% gray) so compensation of the exposure is necessary to bring back the brightness.
One way to deal with the bright sky is using a polarizer filter. Polarizers have a filter factor of 2 which means that you loose 2 stops of light so keep that in mind. Do not meter from the sky when using the polarizer, that is not necessary. The polarizer will saturate the color of the sky and bring back the beautiful clouds that will pop in your images. It will also saturate other colors and eliminate reflections from non metallic surfaces which makes it very useful to photograph the foliage during the autumn season. I do not recommend it for use with a wide angle because only part of the sky will be polarized making the photograph look unnatural.
Opening of the shadow areas, as you have been doing, will improve the exposure of those areas if needed but your highlights will be properly exposed, which is important with digital photography.
Good luck...and practice to check the results.
When using digital your first priority are the highlights because as you have seen already once you loose details in them those details are very difficult to get back. Always meter from an important highlight and keep in mind that the exposure meter reproduces the highlight as a middle tonality (18% gray) so compensation of the exposure is necessary to bring back the brightness.
One way to deal with the bright sky is using a polarizer filter. Polarizers have a filter factor of 2 which means that you loose 2 stops of light so keep that in mind. Do not meter from the sky when using the polarizer, that is not necessary. The polarizer will saturate the color of the sky and bring back the beautiful clouds that will pop in your images. It will also saturate other colors and eliminate reflections from non metallic surfaces which makes it very useful to photograph the foliage during the autumn season. I do not recommend it for use with a wide angle because only part of the sky will be polarized making the photograph look unnatural.
Opening of the shadow areas, as you have been doing, will improve the exposure of those areas if needed but your highlights will be properly exposed, which is important with digital photography.
Good luck...and practice to check the results.
Feb 20, 2018 08:37:59 #
lianetdiaz wrote:
Hi to all, br br As you might already know South ... (show quote)
What you do is fine. Focus for the sky and bring up the shadows in post. A lot depends on how many stops difference are in the scene and how much noise gets added bringing up the shadows. Many of the newer cameras have excellent sensors. This is also where HDR can come in very handy. My camera has built in HDR. it will take three shots set to +/- one to three stops(I set this number). It saves the raw files and I dump them into LR. You can do the same even manually but I'd suggest a tripod.
Feb 20, 2018 08:56:47 #
As I was coming back from the barn this morning I noted that in my part of Florida the sky was light grey to "blown-out" in all directions. This reminded me that I too have tried to find a way to darken a sky in a photo when in fact the camera was accurate: the sky was not blue when the photo was taken. If this is the case then no amount of PP darkening will produce a blue sky where one did not exist. A full sky transplant will be the only option. You tube has lots of tutorials on how to do this. The "render clouds" feature of Elements rarely produces good results, but might be worth a try if the amount of sky is small, as is your tolerance for unrealistic results.
Feb 20, 2018 09:04:56 #
wteffey wrote:
As I was coming back from the barn this morning I ... (show quote)
Part of the problem with Elements is that it only works with 8-bit results and it cannot handle the range needed that RAW can provide.
Feb 20, 2018 09:07:48 #
pithydoug wrote:
What you do is fine. Focus for the sky and bring up the shadows in post. A lot depends on how many stops difference are in the scene and how much noise gets added bringing up the shadows. Many of the newer cameras have excellent sensors. This is also where HDR can come in very handy. My camera has built in HDR. it will take three shots set to +/- one to three stops(I set this number). It saves the raw files and I dump them into LR. You can do the same even manually but I'd suggest a tripod.
Did you really want to say "Focus for the sky..." or did you intend to say "Expose for the sky...", which, to me, would be the better approach?
Feb 20, 2018 09:08:09 #
pithydoug wrote:
What you do is fine. Focus for the sky and bring up the shadows in post. A lot depends on how many stops difference are in the scene and how much noise gets added bringing up the shadows. Many of the newer cameras have excellent sensors. This is also where HDR can come in very handy. My camera has built in HDR. it will take three shots set to +/- one to three stops(I set this number). It saves the raw files and I dump them into LR. You can do the same even manually but I'd suggest a tripod.
With Raw you can do quite a lot I took this out of the camera shot
http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2018/2/20/t1-296407-igp9986.jpg
I made 3 tiff files from it pushing the exposure up and down 3 stops and then used Nik HDR to merge the 3 back together
http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2018/2/20/t1-297061-igp9986_edit_3_hdr.jpg
its way too much I know and i didn't refine at all but doesn't it show there is a lot more captured than you might expect.
I was inspired to try this from
https://topdownvideos.com/training/tone-mapping/
It's really worth watching.
Feb 20, 2018 09:25:59 #
Wow! Great example!
Gene51 wrote:
If you try to shoot in a way that you can retain some detail in the sky, you will likely be able to process the image to make the sky completely satisfactory. Your options are much improved if you shoot at base ISO for your camera and record raw files as opposed to jpegs. The odds are in your favor shooting raw, since a raw file has more capability at the extremes - highlights and shadows - than a jpeg.
Here is an example of what I am talking about.
Here is an example of what I am talking about.
Feb 20, 2018 09:33:57 #
Feb 20, 2018 09:50:03 #
If shooting people compose without much sky in the frame. Blah sky is just blah. So don't in life it.
Feb 20, 2018 10:01:29 #
wteffey wrote:
As I was coming back from the barn this morning I ... (show quote)
When the sky is grey or dull and there is nothing worth bringing out, just avoid including the sky in your shot. Frame your shots below the horizon or look for smaller subjects. The diffused light from a bright but overcast sky can present a whole range of possibilities you can't get on bright sunny days.
Feb 20, 2018 10:49:34 #
lianetdiaz wrote:
Hi to all, br br As you might already know South ... (show quote)
Your solution is definitely viable. As you have seen by all the suggestions, there are multiple ways to accomplish a good result!
The main thing to remember is that once the highlights are completely blown out, they can NOT be recovered. But when they look blown out, but in reality not completely, then detail can be recovered. It is a question of balance - Gene51's example is an excellent demonstration of that. Exposing the sky so it is not blown out, but details only faintly visible, and then bringing up the shadows in post processing works. If the part that is underexposed will not handle a bit of noise, that is when HDR comes in handy.
When not sure about what will work the best, I take photos at multiple exposures [bracketing] with the camera on a tripod. Then I have the materials to work with regardless of what method I decide will work the best. It is more photos to deal with, but any useless ones can simply be deleted or not used!
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.