This is from the Post ask your questions here.
https://www.modelmayhem.com/p.php?thread_id=252362

This is an open thread for all to voice answers in  the locked thread is listed here:


ok question:

Stephen,

Another thank you for starting this thread.  This is an exposure and processing question.

Your photographs (and a very few others) are remarkably sharp, and show a depth of color that I have been unable to attain.  Would you please share how you expose your images, and perhaps just a bit of your post processing?




Not much too it, I expose for what I want and adjust fine color in ACR, I use canon 1ds series cameras or H2 with a P45 back and as a back up to that I have an aptus 75s that I really no longer use but maintain as a backup to the P45. 

Not looking to spend 30,000 on a back and another 8-12,000 on a camera?  Than I feel there is only one option currently available, the Canon 1ds3, it is a remarkable camera as was the 1ds2 before it.  If the 1ds3 is a bit pricey the 1ds2 is still around on the used market and worth it for anyone as a main camera or back up to a digital back or 1ds3.  I would say that below that I would look into a 1dsmark1 yes the 11MP version, I still recommend that over the 5d in general unless you will be doing mainly high iso shooting, but for anything with controlled lighting at 200iso or less the 1ds had a definite advantage in my mind, and today I would say for high iso performance look at a 40D which are very inexpensive, and if you are needing to shoot high iso the least of the image quality problems should be a lack of a full frame, since there are enough lenses now that can handle the wide and out perform in quality what the noise will screw up. 

I do not do any capture sharpening, it does nothing but make you feel better when viewing the image. Sharpening should be the last step and should not be done to a master file that way you can open an unsharpened file, flatten up size if needed to the specified file dimensions needed and sharpen specifically for each specific output or offset press. 

As for lighting here is a hint, not at all conclusive but often the issue many have, first don't blow out everything especially skin, expose to the right is as dumb as expose to the left, expose for what you want the end result to look like and know the dynamic range of your camera so you can allow for slight under and overexposed areas to create contrast and drama and keep it within the limits of the sensor to maintain sufficient detail in the raw to maximize it later if needed.  Expose for the look and feel, if its a very light and airy blown out skin type shot fine expose that way, if you want some deeper color and tonality expose that way! 

Next lighting in general.  Again this is not at all conclusive, but ....

Well if using a softbox or umbrella or octobox, octadome, octabank, Softlighter 2, bounce off flats  STOP! 

If using a beauty dish, make it silver not white and grid it, if using a diamond box, glamour box STOP! 

Try a bare reflector, gridded, silver beauty dish and grids, Fresnel, focusable spotlight, harsher rims and side lighting.  That's harder.

Wait.... Let me guess if you just read anything else I answered I just said everyone should go out and buy a softlighter 2 which is a very good low cost alternative to an elincrom octabank that is one of the softest most wrap around light sources available!  So what the hell am I on to say this?

Well sadly, nothing, nada, zilch, I am this screwed up in the head without the benefits of some strange substances that alter my mind in ways that many non control freaks find "groovy man" 

I am telling you that all sources are great to use, but the softer the source the softer the light the softer the shadows tend to be the less the contrast tend to be and appear and that tends to be why many have a lack of perceived sharpness in their images, learning to control harder light will add some contrast in and a little punch and snap, crackle and pop!    than you can take what you know and apply it to big soft lights and start to get that sparkle using them all.  But you must be in control of the light and especially spill and unwanted bounce!  I never understand why people always like to paint a multi use photos studio white!  It should be black!  But that's depressing so make it a deep gray and put one of those of lights for S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) on when depressed! heres a link to buy some  ( http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/li … lgoduEkMfQ )


Keep the stray light to a minimum!  You'll thank me later, or your be too depressed to do so in which case sorry

Now some of the other answers get into good color, start with this one  https://www.modelmayhem.com/p.php?thread_id=254682  its about gels and filters and getting good color!  Plus it took a whole bunch of time to write so at least of you say you read it it will make me less in need of a S.A.D. light 

As for post production, its very, very rare that I do not add contrast, digital cameras capture too much range and try to maintain detail all the way from white to black, you should not always have that, black should be black!  White should be white!  Why would I want 87 shades of lighter and lighter gray and 26 shades of darker and darker gray when I should have white and black!    So I put it back in and add some contrast, this boosts color saturation often, use an s-curve on an adjustment layer, its cool!  now issue is an s-curve sometimes makes things too warm and contrasty, but not too much contrast, just the yellows went a bit much, so take the adjustment layer and turn the opacity to 50% than duplicate it, and you are right back to too much yellow!     I know, I just like making you do things    just kidding, now the point was to take the second and turn the blend mode of that second 50% s-curve layer to luminosity and you will  see a shift in color but maintain the overall contrast.  You may want to adjust these two layers to more like 75-25%  in either way or anywhere that looks good too you, I am not there so I would be of little help in telling you what that would be

I rarely ever use a boost in saturation and if I do its not on skin but on other areas,  but very often use curve adjustment layers, and because I like all you I will let you have some I put online a long time ago, they have some screwy names, and some that actually make sense.  Ignore the names, I am not renaming them all have been used to these names since 2001 I think, I am not looking to learn a new name for an old curve!  I will say that the skin one that is beyond best and has been duplicated (supposedly) by many companies and added into plug ins for skin (never use plug ins so I don't know if they did a good job or not)  is warmer  not warm, to warmtwo not cool, but warmer!  its cool in a warm sort of way   the link to find them is here http://nyphotographics.com/ftppage.htm  scroll around till you find curves. 




Here are a few samples from a 1ds3 full size jpgs

http://stepheneastwood.com/Canon/Files/

I personally like these

http://stepheneastwood.com/Canon/Files/ … 49warm.jpg

http://stepheneastwood.com/Canon/Files/ … 48full.jpg

Some large 1ds3 files you can check I suggest you blow them up in steps, nothing fancy 110% up to say 60x90inch at 300 and print some crops and see how it looks.  Plenty of detail that we would have to remove before reskin texturizing.   

Here are some 1ds2 images, most of these I think were taken with a 35-350 L lens. 

Right click and save as 

http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … 5158cd.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … 77copy.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … leanem.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … 2D6290.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … 2D5043.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … ntrast.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … 77copy.jpg
http://plasticmagonline.com/forftpdown/ … 2_0144.jpg



Here are a few raw 1ds2 files, you can see in acr what they look like and the acr setting I used  this will be backward compatible to Photoshop CS2  the xmp file is included in each zip take both or it has no value looking since those settings are the starting point out of the camera.

These are out of the camera raw, the adjustment from raw is included for acr open them and open them in Photoshop to see what they would look like coming into Photoshop to start

http://plasticmagonline.com/1_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/2_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/3_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/4_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/5_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/6_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/7_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/8_35-350.zip

http://plasticmagonline.com/10_35-350.zip





My typical files have many layers sometimes 10 sometimes 115 and most are adjustment layers of some sort and all have masks to be selective  I am quirky like that  


The final thought I have here is this.   Learn to see!  I can't tell yo how many calls, emails and letters I get from people who say I cannot get good skin color, they go on to say I love the skin tone you get, which leads me to conclude 1.  they are relatively intelligent, and 2. they are not color blind!    that said they are still getting bland, horrible lackluster skin!  I only want to know what are they looking at on the screen when making adjustments and why do they stop adjusting when the color looks bad to them and call it done?  Most do not have a color fairy coming at night and going through their files and correcting things for them, I know mine told me she does not visit many others around this planet

And incase you missed it, here are a few examples (meant to be a bit warm toned) that many have sadi is nice skin color and they were from a little G9 point and shoot (converted from raw)








Here is the thread with links to fullsize versions of them https://www.modelmayhem.com/p.php?thread_id=249588


And I will say that it was very little work to get the skin color, in fact it may have been easier to adjust than many higher end dslr's and digital backs, since the lack of dynamic range and tendency toward contrast makes the shot more contrasty to start!  And thats a POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA! 


So shoot and look at the file and do not stop until the skin looks good to you!  Unless you are lucky enough to find a color fairy of your own,  mine is purple



Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com

I do very much enjoy reading you rave like a lunatic Stephen...I just feel..so...at home! Ta!

I made a black studio space a way back...matt black paint...it was a tad sad for a while...but then I stole all the bedlamps from the missus and warmed the place up. People now comment on how nice it feels.

somehow these Canon Ads just seem too much at times....

I wonder if being as Canon Print Master brings a paycheck, if so these kinds of promotions should really come with an Ad disclaimer.

That same shots could just as easily been captured with a walgreen's disposable film camera, with better sharpness and less noise. It was all about the pp, model, makeup and lighting. The camera is immaterial in a shot like that at web resolution.

Thanks for these tips Stephen. Had a ball trying out my homemade grid...I didn't make it...I bought it at a garage sale...bent...stuck together with tape...messy...BUT! It's great for putting the light where you want it.

Excuse the shmozzle..just posted this to show my first effort. Extra light from brolleys. (underexposed two full stops by accident...but she has a lovely smile)

Mind you...it didn't make my pal Col purdy.

But Cowboys r' Easy! Er!



edit: yuk...mucked up the sharpening!

But...everything has a positive.

You can see the difference between a silver umbrella and a grid. The umbrella from his right is really hard to control..eg the highlights. The grid from his left is pointed higher than his face...to avoid the highlight...the light on his left cheek is almost a penumbra light...you can see the gradual drop off, coming from his hat and down the face.

I love this stuff!

thanks for the good info mr. eastwood!

Thank you again Mr. Eastwood for every single, gehd-damn one of your posts. heh heh heh.

D

Cool info man, thanx for sharing

i give you so much respect for taking time out of your day to post this and help out

thank you.



anyone elses favourites folder getting filled up with mr.eastwood's posts?

Stephen,

If you have already done this I apologize for bringing it up, and could you point me to the thread but...

" If the 1ds3 is a bit pricey the 1ds2 is still around on the used market and worth it for anyone as a main camera or back up to a digital back or 1ds3.  I would say that below that I would look into a 1dsmark1 yes the 11MP version, I still recommend that over the 5d in general unless you will be doing mainly high iso shooting, but for anything with controlled lighting at 200iso or less the 1ds had a definite advantage in my mind."

What are the advantages in image processing? As I progress, and look to upgrading my primary camera, in a year or so, from a 5D to its successor or if warranted (by actually earning a living through photography/documentary work, heh) to something from the 1ds series. I now have L glass, so I'm set there. Most of what I've been doing is photo journalistic. Very little controlled lighting. Lots of high ISO. Hell, whenever I walk into a theater or a tent I automatically go to 1600 and f2.8-4 (like this stuff, proof only, be nice http://daflye.net/photography/BHF2008/)

But what is the biggest difference in the files for you? 12bit capture vs. 14 bit (an obvious advantage but not in the 1dsII)/processor power, something physically different in the sensor (array, photosite size, etc...). I know the 1 series are built way tougher, but that's not really an issue in controlled settings.

Sorry if I just went in a circle, or square, but curious.

Thanks again,
D

Yes the sensor is different as is the way the file is processed and handled before the raw.  The 1ds2 file and the 1ds file has more depth to the gradations than the 5D and if your not sacrificing the high noise characteristics of the 5D over them go for either one of the 1ds/1ds2  and of course the 1ds3 over it.  Color fidelity is better in all gradations and quartertones.  The 5D is more punchy out of the camera and smoother to appear to have more even tone, the 1ds has more to the file. 

All this is only concerning raw files.  JPGS are of no use to me for anything but giving to clients to look through for selections.  I never open or look at them so I do not know if any are of any value. 

Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com

thanks.

D