Thanks!
You may see other samples here: http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test

Tell me please what image better for color correct

This is what our new girl Radka shot Friday. She's been with us a week and I've been busy teaching her how to shoot. Eva set the lights. It's a big file, I just cropped it from 3000x2000 and saved it in Photoshop at 10 compression.

http://www.paulmarkham.com/temp/radka1.jpg

I think it's a bit red but we can fix that in Photoshop. But Radka has the "porno" touch I think. It was shot with a Nikon D100 and a Sigma pro zoom lens, I personally prefer the fixed lenses.

My comments to you were meant to be constructive, they were meant to help you, by continually posting bad pictures you are harming yourself.

Ok Charly! I see what do you need to correct their own images also... The Digital cameras have problem with color scheme... need correct colors but I want get better result for designers...

http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/paultest.jpg

http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/mixtest.jpg

That's damn nice color right out of the camera Paul! :thumbsup

Lok at what my model is in and your model. You are picking up too much bounced yellow saturated light from the surroundings. Light bounces and everytime it does it picks up something of the color it bounces off of, as in a gold umbrella.

Mine now looks a little blue here and in Photoshop it looked red, but I'm picking at things. It works within our style. Try a meter reading off the white frame around the picture.

You have to get the model into a different setting or use some throws over the sofa. The girls skin tone seems fine, but the overall effect is a "brown" picture.

The shadow under the eyes is due to the front light being too high, drop it and it might improve, but then beware of reflected light. To measure that I think you can use that light meter.

My suggestion is make a trip to IKEA and buy some of the furniture there. Some porn mags are like an IKEA catalogue. LOL

You are not going to be able to get good information by taking readings off of someones skin. Skin is supposed to have color to it and therefore will not give you the information that you are seeking. You should take your photoshop readings off of the white card. Read the numbers on the white card - they should all be the same number (red=255, green=255, blue=255). If the numbers are not all the same, you will know what colors are giving you the color cast and then know how to correct the cast.

I do like the fact that you are testing this new camera before you shoot something important with it. I think you have the right idea with the white cardboard cards - I used to test slide film in this fashion many years ago when I shot slide film. Most people who shoot content in this industry would not have taken the steps that you have already taken to try to fine tune your camera settings. :thumbsup

Good luck,

Dean*

can we see some nudie pics of her :Graucho

Reflected light and reflected color... For this test I used home furniture... :)

Hey Mix - here's some damn good reading in regards to color, color management and digital workflow. It's been helpful to me more than once:
http://www.normankoren.com/

d*

Thanks Dean!
I make this tests for all... If this thread is created only for blabbermouths... I shall be distressed

Thanks Dean! I will send this url my designers...

http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/leel.jpg

And that could be part of the problem, most of us have brown/cream furniture/deco because its soothing. But not good for photographing nudes on.

Get a GretagMacbeth Color Checker card and their Greycard. This will give you true colors to work from. www.gretagmacbeth.com

I saved all your photos and viewed them on a slide show. All your images are yellow except the one with the cowboy hat and the gun. Use those settings and you will have normal skin tones.:thumbsup

Where did you come up with the idea to scribble out the settings on the WB card? Was it yours or someone else's? Great idea, and it's good to have a cute model in the shot too! :Graucho

I would be able to give you a better analysis if her bra was on the floor. JK. :eyecrazy

I like #2 it is brighter for one. Some say a little washed out, but her skin to me looks silky smooth in that one (Hitachi CM721F CRT is what I am using.) As far as the yellow, go with it! It is more natural looking. It looks like lighting from a halogen torchiere lamp. I like it.

Just my two bits, oh wait I don't have two.

Mallinsons School Of Photography 1980 :2 cents:

For both a samples I used same light and settings of camera...
Simple options in Photoshop... open, shift+ctrl+l, save :)

Parameters for this Samples:
Contrast: +1
Sharpness: +2
Saturation: 0
Color Tone: 0

Original
http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/step_1.jpg

Result
http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/step_3.jpg

same settings and same action... :)
Original
http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/step_1_1.jpg

Result
http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/step_1_3.jpg

I also love the natural tone of the skin (the patients of the morgue I do not like)... I usually shoot slides and never do processing in Photoshop... How much people - so much opinions... :)

They all have a yellow tint except the one with the cowboy hat.

Also for correct you can use this profile: http://www.mixphoto.com/images/light_test/correct.alv

As a rule, when using strobes, the shutter speed is not nearly as important as the aperture.

The flash lasts about 1/500 of a sec, and the critical factor is setting the lens opening to allow the correct amount of light in, for proper exposure of the flash lit subject.

You have to keep the shutter below the flash sync speed of your camera, of course.

Where the shutter speed is important, is if you are trying to capture a background that is not being lit by the strobe, or by separate lighting with a different luminance. Not likely if you are doing porn.

And it is always better to underexpose. You can correct that. Too much light, and you blow away information and you can't recover it.


Be careful about any light that is bouncing off coloured walls or ceilings. You can pick up unwanted colour that way.

Thanks! I know it! :)

This my idea... Now all my photographers before shooting must do such shot... So I can check quality of the work each photographer...

It comes from the days of shooting on slide film, when it was 1-5 days before you saw the results.

We would shoot a whole range of setting then when the film was processed we had a note of the setting of each shot. Was absolutely invaluable.#

Part of your difficulties might come from inadequate use of the flashmeter.

The dome has to be extended and pointed toward the camera to measure the overall light. ( I see that you corrected that in the last images you posted)

When using it with the dome retracted, the light sensor has to be pointed toward the light sources, and you take a reading for each source to figure out your lighting ratio.

As for color balance, I just balance by eye.

If you shoot for printing, you've got to be obsessive about color balance.

For web viewing experience, the individual monitors varies so much that nobody sees the same thing. I've never heard of a porn customer runing color-calibrated monitors...

Most monitors have factory default of 9000+K, so I do all my color correction at 9000K.

At the beginning of each set I take, I ask the model to hold a white cotton towel in front of her.

I use that pic to white-balance (a rare requirement). I prefer that to using a white piece of paper.

I shoot w flash (Profoto Acute2 1200), 5600K

I use a Sekonik meter like your, but the model without the spot attachment. I adjust my ratios, and my overall exposure.

I cross-check the exposure on the histogram (I have the post-shot camera display set to Info all the time) to make sure my dynamic range covers most of the camera range.

If I want to shoot a lot of movement, I need a *fast* recycling time. To do so, I open the lens and shorten the flash energy. I always shoot at 1/200th of a second.

Then, the modeling lights of the flash will give a clearly pink tinge to the image (tungsten halogen is a 3200k while the flash heads) because the ratio of 3200k light to 5600K light gets higher. Then, I use in-camera color balance on a white cotton towel.

Somebody remarked that the laundry detergent whiteners (fluorescent stuff) might screw-up my color temperature readings under flash, but it does not seem to cause me any problems. In fact, it might change the relative color balance between the brightened clothes and skin. I'm shooting for the web, it does not seem to matter very much, so I never dwelled into it more. If I shoot for print, that'll be another thing to do. Beside, lots of white paper contains brighteners too... As for my Kodak grey card, well, it's now grey on both sides. :)



If you don't have a flashmeter, there is a relatively easy way to set exposure (this camera is WON-DER-FUL!) . It'll require some trial and error, but it works.

Shoot on a large white object (I really love the towel... :-) )
Then, check the histogram.

The values at the extreme right of the histogram are the white areas of the image. IF there is saturation, i.e. the histogram spills out to the right, and you have a bunch of flashing pixels on your image display, reduce your light or close your lens. Bring the brightest pixels nearest as possible to the end of the histogram, but not completely on the end (because you'll saturate pixels)

Then, you have the widest possible dynamic range of information in the picture. (I dunno if it holds true for all colors, though; that's why I think I get better results if I close down by 1/3rd stop from saturated)

To get a satisfying setup usually requires taking three to six images to get the perfect setup. Easily done in 30 to 60 seconds.

To check your ratios, use the same technique, but use each flashheads independently, and angle the towel perpendicular toward the flash head. Take one final reading for each light source.


And another trick. Textbook-perfect exposure is not necessarily what is right... Overexposed pics sometimes makes the skin look younger, less imperfect. Shave 2 years off a 25 y.o. girl by overexposing 1 stop... :D

The viewer doesn't give a damn about textbook-perfect exposure; he want to experience, to feel something...

... but don't overexpose the skin of a beach bunny in a tanning session. :D