Some Newbie Questions
1) I have been experimenting with Levels and now I understand how it works. I do have questions regarding High Dynamic Range and the Curve. Do they complement Levels or are they mutually exclusive. If they are complementary then in what sequence should you edit?
2) Exposure Preferences - what are the recommended settings for Exposure and Shadow Warnings.
Thanks.
2) Exposure Preferences - what are the recommended settings for Exposure and Shadow Warnings.
Thanks.
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[quote="pjglad" wrote:
1) I have been experimenting with Levels and now I understand how it works. I do have questions regarding High Dynamic Range and the Curve. Do they complement Levels or are they mutually exclusive. If they are complementary then in what sequence should you edit?
2) Exposure Preferences - what are the recommended settings for Exposure and Shadow Warnings.
Thanks.
1) There is an Auto setting for the Levels and, if you click that or set the Auto Adjust during import you will see that the high and low range pointers move to the ends of the histogram in the Levels Control (see [2] below for more information about this). If you then move the sliders in the High Dynamic Range panel you will again see the histogram change and, if you again click on the Auto for Levels you will see the Levels control change to reflect the new setting. Given that, and what I understand you question to be, I have to say that changes in one can affect the other. I am not sure of what you mean when you say "mutually exclusive". Adjusting one does not adjust the other, but it does mean that further adjustments may be needed in the other.
As for the Curves, I can not say.
2) C1 is very configurable and one of the things users can do is set the system to make Auto corrections upon import. Further, the user can also set which adjustments will or will not be done when Auto corrections are made.
Clicking on the Auto Adjust when importing will automatically apply recommended settings and those settings will be applied for the control specified in the Adjustments -> Auto Adjustments control. Set the controls you wish to have auto adjusted and then click the auto adjust for import and the recommended settings for those controls, and no others, will be applied. My system is set for Exposure, HDR and Levels so those controls are set to their recommended values when raw files are imported. Perhaps that is what you are asking. I am not sure.
As for recommended Shadow (and Exposure?) warnings, those are by preference. I have them turned off by default and only turn them on when I need them. Further, I accept the defaults.
I don't know if any of this answers your questions.0 -
Thanks. So what does HDR do that Levels cannot do? Is HDR a refinement for Levels? What about sequence. Should you do Exposure first then followed by Levels then HDR? 0 -
If you have the curves tool open as you adjust say Levels or HDR (or other stuff like exposure) you will see the histogram displayed in the curves tool shifting. The curve you apply is applied to the histogram you see there, so it makes sense, I think to do the other stuff first and the curve later. (For example if you apply the Contrast pre-set in the curves tool, the curve you get has the same shape in the box whatever you do to the other controls. So if you adjust the Levels, the curve defines what output is mapped to from all the values between the top and bottom of the levels.)
Ian0 -
[quote="pjglad" wrote:
Thanks. So what does HDR do that Levels cannot do? Is HDR a refinement for Levels? What about sequence. Should you do Exposure first then followed by Levels then HDR?
HDR is attempting to recover information from blown out highlights or blocked shadows partly by comparing information from different colour channels. (So if the red channel is completely blown in the highlights the green channel may not be, and the algorithm can use that to reconstruct what should be going on in the red channel. Or something like that, if I understand it right. It is certainly just doing more than say shifting the markers on the levels, or boosting or reducing the output on the curve.)
As for sequence, I think it makes sense to try to adjust the overall exposure first (actually perhaps white balance before that) then HDR, then levels. But they do interact with each other and as Mike said, adjusting one might send you back to tweak another. [Edited to add: so working your way down the exposure tab from top to bottom. They are arranged in that order - unless you have rearranged them - for a logical reason.]
Ian0 -
Why White Balance first? Thanks. 0 -
[quote="pjglad" wrote:
Why White Balance first? Thanks.
It is generally recommended for any raw processing software that getting the white balance set right first is a good idea. However I would actually say in my experience that it depends on how you are setting the white balance. If you know the WB setting you need it is a good idea to set it as soon as you can, because otherwise you may not think that other adjustments you make look right. So if, for instance, you know that the scene you photographed was in direct sunlight, you can set the WB to Daylight with confidence. Or if you have a reference point in the shot such as a grey card or other neutral object.
However, if the lighting is rather strange, so that it is not obvious what the right WB should be, and you are just playing with it until it "looks right" then I think it is better to try to get the exposure about right first (judged by the histogram) because if it is significantly under or over exposed it is hard to judge when the colours look right.
From C1's point of view it doesn't matter whether you adjust WB before exposure or the other way round. The end result is the same.
Ian0 -
I found this on the WEB
Raw Processing Best Practices
Crop and straighten. Since it changes the composition, cropping can be the most significant change you can make to a photograph. It’s best to do it early in the process, but you need to use a method that allows you to go back and refine the crop later if you change your mind.
Correct distortion. Most camera lenses introduce various amounts of distortion to a picture; some more than others. Fix distortion as one of your first, regular steps.
Adjust exposure and tones. The tonal range of an image refers to the various levels of brightness of each pixel, from pure white to solid black. Tone is independent from color. Simply setting the white and black points can have a huge impact on the overall appearance of an image, so you should normally do this before moving on to color. Tonal contrast should also be handled during this step; variation between light and dark tones determines how much impact (or punch) a picture has. Naturally, some pictures will look best as low contrast.
Adjust white balance and color. White balance plays the biggest role in the color of a photo. If the photo has a strong color cast - for example, an indoor photo captured using outdoor white balance settings - you should fix it before addressing tone. But for images with white balance that seems fairly accurate, set the tone before refining the white balance. After setting white balance, consider making other color adjustments, most notably saturation and vibrance, which affect how pure and vivid the colors appear. Alternatively, convert to black-and-white or apply special color effects during this step.
Apply local adjustments. These are edits you make only to small areas of the picture. Examples are dodging and burning (lightening and darkening, respectively) and selective color adjustments. In general, you should try to make local adjustments after you’ve finished the global adjustments.
Apply noise reduction. Noise appears in digital images as soft colored blobs or grainy speckles. Most images can be improved with varying amounts of noise reduction. Photos captured at high ISO and ones that are significantly underexposed, will need more aggressive noise reduction. You’ll normally want to deal with noise reduction after you set tone and color, because those global adjustments will affect the appearance of noise. Zoom in for larger previews when adjusting noise reduction and sharpening.
Apply sharpening. Sharpening is all about contrast. The appearance of sharpness in a digital image is based on the relative lightness or darkness of neighboring pixels along the edges of lines within the picture. More contrast along the edges equals more sharpness. As such, you shouldn’t try to refine the sharpening levels until you’ve already set the global tone range, because the overall contrast of the image will have a major effect on the appearance of sharpness. Do your sharpening a bit further into the workflow.
Perform retouching. Many pictures contain elements that you want to remove altogether. In some cases, these are artifacts — undesirable results of digital processing or camera characteristics including noise, chromatic aberration, fringing and sensor dust spots. Other times, there’s something ugly in the frame. Other processing can reduce or eliminate the need for retouching, so it can be a waste of time and effort to retouch photos earlier in the workflow. Do your retouching toward the end of the workflow.0
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