December 2009 Newsletter

Hello Raw Shooters

November was very busy for all of us as we got caught up on our work load and look forward to the coming New Year.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the many good comments we get about our RAW post processing service. This is very encouraging and I want to thank all of you who send us your feedback. I know that often RAW editing is a “Subjective” process and having the best possible results depend on many different factors. When great photographers send me comments that our editing provides more details and accuracy, not only am I honored, it also makes me realize that what we do here is different.

I was reading a book about the Nikon D300 by Darrell Young and this part answered a question I’ve had for a long time! 

On page 56 of his wonderful book about Nikon D300 he wrote:

“The human brain can quickly adjust to an image’s color and perceive them as normal, even when they are not. That is one the dangers of not using correct WB. Since an unbalanced image on-screen is not compared to another correctly balanced image side-by-side, there is a danger that your brain may accept the slightly incorrect camera’s setting as normal, and your image will be saved with a color cast.” 

Here at RDIE we use calibrated displays and we profile our monitors every week. All jobs are double checked to ensure the best possible result. And for those images that are especially complicated, we use special color chart to measure the value of key colors and then apply them to the photos.

We are working on our new Blog , with plans to post all archived newsletters there as well. I will be posting technology related news there too.  My goal is to provide sources of selective industry news that is useful for pro photographers, so you don’t have to filter through tons of information on the internet.  Here at RDIE we are committed to saving you time in every way we can.

Be sure to click the link and check out our new Blog.  Your feed back and suggestions are always welcome.

Now let’s get to the tip of the month: 

How do I put some life into a dull, overcast and grey day, and get a nice colorful background?

Seems like a very tough job, doesn’t it? But the good news is: it is possible!  Let me show you how.

This first example was shot in diffused light from the sky, producing an image that is somewhat ordinary and plain.

In this second shot I used a flash to bring back some color and contrast to my image. It is much nicer but still nothing very interesting

The third shot is finally getting more dynamic!  Notice how my background has the blue cast while the subject maintains its color and contrast. 

More samples

Want to know how I did it?

Here is the trick. First you’ll want to set the white balance of your camera to Tungsten or 4300K, and then add an Amber filter to your flash to color balance it to Tungsten color temperature. I adjusted the shutter speed to a speed that made the ambient light (day light) a little dimmer and that is all. Give it a try – I know you’ll like the results. Even though we are now in the dull shorter days of December, you can still get outdoors and capture the beauty of our planet.

That’s all for this month. Stay tuned for more interesting tips and news.  

We love to hear from you - please send your feedback to: mailto:info@rawdigitalimageediting.com

For Archives of all our newsletters, visit our website at www.rawdigitalimageediting.com

Ted and Omnillargess Team

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