exposure advice
Discussion
Hello all.
I went out for a walk at the weekend in/near Ely. Not quite full-on fenland, but there were some big skies to be had, and the weather was nice, blue skies with some clouds around. I took quite a few pics (never enough - must press shutter more!) but quite alot of them have blown the sky out. Now I can understand why this has happened, I was using evaluative metering (350D user), so including some ground in my shots means it averages it all out and the sky ends up with all the could detail blown. Though some of them have come out ok, fluke I guess.
So my question is, how to work around this problem?
I did try one shot on centre-weighted, but that came out even more cack.
I'd show examples, but a) the shame, and b) I've not got off my lazy ar5e and sorted m'hosting via ukbob yet.
DH2
I went out for a walk at the weekend in/near Ely. Not quite full-on fenland, but there were some big skies to be had, and the weather was nice, blue skies with some clouds around. I took quite a few pics (never enough - must press shutter more!) but quite alot of them have blown the sky out. Now I can understand why this has happened, I was using evaluative metering (350D user), so including some ground in my shots means it averages it all out and the sky ends up with all the could detail blown. Though some of them have come out ok, fluke I guess.
So my question is, how to work around this problem?
I did try one shot on centre-weighted, but that came out even more cack.
I'd show examples, but a) the shame, and b) I've not got off my lazy ar5e and sorted m'hosting via ukbob yet.
DH2
Use an ND Grad filter
or
Bracket your exposures.. (take 2 shots, 1 for sky exposure, 1 for ground)
or
shoot RAW and export 2 different exposures from your RAW developing software (fake braket) and composite together in paint application.
don't over do it or it'll look crap n fake..
s
or
Bracket your exposures.. (take 2 shots, 1 for sky exposure, 1 for ground)
or
shoot RAW and export 2 different exposures from your RAW developing software (fake braket) and composite together in paint application.
don't over do it or it'll look crap n fake..
s
I'd say your options are:
1. Use a ND grad filter on the sky.
2. Take two shots, one exposed for the ground and one for the sky and combine them in post processing.
3. Change the sky for one from another shot in post processing.
Unfortunatley the camera does not have the dynamic range to expose everthing.
1. Use a ND grad filter on the sky.
2. Take two shots, one exposed for the ground and one for the sky and combine them in post processing.
3. Change the sky for one from another shot in post processing.
Unfortunatley the camera does not have the dynamic range to expose everthing.
I'd say your options are:
1. Use a ND grad filter on the sky.
2. Take two shots, one exposed for the ground and one for the sky and combine them in post processing.
3. Change the sky for one from another shot in post processing.
Unfortunatley the camera does not have the dynamic range to expose everthing.
Greg
1. Use a ND grad filter on the sky.
2. Take two shots, one exposed for the ground and one for the sky and combine them in post processing.
3. Change the sky for one from another shot in post processing.
Unfortunatley the camera does not have the dynamic range to expose everthing.
Greg
If you have Photoshop CS2 you can shoot raw and then export two different exposures and use Photoshop's extended dynamic range import feature to combine them.
However, if it is like you said, then you would have needed probably more than +/- two stops to get it right, and so RAW still wouldn't have solved it. In that case you are stuck with 1) or 2)
For 2) (shoot two shots), here is a quick tutorial (ripped from a post sometime ago)...
When you look at a amazing sky in bright sunlight, and can still see the foreground, and then you take a picture and find that either the ground is dark with the Sky OK, or the Sky dissapears and the ground is OK, you should suddenly realise how clever the Eyeball M1+ is
The dynamic range (the difference between the magnitude of light and dark we can resolve) is an amazing 30,000:1, and if you take into account what we can achieve when moving from fully adapted dark vision to full "white out" (e.g. 100% snow coverage with no sun), then it's an amazing 1,000,000,000:1!!!!
Ay typical camera will be in the range of 250:1 to 450:1, about 100 times worse!
There are only two ways around this.
1) Take two pictures and combine.
Firstly take the sky correctly. I use "spot" metering, and set the meter point to be top middle on the camera. Remember a point in the scene that matches up with the viewfinder marks to aid alignment for the second shot.
2) Keep the camera the same (you don't need a tripod as you can sort out any 'skews' later in photoshop, but it does help) and move the spot metering point onto the foreground
Now, combine them in photoshop - I usually paint a mask and then use layers to combine - and you get this
The second way is to use a grad filter, but that's far too much of a faff
The above was done without any tripod. Easy!
J
However, if it is like you said, then you would have needed probably more than +/- two stops to get it right, and so RAW still wouldn't have solved it. In that case you are stuck with 1) or 2)
For 2) (shoot two shots), here is a quick tutorial (ripped from a post sometime ago)...
When you look at a amazing sky in bright sunlight, and can still see the foreground, and then you take a picture and find that either the ground is dark with the Sky OK, or the Sky dissapears and the ground is OK, you should suddenly realise how clever the Eyeball M1+ is
The dynamic range (the difference between the magnitude of light and dark we can resolve) is an amazing 30,000:1, and if you take into account what we can achieve when moving from fully adapted dark vision to full "white out" (e.g. 100% snow coverage with no sun), then it's an amazing 1,000,000,000:1!!!!
Ay typical camera will be in the range of 250:1 to 450:1, about 100 times worse!
There are only two ways around this.
1) Take two pictures and combine.
Firstly take the sky correctly. I use "spot" metering, and set the meter point to be top middle on the camera. Remember a point in the scene that matches up with the viewfinder marks to aid alignment for the second shot.
2) Keep the camera the same (you don't need a tripod as you can sort out any 'skews' later in photoshop, but it does help) and move the spot metering point onto the foreground
Now, combine them in photoshop - I usually paint a mask and then use layers to combine - and you get this
The second way is to use a grad filter, but that's far too much of a faff
The above was done without any tripod. Easy!
J
flameop said:
just one will suffice...
valid point, well made
joust said:
you should suddenly realise how clever the Eyeball M1+ is
tell me about it, I am always amazed at how good eyes are, and at the same time disappointed at how my photographs never look as good as they do with my eyes at the time
thanks for the tutorial - unfortunately I don't have spot metering, but I am sure I can work around that.
also need to learn how to select stuff in a clever way like that in Photoshop (only have Elements). so much to learn...
DH2
Edited by dh2 on Friday 1st September 11:07
dh2 said:
thanks for the tutorial - unfortunately I don't have spot metering, but I am sure I can work around that.
also need to learn how to select stuff in a clever way like that in Photoshop (only have Elements). so much to learn...
If the sky is blown out, then the magic wand will normally select it all...... also need to learn how to select stuff in a clever way like that in Photoshop (only have Elements). so much to learn...
Then feather the selection a few pixels to make the replacement smooth and you should easily work it out.
J
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