10 replies to this topic

[Tony]

I spotted this beautiful flower in a field in Sherwood, Oregon.  Thanks for looking and please feel free to offer any comments/suggestions.

 

Tonyt

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[Tony]

This flower was in the same field as the first photo.  I did the best I could with PP Editing in regards to cloning and healing.

The sharpness you see is about as far as I could go without inviting a lot of white fringing.  As it is, I can see some white fringing, but not too bad.  Thanks for looking and please feel free to offer any comments/suggestions.

 

Antonio

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[Merco_61]

Tony, as you apparently like to look at red flowers in the midday sun and take their photographs, a 20 in Lastolite diffusor or an ebay knockoff would be worth getting and carrying with you in the camera bag. They are only about 8 inches in diameter when folded for transport and having a scrim available makes shots like this *much* easier. They are small enough to handhold when you shoot up close to your subject and are fast to both unfold and fold up again.

 

As it is so easy to lose details in the red petals, bracket your shots when shooting and when you come home, take note of what exposure relative to the meter gave the most usable results. That way, with a systematic approach, you will find that your results improve fast.

 

I am not sure that the square crop does the flower justice and would like to see a bit more of the green background camera right.

 

In the yellow rose shot, there are no blown details, but the hard light doesn't flatter the flower and would have benefited from a scrim as well.

[Ron]

I would like to see the original, straight out of the camera, versions of both of these images. The red one is probably sharpened more than necessary and appears to be over saturated. The yellow flower is nice but the presence of dark shadows detract from it a bit.  Peter's suggestions concerning scrims are spot on. It's very difficult to get good flower images in strong sunlight. An alternative to using a scrim would be to either wait for a passing cloud (preferred) or come back later when the sun is lower in the sky and it's light is more scattered. You can also use a person to block the direct sunlight but this sometimes results in too great a loss of light which then necessitates the use of an off camera flash... yeah, I know. Sounds weird. But with iTTL flashes the results (even on auto) can be stunning. 

 

--Ron

[Tony]

I am very disappointed in regards to the results on the first flower.  Typically I get really good results with the K100d Super and the 18~55mm kit lens.  This combo usually handles the reds and yellows very well.  The first flower I do not recall sharpening, only that Windows Photo Editor 10 does not have a sharpening tool.  With regards to the yellow flower, everything that was said is ; D.O.T.  Direct On Target.  I used the square crop because to the right, there was nothing but junk, unsightly junk at that.  Okay, I am going to upload another photo that was taken a minute before the other two.  You will see how the kit lens handles both red and yellow when they are together.  All I did on this one was some cloning and healing.  This is really wonderful to get such talented assistance, and it is very much appreciated. Once opened, you will see some white fringing.  Thanks so much.  Tony

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[Merco_61]

Tony, how many times did you save the red flower during PP? It is possible that Windows Photo Editor applies some kind of output sharpening on each save as well as recompressing the jpeg. This would give the sharpening and jpeg compression artifacts that are visible, even in this reduced size version.

[Ron]

The only Windows Photo Editor that I can find on the Microsoft app store is one made by Aviary, Inc. Is that the one you're using, Tony?

 

--Ron

[Merco_61]

The part about no manual sharpening tool makes me think it is Photos. That one is part of Win 10 and replaces Windows photo gallery from what I have read. I don't use Windows, so I have to google and guess.

[Tony]

The part about no manual sharpening tool makes me think it is Photos. That one is part of Win 10 and replaces Windows photo gallery from what I have read. I don't use Windows, so I have to google and guess.

Actually, there is a sharpening tool hidden under ENHANCE.  I'll be darned.  I am in Photo Editor 10 with the same red flower on the screen.  Anyway, that is scary if the software automatically saves and compresses jpeg.  This jpeg seems to be somewhat sensitive in certain situations.  You are correct that Windows installed Photo Editor 10 in place of Windows Live Photo Gallery.  Now with Windows 10, I have some difficulty in locating my files.  They appear to be scattered all over the map.  Fortunately, I was able to figure out the problem.  When I set the time and date on my Pentax, it remains there until I remove the batteries.  Then when I upload lets say, 75 to 100 pics., the system uses the date of manufacture, i,e, 2007-01.  Well, again I am extremely grateful for all the excellent assistance.  Laters,  Tony

The only Windows Photo Editor that I can find on the Microsoft app store is one made by Aviary, Inc. Is that the one you're using, Tony?

 

--Ron

No sir, it is Photo Editor 10.  I really liked Windows Live Photo Gallery. It was an excellent way to be introduced to PP Editing Software.  Sure, there were times when it was frustrating, but what isn't when it comes at no cost?  Thanks again for all of your help.  Tony

Tony, how many times did you save the red flower during PP? It is possible that Windows Photo Editor applies some kind of output sharpening on each save as well as recompressing the jpeg. This would give the sharpening and jpeg compression artifacts that are visible, even in this reduced size version.

I believe I saved it only once, immediately after cropping and resizing.  Thanks, Tony

[TBonz]

I believe that Photo Editor is a piece that comes as one of the Microsoft Office tools...I have it on my work PC although I have not tried to edit anything on that system....

 

Tony...are you suggesting that you opened the image in the WPE, cropped, resized and saved / closed it?  You did no editing to the image?  

[Tony]

I believe that Photo Editor is a piece that comes as one of the Microsoft Office tools...I have it on my work PC although I have not tried to edit anything on that system....

 

Tony...are you suggesting that you opened the image in the WPE, cropped, resized and saved / closed it?  You did no editing to the image?  

If you are speaking about the first flower, all I did was cropping,resizing and saving.  Then closed it.  I was not aware that Photo Editor 10 had a sharpening tool until yesterday.

 

Tonyt