Post-processing: looking for help!

[nicolasnico]

Hi Joe, thank you SO MUCH for your help and all the detailed explanations! That underexposure problem with my pictures is confirmed again! (it allows me to capture better the real colors as I see them on shooting site, but then as you and others said, it brings other issues like noise. I'm learning!).

If you're examining the photos on the shooting site I have to assume you're looking at the camera JPEGs on the camera LCD. That can be very misleading especially in outdoor bright light -- bad idea. Your -1 EC was a compensation for the condition of viewing the camera LCD outdoors? If you're really going to use the camera raw files and hope to get the best result from them then you should test your camera's exposure system and make exposure choices based on the result of that testing and not on what you see on the LCD.

We test raw file exposures with this software: RawDigger.

View attachment 136723

Above is a RawDigger histogram for your CR2 file. Notice the scale marked -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, EV0, 1, 2, 3. Diffuse highlights in your file (green channel) just slightly reach beyond EV 1 on that scale. We'd like to see them much closer to EV 2 and in fact slightly beyond EV 2. Depends somewhat on the specific camera but that's why we do tests -- find the limits and work to shoot close to those limits.

Regarding the "camera controls zeroed out", sorry, what do you mean? (is that in Lightroom?)

Not Lightroom. I'm referring to the adjustments on the camera itself that allow you to modify the JPEG output. You can select processing profiles (Faithful, Portrait, Landscape, etc.) as well as values for contrast, saturation and sharpness. You had your camera set to Faithful and the other adjustments set to zero. The result is a very flat JPEG.

White balance: interesting to hear! Second time I hear (and discover!) about two days in a row! (that shows how much I have to learn...). Regarding the sky, it might have been something in between the color on the RAW file, and the first transformations you did to the picture.

Your camera has three white balance options.
1. Auto white balance (bad idea).
2. White balance preset which is what you did (consistent but typically not accurate).
3. Custom white balance which you can set from a reference card.

When shooting raw files you can shoot a reference card after taking the photos (what I do) and then set the white balance from the card when processing. Here's some reading: White Balance
How to take accurate picture of leaf/plant with true color

Tone response: where is that option for Adobe "auto"?

In the Lightroom Basic panel right above the Exposure slider you see the word Auto. Adobe won't get the photo right but you'll get the clipping points close. The exposure is typically way too much (cut it in half) but it's a starting point.

Simulated grain: where is that option?
sorry, many questions. But appreciated answers, thanks once more!

Grain simulation is under the Effects panel. It's a good alternative when you have some noise in the photo.

Joe

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Joe!! This is great stuff!!! Thanks for all the info which I've been studying carefully! (Thanks for telling me where to find the things I asked for!). I might come back on this as I'm trying to practice.

 

[Ysarex]

Hi Joe, thank you SO MUCH for your help and all the detailed explanations! That underexposure problem with my pictures is confirmed again! (it allows me to capture better the real colors as I see them on shooting site, but then as you and others said, it brings other issues like noise. I'm learning!).

If you're examining the photos on the shooting site I have to assume you're looking at the camera JPEGs on the camera LCD. That can be very misleading especially in outdoor bright light -- bad idea. Your -1 EC was a compensation for the condition of viewing the camera LCD outdoors? If you're really going to use the camera raw files and hope to get the best result from them then you should test your camera's exposure system and make exposure choices based on the result of that testing and not on what you see on the LCD.

We test raw file exposures with this software: RawDigger.

View attachment 136723

Above is a RawDigger histogram for your CR2 file. Notice the scale marked -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, EV0, 1, 2, 3. Diffuse highlights in your file (green channel) just slightly reach beyond EV 1 on that scale. We'd like to see them much closer to EV 2 and in fact slightly beyond EV 2. Depends somewhat on the specific camera but that's why we do tests -- find the limits and work to shoot close to those limits.

Regarding the "camera controls zeroed out", sorry, what do you mean? (is that in Lightroom?)

Not Lightroom. I'm referring to the adjustments on the camera itself that allow you to modify the JPEG output. You can select processing profiles (Faithful, Portrait, Landscape, etc.) as well as values for contrast, saturation and sharpness. You had your camera set to Faithful and the other adjustments set to zero. The result is a very flat JPEG.

White balance: interesting to hear! Second time I hear (and discover!) about two days in a row! (that shows how much I have to learn...). Regarding the sky, it might have been something in between the color on the RAW file, and the first transformations you did to the picture.

Your camera has three white balance options.
1. Auto white balance (bad idea).
2. White balance preset which is what you did (consistent but typically not accurate).
3. Custom white balance which you can set from a reference card.

When shooting raw files you can shoot a reference card after taking the photos (what I do) and then set the white balance from the card when processing. Here's some reading: White Balance
How to take accurate picture of leaf/plant with true color

Tone response: where is that option for Adobe "auto"?

In the Lightroom Basic panel right above the Exposure slider you see the word Auto. Adobe won't get the photo right but you'll get the clipping points close. The exposure is typically way too much (cut it in half) but it's a starting point.

Simulated grain: where is that option?
sorry, many questions. But appreciated answers, thanks once more!

Grain simulation is under the Effects panel. It's a good alternative when you have some noise in the photo.

Joe

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Joe!! This is great stuff!!! Thanks for all the info which I've been studying carefully! (Thanks for telling me where to find the things I asked for!). I might come back on this as I'm trying to practice.

You're welcome. Happy to help, you're taking wonderful photos.

Joe

 

[nicolasnico]

Hi Joe, thank you SO MUCH for your help and all the detailed explanations! That underexposure problem with my pictures is confirmed again! (it allows me to capture better the real colors as I see them on shooting site, but then as you and others said, it brings other issues like noise. I'm learning!).

If you're examining the photos on the shooting site I have to assume you're looking at the camera JPEGs on the camera LCD. That can be very misleading especially in outdoor bright light -- bad idea. Your -1 EC was a compensation for the condition of viewing the camera LCD outdoors? If you're really going to use the camera raw files and hope to get the best result from them then you should test your camera's exposure system and make exposure choices based on the result of that testing and not on what you see on the LCD.

We test raw file exposures with this software: RawDigger.

View attachment 136723

Above is a RawDigger histogram for your CR2 file. Notice the scale marked -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, EV0, 1, 2, 3. Diffuse highlights in your file (green channel) just slightly reach beyond EV 1 on that scale. We'd like to see them much closer to EV 2 and in fact slightly beyond EV 2. Depends somewhat on the specific camera but that's why we do tests -- find the limits and work to shoot close to those limits.

Regarding the "camera controls zeroed out", sorry, what do you mean? (is that in Lightroom?)

Not Lightroom. I'm referring to the adjustments on the camera itself that allow you to modify the JPEG output. You can select processing profiles (Faithful, Portrait, Landscape, etc.) as well as values for contrast, saturation and sharpness. You had your camera set to Faithful and the other adjustments set to zero. The result is a very flat JPEG.

White balance: interesting to hear! Second time I hear (and discover!) about two days in a row! (that shows how much I have to learn...). Regarding the sky, it might have been something in between the color on the RAW file, and the first transformations you did to the picture.

Your camera has three white balance options.
1. Auto white balance (bad idea).
2. White balance preset which is what you did (consistent but typically not accurate).
3. Custom white balance which you can set from a reference card.

When shooting raw files you can shoot a reference card after taking the photos (what I do) and then set the white balance from the card when processing. Here's some reading: White Balance
How to take accurate picture of leaf/plant with true color

Tone response: where is that option for Adobe "auto"?

In the Lightroom Basic panel right above the Exposure slider you see the word Auto. Adobe won't get the photo right but you'll get the clipping points close. The exposure is typically way too much (cut it in half) but it's a starting point.

Simulated grain: where is that option?
sorry, many questions. But appreciated answers, thanks once more!

Grain simulation is under the Effects panel. It's a good alternative when you have some noise in the photo.

Joe

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Joe!! This is great stuff!!! Thanks for all the info which I've been studying carefully! (Thanks for telling me where to find the things I asked for!). I might come back on this as I'm trying to practice.

You're welcome. Happy to help, you're taking wonderful photos.

Joe

thanks, Joe! Yeah, I have SO MANY OTHER PICTURES! what slow me down in using them is that I have so much to learn with post-processing!... Most of the time when I start working on a picture, I quickly get stacked ("Oh, it's getting unreal!" "How to correct this, or that?" etc.etc.)