Tiger C&C

Kimba · Jul 13, 2009

Took some Tiger photo's yesterday and looking for any help on how to make my shots better.
Shot with my new Canon 500D rebel

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

TriniPhototakeoutta · Jul 13, 2009

Realy nice. Like #2. i don't kno if its my monitor but its seems your shots need more saturation and #4 needs to be brighter. Other than that good stuff

Kristy · Jul 13, 2009

You did a great job. I absolutly LOVE #4.

LovesRaptors · Jul 13, 2009

TriniPhototakeoutta said:
Realy nice. Like #2. i don't kno if its my monitor but its seems your shots need more saturation and #4 needs to be brighter. Other than that good stuff

I would agree colour looks a little washed out, however I also would congrat you on #4

RJohnston · Jul 13, 2009

In your editor if you have Photoshop and in some others, there is a Levels setting, that would do it. Most cameras aim to make everything fit to a 19% gray card reading. If you do not use a gray card then it throws the color and contrast off.

In PS if these are JPG's originally, Id load them, then save then in Image, Mode at top of menu change it to a 16bit. Then "save as" a TIF file. By doing that you can edit it, without damaging the original But, save it as a different name, I usually add a _A1 at the end. Then with successive edits make it 2, 3, etc.

Then, In image, adjustments use levels...
Pull the indicator on each side of the Histogram, to eliminate space between indicator and the end of the histogram.

There are also output indicators on the right is for highlights, pull that to the left so the number changes from 255 to about 240 or where it looks good....

For middle tones on the top line, move the indicator right and left until you find the place where the middle tones look the best.

Then you will be more pleased with the pay it looks and prints.

IF you do not have Photoshop, look in other editors for the way to adjust the histogram and play with it. Practice, practice, practice and you will find you can produce images that look the way YOU want them to look or more like the original scene looked when you took it....

Kimba · Jul 13, 2009

RJohnston said:
In your editor if you have Photoshop and in some others, there is a Levels setting, that would do it. Most cameras aim to make everything fit to a 19% gray card reading. If you do not use a gray card then it throws the color and contrast off.

In PS if these are JPG's originally, Id load them, then save then in Image, Mode at top of menu change it to a 16bit. Then "save as" a TIF file. By doing that you can edit it, without damaging the original But, save it as a different name, I usually add a _A1 at the end. Then with successive edits make it 2, 3, etc.

Then, In image, adjustments use levels...
Pull the indicator on each side of the Histogram, to eliminate space between indicator and the end of the histogram.

There are also output indicators on the right is for highlights, pull that to the left so the number changes from 255 to about 240 or where it looks good....

For middle tones on the top line, move the indicator right and left until you find the place where the middle tones look the best.

Then you will be more pleased with the pay it looks and prints.

IF you do not have Photoshop, look in other editors for the way to adjust the histogram and play with it. Practice, practice, practice and you will find you can produce images that look the way YOU want them to look or more like the original scene looked when you took it....

thanks heaps! i have only just gotten my computer running again after it crashed and am yet to upload PS elements 7 back in. As soon as I do i will follow your steps and maybe repost 1 or 2 so the results can be seen

MarkV1184 · Jul 13, 2009

#4 is a bit underexposed. Maybe when you PP it you can bump the exposure up and get some more colors out of it that way!

#5 seems a bit overexposed

Great pictures! I'm really jealous that you have a chance to get close enough to a Tiger to get these shots! I don't have many opportunities like that here in the Chicago area minus the Brookfield zoo. But who knows if the Tiger will feel like coming out?

Sirene · Jul 13, 2009

Nice ones.

kundalini · Jul 13, 2009

I'm the first to admit that I'm a PP idiot, but as has been mentioned, the colors look washed out. A simple, subtle adjustments of the top sliders in Lightroom 2 enhanced the image IMO. There wasn't enough of the image to crop as I would have preferred, but here it is. And a touch of sharpening to boot.

Original.........................................................................................Edit

Hope you don't mind. Nice photo btw.

Kimba · Jul 14, 2009

kundalini said:
I'm the first to admit that I'm a PP idiot, but as has been mentioned, the colors look washed out. A simple, subtle adjustments of the top sliders in Lightroom 2 enhanced the image IMO. There wasn't enough of the image to crop as I would have preferred, but here it is. And a touch of sharpening to boot.
Hope you don't mind. Nice photo btw.

no i dont mind, you did a great job!! those colours realy came right outta there.
thanks!

Kimba · Jul 14, 2009

MarkV1184 said:
Great pictures! I'm really jealous that you have a chance to get close enough to a Tiger to get these shots! I don't have many opportunities like that here in the Chicago area minus the Brookfield zoo. But who knows if the Tiger will feel like coming out?

I'm not that lucky!! I live in Brisbane Australia so i too must go to a zoo to see them. these photo's were taken through the thick glass windows of their enclosure.