things I have learned so far..from school!

[Cynnder]

lol...last night....

never ever save your edited pics as a jpg...always save them as a tiff...when you consistently save and save ajpg it gets grainy and looses resolution...so the firt time you edit apic..save it as a tif...then keep saving as a tif..until your ready to send it off..then save as a jpg

IF you are wanting to be more than just a home user, printer photog....shoot in RAW, and maybe the low res jpg(that way you can proof faster with the low res jpg)

white balance...very very important....set it every time you take pics...

lemme show you something..
here is a pic of my dd in her bedroom..i have the wb set to tungsten
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/ReinerChic/CWB3.jpg

so then I took the pic of her white sheets..to use for a custom WB
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/ReinerChic/CWB1.jpg

then I got this SOOTC
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/ReinerChic/CWB2.jpg

then I lightened it abit with PS http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/ReinerChic/CWB2done.jpg

gotta play a bit more with that pic...but man....WB rules!


there..thats me sharing the biggys i have learned so far...i'll keep you all posted!

[sandra]

Wow, what a difference! Amazing! Do you set the white balance on your camera? How do you know when the white balance is adjusted correctly?

[Cynnder]

yes I set the white balance to custom on my camera...I did that my taking the pic of something white..( try to fill my view with white) then I go to custom..and use that pic to set as white...make sense?

[jtaubman]

Very good explaination. I love custom WB when I am shooting indoors, and it can be useful outside as well.

If you are shooting in Raw try Rawshooter, I liked the basic version so much I bought the pay for version. Rawshooter will batch convert Raw files to Tiffs or jpgs, and remembers all the settings you used for the export so you can play around and you can copy settings from photo to photo if you need to.


There is a detailed article on CWB here if you are interested
http://caughtonfilmphoto.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2175

[Jennifer]

You've hit on some of the very most valuable tips and some of the biggest beginner mistakes.... I can't tell you how many times I've had to tell people to set their cameras at the highest resolution! People see that as they spin that dial down to jpg small and can get one thousand, six hundred fifty two pictures on ONE card they go wild! LOL K, they can't print them, but hey! They got a million postage stamp size images... YAY! Good points, thanks for sharing with us! (And CWB is NOT overrated.... it's VERY important! ONce you learn to set it, it only takes a second and can cut your post processing and editing down to almost nil.) Good examples!

[sandra]

So, let me see if I understand. Change to custom white balance, aim at something that is white. Adjust until it actually looks white in my viewfinder/screen. Point and shoot?

[jtaubman]

Sandra, you don't need to adjust anything, as long as the main image is white CWB will set its self once you select it, just take a look at your camera manual for instructions.

[Timmysmum]

thank you so much for sharing your tips...... sounds like a great course

[Amber1279]

hmm - going home to see if my new camera has a white balance setting ... that it TOO cool. TFS :D

[bpalmer]

Thanks for sharing what you are learning. I was amazed when I started using my custom white balance at the difference it makes. Its fun to play with the white balance too! :D

[Funtolearn]

You can keep a white card in you camera stuff , to use to get the custom white balance also.

[debra8898]

do u have to use something white everytime you want the white balance effect? Man, am I confused. Just got my rebel XL about 3 weeks ago... guess I need the class too! TFS... every bit of info really helps!!

[arlene6]

WTG. Your learning skills are being put to good use!

[Cynnder]

do u have to use something white everytime you want the white balance effect?!

as far as I know yes(but Im far from all knowledgable)...either that or the grey card...but you dont have to do this all the time..only if the lighting is off.and the preset WB's wont fix it...

[NoJiMom]

I have a Canon Powershot S2 IS, will it work with that camera as well? Or is this a neat trick for just the digital SLR's?

[jtaubman]

I have a Canon Powershot S2 IS, will it work with that camera as well? Or is this a neat trick for just the digital SLR's?
According to DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042201canons2is.asp) your camera has custom white balance, so you will need to check your manual for setting instructions.