View Full Version : Firemouth shot
Schnauzer
08-12-2005, 10:12 AM
Over the last few months here I have come to realize how important the tank is to making the fish look good . Unfortunately I can't do to much to the tanks until I start setting up the new tanks I have waiting this fall , if I ever finish the new house .
I have my feet braced , so give it to me .
http://aquatic-photography.com/gallery/files/7/7/8/_MG_5092-01.jpg
paradise
08-12-2005, 11:22 AM
Ron, the background seems bizzare, almost like it's a negative. What is that?
As far as the fish, it seems t ome a bit contrasty, and slightly unnatural. I think you are doing too much processing to make up for it looking wrong on your screen. I am looking at home using my 19" calibrated monitor, and it seems a bit off.
Schnauzer
08-12-2005, 11:44 AM
Hi Ed ,
The background is algae that turned kind of a different color when I went to daylight bulbs . Didn't figure I would mess with it until I get the new tanks up and running .
Actually I did just about no processing . For the first time I can remember I hit auto curves and let it go at that . I never use auto anything but it was their and I tried it . I thought it was off but not a lot . I didn't know but that if my monitor is off as you think it is , maybe I have been seeing things wrong and this is right . That is why I put it up .
I have a question . I met a guy at a horse show a few weeks ago that had just got the macbeth eye1 display 2 . He said he would sell me his old display 1 for $ 45 and that their wouldn't be enough difference between to two that I could tell . Should I get it or is he filling me full of crap ? I will see him weekend after next .
Thought I would add that this guy is not into photography . He does some kind of work with graphics . He said what it was but I had horse pictures on my mind and it didn't sink in .
It really depends on the monitor that you're calibrating. On my 20" Hitachi at home, the calibration was extremely close and it didn't really make a difference. On the 15" Dell monitor at work however, it was way off. Both were calibrated with the MacBeth Eye One Display One, which you can pick up for around $60 new nowadays.
Schnauzer
08-12-2005, 12:32 PM
Thanks Ibn . I won't get it then . I have a 17" Dell so it would probably be off on that also .
paradise
08-12-2005, 1:20 PM
Ron, I would not rely on anything automatic in PS. :) I can't describe what it is exactly that bothers me, I just know when I see others' shots, on my home pc, they look natural and realistic, and yours have a lot of "crunch" or "contrast" to them, like they are overworked.
I will pm you with my home email, send me the RAW of this file and I will look at it. Something is just weird about it.
Schnauzer
08-12-2005, 2:07 PM
It is sent Ed . Another case of a RAW better than the finished product . Getting a good picture isn't half the problem processing it is . Is that normal . No wise cracks about the normal part .
paradise
08-12-2005, 3:37 PM
Ron, here is a quick try. You are right, the original is way better than the finished product :) (sorry)
All I did is open in Rawshooter, put exposure at +1.64, fill light at +18, fix the wb by picking the forehead (light gray, right?), and send to PS. In PS I resized to 640, slight shadow/highlight to bring a bit of the dark detail out, really small, did a smart sharpen, about .7 radius, 60%, blurred the scratches and particles (a lot, you NEED that new tank), saved. That is all.
Yours:
http://aquatic-photography.com/gallery/files/7/7/8/_MG_5092-01.jpg
mine:
http://aquatic-photography.com/pics/ronsfm.jpg
Schnauzer
08-12-2005, 4:07 PM
I am starting to think you are right about the monitor . On my monitor the color of the fish in mine is closer to the actual color . I hit the eye dropper and had the same color fish you did but went back because it was WAY to light .
I am not having problems taking the pictures , its the processing .
Is it - POSSIBLE - that my monitor is off that far and causing me most of this trouble ? I really want to get this straightened out .
Is it - POSSIBLE - that my monitor is off that far and causing me most of this trouble ?
yes. Ron, i used to go play games on lan with my friends once a month. i still remember the first time i took my monitor there. everyone was laughing at pointing because everything on my screen was way greener that normal. to me it looked good, but when i looked at their screens it was so far different - that i went out and bought a new monitor. i'm in no way trying to suggest you need a new monitor - just wanted you to know that it IS possible that yours could be WAY off and you don't know it.
regarding th photo - i think Ed's version looks far more natural. the colors seem much better. i have to agree though, that the algae on the glass is really bizarre looking.
paradise
08-12-2005, 6:08 PM
Ron, Just a quick observation, and I talked to Eric about it. We have both kept FMs before, and your version, the fish's base color looks greenish yellow. it should be pretty much silver based, with orangish red on the bottom, not greenish yellow. I am actually aware that it's a bit "light" that is a problem with my PS saving files. It was a bit darker and fuller on my screen. But still whitebalanced properly. Oh, and the blue behind it should be darker, the lightness is an effect of shadow/highlight.
Schnauzer
08-12-2005, 7:00 PM
Ed my monitor has to be way off I agree . A friend of mine was here and just now left . We looked at the picture and both agreed that on my monitor , other than to much contrast my version is colored exactly the same as the fish .
Actually I am relieved it is the monitor . I was wondering about the camera , lense or if I just had not learned anything . If the monitor is that far off I will never get anything right .
I understand that this does not mean that automatically all my shots will be perfect .
phishphorphun
08-12-2005, 11:42 PM
Ron, the background seems bizzare, almost like it's a negative. What is that?
As far as the fish, it seems t ome a bit contrasty, and slightly unnatural. I think you are doing too much processing to make up for it looking wrong on your screen. I am looking at home using my 19" calibrated monitor, and it seems a bit off.
LCD or CRT???
phishphorphun
08-12-2005, 11:44 PM
It really depends on the monitor that you're calibrating. On my 20" Hitachi at home, the calibration was extremely close and it didn't really make a difference. On the 15" Dell monitor at work however, it was way off. Both were calibrated with the MacBeth Eye One Display One, which you can pick up for around $60 new nowadays.
LCD or CRT???
paradise
08-13-2005, 1:48 AM
bobby, I own a LCD, dont know about Eric.
The Hitachi is a CRT while the Dell is a LCD.
Schnauzer
08-13-2005, 9:53 AM
< blurred the scratches and particles (a lot, you NEED that new tank), saved. That is all.>
Ed ,
Would you explain how you blur the scratches and particles . I take the clone tool and go over each little air bubble . It takes forever .
I turned the powerhead off quite a while before the shot and could not see a single tiny bubble . The good old camera found all kinds of them .
Yours:
http://aquatic-photography.com/gallery/files/7/7/8/_MG_5092-01.jpg
mine:
http://aquatic-photography.com/pics/ronsfm.jpg[/QUOTE]
paradise
08-13-2005, 4:05 PM
Blur tool, ron. That simple :) You can also magnify the photo, by selecting 25% at the time (or more or less) and use blur tool more effectively. I did not just a quick job.
RazorBlade
08-17-2005, 9:28 AM
All comments on colours & stuff aside (and every1 have done a great job on it), I think the capture has it good points.
Composition is cool (though the crop is a bit 'tight' for my preference). I especially like the wavy dorsal fin. Picture looks sharp, and DOF looks good. The 'blue & weird' background contrasts very well with the fish. :-D