LS1TECH - View Single Post - ARTICLE: Good Pictures (Technique, Equipment, Etc)

josh99ta · 05-09-2007, 09:53 PM

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR PICTURES (Post-processing):
Just like how cameras dont take good pictures by themselves, good pictures dont "photoshop" themselves either. Work is involved but putting a little in can get a lot out of your already solid photographs. No decent picture in any reputable magazine got put in there straight out of a camera. There is a reason models are airbrushed and there is a reason photographs are edited and touched up. Photography is just like painting cars. A good, solid photograph straight from the camera is a lot like a quality basecoat on a car. You can definitely see that there is quality there, but you wont really see the true "shine" and "gloss" until the clear coat, or in this case the post-processing, it added. So now that you understand that you'll need to do some work after the pictures have been captured lets get started.

Editing Program: Adobe Photoshop is king and if you purchase it or have access to it most of your guides online and most users who you can get input from use it as well so it'll make life easier if you have it. If you dont though there are freeware programs available. Programs like "The GIMP" have all the same tools that Photoshop utilizes, you just go about using those tools in a slightly different manner depending on what you're trying to do. If you dont have Photoshop, go to http://www.gimp.org/ and download the latest version of The GIMP. Now that we have the means to process the pictures lets cover some basic editing processes.

First and foremost you need to decide whether you want to crop the image at all. You want your composition as close as possible out of the camera but this is where you fine tune it. Remember the rule of thirds and pay attention to your overall composition in this step. If your initial composition is solid you may not have to crop at all.

Next, you need to resize the image. You dont want to do any exposure or color management until the image has been resized to its final size because if you do this at the full size then downsize it you run into quality loss. Choose the size you want the picture to be and resize it.

Now that you have your composition and image size set, I could write out some basic adjustments but its easier if you actually see whats going on in each step so go here and read this...

http://tutiki.nikoncafe.com/w/index....to_Adjustments

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sharpening is the absolute last thing you need to do when editing photos as you want the photo to be done before sharpening to avoid your adjustments affecting the image causing it to be oversharpened and/or adding noise (visible as grainy looking areas in pictures). You may also want to play with the Brightness/Contrast adjustment as well. Again, less is more here and you only want to add a little if you do because it degrades the overall quality of the image. Once you have all your basic adjustments taken care of, do your sharpening and you're done. If you want to add a border you can do so at this point.

Adding a basic border in Photoshop: Select the rectangular marquee tool, mouse over the image, and hit Ctrl+A to "Select All." Right click the image, go to Stroke, and set your pixel width and color.

Adding a basic border in The GIMP: Go to Script-Fu, Decor, Add Border. Set your pixel values for the height and width of the border, select your color, and select your value (a value of 1 will make a black border solid black whereas a higher value will make it more transparent).

Now all you need to do is upload and post your pictures. Be aware of your host and if they resize the pictures or not. I'm a big fan of Imageshack as you dont need an account to upload pictures (but you can create one to store the pictures and go back to them later), they offer plenty of bandwidth, and they do not resize the pictures. Photobucket is another popular host but they do resize pictures and it can really kill the quality. No matter the host you choose just make sure they aren't degrading your pictures with any resizing.

So now you have all the tips and tools at your disposal to turn out some very high quality pictures. Get out there and start sharpening your skills and techniques so you can get the most out of your pictures and be sure to post your progress as you start getting better results. While it may seem like a lot of work putting a little extra time and effort into your shots can yield some truly amazing results. I hope this helps some of you guys and I look forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for reading.

Joshua Gull (josh99ta)

USEFUL LINKS:
Another write-up with a little bit more advanced information towards the basics of car photography - http://www.mattwatkinson.com/tutorial/

A great write-up by PHR on car photography - http://www.popularhotrodding.com/fea...phr/index.html

Incredible tutorial page with a ton of good info on a number of topics - http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

Understanding photography and why its not just about the camera or "photoshopping" a picture - ARTICLE: Good Pictures (Technique, Equipment, Etc)

FORUMS DEALING WITH CAR PHOTOGRAPHY AND PLACES WHERE YOU CAN GET INPUT AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ON IMPROVING YOUR PICTURES:
AccessPhoto - http://www.accessphoto.com/forum/index.php?showforum=10

DieselStation - http://forums.dieselstation.com/index.php?showforum=11

BOOKS ON AUTOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY WORTH CHECKING OUT:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076...739904?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/185...739904?ie=UTF8

05-09-2007, 09:53 PM	#106
josh99ta ROLL TIDE ROLL! Trader Rating: 1 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 2,376	WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR PICTURES (Post-processing): Just like how cameras dont take good pictures by themselves, good pictures dont "photoshop" themselves either. Work is involved but putting a little in can get a lot out of your already solid photographs. No decent picture in any reputable magazine got put in there straight out of a camera. There is a reason models are airbrushed and there is a reason photographs are edited and touched up. Photography is just like painting cars. A good, solid photograph straight from the camera is a lot like a quality basecoat on a car. You can definitely see that there is quality there, but you wont really see the true "shine" and "gloss" until the clear coat, or in this case the post-processing, it added. So now that you understand that you'll need to do some work after the pictures have been captured lets get started. Editing Program: Adobe Photoshop is king and if you purchase it or have access to it most of your guides online and most users who you can get input from use it as well so it'll make life easier if you have it. If you dont though there are freeware programs available. Programs like "The GIMP" have all the same tools that Photoshop utilizes, you just go about using those tools in a slightly different manner depending on what you're trying to do. If you dont have Photoshop, go to http://www.gimp.org/ and download the latest version of The GIMP. Now that we have the means to process the pictures lets cover some basic editing processes. First and foremost you need to decide whether you want to crop the image at all. You want your composition as close as possible out of the camera but this is where you fine tune it. Remember the rule of thirds and pay attention to your overall composition in this step. If your initial composition is solid you may not have to crop at all. Next, you need to resize the image. You dont want to do any exposure or color management until the image has been resized to its final size because if you do this at the full size then downsize it you run into quality loss. Choose the size you want the picture to be and resize it. Now that you have your composition and image size set, I could write out some basic adjustments but its easier if you actually see whats going on in each step so go here and read this... http://tutiki.nikoncafe.com/w/index....to_Adjustments IMPORTANT NOTE: Sharpening is the absolute last thing you need to do when editing photos as you want the photo to be done before sharpening to avoid your adjustments affecting the image causing it to be oversharpened and/or adding noise (visible as grainy looking areas in pictures). You may also want to play with the Brightness/Contrast adjustment as well. Again, less is more here and you only want to add a little if you do because it degrades the overall quality of the image. Once you have all your basic adjustments taken care of, do your sharpening and you're done. If you want to add a border you can do so at this point. Adding a basic border in Photoshop: Select the rectangular marquee tool, mouse over the image, and hit Ctrl+A to "Select All." Right click the image, go to Stroke, and set your pixel width and color. Adding a basic border in The GIMP: Go to Script-Fu, Decor, Add Border. Set your pixel values for the height and width of the border, select your color, and select your value (a value of 1 will make a black border solid black whereas a higher value will make it more transparent). Now all you need to do is upload and post your pictures. Be aware of your host and if they resize the pictures or not. I'm a big fan of Imageshack as you dont need an account to upload pictures (but you can create one to store the pictures and go back to them later), they offer plenty of bandwidth, and they do not resize the pictures. Photobucket is another popular host but they do resize pictures and it can really kill the quality. No matter the host you choose just make sure they aren't degrading your pictures with any resizing. So now you have all the tips and tools at your disposal to turn out some very high quality pictures. Get out there and start sharpening your skills and techniques so you can get the most out of your pictures and be sure to post your progress as you start getting better results. While it may seem like a lot of work putting a little extra time and effort into your shots can yield some truly amazing results. I hope this helps some of you guys and I look forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for reading. Joshua Gull (josh99ta) USEFUL LINKS: Another write-up with a little bit more advanced information towards the basics of car photography - http://www.mattwatkinson.com/tutorial/ A great write-up by PHR on car photography - http://www.popularhotrodding.com/fea...phr/index.html Incredible tutorial page with a ton of good info on a number of topics - http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm Understanding photography and why its not just about the camera or "photoshopping" a picture - ARTICLE: Good Pictures (Technique, Equipment, Etc) FORUMS DEALING WITH CAR PHOTOGRAPHY AND PLACES WHERE YOU CAN GET INPUT AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ON IMPROVING YOUR PICTURES: AccessPhoto - http://www.accessphoto.com/forum/index.php?showforum=10 DieselStation - http://forums.dieselstation.com/index.php?showforum=11 BOOKS ON AUTOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY WORTH CHECKING OUT: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076...739904?ie=UTF8 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/185...739904?ie=UTF8 __________________ Joshua Gull \| http://www.fquick.com/josh99ta Onyx Black 2000 Chevrolet Camaro SS LS1 M6 Daily Driver Last edited by josh99ta; 05-09-2007 at 10:27 PM..