Grayscale (Black and White) Images Look Better on Displays and Desktop...
Absolutely true. Every color pressman knows this for a fact. There is a very good reason why this is true. And unfortunately, there’s not much anybody can do to change it! Here is a little known fact...
View ArticleHow Auto White Balance in the Camera and Gray Balance in Editing Can Actually...
Sometimes taking a neutral position on things isn’t really the safe thing to do – sometimes it’s actually downright destructive! Your camera’s AWB, or Auto White Balance is a typical fallback lighting...
View ArticleImage Tonality and the Histogram- Part Four: The Magic in the Middle
Before we move on to the middle tone adjustments, allow me to restate and review just a little of the hist-related issues we’ve covered so far. I know for some this will be an unnecessary rehash, but...
View ArticleImage Tonality and the Histogram- Part Five: Output Levels and Internal Contrast
The Input Gives and the Output Takes Away If you’ve wondered what the Output Levels are all about, here’s some insights. While the Input Black slider makes the Shadow Point darker and the White slider...
View ArticleImage Tonality and the Histogram- Part Six: The Phoenix Scenario
In Greek mythology the Pheonix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn from apparent oblivion. In this sense, any digital image capture that is apparently “dead” by all appearance...
View ArticleThe Brain’s Visual Cortex Corrects Color Casts. Naturally.
The setting in the image capture and editing processes known as White Balance is a curious one indeed. The human light perception system is so complex, and so intuitive, that we don’t totally...
View ArticleDreamers, Mechanics, Propeller heads, and Pundits
Pardon my absence for the two weeks or so, I’ve been doin’ some personal rearranging. This started by engaging in some personal reflection. Always revealing, but somewhat dangerous. Please don’t get...
View ArticleThe Quest for Clarity
Title sounds ominous enough. My first attempts to produce “snappy” pictures in print started in my sophomore year in college. I was the production manager for our college magazine and was determined to...
View ArticleShedding Light on Black and White
A comparison between the way film-based cameras and digital cameras capture spectral information and transpose that information into black and white images. Photography is all about Light. The more...
View ArticleShedding Light on Black and White Part 2
A comparison between the way film-based cameras and digital cameras capture spectral information and transpose that information into black and white images. Photography is all about Light. The more we...
View ArticleShedding Light on Black and White Part 3: The Digital Conversion
A comparison between the way film-based cameras and digital cameras capture spectral information and transpose that information into black and white images. Photography is all about Light. The more we...
View ArticleThe Great Paynter European Photo Adventure- Post One
I just finished a 30-day trek around southern Europe with my best friend (my wife Barbara), and my Lumix G5. This composite shot (one of over 4500 taken during the trip) is of one of the Dresden...
View ArticleDoes It Really Matter Anymore?
Lately, I’ve come to the uncomfortable reality that perhaps my obsession with delivering clarity and definition in the digital photographs is much more important to me than it is to many in the...
View ArticleTo Be (Visibly Appealing) or Not To Be, THAT is the Question!
I’m toying with a new idea, and it all has to do with photo quality. In particular, the real estate photo listings. On my last post I noted that it seems that few people actually care about the quality...
View ArticleOut of the Shadows and Into the Light
Uncovering Hidden Details In the Shadows. There are usually significant details hidden under the weight of the darkest parts of an image. These darker details are very rich and revealing, and to some...
View ArticlePreparing Photos for Publication – Part One
Here’s a serious question… who should be preparing your photos? Typically, the three folks (in descending order) generally charged with overseeing the quality of publication photos are: the...
View ArticlePrinted Picture Dynamics – The Good, Lackluster, and Frumpy
Question: with all the technical control afforded by imaging software, advances in digital camera technology, and constantly-improving pre-press and pressroom controls, why do many high-end publication...
View ArticleWhite Balance and Gray Balance Can Destroy Color- Part One
Sometimes taking a neutral position on things isn’t really the safe thing to do – sometimes it’s actually downright destructive! Auto White Balance. Your camera’s Auto White Balance, or AWB is a...
View ArticlePhotoshop Tools and Audio Controls
There is an amazing parallel between the sciences of audio and photography; one that I learned about in the ’80 from personal experience. I operated a hybrid photo/litho lab in Nashville from...
View ArticleA Lifelong Quest for Image Clarity
The title sounds ominous enough. My first attempts to produce “snappy” pictures in print started in my sophomore year in college. I was the production manager for our college magazine and was...
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