This is about all the shots I have to share I think from the recent trip with the folks from CANP to Bishop area. This was actually later in the week up in the Lee Vining area. Thank you in advance for your comments.
Wista DXIII 4x5
Scheider APO 150mm
Fuji Velvia 100ASA
I like the balance of the composition and the two clumps of grass are very cool. I would like to point out a couple of things, though. The cloud on the right (above the yellow aspen) is lacking in detail, and there appears to be a cyan cast below the blue of the sky. There also looks to be a cyan cast in the yellow leaves and the overall saturation is a bit high. I like the high desert plants in contrast with the aspens.
If I may, I'd like to suggest a couple of things:
When you do your scans, use your scanner software to eliminate any color casts and then scan the image so that the scanned image looks a bit flat when opened in PS. A flatter scan will help preserve detail in the very high and very low values, especially with Velvia.
In PS, open a new layer from the background by selecting 'Layer'>'Layer Via Copy'. I always do this so that when I do dodge/burn or other adjustments I can trash the layer if things aren't right, without changing the background.
In PS, open a 'curves' layer and then use the 'eye droppers' to set your black, white and grey points. This gives much finer control than 'auto levels' or 'auto color' and goes a long way toward eliminating any remaining color casts. Further adjustment to color balance can be made by opening a 'Color Balance' adjustment layer for fine tuning.
If further tuning is required, say to adjust sky color, open a 'Selective Color' adjustment layer. This allows you to adjust the CMYK levels and amount of black in RGB, CMYK, neutrals, blacks, and whites. It is a very powerful tool.
After I've gotten the color balance the way I want it, I then open a "Saturation' adjustment layer and work with that, if needed. I have found that if I do the adjustments outlined above, any changes to satiration are usually very minor.
I know I got a bit long-winded, here; but his image has a lot of potential, so perhaps the tips I've provided will help you.
Preston, I will try a review of these ideas. I sent an email to you awhile back and maybe it did not get there. I had asked about your 1800 Microtek unit. It is listed as 4.8 DM and 1800/3600 ppi scan resolution. Is the maximum scan 3600? Also, now that you mention the scanner software for adjustments prior to import to PS, what software are you refering to? Is this the Microtek or some other non-OEM package? If Microtek, what settings are you using? I typically have just scanned without adjustments and use only PS to work the issues out. Thanks!
I did receive your e-mail re: the scan resolution. If memory serves, for the 1800f, the native (opitical) resolution is 1800 ppi. Truthfully, I don't understand what '3600' in the expression "1800/3600" refers to. (If anyone knows what this means, I would be grateful!)
There two schools of thought regarding scanning: One school does an uncorrected scan and uses PS to tweak the image. The other school, the one I attend, believes that a reasonably corrected scan makes for less work in PS. Personally, all I do is set the black and white points, and do a not-too-rough adjustment to the color balance. Once I import the image, I can then fine-tune.
Most of my scanning is done using Silverfast-AI. I find it to be much better than ScanWizrd.
I assume you are using ScanWizard Pro from Microtek. In the "Settings" dialog box, look for the "Color Cor..." button (on the left, below center. When you click on that, a nice box comes up with a color wheel that allows you to change the color balance. 'Before' and 'After' image thumbnails show your original color and the corrected color, respectively. The color settings that you use will depend upon the image you are scanning: there is no 'hard-and-fast' rule, here. My version of ScanWizard is V7.02. There may be a later version available for download.
-PB
Posted by Anil Rao on November 15, 2006 at 7:46 PM
Hello Paul,
I loved this when I first saw it on ESS. Thanks for re-posting it here. I like how you have managed to make a wonderful composittion out of what appears to be a very complicated scene. The foreground vegetation is really striking.
Posted by Eric A. Rosen on November 16, 2006 at 1:33 PM
Discussion
5 repliesWista DXIII 4x5
Scheider APO 150mm
Fuji Velvia 100ASA
I like the balance of the composition and the two clumps of grass are very cool. I would like to point out a couple of things, though. The cloud on the right (above the yellow aspen) is lacking in detail, and there appears to be a cyan cast below the blue of the sky. There also looks to be a cyan cast in the yellow leaves and the overall saturation is a bit high. I like the high desert plants in contrast with the aspens.
If I may, I'd like to suggest a couple of things:
When you do your scans, use your scanner software to eliminate any color casts and then scan the image so that the scanned image looks a bit flat when opened in PS. A flatter scan will help preserve detail in the very high and very low values, especially with Velvia.
In PS, open a new layer from the background by selecting 'Layer'>'Layer Via Copy'. I always do this so that when I do dodge/burn or other adjustments I can trash the layer if things aren't right, without changing the background.
In PS, open a 'curves' layer and then use the 'eye droppers' to set your black, white and grey points. This gives much finer control than 'auto levels' or 'auto color' and goes a long way toward eliminating any remaining color casts. Further adjustment to color balance can be made by opening a 'Color Balance' adjustment layer for fine tuning.
If further tuning is required, say to adjust sky color, open a 'Selective Color' adjustment layer. This allows you to adjust the CMYK levels and amount of black in RGB, CMYK, neutrals, blacks, and whites. It is a very powerful tool.
After I've gotten the color balance the way I want it, I then open a "Saturation' adjustment layer and work with that, if needed. I have found that if I do the adjustments outlined above, any changes to satiration are usually very minor.
I know I got a bit long-winded, here; but his image has a lot of potential, so perhaps the tips I've provided will help you.
Best regards,
-PB
I did receive your e-mail re: the scan resolution. If memory serves, for the 1800f, the native (opitical) resolution is 1800 ppi. Truthfully, I don't understand what '3600' in the expression "1800/3600" refers to. (If anyone knows what this means, I would be grateful!)
There two schools of thought regarding scanning: One school does an uncorrected scan and uses PS to tweak the image. The other school, the one I attend, believes that a reasonably corrected scan makes for less work in PS. Personally, all I do is set the black and white points, and do a not-too-rough adjustment to the color balance. Once I import the image, I can then fine-tune.
Most of my scanning is done using Silverfast-AI. I find it to be much better than ScanWizrd.
I assume you are using ScanWizard Pro from Microtek. In the "Settings" dialog box, look for the "Color Cor..." button (on the left, below center. When you click on that, a nice box comes up with a color wheel that allows you to change the color balance. 'Before' and 'After' image thumbnails show your original color and the corrected color, respectively. The color settings that you use will depend upon the image you are scanning: there is no 'hard-and-fast' rule, here. My version of ScanWizard is V7.02. There may be a later version available for download.
-PB
I loved this when I first saw it on ESS. Thanks for re-posting it here. I like how you have managed to make a wonderful composittion out of what appears to be a very complicated scene. The foreground vegetation is really striking.