IMAGING TECHNIQUES - presentation.

-->
The relationship between FILTERS and ADJUSTMENT LAYERS. (Analogue -vs- Digital)
 

Photographic filters were being used long before our current digital medium. With modern software programs such as Adobe Photoshop becoming an almost fundamental part of our photographic practice these days, colour filters and special effects are now more often than not added during post production on a computer, instead of in the field whilst composing the shot and battling the elements.

However, relying on computer software won’t necessarily improve your skill as a photographer, unless you know the principles of it all. So instead of just taking a photo, uploading it to your computer and then going up, down and side to side with all those adjustment sliders in front of you, praying for some sort of magic to happen, consider developing your understanding of the relationship between analogue filters and digital adjustment layers in order to improve your photographic creativity with purpose and good intent. Not only will it improve your workflow, but also strengthen the overall result.

I don’t have time today to explain it thoroughly to you, but certainly encourage you to research it further should you find it interesting and of value to your photographic practice or digital workflow.

-

ANALOGUE 
With analogue, one or more filters are attached to the front of a lens in order to ‘adjust’ what the sensor (or film) within your camera records.

DIGITAL 
With digital, you add one or more layers to ‘adjust’ how the image already recoded by your camera image will display.

So it’s all basically the same thing, but in reverse.

-

A big disadvantage of graduated filter used in front of the camera out in the field is that the transition area, no matter how much you fine-tune its position, can and will often overlap areas of the scene that you do not want it to. That is where the additional control and fine-tuning of digital post-processing comes in.

The digital graduate filter also allows for instant feedback oh how the scene is being affected. This allows for control of colour and which areas of the scene should or should not have the effect/s applied.

Both analogue and digital versions allow for colour transparency to happen, the simple fact is that it is far better controlled digitally.

Another big advantage, for photographers, is the fact that thanks to continued advancements in post production software, we no longer need to carry around quite as much extra gear as was once required - unless you still want to.

-

PHOTOSHOP

The following images are screen-shots from my process of rescuing the sky in this image as well as a few little extra adjustments used to boost the overall appeal. The red dots are indicators to points of interest with each step. I have not specified every single bit of information, but in saying this, I am happy to give further details in my presentation to class.

This is the digital negative opened up in Photoshop. As you can see,
the sky is over-exposed and the foreground is under-exposed.

In this image, a GRADUATED FILTER adjustment layer has
been digitally added over the sky (only) from top to bottom as an
attempt to replicate the affect a true graduated filter - had it been
attached to the front of a lens. Not a lot has changed in this image.

In this image, I have added a SPECIAL technique that I learnt at a
recent workshop with Dr Les Walkling. It is a crazy technique that
produces some dramatic improvements to the image (overall) and
helps to bring back some three-dimensionality.

In this image, a CURVES adjustment layer has been added over the
entire image and then a layer mask was added so that the curves
adjustments only affect sky. Colour is now quite present.

In this image, a LEVELS adjustment layer has been added over the
entire image to increase the overall exposure, which I feel
completes the photograph.

-

Reference

The Complete Photography Book - Imagine Publishing Ltd. Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill Boutemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk

Better Photoshop Techniques - a special interest magazine published by Better Publishing Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 5455, Chitttaway Bay, NSW Australia.