improving video/photo quality

[Dan Cook]

One major thing I'm hoping to improve on before 2008 is the quality of my videos and photos.

Here's an example of one of my videos from May 22nd's Hill City action:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9QlMcJEPwQ

Probably one of the problems there is that I was relying on auto focus and not using manual but I'm not really sure on that.

Here's an example of one of my images:

http://www.midwestchasing.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=26&pos=14

Probably the big issue with that one I accidentally left the ISO 800 setting on when I should've had it on 100 or so.

Any advice? Maybe some more PP?

 

[Eric Flescher]

video and photo quality

Dan
First
(1) what do you feel is missing or lacking?
(2) what kind of camera and camcorder do you use?
(3) do you use tripod?
(4) what speed does you camcorder go on and asa for camcorder?
(5) what settings for camera? f stop ?

I still use autofocus but manual focus is much better to use in many ways.

waiting to hear from #1-5

ISO 800 usually will get more graininy
but i hear with digitial cameras and camcorders it is not the same factor as with regular camera film 400 which is usually needed for night or high speed motion especially on certain f stops




::::

One major thing I'm hoping to improve on before 2008 is the quality of my videos and photos.

Here's an example of one of my videos from May 22nd's Hill City action:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9QlMcJEPwQ

Probably one of the problems there is that I was relying on auto focus and not using manual but I'm not really sure on that.

Here's an example of one of my images:

http://www.midwestchasing.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=26&pos=14

Probably the big issue with that one I accidentally left the ISO 800 setting on when I should've had it on 100 or so.

Any advice? Maybe some more PP?

 

[David Schuttler]

Look for a downloadable program called "neat image" to help get rid of noise in the pic.

 

[Dan Cook]

Dan
First
(1) what do you feel is missing or lacking?
(2) what kind of camera and camcorder do you use?
(3) do you use tripod?
(4) what speed does you camcorder go on and asa for camcorder?
(5) what settings for camera? f stop ?

I still use autofocus but manual focus is much better to use in many ways.

waiting to hear from #1-5

ISO 800 usually will get more graininy
but i hear with digitial cameras and camcorders it is not the same factor as with regular camera film 400 which is usually needed for night or high speed motion especially on certain f stops




::::

1) It just seems like it's too blurry or something.

2) Digital Rebel XT with the Kit lens. Also a Panasonic PV-GS39.

3) Yes.

4) Don't know.

5) apature mode F5.6 I think.

 

[Eric Flescher]

now to get on with it

thanks Dan.
(1) f5.6 seems okay because you are really trying to shoot more of the foreground . If you want all , do f8 or so with photos. I have not changed my camcorder panasonic gv953 setting.it goes go at 1/100 of a second. Camcorders I believe have to go 1/30 or faster.
(2) I also use a Rebel XT. I absolutely hate that you can't see all the setting on the back screen like the XTi. I wonder why no one in all these years has never said anything about it . Just terrible.
(3) Possibly you have a slight jarring of the camera when you press the button. I am trying to get an automatic (better called or infra red I think rebel xt has) camera press cord or whatever they call it. Many on ebay for cheap.
(4) try 400 asa for the canon. Someone I met near Tucson said it does not make that much difference with the digital cameras as opposed to the regular film camera (more grain with 400 and above asa with film). Susan Strom and you other great photographers can inform us about that.
(5) you don't say what setting you use either the program or manual or the AV settings. it depends on the lighting at the given time. The darker , the bigger opening of the diaghram shutter, the less speed etc, the higher asa you need or combination.

I also wondered about the sharpeness too. I just got back from Tucson Monsoon chasing and videography and photography of 10 species of hummingbirds mostly close within 10 feet sometimes less then 3.

Another thing is to try unsharp mask (NOT sharp) with your settings when you work with the photos.

Another way is to use RAW image settings which give you loseless image workings. Unlike jpeg or gif so you don't lose some of the aspects of the color and sharpness. However they take up much more room on your card (best to get 2 gig or better) and you have to convert the RAW and work on it to get the best image. I decided to not use RAW in Tucson because I wanted to work mostly with the camera and get used to the settings.

I learned a lot and will try to tell more when I post the Monsoon and other pics and account this weekend.

I thought that some of my Hays pics like yours were a little blurry too. I think that it was the darkening sky by the storms and sun coming down and not adjusting. I need to go back in and see what i took.

Also it depends on whether you are trying to use automatic or manual settings with your telephoto or regular lens and their f stop etc.

Your picture seemed on the bright side. Did you have the f stop to the bright side?

::

1) It just seems like it's too blurry or something.

2) Digital Rebel XT with the Kit lens. Also a Panasonic PV-GS39.

3) Yes.

4) Don't know.

5) apature mode F5.6 I think.

 

[beaudodson]

I would strongly suggest you pick up Rick Sammon's books. He has a whole series.

Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography: 107 Lessons on Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images
2 of: Rick Sammon's Travel and Nature Photography
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC</SPAN>
You will not be sorry that you spent a little bit of money on his books. He is the A to Z guy on photography. EASY to understand...plenty of colorful examples. It is the 1 2 3 of photography.

Beau

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

ISO 800 usually will get more graininy
but i hear with digitial cameras and camcorders it is not the same factor as with regular camera film 400 which is usually needed for night or high speed motion especially on certain f stops

Increasing the ISO is the same on digital as it is on film. It is the same factor...double and halving is increasing or decreasing a stop. It doesn't really work just for "certain" f stops....just whatever the situation requires. If you just mean factor of noise, then it would make more sense to compare 800 with 800. Sorry if I'm confused here.

Also, if you want some critiquing..... http://www.photosig.com

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

(1) f5.6 seems okay because you are really trying to shoot more of the foreground . If you want all , do f8 or so with photos. I have not changed my camcorder panasonic gv953 setting.it goes go at 1/100 of a second. Camcorders I believe have to go 1/30 or faster.

The photo I see is of a storm, so the background is certainly involved. I'd say one is first trying to shoot more of that. If they want the foreground objects to be sharper, then they'd want a smaller aperture(larger number). The wider focal length the less it matters, unless you have an ojbect very closer to the shooter. I'm pretty much always wide open with my wide angle lenses while chasing.

A camcorder will go slower than 1/30th...it just records at 30 frames a second regardless of shutter speed(in this case will repeat the image if the shutter was set slower than 1/30th). I've never looked into the fastest shutter speeds, but I'd assume they are higher than 1/100.

(2) I also use a Rebel XT. I absolutely hate that you can't see all the setting on the back screen like the XTi. I wonder why no one in all these years has never said anything about it . Just terrible.

What exactly is missing from the back screen? I see shutter speed, aperture, shooting type(raw/jpg), metering mode, exposure compensation setting, white balance, battery, if you are shooting with a timer, single shot, or bracket, and number of shots left.....all displayed on the rear lcd of my XT. What more is really needed back there that is so terribly missed?

(3) Possibly you have a slight jarring of the camera when you press the button. I am trying to get an automatic (better called or infra red I think rebel xt has) camera press cord or whatever they call it. Many on ebay for cheap.

Called a cable release in most cases, if it's not infra red anyway. If he was on F5.6 AND ISO 800....with a wide angle lense(on that storm at that time)....I am doubting movement was the issue(shutter speed had to be up there high enough). I'd say the kit lens is the more likely culprit lol(unless that is a picture taken while driving down the road).

(4) try 400 asa for the canon. Someone I met near Tucson said it does not make that much difference with the digital cameras as opposed to the regular film camera (more grain with 400 and above asa with film). Susan Strom and you other great photographers can inform us about that.

Could probably get away with 100 ISO during the day. There's really no, "use this or that ISO" when all one has to do at the moment is see what it does to their shutter speed and just be aware of what you need your shutter to be(and again, the issue with this photo I doubt was shutter speed under those other settings).

(5) you don't say what setting you use either the program or manual or the AV settings. it depends on the lighting at the given time. The darker , the bigger opening of the diaghram shutter, the less speed etc, the higher asa you need or combination.

He said aperture mode at F5.6.

Another thing is to try unsharp mask (NOT sharp) with your settings when you work with the photos.

This is confusing to me. Are you saying to use it for sharpening or not sharpening? You can use it for contrast or sharpening. Does "not sharp" mean for an unsharp image like has been discussed so far, or does it mean.....not for sharpening purposes?

 

[Eric Flescher]

more info comments and more

(1) Beau. Good resource indeed. I contacted the Rick Sammon a few months ago because he had a real good article in one of the photo magazines and a great article. I saw his great website. I found out about the book and it is great resource indeed.
Also two other good books for this thread might be
Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop Cs2 (maybe cs3 now?)
and
Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers

(2) Mike good points.

(3) I heard that one should not use sharp tool but unsharp mask instead (which I have used sometime) to sharpen images . I still have to find out why unsharp works and sharp should not be used? Anyone use unsharp?

(4) My teacher friend who does photoshop workshops said that using a 400 asa versus let's asa 100 not only gives more latitude for pictures especially in low light. She said that digital images at 400 don't look any the worse. I am trying to look at this . Anyone else know?

More to chime in here later
Others join in



::::

I would strongly suggest you pick up Rick Sammon's books. He has a whole series.

Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography: 107 Lessons on Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images
2 of: Rick Sammon's Travel and Nature Photography
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC</SPAN>
You will not be sorry that you spent a little bit of money on his books. He is the A to Z guy on photography. EASY to understand...plenty of colorful examples. It is the 1 2 3 of photography.

Beau

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Yeah unsharp mask in photoshop is the way to sharpen. I guess one should do it on a luminocity layer. I never bother. When I do it for web radius is usually set to 1, threshold 0 and then just move the amount. If I do it for a print, I need to increase the radius to like 2.4 or so, threshold 0. It's easy to play with and see what works. I never move threshold off of 0.

It's also good for some "local" contrast adjustment. Thing is, don't over do it. I see a lot of people overdoing it and the images just looking nuked. I'd rather they look too flat and lacking contrast than get that nuked, or glowing horizons look. I set it to the 50 for radius, 0 for threshold, and then amount....usually under 20 on the amount. It's best to do very little just to get a subtle contrast add that way, and get the rest with levels and curves. Also, 99% of the time I do use USM(unsharp mask) for that, I do it on a duplicate layer and mask out(or erase) the effect to the horizon. Then it just adds it to the rest of the image, and doesn't begin to make the horizon look crazy(since there's really already enough contrast at the horizon). I do the same thing with sharpening. 99% of the time to get the image looking good and sharp, you have to do enough of it so that the horizon winds up looking oversharpened. So I ignore what it does to the horizon, then come back over that and erase it some level of opacity till it doesn't look oversharpened there.

 

[Dan Cook]

I'll take a look at those books Beau mentioned.

Mike: Nope it wasn't from a car it was tripoded as well like the video was.

Thanks.