[Rick Wise]

I’m confused by your confusion. You always have two choices: uses the presets correctly, or white balance for the scene. To use the presets, if you are shooting in daylight or with daylight-balanced lights, set the preset to daylight. If you are shooting inside with tungsten lights, set it to tungsten. Pretty straight forward.

Note my post on the “greenish tint” thread (https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/47/856931) for a brief overview of the blue-red color axis and the magenta-green color axis.

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Thanks, Sarah. I have downloaded the demo (trial?) version of all the Power Retouche plug-ins, but I cannot figure out how to make any of them work. I “installed” them. But none come up in Photoshop (CS2). I am sure there is a simple answer. I just can’t find it, and there seems to be no directions on the web site.

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Neat! Thanks!

I incorporated your high-pass filter in my revisions. Have to look at your latest to figure out what to add to revise the revision….

Thanks again,

Rick

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Revised again 6/16/09:

1. crtl J to make a copy or original
2. image – adjust – shadow/highlights; click on “more options: bring up shadows to taste – note foliage; increase midtones contrast
3. filter/other/high pass — max
4. press “d” to make sure colors = B on top, W on bottom
5. filter – sketch – photocopy; details, 1-12; darkness = max 50 – set detail just high enough to retain shape information
6. filter – blur – gausian – 2 – helps remove some of the black noise
7. then run again: filter – sketch – photocopy; this time, detail = 1
8. filter/noise/reduce noise; check “remove JPEG artifact”
9. filter/brush/accented edges 1/27/4
10. reverse colors of black-white so now white is on top
11. with pencil, clean up image – takes about 15-30 minutes

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

It sounds like some of the locations where you will be shooting will have significant amounts of daylight. So you are probably best off buying daylight-balanced units. It also looks like you studio is tiny, so you will have a hard time lighting the foreground separately from the back ground. Fortunately, all these spaces are indoors, so you do not need to be fighting the sun, other than what you see out any windows. You can reduce that intensity with RoscoScrim and/or ND gels

The classic approach would be one 4×4 Kino with daylight bulbs (though you can also get tungsten bulbs for not a whole lot more money), and 2 2×2 Kino with daylight bulbs. I haven’t looked at prices lately and this may break the $3,000 limit.

There are cheaper fluorescent alternatives to Kino Flos, but I have not used them. They all tend to have green spikes that you can deal with by adding 1/4 to 1/2 minus green gel. (See the thread on “a little green.”) Sooner or later you will want some diffusion to soften even the soft Kinos: 1/2 grid is great but chews up quite a bit of light. Opal transmits more light but does not diffuse as much. If you can, get some of each, for starters. (There are many other diffusion gels to consider.)

Another way is to go LEDs. I’ll leave that to others with more experience to describe. I have yet to use them.

Be sure you also get with your order: several C-stands, some means to rig one of the 2×2 Kinos from the ceiling, some scrims, at least one 4×4 piece of foamcore. You can make flags out of wood or cardboard for now; just paint them black.

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Remember that there are two very different ways to go when dealing with fluorescents with green spikes (as most do, with the exception of Kino Flos and perhaps a few, very few others.) Either you add green to all the other lights to match the green of the offending fluorescent, or you add minus-green (magenta) to the offending fluorescent(s) so it matches your other lights.

You are dealing with two color axises: magenta-green on one axis, and blue-red (or orange) on the other. Gels to correct for each axis come in strengths beginning with 1/8 through full (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, full.) The color differences between tungsten and daylight units are mainly along the blue-red axis. (Some HMIs can have or can develop some green spiking too.) Fluorescents can be “daylight” or “tungsten” balanced and also almost always have some green spiking. You need to pay attention to both the blue-red axis and the magenta-green axis.

In general, with the situation you described, I’d put 1/4 minus green on the “bad” fluorescents, shoot a test, and if there is still too much green, try 1/2. Etc.

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

What settings on the high pass filter?

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Thanks very much. I’m quite intrigued by the filter you found. However the client Realtors want thin black lines and no noise anywhere. Do you know if the filter you found can do that? The sample you show has too much waver in the main lines and too much “noise” in the flat spaces.

As for using my solution on your web, you are welcome to do that. However, I adapted it from https://www.deke.com (you have to register for free to access his stuff). He was going for a more artistic look, but his basic method gave me the clue I was looking for. Heck, we all learn from each other. Or, as a director I used to work for liked to say, “Amateurs borrow. Professionals steal.” That’s a bit cynical but somewhat true….

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

“I guess I’m wondering how the “big guys” do it”

Two answers: lots and lots of practice, and a very good tripod head. The 501D does not cut it for what you are trying to do, though with lots of practice and careful breathing you can reduce your shakiness. Unfortunately, any head you want (on good, solid sticks that will not twist) costs substantial bucks. And even these can run into trouble is there is a significant wind. In that case, you have to build a wind shelter for the unit.

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

There’s another route to consider with these very light cameras: working out. Building up your shoulders and forearms and wrists will do wonders for stabilization. That’s something to consider doing at least 3 times a week, forever.

Another aspect is how you hold the camera. If you hold it up at eye level it’s much, much harder to hold steady than if you hold it down hear your chest. If it’s too bright to see the LCD flipout then add a cheap, light hood to it. At this position, of course, you end up shooting up at most people, which often works well but not always.

Here’s a shoulder mount rig that looks quite good to me, especially for a heavier camera like an EX1 or 3: https://www.dynamicmotionvideo.com/products/cb105.php I say, LOOKS, because I have not yet tried it.

If you want to make your own, do a Googlesearch for: shoulder mount make your own. Many solutions.

Finally, there are relatively cheap steadying devices that work with a simple gimble, such as the Glidecam 1000, 2000, or 4000. The trouble with these is that you are supporting all weight on your forearm, and even if you work out a lot, you are very limited as to the time you can shoot this way. There are sites that will show you how to make your own for various prices starting, I think, around $15.

Rick Wise
director of photography
and custom lighting design
Oakland, CA
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com