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  • Adobe ACR 9.6.1 update supports Fuji X-T2

    Adobe has updated its Camera Raw application to make it compatible with raw files created by Fujifilm’s new X-T2 camera. The latest version, 9.6.1, also fixes some reported bugs that prevented the opening of uncompressed DNG files that had been converted from Fuji X-E2 RAF format files, and an issue that meant panoramas couldn’t be created from two HDR DNG images.

    This version of Camera Raw, and the fixes that it brings, are available now to users of Photoshop CC and the Creative Cloud application.

    For more information and to download the update see the Adobe Lightroom Journal blog.

    Manufacturer information:

    Camera Raw 9.6.1 now available

    Camera Raw 9.6.1 is now available through the update mechanism in Photoshop CC and the Creative Cloud application. Our focus with this release was to fix reported customer issues.

    Thank you for all your feedback and passion for Camera Raw.

    Bugs Fixed in Camera Raw 9.6.1

    • Uncompressed DNGs files converted from Fuji X-E2 RAF source images were are unable to be read
    • Errors that preventing customers from creating a panorama from two HDR DNG source images.

    New Camera Support in Camera Raw 9.6.1

    • Fujifilm XT-2

    Installation Instructions

    Please select Help>Updates to install the update. See Keeping Photoshop & Camera Raw up-to-date.

    Please note – If you have trouble updating to the latest ACR update via the Creative Cloud application, please refer to the following plugin installation:

    http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/camera-raw-plug-in-installer.html

    DNG Converter Links: Win | Mac

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Second Time Around: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Review

    Key Features

    • 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor
    • 24-100mm F1.8-F2.8 lens
    • 3″ tilting touchscreen LCD
    • Click/click-less front dial
    • 8 fps continuous shooting
    • 1080/60p video capture

    For nearly two and a half years, Sony had the 1″-type sensor compact camera segment all to itself with its RX100 series. While Canon had its PowerShot G1 X (and the Mark II that followed), they were anything but pocketable. In September 2014 Canon joined Sony, offering up its PowerShot G7 X. From a pure specifications point of view, the G7 X was toe-to-toe with the Sony RX100 II and RX100 III (the current models at the time it was announced) in most respects, especially in terms of focal range and usability.

    Despite being so promising on paper, the G7 X proved a disappointment in a few areas. Performance in Raw mode was sluggish, battery life wasn’t great and, its lens wasn’t as good as those on some of its competitors. Canon has addressed most of those problems on the Mark II, due in large part to its Digic 7 processor, which makes its debut in the G7 X II.

    From a performance perspective, the Mark II has faster burst shooting, especially when shooting Raw files, which was a big disappointment on the original model. Where the Mark I shot continuous Raw bursts at just 1 fps, the Mark II can now shoot Raws, JPEGs or both at 8 fps. Canon also claims improvements in subject recognition and tracking, which wasn’t a strong point of the original model, either.

    The G7 X II offers what Canon calls ‘Dual Sensing IS’, which uses data from the image sensor (in addition to gyro-scoping sensors) to reduce blur caused by camera shake. The company claims that this system is more effective than on the G7 X, with the ability to reduce shake by four stops. There’s also a new panning IS mode that will adjust the shutter speed to ensure that your subject is ‘frozen.’

    In the image quality department, the Digic 7 processor brings improved sharpening and high ISO noise reduction algorithms. We’ll see the results of that later in the review.

    Perhaps the G7 X’s biggest problem was battery life, which has been boosted by 25% to 265 shots per charge (CIPA standard). Even with that increase, though, the Canon still lags behind the Sony RX100s and Panasonic Lumix ZS100/TZ100.

    The G7 X II uses the same lens and 1″-type sensor as its predecessor.  As you can see, the main difference on the front is a much-needed grip. It’s also slightly ‘chunkier’ in general.
    Canon has moved the display hinge from the top to the bottom, which allows the screen to tilt downward by 45 degrees, something that the original G7 X could not do.

    Cosmetically, the Mark II boasts three major changes. First is the addition of a much-needed grip, as the finish on the camera is quite slippery. Second, while it’s a bit subtle, Canon has moved the hinge on the tilting LCD to the bottom, which allows the screen to tilt downward, itself of just up. Finally, those who can’t decide whether they want the control ring around the lens to be ‘clicky’ or ‘smooth’ can now have both via a toggle switch to the lower-right of the lens.

    Spec Comparison

    Below is a look at how the key specs vary between the PowerShot G7 X I and II as well as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III, which is arguably the Mk II’s closest competitor.

       Canon G7 X  Canon G7 X II  Sony RX100 III
    Sensor 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS
    Lens focal range 24-100mm equiv. 24-100mm equiv. 24-70mm equiv.
    Max aperture F1.8 – F2.8 F1.8 – F2.8 F1.8 – F2.8
    LCD size/type 3″ tilting (180° up) 3″ tilting (180° up, 45° down) 3″ tilting (180° up, 45° down)
    Touchscreen Yes Yes No
    Built-in EVF No No Yes
    Max burst rate
    (w/AF lock)    		 6.5 fps JPEG
    1 fps Raw     		 8 fps JPEG/Raw 10 fps JPEG
    6.5 fps Raw
    Video 1080/60p/30p

    1080/60p/30p/24p

    		 1080/60p/30p/24p
    In-camera Raw conversion No Yes No
    Battery life (CIPA) 210 shots 265 shots 320 shots
    In-camera charging No Yes Yes
    Dimensions 103 x 60 x 40mm 106 x 61 x 42mm  102 x 58 x 41mm
    Weight (CIPA) 304 g 319 g 290 g

    As you can see, lens focal range, touchscreen and battery life are what separate the G7 X II from its competition.

    Lens Comparison

    The chart below breaks down the equivalent aperture for each camera, as you work your way through the zoom range. Our article here explains the concept of equivalence, but at a high level all you need to know is that the lower the line is on the graph below, the blurrier the backgrounds you’ll be able to get and, typically, the better the overall low-light performance.

    As you can see, the G7 X II and RX100 III start off at the same spot, but up until about 50mm the former has a slight equivalent aperture advantage. The two cameras are matched until the RX100 III’s focal range ends up 70mm. The G7 X continues on to 100mm at F2.8 (~F7.6 equiv.), which is one of its big selling points.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Interview: Celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart speaks to us about The Purpose Hotel

    Imagine staying at a hotel where everything in the rooms – and the nightly rate of the room itself – benefited someone in need. That’s the idea that lodged in commercial and editorial photographer Jeremy Cowart’s imagination, and which has since evolved into ‘The Purpose Hotel’.

    With a Kickstarter campaign launching this week, Cowart hopes to open the first Purpose Hotel in Nashville within three years. So why would a successful photographer switch from taking pictures of some of the world’s biggest celebrities, to get into the hotel business?

    We spoke to Jeremy recently about his work, and his plans for The Purpose Hotel.

    What is the Purpose Hotel?

    It’s going to be a hotel where everything in the building is connected to a cause, or a non-profit. So everything you’re interacting with is helping someone, somewhere in the world. Our tagline is ‘Change the World in Your Sleep’.

    The Purpose Hotel will be a for-profit hotel, so in that regard it’s a normal hotel business, we just have a very serious cause at the core of our mission, and that cause is to help as many organizations as possible.

    There are a million hotels out there, and obviously some are trying to think more along the lines of giving something back, but I’m not aware of any hotel that’s doing it at the level that we’re aiming for.

    What inspired you to create the concept of the Purpose Hotel?

    I was on a photo shoot four years ago, and I was staying at the Standard, a hotel in LA. And the room number was designed like a name tag – it said something like ‘Hello, my name is Room 121’. And for whatever reason that inspired me, and I took it a different direction, and wondered what if that room number was a story that you felt connected to? And what if that story was a child’s face, and what if by staying in that room you were sponsoring that child?

    So it started with that simple idea, and then as I was looking around that hotel room I started thinking, well, I know there are non-profits that make soaps, and shampoo… what if the TV showed inspiring documentaries from filmmakers all around the world… what if the Internet fee went to fight human trafficking… what if room service was connected to Food for the Hungry?

    I just had this lightbulb moment – what if everything was helping something? And it grew from there. 

    Instead of going out and buying soaps and shampoo from whoever, or artwork just to fill the hotel, we’re going to go and source those from companies that are already supporting non-profits.

    $ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_8161897269″,”galleryId”:”8161897269″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

    Is photography core to the concept of the Purpose Hotel?

    In a way, yes. It’ll obviously still be a hotel, but as a photographer and an artist I want there to be an amazing display of both, in the hotel. I can’t wait to personally curate those galleries because I have so many friends and peers in the industry whose work I really want on the walls of the hotel.

    My dream is for the whole hotel to be a living, breathing art gallery, where we sell the artists’ work, and that money goes to them. I want to help artists make a living through the hotel, and I hope that we can also give a percentage of sales to organizations that do art therapy. So that kids around the world can process their past, their history, through art therapy. I got to do that in Uganda and it was amazing.

    At this point, would you say you’ve made a transition of sorts, from making a living purely from photography, to more of a philanthropic way of life?

    Sure, it could be called philanthropy, it could be called being an entrepreneur. But at the end of the day I think of myself as an idea chaser. When we have those whispers of ideas, a lot of people don’t pursue them because they think they’re impossible or they think they can’t, but I love the challenge of chasing those ideas no matter how big they are.

    I’m passionate about the intersection where creativity and helping people meet. If I can help the community and do it in a really interesting, creative way, I’m passionate about that.

    Was there a single experience, or trip that lead you to be more interested in philanthropy?

    It was a sort of building, escalating thing. From my first trip to Africa in 2005, followed up by many more trips, doing projects overseas. I’m the founder of Help Portrait, which is a non-profit where we have photographers all over the world giving portraits to people in need. So yeah – I’ve found so much fulfillment from all of those projects. 

    Do you see yourself potentially making a living out of projects like this, or will you always be a commercial photographer as well?

    Good question, and I’m not sure about the answer. I’ll always be a visual artist first. I think that will continue to morph into different forms – I’ll always have a camera in my hands, I’ll always shoot, but I hope that there are humanitarian projects and personal projects in my future.

    What has your photographic career taught you?

    Every photographer wants to build a name for themselves, and wants to be famous and all that. But I’ve learned that it’s a lot less fulfilling than you think it is. It’s not that great, it’s not going to change your life. I like to say that greatness should be used to serve a greater purpose. So how do you use greatness to do something even bigger than yourself? That’s a lesson I’ve learned, and I’m continuing to do things that are bigger than me, and which aren’t about me.

    Learn more about the Purpose Hotel project

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Accusations fly over Fukushima photos

    We recently featured the photography of Keow Wee Loong, who claimed he had entered Fukushima’s exclusion zone without a permit. His photos of the area have been widely shared on social media and by other publications. While controversial in their own right, a blog post by Polish photographer Arkadiusz Podniesinski accuses Keow of mis-representing the images, stating that the photos he released were actually taken in publicly accessible green and orange zone areas that don’t require special permits to enter.

    Keow Wee Loong has posted a rebuttal on his own Facebook page, stating that he did in fact enter red zones without a permit, describing the towns he visited as ‘basically empty’ save for a few police patrols.

    An image posted by Keow Wee Long on his Facebook page comparing the locations he claims to have recorded for his own photos to recent maps documenting evacuation status of towns in the region.

    Singaporean website Mothership.sg flags a few of the locations photographed by Keow on Google Maps, stating that they are in fact in areas where residents are permitted limited access. But areas without red zone restrictions may still look very much abandoned. In an article published in March, the Japan Times reported that while many communities in Fukushima Prefecture had seen restrictions lifted, many residents were reluctant to return.

    It’s difficult to say whether Keow is misrepresenting or sensationalizing his story as Podniesinski claims, or whether he may have believed he was in more dangerous territory than he really was. Does the controversy change how you view these photos? Let us know in the comments.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Aputure Amaran AL-M9 is a pocket-sized adjustable LED fill light

    Still photography and video accessory purveyor Aputure has unveiled the Amaran AL-M9, an affordable pocket-sized LED panel. It uses 9 SMD TLCI 99 bulbs, an integrated rechargeable Li-ion battery, offers 9-step brightness adjustment and 120-degree light beam angle, and is a lightweight at 140g. Aputure bills the Amaran AL-M9 as a multi-purpose light for macro photography and ‘run and gun video,’ among other uses.

    Aputure says the Amaran AL-M9 is the size of a credit card with an 11mm thickness, and offers 350 lux at a distance of 0.5m. The light can be attached to a standard 1/4-20” mount, and includes a pair of magnetic diffusion filters.

    The Amaran AL-M9 is available for pre-order from Amazon for $ 45 with a launch date of August 6. Shipping is currently estimated to happen between August 17 and 26, however.

    Via: PetaPixel

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Comparison Review: Sony FE 50mm F1.4 ZA vs 55mm F1.8 ZA

    Sony has announced a high-end ‘normal’ prime for its Alpha E-mount line of cameras: the Planar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA lens. As the third normal prime for the system, we wanted to know what it offers over the already excellent FE 55mm F1.8 ZA, so we set about performing some benchmark tests.

    We’ll take a look at sharpness on this page, and bokeh, coma, and longitudinal chromatic aberration on the next.

    Sharpness

    Below, you’ll see a series of aperture progressions for the 50mm F1.4 ZA and 55mm F1.8 ZA. Have a look around the scene at various apertures to get an idea of the capabilities of these two lenses – with the caveat that this performance is only representative of our single copy of each lens.

    $ (document).ready(function() { ImageComparisonWidget({“containerId”:”reviewImageComparisonWidget-27965628″,”widgetId”:381,”initialStateId”:null}) })

    Wide-open, the 55/1.8 is slightly sharper than the 50/1.4, both centrally$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2690”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2690); }); }) and peripherally$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2691”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2691); }); }) (the advantage is retained on the left side$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2692”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2692); }); }) of the frame as well, despite the fact that our 55/1.8 is slightly decentered and has poorer left side performance). But none of this should be too surprising, since sharpness at F1.4 is far more challenging than at F1.8. In fact, the 50/1.4 holds up very well considering the 2/3 EV disparity in f-stop.

    Comparing both lenses at F1.8 (a more level playing field), the 50/1.4 catches up to the 55/1.8 in terms of center sharpness$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2695”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2695); }); }), but still lags in peripheral sharpness on the left$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2693”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2693); }); }) and right$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2694”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2694); }); }) sides of the frame. By F2, though, the 50/1.4 just surpasses$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2701”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2701); }); }) the 55/1.8 in central sharpness, though off-center it still lags a bit$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2702”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2702); }); }). By F2.8 though, the 50/1.4 pulls ahead$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2703”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2703); }); }) of the 55/1.8 even here off-center, and particularly at center$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2696”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2696); }); }) where it pulls and stays ahead at higher F- numbers. Peripherally, though, the 50/1.4 never quite catches up to the 55/1.8, not at F2.8$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2697”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2697); }); }), and not even by F5.6$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2698”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2698); }); }) (the lenses are a bit more even on the left side at F2.8$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2699”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2699); }); }) and F5.6$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2700”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2700); }); }) due to the weaker performance of our 55/1.8 on the left but, technically, the F1.4 is still a little bit behind).

    What does this mean?

    The new 50/1.4 ZA displays impressive sharpness and contrast at F1.4. Not quite as much as the venerable 55/1.8 wide open, but a respectable amount considering the 2/3 stop light and depth-of-field advantage. These new lens designs deliver sharp and punchy images wide open, instead of the soft and hazy images you may be used to getting if you slap on old F1.4 designs on such high resolution sensors (remember that we’re using the unforgiving 42MP a7R II for this test).

    That said, the new 50/1.4 does not retain this sharpness across the field as well as the 55/1.8, which offers better field uniformity at all apertures. By F2, though, the new 50/1.4 ZA matches the 55/1.8 in central sharpness, and surpasses it at all smaller apertures. Considering the high bar set by the 55/1.8 ZA, this is very impressive. However, you give up off-center sharpness at the widest apertures. If we were forced to pick an overall winner here in terms of sharpness, we’d probably go with the 55/1.8, but really there isn’t a huge difference between the two.

    Roger Cicala over at LensRentals found the Sony 50mm F1.4 lens to be the sharpest centrally of any 50mm prime, outperforming the 55mm F1.8 ZA. However, peripherally, the 50/1.4 takes a plunge in terms of resolution, and the 55mm F1.8 pulls ahead. In fact, just 4mm out from center in the image circle, tangential resolution (which we assess by considering the highest frequency MTF trace: 50 lp/mm) drops below that of the 55/1.8 (solid purple line). Source: LensRentals Blog

    It’s worth noting that Roger Cicala at LensRentals found the central sharpness wide open of the 50/1.4 to exceed the 55/1.8 (see MTF traces above), while our visual results don’t show the 50/1.4 to exceed the 55/1.8 until F2.8. We can’t rule out the possibility that our copy of the 50/1.4 slightly under-performed relative to the average, perhaps due to decentering; however, it’s reassuring that he found the 55/1.8 to offer greater uniformity. This difference in peripheral sharpness may be the reason for the apparent discrepancy in our results.

    Below, we show our infinity scene overlaid with red and blue rings representing image heights of 4mm and 16mm, respectively: the two points where the 50 lp/mm MTF traces of the two lenses intersect. Between these rings, Roger’s 50/1.4 sagittal 50 lp/mm trace falls well below the 55/1.8. Hence, our visual shootout seems to agree with Roger’s results: aside from a very small region in the center, the 55/1.8 does outperform the 50/1.4 wide open (though we don’t see the improvement towards the edges of the 50/1.4: our 55/1.8 remains better). 

    Our infinity scene with red and blue rings that represent 4mm and 16mm image heights (distance from center in the image circle). Between these regions, Roger’s own MTF data indicate a dip in sagittal resolution. It’s likely only the small region in the center (within the red circle) where the 50/1.4 resolves more than the 55/1.8 wide open, which would explain the apparent discrepancy between Roger’s results and ours. 

    All that said, sharpness isn’t everything. How does the new 50/1.4 fare in terms of bokeh, coma, and purple/green fringing? Let’s take a look on the next page.

    Page 2: Bokeh | Longitudinal CA| Coma

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • How To Retouch Skin And Still Look Natural

    Skin Retouching for Dummies

     

     

    Hey FashionPhotographyBlog.com readers. Retouching… A LOT of people have asked for it so here it is:

     

    When it comes to retouching skin, it’s really quite simple. In fact, you can do it in two simple steps. However, it’s also really quite time consuming. Take your time and don’t rush through it. Following these few simple steps will pay off in the end!

     

    Whatever you do: DON’T BLUR YOUR SUBJECT’S SKIN! Skin is full of texture – keep it that way. Eliminating pores is an obvious sign of someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Study your face in the mirror. Texture changes as you move throughout the face and body, be conscious of this when retouching skin.

     

     

    Don’t blur your subject’s skin! Skin is full of texture – Keep it that way #fpblog
    Click To Tweet

     

    (Remember: It always helps to have a good makeup artist and start with an even base of foundation. A good makeup artist can drastically cut down your time spent retouching skin in Photoshop.)

     

     

    How To Retouch Skin

     

    First things first, NEVER-EVER work directly on your background layer. This is an extremely bad habit most people have. This is considered destructive. Once you work directly on your background layer, there is no going back. Whereas, if you work on layers independent from your background layer, you can always delete them and start from scratch.

     

    1. Select your image and open it up in Photoshop.

     

    retouching_skin_original_imageOriginal, untouched image

     

    2. Start by removing blemishes. To do this, I typically switch between the Healing Brush and the Clone Stamp.

     

    – The Healing Brush (band-aid tool) works by merging texture, color and luminosity from the sample area to the destination area.

     

    – The Clone Stamp (stamp) takes the information from the sample area and moves it to the destination area (no automatic blending in of texture, color and luminosity.)

     

    retouching_skin_heal_patch_clone_stamp

     

    Create a new, empty layer and at the top change the setting from “Current Layer” to “Current & Below.”

     

    To remove blemishes and wrinkles, make the brush size just a bit larger than the size of the blemish. To select a source point, hold down “Option” (Mac) or “Alt” (PC) and click, then paint over the blemish to remove it. The healing brush tends to spread out a bit so it works best by using a harder brush rather than a softer brush.

     

    BE CAREFUL* When healing, many people have a tendency to pull source areas from right next to the destination area. Doing this will create repetitions in texture. This is a major no-no. Repetitions in texture make it known that the image has been manipulated. It’s a sign of an amateur. If you see this, take a step back and try again. Are there naturally occurring patterns? Break them up. Keep your hand light – a heavy hand is also a sign of an amateur and leaves your subject looking unnatural. 

     

    retouching_skin_after_healing_cloningAfter Healing/Cloning

     

    2. Next up: Dodge and Burn! Dodging and Burning is the process of manipulating tone in order to even out blotches in skin. This is fantastic for (painstakingly) taking out goosebumps or evening out the blotches most people have on their skin.

     

    Dodging and Burning is derived from a darkroom process. Dodging is lightning of tones and burning is the darkening of tones. By dodging and burning simultaneously, you’re able to even out tones and create smooth, perfect looking skin.

     

    To begin, create a new layer set “mode” to “soft light” and select “fill with 50% grey.”

     

    retouching skin photoshop new options

    New layer options: Mode: Soft Light, Select “Fill with 50% grey”

     

    Using the Dodge/Burn tool (J) you can choose which tones to work with – highlights, midtones or shadows. I typically start with midtones and then work my way around the image switching between midtones, highlights and shadows. Keep your exposure low. I usually work around 9%. Start small and you can gradually build your way up. 

     

    Continuously switch between Dodge and Burn – an easy way to do this is to hold down the “Option” key. If you’re dodging midtones at an exposure of 9% and hold down the “option” key, you’ll burn midtones at 9% as long as the option key is held down. Essentially, it gives you the opposite tool of what you’re working on, however whatever settings you already have chosen (midtone/shadow/highlight and exposure) will remain the same.

     

    *Dodging and Burning can be tricky! Until you train your eyes to see the difference between tones, it’s really easy to over-do your dodging and burning. In order to help you better see the differences in tone, you can create a guide to help train your eyes! To do this, create a “Hue/Saturation” adjustment layer and desaturate the image. Then, create a new “Curve” adjustment layer and make a deep curve. This will separate the tones and make it easier to see where you need to dodge and where you need to burn.

     

    retouching_skin_photoshop_eye_guide_d&b_curveEye Guide: Deep Curve

     

    retouching skin eye guide help before dodge and burnretouching_skin_eye_guide_help_before_dodge_and_burnWith Eye Guide on: Before Dodging and Burning. Notice the blotchy patches.

     

    retouching_skin_eye_guide_help_after_dodge_and_burnWith Eye Guide on: After Dodging and Burning. Notice the smooth transitions between tones.

     

    retouching_skin_eye_guide_help_after_dodging_and_burningAfter Dodging & Burning

     

     

    Over-do it? That’s okay. Lower the opacity of your layer until it looks right. This is the beauty of working on a layer independent from your background layer.

     

    3. After Healing, Dodging and Burning, now is time for color! ALWAYS be careful of where you place your color layers. For those just starting out, it’s best to do color last. If you manipulate color before you retouch, make sure your color layers stay on top of all the retouching layers you create.  IF YOU RETOUCH ON TOP OF COLOR MANIPULATIONS, YOU CAN’T UNDO THE COLOR. 

     

    If you retouch on top of color manipulations, you can’t undo the color #fpblog
    Click To Tweet

     

    If you decide you don’t like the color and try to remove or change it, you’ll have to re-do all of your retouching work. Since the healing layer is set to “current and below” it is pulling color and texture from the layers below it (this would include your color layers). When you delete the color layer, the color remains in the areas which have been healed or cloned above it, leaving you with a mess that looks like this:

     

    retouching_skin_on_top_color_manipulationsImage that has had retouching done on-top of color manipulations. The colour manipulations were removed resulting in an unusable mess!

     

     

    So, those just starting out with this method of skin retouching, play it safe and work with color last.

     

    retouching_final_skin_retouch_with_color_appliedFinal skin retouching with color applied

     

     

    So – as a reminder, the order you retouch skin:

    1. Heal/Clone – Remove wrinkles and blemishes

    2. Dodge/Burn – Even out skin tone

    3. Manipulate Color

     

    Stay as organized as possible! It helps to make a group for retouching and a group for color to keep everything straight.

    retouching_skin_layers_from_completed_retouched_imageLayers from completed retouched image (pictured above)

     

    Good luck! Remember to take your time and practice. It takes a long time to be able to really see what you’re doing. Train your eye and you’ll be able to pick apart tones and see imperfections in skin more easily. Feel free to share your retouching here in the comments for feedback and critique!

     

    And remember, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

     

    –Alana

     

    retouching_skin_animation

     

     

    IMAGE SOURCE:

    Feature image and images 1-12: courtesy of Alana Tyler Slutsky

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  • CASE Remote Air is the world’s smallest smart camera controller

    CheeringTech, the maker of the CASE smartphone remote for DSLRs, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo for a lighter and smaller next-generation version, the CASE Remote Air.

    CheerinTech says at 2.4″ x 1.6″ x 0.2″ the CASE Remote Air is the world’s smallest smart camera controller. At only 50 grams it is also very lightweight. Like similar devices, it connects to the USB-port of your DSLR and creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that allows for a wireless connection to your smartphone or PC. Using a dedicated app you can then see the camera’s live view image on the display of your smartphone, alter camera parameters, control video shooting or use one of the special modes, such as focus-stacking or time-lapse. In addition, you can download images from the camera to your device, including Raw files.

    CASE Remote Air works with many Canon and Nikon DSLRs and can be controlled from Android and iOS mobile devices or PC and Apple computers. You can currently reserve a CASE Remote Air for $ 79 plus shipping. Delivery is expected for October. More information, including a full list of compatible cameras, can be found on the Indiegogo crowdfunding site. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Deep dive: the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is an underwater ace

    Canon 1Dx Mark II Underwater Camera Review

    By Backscatter Staff

    Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo is the largest underwater imaging equipment supplier in the world. They love the water, and they personally dive and shoot with the gear they sell. This article originally appeared on their website and is reproduced here with their permission.

    Backscatter is fortunate to have a large customer base of professional underwater filmmakers. This year our conversations on 4K cinema have revolved around three cameras: Red Weapon/EPIC Dragon, Sony a7R Mark II, and the new Canon EOS-1DX II. We’ve spent many hours underwater with each of these cameras and this article compiles our Canon 1DX II tests from four uniquely skilled underwater professionals.

    Canon 1Dx Mark II underwater housing system configured for wide angle.
    Nauticam NA-1DXII Underwater Housing, Nauticam 8.5 inch Dome Port, Keldan 8,000 Lumen Video Lights,Canon 1Dx Mark II Camera, Canon 8-15mm Fisheye Lens.

    Who is this camera for?

    If you’re both an underwater photographer and filmmaker, our test results confirm the Canon 1DX II is hands down the greatest camera we’ve tested to date. It’s a no compromise professional photography camera capable of shooting both 20MP stills at 14fps and 4K 60p video in incredibly low light. While it doesn’t offer the raw video and flexibility of a RED, it shoots broadcast quality 4K motion at a fraction of the size and cost and out performs favorites such as the Sony A7 series in low noise when tasked with the extreme requirements of underwater white balance.

    Backscatter has spent over 20 years finding the best underwater cameras and we’ve learned that a chart-topping land camera is not always the best underwater camera. The new Canon 1DX Mark II is a good example. While leading groups such as DxOMark give it a ranking of 21st place, we give the Canon 1DX MK II a clear first place position for underwater applications.

    The high ISO and high bit rate of the Canon 1Dx II combine to make smooth blue water transitions without banding or red channel noise even at extreme underwater white balance settings of 50,000K+. This video was shot with Canon 1DX II, Canon 8-15mm lens, and ISO settings from 320-6400. Select HD playback of 4K for full experience. Video by Backscatter staff Berkley White.

    Real-world underwater low light performance

    ISO performance results can vary greatly between underwater and land environments. Underwater we are forced to use extreme white balance settings of 30,000K – 50,000K or swim around with 10,000 Lumen lights just to illuminate a subject 3 feet from the camera. These underwater requirements can turn land camera test results upside down.

    Our previous tests showed the Canon 1Dc was a top performer with a maximum of ISO 1250 for images in blue water and a maximum of ISO 2500 when shooting in high contrast or artificial light. The new Canon 1DX MK II now opens up blue water scenes to ISO 2500 and high contrast shots such as caves or wrecks in ambient light up to ISO 6400 even at extreme white balance settings.

    White balance is less of an issue for underwater photography as raw files are easily corrected in post. For this application we do agree that cameras such as the Sony A7 series and Nikon D810 offer better low light performace, but we found the Canon 1DX II’s combination of great white balance capabilities, high bit rate video, and great ISO performance make it the best performing camera for photographer / videographer professionals.

    This video was shot at 50 feet underwater with only a manual white balance and no artifical light. Canon remains king when it comes to nailing color underwater with a manual white balance. The live autofocus of the Canon 1DX II was able to stay focused on this grouper, even at lips to lens distances with thin depth of field. Shot with Canon 1DX II and Canon 8-15mm lens. Select HD playback of 4K for full experience. Video by Backscatter Pro Team member Erin Quigley.

    The simplicity of underwater white balance – without filters or lights

    Most underwater videographers have preferred Canon cameras for a good reason. Red light is lost within the first 10 feet underwater and you’re quickly left with nothing but the blues. To make whites appear white in ambient light, you’ll need an extreme white balance setting of 30,000K – 50,000K or more. Currently only Canon DSLRs offer this extreme white balance range to produce brilliant underwater color in-camera. As our previous testing shows, Sony cameras such as the entire A7 series are unable to white balance below 10 feet without a red filter on the lens as it is limited to 9,900K. Required filter use makes shooting in mixed lighting difficult or logistically impossible underwater. Our latest tests with the new Nikon D500 revealed it to be the best Nikon to date, but it often takes 10 to 20 attempts to register an underwater white balance at depth. RED cameras can white balance without a filter, but even modified with a H2O ELPF can’t match the rich blues that are so easily produced with Canon cameras. 

    When performed correctly underwater, a manual white balance with the Canon 1DX II will almost eliminate the need for color correction in post and not burden the underwater videographer with filter maintenance or the requirement to always keep subjects within 3 feet of even the brightest underwater lights. If you want to keep it simple underwater, nothing beats a camera that produces great underwater color with a manual white balance.

    While Canon’s new autofocus system stunned us in wide angle and on-land tracking tests, it’s still not quite there for real world underwater macro without further experimentation. Stay tuned for our new tests. Video by Backscatter staff Rusty Sanoian.

    Autofocus with underwater cinema? Almost!

    Canon’s new Dual Pixel Autofocus performed incredibly well on land and we were excited to put it to the test underwater. This new autofocus system includes Flexizone Mode which offers a manually positioned zone at any point on the screen while the new AF Tracking Mode allows the focus zone to follow a moving subject across the frame. Experienced underwater videographers know that autofocus has only spelled certain death with all large sensor cameras to date. Thus, we were stunned to discover that Flexizone AF Mode was not only fast but extremely accurate in underwater wide angle scenes. For example, Erin Quigley’s video of the grouper was shot in full AF Servo mode even at close focus and low depth of field. We were even able to start a clip two meters away from a subject and push in until the subject touched the dome with smooth focus throughout. Flexizone AF Mode was the most accurate and responsive system we’ve seen for underwater wide angle.

    We hoped AF Tracking Mode would shine with the razor thin depth of field in underwater macro scenes. This mode worked surprisingly well on land, but was not a slam dunk underwater. First, underwater housings don’t yet offer the ability to use the touchscreen to select focus points and require the user to position the focus zone with the joystick and activate with the set button. Secondly, water motion and passing particles seemed to cause the focus to hunt enough that we preferred to set and lock focus for most macro subjects. While some of Rusty Sanoian’s Monterey macro video used AF Tracking Mode, the majority was captured by locking focus before each shot. We are currently testing lowering the secondary menu options that Canon has cryptically named “When Active” and “AF Speed” to see if we can make AF Tracking a reliable function for underwater macro.

    Experienced underwater videographers should also note that the Canon 1Dx Mark II default setting is for Movie Servo AF to be enabled and thus the camera will AF continuously even when not recording. We recommend modifying the custom controls menu to reprogram the Set or the front Function button to Pause Movie Servo AF and always monitor the LCD to verify AF is paused during low contrast pans. Further, it’s important to note that Pause Movie Servo AF will sometimes turn off after the camera goes to sleep or is cycled on and off causing unwanted AF activation. Underwater camera operators might find it best to turn Movie Servo AF off when shooting a full dive in very low contrast conditions.

    Videos shot at 60p then slowed down to 30p has the effect of adding more drama to the image. More importantly, underwater shooters can’t always set up a tripod on a pristine reef and slow motion helps us eliminate camera shake for hand held sequences. Video by Backscatter Pro Team member Dustin Adamson.

    Why is 4K 60fps amazing for underwater video? Stability!

    We’ve all fallen in love with slow motion videos and the hidden world that is exposed when we slow down real time. The Canon 1DX II would not be considered a slow motion camera on land, but 60fps and 120fps video is about all we need in the fluid underwater environment. On land it may be easy to mount a camera to a tripod for rock steady footage, but we can’t always drop a tripod on a pristine reef. Slowing down reality helps us add stability to our shots. Maybe that clip of the mother humpback with her calf caught you unexpectedly and you had some camera shake? Slowing your 60fps video to 30fps will double your clip length and smooth out your camera wobbles. Maybe you were fighting your tripod when a tiny jaw fish was aerating his eggs? Playback your video at 30fps to get 2x the time on a great macro behavior shot with less camera shake. You’ll pay a price on hard drives when shooting higher frame rates, but you’ll double your chances to get the shot.

    Cons of large file sizes and issues with new CFast cards

    The Canon 1DX II is outfitted with (1) CF and (1) CFast card slot. All 4K 60P recording longer than 10 seconds must be recorded to the new CFast card. At a blistering 6GB per minute, you’ll need to buy 256GB CFast cards to get roughly 40 minutes of recording time per dive. Newcomers to low compression 4K will also need to upgrade their portable and home hard disks in a major way. Hard drives are inexpensive these days, but CFast cards are bleeding edge and still demand a premium price.

    Canon recently issued a firmware update to fix issues with Sandisk CFast cards. Our test pilots didn’t experience any of these Sandisk issues, but one had a catastrophic issue with a Lexar 256GB card that was unrecoverable. Currently Backscatter is only recommending Delkin 256GB CFast cards as they have been the only cards without reported issues. Stay tuned for more feedback from the field.

    Which 4K camera is best underwater? 

    Canon 1DX II VS. SONY A7 SERIES CAMERAS

    In an era where airline baggage fees have people compromising with smaller cameras, the mirrorless Sony a7R Mark II has been a crowd favorite for good reason. Its large sensor produces beautiful low noise 42MP stills, 4K 30p video, and a complete system is easily carried on a plane all at a great price. It performs best when shooting macro scenes where features such as focus peaking and super 35 mode really shine. The Sony a7R Mark II becomes difficult to use for underwater wide angle. The above-mentioned inability to white balance without a filter makes shooting with or without lights on the same dive almost impossible. Advanced photographers will miss an optical viewfinder when trying to compose wide-angle scenes at upward angles. In these situations the mirrorless screen overexposes and only provides a guess on classic underwater photo compositions. Filmmakers will greatly prefer the 800mbps data rate and 60fps of the Canon 1DX II over the Sony’s 100mbps and 30fps when scaling to larger projects. For most people the choice between these two cameras will be a mater of budget, physical size, and ability to overcome the limitations of the Sony a7R Mark II. 

    Canon 1DX II VS. RED EPIC DRAGON

    If your project has the budget, the RED EPIC DRAGON remains the ultimate “fix it in post camera.” RED continues to offer the greatest dynamic range, bitrate, and lens selection. If your project has skilled editors and colorists, they’ll prefer the flexibility that raw video offers to correct shooting errors and ability to color match a project across a wide range of unpredictable natural light sequences. The H2O OLPF filter and Dragoncolor 2 color space have significantly helped RED reproduce underwater color, but we’d like to see more underwater performance in a system in this price range. While RED remains king of large budget projects, the Canon 1DX II will certainly be the top pick for streamlined underwater productions. Based on our tests, the Canon 1DX II offers better saturated blues and overall lower noise in the blue light (red light starved) underwater environment. Assuming the proper white balance and exposure is attained while in water, the 1Dx Mark II footage looks fantastic out of the camera and is ready to pass to the Director or Producer in the field eliminating the need for expert level grading. If your project is heavy underwater and you have a medium to small budget, the 1Dx Mark II is an easy win.

    Canon 1Dx Mark II underwater housing configured for macro.
    Nauticam NA-1DXII Underwater Housing, Nauticam Flat Port, Nauticam SMC Macro Lens, Dive & See 5 inch Monitor, Light & Motion Sola Video 2500 Lumen Lights, XIT404 Tripod Plate, XIT404 Tripod Legs, Canon 1Dx Mark II Camera, Canon 100 IS Macro Lens.

    We know you have questions – give us a call!

    The team here at Backscatter is just like you. We want to spend the least on our personal gear, but still get the most future-proof camera system available. Give our cinema experts a call. We’re happy to walk you through all of the options and guide you towards the best camera for your goals and budget. 

    Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo is the largest underwater imaging equipment supplier in the world. Since 1994, Backscatter has supported sport divers, filmmakers, and production companies with gear and technical support from its locations in Monterey, California and Derry, New Hampshire. Backscatter is far from a typical retailer and lives by its motto, “We dive, shoot, and service everything we sell” by publishing hundreds of detailed gear reviews from first hand experience and offering instructional seminars and trips around the world.

    Backscatter is the only US retailer with a complete in-house warranty service center for all major underwater brands. Backscatter is the US distributor for Olympus in the scuba diving retail channel and also manufacturers its own line of underwater camera accessories such as the FLIP system of color correction optics for GoPro cameras. For more about Backscatter or articles on equipment and technique, please see http://www.backscatter.com

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Trippy mirrored timelapse turns Hong Kong upside down

    Skill, dedication, vision: a good timelapse requires all of these things. A really cool subject helps too. ‘The Allegory of the Cave,’ a new timelapse from Visual Suspect, checks all of those boxes. By mirroring Hong Kong’s vibrant cityscapes, its creators aim to play with themes of ‘perception and knowledge as reflection of our reality.’ 

    Familiar images of skyscrapers in clouds or boats in a harbor become abstract shapes – where does one image stop and its reflection begin? Is anything real?

    See? We told you it was trippy. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)