Showing posts with label Color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Color. Show all posts

Color Accuracy Test



How is your color accuracy today?

With this fun game you can check if you are color blinded or if you can measure correctly the colors.

Click HERE to play the game,

Have fun and a great photographic week.

DIY: Grey Card at Hand


Here’s another great idea. It's a grey card for your iPhone or iPod.

Chris Bartelski made this one so he could white balance his images and then created the image above on photoshop and put it on his iPhone.

To download the jpg file you just click on the above picture and then save as to your workplace, afterward copy it to your iPhone, iPod or any other screening device (such as your PSP) and send the results in.

All Chris asks is that if you test it to be sure and send him your results!

I do not have an iPhone but I tested it on my iPod and it works like charm.

Take a look at a small video he posted where he explains how to use the iPhone Grey Card with Adobe Lightroom.



Colorization Using Optimization

A couple of months ago I have mentioned a new revolutionary method to resizing images (Siggraph) from Dr Ariel Shamir and Shai Avidan of the Efi Arazi School of Computer Science that Adobe is now trying to integrate in their products.

Now applying the same techniques Anat Levin, Dani Lischinski and Yair Weiss had done it again but this time with a process to better colorize your images and videos.

What do you mean by this and in what aspect this could change our way of tint our images and videos?

Here is a quote from their web page mentioning what this project is all about.

---QUOTE---

Colorization is a computer-assisted process of adding color to a monochrome image or movie. The process typically involves segmenting images into regions and tracking these regions across image sequences. Neither of these tasks can be performed reliably in practice; consequently, colorization requires considerable user intervention and remains a tedious, time-consuming, and expensive task.

In this paper we present a simple colorization method that requires neither precise image segmentation, nor accurate region tracking. Our method is based on a simple premise: neighboring pixels in space-time that have similar intensities should have similar colors. We formalize this premise using a quadratic cost function and obtain an optimization problem that can be solved efficiently using standard techniques. In our approach an artist only needs to annotate the image with a few color scribbles, and the indicated colors are automatically propagated in both space and time to produce a fully colorized image or sequence. We demonstrate that high quality colorizations of stills and movie clips may be obtained from a relatively modest amount of user input.

--- END OF QUOTE ---

A detail documentation can be found here.
And if you want to dig more on this the Matlab code of the algorithm can be downloaded here.

Again, one of these days this would be implemented, for sure, on Photoshop or similar programs.

DIY: Lee Filters Flash Adapter

Last night I was inspired and decided to put together an idea that been bugging me since the day I received my 4 Lee Filter sample packs from Musikhaus Thomann.

I had already made a filter adapter for the Canon flashes but then when I received the Lee filters sample package I wonder how could I use the package on the field without having to put some Tape or Velcro on them prior to the assignment.

Since I always carry the all package containing the 287 small sample colored filters with me and sometimes only on the field I decide which one's to choose, or none, it started to be very difficult to have them all with tape and Velcro (like the CTO and Green one's I already have made).

In general I think this is one of the accessories, if you use the filters too much, that you cannot live without it in you bag or pocket or wallet.

Soon I realize that I needed something that I could call adapter and could be all time (or not) attached to the flash, it must be weightless and above all portable since I carry already too much weight and gear to some assignments.

This is a simple thing you can do since all the material used costs almost nothing, as you will see, and it's a very small portable thing you can even put it together with the filter package.

If you follow the last example of the Black Straws Snoot then you are half way there ;)

As always, I start with the Setup shot so you can see how the all pictures in these series were made.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_001

I use for this ISO 100, Tv 200, Av 8.0 and a silver umbrella to the left of the camera as you will notice on some of the shots.

Here is a picture of the stuff we are going to need to accomplish this project.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_002

- Cereal or other card box package
- Scissors
- Ruler (this time I covered the ads on the ruler)
- Glue
- Lee filter sample pack
- Kitchen knife or snap-off blade knife
- Carving board (so you won't cut the table out)

After you gather all the things you are ready to start.

I unfolded the cereal card box and draw on one of it borders (the more straightened side) the measures of my Canon 580Ex.

For Canon 580Ex 1cm, 4cm, 7cm, 4cm, 7cm and 2cm tall is enough.
For Nikon SB26 1cm, 4,5cm, 7cm, 4,5cm, 7cm and 2cm tall.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_003

Lets use the scissors to cut it out from the card box, this is a simple process and do not require master degree on engineering :)

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_004

Picture after cutting it out from the card box. But this is not all...

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_005

Next we use the ruler to help bend the parts we need. We really do not need the ruler since the card box is not so thick but I used it anyway since it will help get them straight.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_006

After you have to choose the distance you want the filter to be from the edge of the box to the inside part. As you can see I'm pointing with my index finger to where you should make the draw. I made it 0,5cm from the edge and draw a line from one side to the other on the 4cm sizes. (I've done this since if you put it too much on the edge it will not be strong enough and resistant to hold the small gel).

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_007

You use the sharp knife to make a hole in there, be careful to not cut yourself and do not make a very large hole so the filter won't be loosen. Just cut it straight from one side to the other on the 4 cm parts.

Afterwards test it with one of the Lee filters to see if it passes through the hole on both sides without too much afford and before you glue the adapter together.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_008

Now apply some glue on the 1cm part to glue the adapter box together.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_009

After the glue dries (2 or 3 minutes depending on the glue) put one of the filters in. First you pass it through one hole and then enter on the next one... this is a simple procedure.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_010

Here is the final shot after putting the gel through the both holes. NICE!!!

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_011

This is what it looks like when you mount it on the flash.

Remember that this is not intend to be a snoot... you need the filter to stay out of the box the maximum you can drill the hole (for me was the 0,5 cm)in the card box end because what we want is a filter adapter and not a snoot. Hey, this came into my mind right now!!! maybe you can use this, later on, to make a snoot with color ;)

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_012

I changed it to red so you can see the effect it produces. Here it is... Isn't this a COOL and NICE idea ?!!!

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_013

Follow me on this: "I do not believe pigs can fly unless I can see one", so that's why I put here a photo of the result.

Don't mind about the small hole on the small filter since, as you can see on this shot, it has no effect whatsoever on the final filter color. When you put the filter on try to minimize the hole by pushing it to the other side.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_014

Now, another thing, I wanted the adapter to be was small and portable... Just look at this!!! you can fold it and put it in your pocket or near the rest of the gels. You can even drill a small hole in it and attach it to the rest of the pack.

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_015

Another shot to show you how small this adapter really is.

This is a good portable adapter since it takes only 5 minutes to assemble and if you loose one or smash it then you can make another one from another box in no time.

I did not make any tape finishing since it would make difficult for the filters to enter on the holes because of the tape's glue but you can always put some tape on the top and bottom or leave it like this... who will bug you by having this adapter on your flash??

Lee Filters Flash Adapter_016

I hope you enjoy another useful DIY for your daily work.

I also think this adapter could come up very handy since, as I said before, you can carry it around and change filters on the fly... you can even have two or 3 of them, with a hole drilled near the flash size attach, and carry them with your gels pack.

Imagine in 2 seconds you could change the flash color just by putting another adapter or changing the filter color on location.

Before I did this I use, like so many of you out there, the gels with Velcro on each of the tips. I have also a collection of them hanging on my bag and with different sizes because of flash size with this I only need to have 1 adapter for the 580EX and another for my 2 SB26.

I can carry now the complete Lee gels pack without loosing too much space on my bag and when, for some reason, I need the purple or exotic color I can easily get it without having to glue anything to it or turning the idea down just because I do not have it set.

Make one of these yourself and enjoy flash colors ;)

Until next time keep on making good photos.