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Digital Exposure

Photography, Technique - Exposure  Comment
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The histogram on the back of your camera is generated by a processed JPEG version of your Raw files. Your Raw files are unprocessed / uncooked, high resolution, uncompressed, wide-gamut, 12-14 bit, and so have more information in them, particularly in the highlights. This means the histogram can be misleading. What looks good is usually underexposed. Weight your histograms high. How high? At what point do highlights clip? It’s uncertain. Practically, it depends on the scene; higher if the scene doesn’t contain delicate highlight detail; less high if it does. To be safe, bracket, one slightly high and one very high. You can even program your DSLR to do this automatically for you. Here are four histograms.
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1   Underexposed
2   A good exposure
3   A better exposure
4   Overexposed
Learn this and other techniques in my workshops.

How The Camera Sees

Photography, Technique - Exposure  Comment
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Like the human eye, film has a nonlinear response to light. For film, we adjust the EV to fit the amount and contrast ratio of the available light into the most useful area of its curve response. Using film, you expose generally, and when compromises need to be made, you favor shadows or highlights. Details lost at the point of capture are irrecoverable.


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Ben Wilmore – Up To Speed CS4 Book

Books  Comment
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“If you want to learn what’s new in CS4 and you want the most in-depth coverage of these features that you’ll find anywhere, then this book is a must. It covers every change made to Photoshop CS4 and nothing else … Also, if you’re on the fence about upgrading and really need to know if it would be worth it in your specific situation, then this book will allow you to assess exactly what you’d get by upgrading to CS4.”

Find out what’s in it and what others are saying about Ben’s book here. Ben’s offering a special discount that beats Amazon through the end of today here.
Read my review of Ben’s Up To Speed CS3 here.
Check out other books I recommend here.

Epson Print Academy – Live – What It's Like

Event - Seminar, Printing  Comment
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Today, the Epson Print Academy is in Washington DC at the Hilton Crystal Palace.
What’s the Epson Print Academy like? Jack Reznicki hosts Track One. Jeff Schewe is ring leader for Andrew Rodney, Greg Gorman, Mac Holbert, and me in Track Two. Both tracks feature live sessions and informative videos. In track two senior product manager Mark Radogna (below) talks about the new HDR ink technologies. Henry Wilhelm talks about key issues in print permanence – see the full length here. There’s an Expo area. Jeff Greene of Microsoft makes a short presentation on Capture One 4 and Expression Media 2. Mike Wong of On One makes a short presentation on their plug-ins like Mask Pro and Focal Point. And there’s a Gallery; all the prints are printed with Epson’s new HDR ink.
Check back later this evening for afternoon additions.
Find out more about the new Epson printers here.
Find out about the next Epson Print Academy near you here.

Print Proofs To See Undisplayable Colors

Printing  Comment
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You softproof (constrain a monitor with an ICC profile) to see what colors are out of gamut of an ink and paper combination before you print. You proof (print) to see colors out of gamut of the monitor.
What? Yes! Today’s inksets exceed the gamut of of even the widest gamut monitors, in certain colors.
This graph shows ColorMatch (equivalent to most CRTs and LCDs), Adobe RGB 1998 (higher end LCDs), and Epson Ultrachrome HDR Ink on Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper. The new printers with the latest substrates can print more saturated yellows and oranges than even the best monitors can display. And, they can also print more saturated blues and greens than average LCDs can display. Evolution in printers is forcing an evolution in monitors.
Which monitor do I recommend? Check out my previous post here.
Check out my DVD 6 Simple Steps to Good Color Management.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing.
See me demonstrate this and more during the Epson Print Academy.
Learn these techniques in my workshops.

Epson's Dan Steinhardt Talks About HDR Ink on IDP Radio

Audio, Printing  Comment
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Dan (Dano) Steinhardt, Marketing Manager, Epson Professional Imaging talks with Scott Sheppard of Inside Digital Photo Radio about Epson’s latest announcements including the new Epson Ultrachrome HDR ink set, the Epson Stylus Pro 7990-9900 and the new Epson Print Academy. Dano explains many features their benefits, including the greatly expanded color gamut and AccuPhoto™ HDR screening technology.
Find out more about the new Epson printers here.
Find out about the next Epson Print Academy near you here.

Epson's Dan Steinhardt On Photoshop Insider

Photographers, Printing  Comment
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Dan “Dano” Steinhardt, industry veteran, a driving force behind Epson shares his personal journey in and insights on photography on Scott Kelby’s blog Photoshop Insider.
“I travel a lot in my job. I also have the incredible honor to work with the some of the most well-known photographers on the planet. One of those legends is Jay Maisel who has become my new mentor. With all my business travel I took Jay’s advice, “Carry the camera because without it, it’s really tough to take pictures.” In the process I essentially returned to my roots of street photography versus the comfort and control of the studio”
“In the end it’s really not about exotic travel but about seeing the exotic that is all around us. In the past few years virtually all of my images have been captured, literally, between meetings.”
See the rest here.
Find out about the Epson Print Academy near you here.

16 Bit Printing

Printing, Software  Comment
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16 bit printing is finally possible. It wasn’t before? That’s right.
Only Photoshop CS4 / Lightroom 2 actually deliver all 16 bits to the printer.
Only OSX 10.5 allows this; not Windows yet.
And only the latest updated drivers.
What improvements can you expect to see? Smoother gradations. Slightly more precise edge rendition.  As printer dot structures get finer and more precise, expect to see more improvements. Higher quality digital capture (higher bit, lower noise, greater resolution) will also improve output.
Find CS4 and Lightroom here.
Find Epson drivers here.
Learn more in my Fine Digital Print workshops.