Show your Bird Portraits
- Thread starter 1982chris911
- Start date
I especially like the Nuthatch. Well done.
bjd said:
Luminosity masks, just do a search on YouTube for many excellent tutorials. Far and away the most powerful way of adjusting specific tonal ranges within a scene and keep them natural looking.
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bjd said:
The trick for a single exposure is to make a copy of the first layer and make your tone adjustment to that new layer, then put the mask on that adjusted copy/layer.
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privatebydesign said:
Thanks for the tip PDB! I've started learning luminosity masking in PS CC, but have only been using it for my landscapes so far. I'll try it with single exposures for some bird shots also.
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Hi PBD, I have to ask for clarification here. I duplicated the first layer, created the mask and then made the adjustment. Giving me a background layer and a layer with the curves adjustment. Then I played with the opacity slider to make the changes visible. Is that what you meant byprivatebydesign said:
?
Cheers Brian
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bjd said:
Hi Brian, as always there are a multitude of ways of getting the same result.
Simplest is to open image, copy layer, make mask and 'apply image', adjust mask so it only has the areas you want to change in white and grey. Make curves adjustment layer with 'apply clipping mask' so it only adjusts the copy layer. The stack should look like the screenshot below. You can change the opacity of either the curves adjustment layer and or the copy to taste, it is much easier to over do it and then lower opacity than to not go far enough with your adjustment.
The huge advantage of using 'apply image' to make the mask, a luminosity mask, is the way the gradations between the adjustments is taken care of, yet if the mask doesn't black out areas you want to keep untouched just use the brush tool on the mask. You can adjust the entire mask tonal area coverage by selecting the mask then going 'alt + click' and then levels by going 'command + L'.
Very powerful and as much subtle control as you will ever get.
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Here I would be using two Smart layers and one mask.
I made the mask with apply image then brushed out the areas I don't want affected.
I opened an image either as a smart object or converted it to one, then made a new layer via 'new smart object via copy', made a mask and 'apply image'. Then did a camera raw filter to the top smart object.
Obviously a bit more convoluted but it is entirely non destructive and you can keep playing with any and all adjustments with no IQ issues.
I made the mask with apply image then brushed out the areas I don't want affected.
I opened an image either as a smart object or converted it to one, then made a new layer via 'new smart object via copy', made a mask and 'apply image'. Then did a camera raw filter to the top smart object.
Obviously a bit more convoluted but it is entirely non destructive and you can keep playing with any and all adjustments with no IQ issues.
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Any af-setup tips for shooting ducks that takes off? I can get very close, fill the frame with my 200 f2. I've tried case 1,2,4,6, with and without expansion, four and eight points, IS on/off, Zone focus, all settings sets Focus priority on the 1dx2, yet I have two-three sharp shots out of a hundred...
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From my experience with both the 7D2 and (more limited) the 1Dx2, cases don't make a whole heap of difference until your technique is already good enough to have a decent hit rate but my preferred is #2 or #5.
Reading more experience bird-in-flighters, the 4-points expansion assists the main AF point, the 8-point expansion acts more like a zone and more risk of hitting a complex background.
Zone focus in general works best against plain (or very distant) backgrounds but risks picking up the near wingtip as much as the eye/head. If you are as close as you describe, then this could be a reason.
IS on/off is much discussed as is focus/shutter priority, but should not be the primary reason for the hit rate you describe.
When tracking BIF I often think at the time I have got a pretty good tracking sequence then I look at the pictures as a sequence and see that in successive frames the head is all over the place - this is partly due to the high frame rate giving a relatively long black-out time and when the shutter blacks the VF I am losing track of the bird. Maybe it is worth reducing frame rate so you have more 'visible' time - though I have been experimenting with with not closing my left eye (my right-eye is at the VF) and looking at where the bird is going to keep track of it (apparently it takes some learning, similar to jet pilots with their 'heads up' displays).
I know you are a very experienced photographer but it is worth asking - when you see a bird taking off and put the camera to your eye, is the bird on the focus point immediately? Or do you need to adjust? That will take some of the available time to acquire focus.
Reading more experience bird-in-flighters, the 4-points expansion assists the main AF point, the 8-point expansion acts more like a zone and more risk of hitting a complex background.
Zone focus in general works best against plain (or very distant) backgrounds but risks picking up the near wingtip as much as the eye/head. If you are as close as you describe, then this could be a reason.
IS on/off is much discussed as is focus/shutter priority, but should not be the primary reason for the hit rate you describe.
When tracking BIF I often think at the time I have got a pretty good tracking sequence then I look at the pictures as a sequence and see that in successive frames the head is all over the place - this is partly due to the high frame rate giving a relatively long black-out time and when the shutter blacks the VF I am losing track of the bird. Maybe it is worth reducing frame rate so you have more 'visible' time - though I have been experimenting with with not closing my left eye (my right-eye is at the VF) and looking at where the bird is going to keep track of it (apparently it takes some learning, similar to jet pilots with their 'heads up' displays).
I know you are a very experienced photographer but it is worth asking - when you see a bird taking off and put the camera to your eye, is the bird on the focus point immediately? Or do you need to adjust? That will take some of the available time to acquire focus.
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