Dark pictures

[BillH2]

This may not be new to you all but I don't know how to deal with the difference between what I see in the viewer of my Canon Digital rebel and what shows on computer screen and the prints look like. The viewer shows good clear bright pictures and what I get is way too dark. Any suggestions?

[etaf]

is it too dark when printing ?

[BillH2]

Yes and on the monitor also.

[Longwatcher]

For almost all Canon DSLR, you need to use the histogram display instead of just the image mode.

The jpeg that is shown in the LCD will be corrected to give you the best display possible, even if the picture itself was too dark. The same will happen in the opposite direction all though it will be more obvious in the display.

You want the histogram (not the peak, but all of the curve) to be as far over the right as possible without actually going over the right side. This will give you your best results.

On the D60, 10D and 300D this is a a notorious problem with the LCD screen.

[BillH2]

Since I am a newbe, I need to really check out how to use the histogram as I am not at all familiar with that. I have much to learn. Any suggestions?

[jbradc]

Since I am a newbe, I need to really check out how to use the histogram as I am not at all familiar with that. I have much to learn. Any suggestions?
Read This http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

[Jim_T]

This may not be new to you all but I don't know how to deal with the difference between what I see in the viewer of my Canon Digital rebel and what shows on computer screen and the prints look like. The viewer shows good clear bright pictures and what I get is way too dark. Any suggestions?

I think you're saying that images look OK on your camera's LCD display, but appear dark when you print them or view them on your monitor.

To get everything the same, just turn down the brightness on your camera LCD display. That way they appear the same on your camera, computer and printer.

Now.. More information will be needed to find out WHY they're dark.. Perhaps you could describe how you're shooting or better yet.. post a link to a few sample images (with EXIF attached).. :)

[BillH2]

Thanks guys, back to school for me, which is okay. need my brain dusted off occasionally.

[BillH2]

I think you're saying that images look OK on your camera's LCD display, but appear dark when you print them or view them on your monitor.

To get everything the same, just turn down the brightness on your camera LCD display. That way they appear the same on your camera, computer and printer.

Now.. More information will be needed to find out WHY they're dark.. Perhaps you could describe how you're shooting or better yet.. post a link to a few sample images (with EXIF attached).. :)


Yes viewer is bright enough pictures on Computer screen are dark as are prints.

[pierrot]

I have much to learn. Any suggestions?
Yes: open the b****y manual! :mrgreen:

[Longwatcher]

Jim,
If the problem were just darkness, that would have been a wonderful solution, however, the camera he has will also "Correct" the image if it is too light (although it will show clipping if over the limit), a problem I have experienced first hand on several occasions shooting dark subjects against black backgrounds. No clipping, but the image is washed out because I over exposed. All this before learning to use the histogram myself.

So turning down the LCD brightness would have the opposite effect desired in that case.

The problem is that the camera adjusts the picture for the LCD view.

So the better solution is check the histogram. And the link to luminuous-landscapes is an excellent resource to understand histograms.

So far the only camera to which I sometimes trust the image exposure on the LCD is my 1DsMkII and then probably because I haven't needed to use it as much. I have gotten in the habit of just reading the histogram and ignoring the image. A habit I picked up using D60 and 10D cameras.

Perhaps you have the 20D and they have corrected this problem?

[BillH2]

Yes: open the b****y manual! :mrgreen:

If I open the manual should I read it too?????? hehehehehe

[BillH2]

I think you're saying that images look OK on your camera's LCD display, but appear dark when you print them or view them on your monitor.

To get everything the same, just turn down the brightness on your camera LCD display. That way they appear the same on your camera, computer and printer.

Now.. More information will be needed to find out WHY they're dark.. Perhaps you could describe how you're shooting or better yet.. post a link to a few sample images (with EXIF attached).. :)

Perhaps this shot will help.
file:///F:/DCIM/100CANON/IMG_0058.JPG

[etaf]

need to upload the image - its pointing to your harddrive

[Jim_T]

Jim,
If the problem were just darkness, that would have been a wonderful solution, however, the camera he has will also "Correct" the image if it is too light (although it will show clipping if over the limit), a problem I have experienced first hand on several occasions shooting dark subjects against black backgrounds. No clipping, but the image is washed out because I over exposed. All this before learning to use the histogram myself.

So turning down the LCD brightness would have the opposite effect desired in that case.



I realize that.. (It was a tounge-in-cheek answer :) ) That's why there's a smiley at the end of the post.

The serious part of the answer was that more info is needed.. It could be the camera has a fault and is consistantly underexposing.. Or perhaps the EV setting accidently got bumped into to the negative and he didn't notice.

[Longwatcher]

Sorry, I must be grumpy today as I didn't catch it correctly.

[Hellashot]

This is about the 3rd post with this question in the last 10 days.