Window light! How does this look?

[michillebaker]

Hello Everyone,

Here are a few pics i did recently of my kids. They are done using all natural light. I used the windows in my living. How do they look?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3302632460_d44aea778b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3301555901_2150328ced.jpg

[RebelChick]

Love them! saw them on your flickr!

[RebelChick]

I want to know how you get the background masked out so nicely! I cant seem to do it so cleanly like you.

[michillebaker]

Actually all i did was use a red poster board for the background and then in photoshop created a duplicate layer and used the replace tool to adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness to my liking. Thanks a bunch for your wonderful comments. Hope this helps :).
I want to know how you get the background masked out so nicely! I cant seem to do it so cleanly like you.

[RebelChick]

Im an idiot because ive never used that tool before, but what does it look like or where is it located?

[michillebaker]

To use this tool go to image - adjustments - replace color. Use the color picker and click on the color you want to replace and if it doesn't select all of it use the picker with the + symbol next to it and select the parts that you want to select. If it tends to select to much i will usually use a layered mask and mask out the parts i don't want changed.

Hope this helps.

[RebelChick]

thanks!

[freebird]

Nice, window light is my fav:D

BTW Im from Iowa too ha

[ktidwell]

Just wondering, I have a pic I took with a white sheet as the background. There were wrinkles in the sheet that I can't get photoshoped out, Would this technique work on the white background too!?!? I am so photoshop illiterate..lol.. Thanks.

[michillebaker]

Nice, window light is my fav:D

BTW Im from Iowa too ha

Thanks. Glad to see there is someone else who lives in Iowa from these boards to ;)

Just wondering, I have a pic I took with a white sheet as the background. There were wrinkles in the sheet that I can't get photoshoped out, Would this technique work on the white background too!?!? I am so photoshop illiterate..lol.. Thanks.

Actually it does work on white also, but for wrinkles it would depend on how much wrinkles. The best thing to do is try it out. If you can't get it just email me your photo and i will try to see if i can. I use this tool all the time. This is one of my favorite tools photoshop offers.

[michillebaker]

Also here is what my background color actually looked like before i photoshoped and changed the color.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3298/3301223985_a85902416f.jpg

[becky_us]

Did you use the red background with your son too?? i love how they look!

[michillebaker]

No actually i used a light blue with my son. It's harder to change the color from red to blue without it look a little off. Thanks!

Did you use the red background with your son too?? i love how they look!

[becky_us]

I"m loving these and i have one more newbie question! How close to the board was your kids standing?? I tried to set my son up against the wall wtih natural light from a window and lamp and all i got was tons of shadows.. also how did you pick out your daughter to turn her to her own layer exactly.. everytime i try to use the selection tools in PSE it takes forever and it just doesn't pick him out right... here's my prob. picture, i did post this also in critique corner for help (just fyi) I know my focus is off a bit and its pretty bright! but I would love to use this wall space for pictures or at least hang something there as a backdrop? but what do i do about the shadows? and how do i select him out?? I have PSE 7.0 and then the freebie stuff that came with the Xsi camera...
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k313/becky_us/Jacobtools2.jpg?t=1235419599

[lookingforaname]

you get great window light! I'm jealous!

[michillebaker]

I"m loving these and i have one more newbie question! How close to the board was your kids standing?? I tried to set my son up against the wall wtih natural light from a window and lamp and all i got was tons of shadows.. also how did you pick out your daughter to turn her to her own layer exactly.. everytime i try to use the selection tools in PSE it takes forever and it just doesn't pick him out right... here's my prob. picture, i did post this also in critique corner for help (just fyi) I know my focus is off a bit and its pretty bright! but I would love to use this wall space for pictures or at least hang something there as a backdrop? but what do i do about the shadows? and how do i select him out?? I have PSE 7.0 and then the freebie stuff that came with the Xsi camera...


As far away as i could :). Okay if i would have to put it in feet i would say about 4ft but it should have been more. I only have limited space in my living room or i would suggest more. The farther away your subject is from the background the less the shadows you will see along with the more you background is blurred. I also did not use any lamp light but that was only because there was enough light coming in through the window.

As for selecting my daughter. All i did was duplicate my background and then i used the tool thats called replace color in photoshop cs3 (not for sure if pse 7.0 has this tool or not. I then used my eye dropper tool and selected the area that i wanted to replace or adjust. From here you can adjust either hue, saturation, lightness. For my pic i used all three but if i was just to make a white background more white then i would probably just used the lightness slider. Also if not everything becomes selected that you would like to have selected the just use the eye dropper that has the + symbol next to it. Once you have done that and adjusted things to your liking. Just add a layered mask to the layer (which i am pretty sure that you don't have a special option for that in pse 7.0). You will need to download a free action to do so. Check out my tutorial link below I have a link there for one. Once you have created your mask for that layer. Just mask back the stuff you don't want changed. I not this can be a lot for a newbie to understand so let me know if you need more help with this :).

344608


Here is what i came up with after doing a little color adjusting, sharpening and also using the color replace tool to brighten up the background. It was just a quick edit to show you what can be done. Hope this helps you some :).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3454/3304129651_4a0aca5d65_o.jpg
Also a little tip. If you don't have a lot of money to buy a background then use what i used in my photos. Posterboard its really cheap and comes in plenty of colors and it makes it 10 times easier to replace the color buy using the replace tool in photoshop.


What time of day did you take this picture? Also what were your settings? focus.

[becky_us]

It was around 9am i believe (this picture actually was not staged, he was actually just playing with his tools so i told him to "stand there and smile" and well this is what i get, LOL) hmmm... as far as settings, i am not exactly sure.. i think this morning i was playing around with Av mode and P mode, so it was one of them i believe.. oh wait i found it... File name

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/13Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F4.0
Metering Modes
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation
+1/3
ISO Speed
200
Lens
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Image Quality
RAW
Flash
Off
White Balance
Auto
AF mode
AI focus AF
Picture Style
Standard
Parameters
Tone Curve : Standard
Sharpness level : -
Pattern Sharpness : -
Contrast : 0
Sharpness : 3
Color saturation : 0
Color tone : 0
Long exposure noise reduction : Disable
High ISO speed noise reduction : Disable
Highlight tone priority : Disable

[becky_us]

gonna go check out your actions now! and i am sorry my last post was soo long didn't realize that thing i copied and pasted was that long!

[michillebaker]

9am should be a good time. There is a vew things i noticed with you settings

1. Up your ISO to 400 - I also have an xsi and will usually use ISO400 in doors even when usually natural window light. Also if you up the ISO the shutter speed wont need to be so slow which when it's as low as your's and your not using a tripod will result in a blurry image.

2. Also one this i noticed and I haven't figured out why but I noticed that if you use the live picture viewer you get better results. It could just be me :). I don't always use this setting but recently have became interested in doing so.

3. Exposure Compensation may not be needed if you use iso400.


Anyways the best thing I can say to you is practice and find the best settings.

Hope this helps :).


It was around 9am i believe (this picture actually was not staged, he was actually just playing with his tools so i told him to "stand there and smile" and well this is what i get, LOL) hmmm... as far as settings, i am not exactly sure.. i think this morning i was playing around with Av mode and P mode, so it was one of them i believe.. oh wait i found it... File name

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/13Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F4.0
Metering Modes
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation
+1/3
ISO Speed
200
Lens
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Image Quality
RAW
Flash
Off
White Balance
Auto
AF mode
AI focus AF
Picture Style
Standard
Parameters
Tone Curve : Standard
Sharpness level : -
Pattern Sharpness : -
Contrast : 0
Sharpness : 3
Color saturation : 0
Color tone : 0
Long exposure noise reduction : Disable
High ISO speed noise reduction : Disable
Highlight tone priority : Disable

[Christina]

Michelle - these look fantastic. Nice job!

[bobbyz]

How do you get the gradient in the bg with all natural lighting?

[2cuteboyz]

They turned out great!So clear!

[Karizmatik]

How did you manage to get what looks to be studio lighting setup in the catch lights? lol.

Nice images, although those catch lights make me curious.

[Christina]

How did you manage to get what looks to be studio lighting setup in the catch lights? lol.

Nice images, although those catch lights make me curious.

They look like window reflections to me? Particularly in the boy's eyes... No question in my mind ;)

[michillebaker]

Michelle - these look fantastic. Nice job!

Thanks so much! I was hoping everyone would like them. By the way first name is actual spelled michille :). My mother wanted me to be different ;).

How do you get the gradient in the bg with all natural lighting? Actually all i did was add a vignetting which created this effect. I am sure you could do it other ways though.

They turned out great!So clear!

Thanks!

How did you manage to get what looks to be studio lighting setup in the catch lights? lol.

Nice images, although those catch lights make me curious.

Thanks! Actually I am very lucky and have a total of 5 windows in my living room. 1 side of the wall I have 3 and on the other side i have 2. It makes for some amazing catch lights.

Here is a little layout of my setup. Sorry not the best at drawing :(.

344801

They look like window reflections to me? Particularly in the boy's eyes... No question in my mind ;)

You are correct they are window reflection. I have great windows which make it pretty easy for me to get catch lights.

[michillebaker]

Here is another that I just finished editing. How does these look. Which one looks better? These were taken on the same day as the other photo's that I posted.

I used a seventies vintage action on this one. I my self is leaning towards this one. It's something different that i don't always normally do.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/3304824817_8c39e03714.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3305652576_2f4b40d5f8.jpg

[Christina]

2. Also one this i noticed and I haven't figured out why but I noticed that if you use the live picture viewer you get better results.

What do you mean by the live picture viewer - do you mean the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder? (I have an XTi and didn't realize that the XSi had live view? Or maybe this is something else???)

Here is another that I just finished editing. How does these look. Which one looks better? These were taken on the same day as the other photo's that I posted.

I prefer the first one of your daughter. The second is just as perfectly sharp and well-exposed, and the pose is good, but I think the first looks a little more comfortable.

btw sorry I misspelled your name, Michille :o I am usually very good at catching name spellings but missed this one.

[michillebaker]

What do you mean by the live picture viewer - do you mean the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder? (I have an XTi and didn't realize that the XSi had live view? Or maybe this is something else???)



I prefer the first one of your daughter. The second is just as perfectly sharp and well-exposed, and the pose is good, but I think the first looks a little more comfortable.

btw sorry I misspelled your name, Michille :o I am usually very good at catching name spellings but missed this one.

Yes, i was talking about the LCD screen. The xsi model come's with picture viewer so you don't have to look through the view finder. I love it! You would think it would result in more camera shakes but as long as you are not using lower shutter speed you're usually ok. Don't worry about my name, everyone in the world miss spells it I am use to it by now :). I do agree about the second pose she doesn't look that comfortable like she does with the first. This was probably because I asked her to pose like that and she didn't quite understand what i was talking about :).

Thanks a bunch for your wonderful comments

[bobbyz]

Thanks Michille.

[Karizmatik]

Thanks! Actually I am very lucky and have a total of 5 windows in my living room. 1 side of the wall I have 3 and on the other side i have 2. It makes for some amazing catch lights.


That's awesome! You must have perfect light coming through, 'cause the shots are gorgeous and so perfectly lit/exposed.

I assume your shooting with the Nifty Fifty? Or the 18-55?

Beautiful shots. And as for the 70's look, I'd add a little grain to really make it look vintage.

[michillebaker]

Thanks! I actually used my Canon 55-250mm IS lens on this one. I will go back and add some grain the last one. That's awesome! You must have perfect light coming through, 'cause the shots are gorgeous and so perfectly lit/exposed.

I assume your shooting with the Nifty Fifty? Or the 18-55?

Beautiful shots. And as for the 70's look, I'd add a little grain to really make it look vintage.

[becky_us]

Michille, I have the xsi today and after what you said i tried to use Live view while taking pictures today, but i found it would not focus???? Everytime i did it thru the viewfinder i could hear the lens automatically focus and then when i'd hit set to turn on the liveview and focus i would not hear the lens and it would not focus on what i was wanting it to, ie no red dots on the live view.. i see the squares, but what do those do? i saw that the 4 arrows moved the little square inside the bigger square around, but i heard no focus sounds coming from the camera and it did not focus as well as it did when i was looking thru the viewfinder.. What am i doing wrong???

[Karizmatik]

Michille, I have the xsi today and after what you said i tried to use Live view while taking pictures today, but i found it would not focus? Everytime i did it thru the viewfinder i could hear the lens automatically focus and then when i'd hit set to turn on the liveview and focus i would not hear the lens and it would not focus on what i was wanting it to, ie no red dots on the live view.. i see the squares, but what do those do? i saw that the 4 arrows moved the little square inside the bigger square around, but i heard no focus sounds coming from the camera and it did not focus as well as it did when i was looking thru the viewfinder.. What am i doing wrong

^ In Live View you don't focus via half-pressing down the shutter like in normal EVF mode.

You have to press the little Star * button(Where your thumb rests), hold it down, the Live View screen will switch off, the mirror will come back down, allowing you to look through the view-finder, allowing you to focus normally while still holding down the * button, once you have, release the * button, and the Live View will switch back on, with an in focus shot.

It's a pain to do without a tripod.

[becky_us]

^ In Live View you don't focus via half-pressing down the shutter like in normal EVF mode.

You have to press the little Star * button(Where your thumb rests), hold it down, the Live View screen will switch off, the mirror will come back down, allowing you to look through the view-finder, allowing you to focus normally while still holding down the * button, once you have, release the * button, and the Live View will switch back on, with an in focus shot.

It's a pain to do without a tripod.

ughh.. yeah, i think i'll stick with using the viewfinder.. that is a pain! i wonder why they made it that way! and why is that not in my manual? or at least maybe i didn't get to that point of the manual yet, but i swear i looked thru that whole book looking for this answer!! I"ve had my camera less than a week and with 2 little ones its hard to get anything done!

[Karizmatik]

ughh.. yeah, i think i'll stick with using the viewfinder.. that is a pain! i wonder why they made it that way! and why is that not in my manual? or at least maybe i didn't get to that point of the manual yet, but i swear i looked thru that whole book looking for this answer!! I"ve had my camera less than a week and with 2 little ones its hard to get anything done!

Well, they made it this way because (Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure I read this somewhere) - When you switch to Live View, your mirror locks up, allowing the sensor to give you a 'Live View' - And seeing as you can't auto-focus with the mirror locked, it has to drop the mirror again to allow you to use auto-focus, when the mirror drops, it cuts off the sensor's "Live View" - Once focused, the mirror locks up again, giving the sensor the view again.

So you can either 1) Manual Focus or 2) Only use it when your on a tripod.

Trying to do it hand-held is a real pain in the neck.

[shaftmaster]

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/13Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F4.0
Metering Modes
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation
+1/3
ISO Speed
200
Lens
EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Image Quality
RAW
Flash
Off
White Balance
Auto
AF mode
AI focus AF

A shutter speed of 1/13 second is too slow for photographing children who are always moving. I'd up your ISO Speed to 400 or maybe even 800 to help. You could also get an external flash ( 430ex ) or a nifty fifty ( 50mm f/1.8 ) to help reduce motion blur in your indoor shots.

I'd also change your AF mode to One Shot or AI Servo. I've head AI Focus is not so hot.

[becky_us]

A shutter speed of 1/13 second is too slow for photographing children who are always moving. I'd up your ISO Speed to 400 or maybe even 800 to help. You could also get an external flash ( 430ex ) or a nifty fifty ( 50mm f/1.8 ) to help reduce motion blur in your indoor shots.

I'd also change your AF mode to One Shot or AI Servo. I've head AI Focus is not so hot.

Thanks sooo much for the tips! in about a week i will have an External flash and nifty fifty, LOL Those are the two on my next pay day purchase list! Then I am thinking of the 55-250mmIS (i think thats it) but haven't decided yet on
that...
I am still learning the modes on the camera, so any advice helps! I might have had the slower shutter speed because my room was sooo dark i needed it to get enough light in maybe? But i will keep playing with the settings that you gave and see what happens! Thanks :) Becky

[michillebaker]

Michille, I have the xsi today and after what you said i tried to use Live view while taking pictures today, but i found it would not focus???? Everytime i did it thru the viewfinder i could hear the lens automatically focus and then when i'd hit set to turn on the liveview and focus i would not hear the lens and it would not focus on what i was wanting it to, ie no red dots on the live view.. i see the squares, but what do those do? i saw that the 4 arrows moved the little square inside the bigger square around, but i heard no focus sounds coming from the camera and it did not focus as well as it did when i was looking thru the viewfinder.. What am i doing wrong???

I actually use manual focus. Just because i like manual better anyways. For some people and in a lot of situations it's a pain. I don't always use live view. I only use it when the kids plan to sit still long enough for me to take there pics. Once reason why i like live view is the grid that you can use with it. It makes it easier for me to compose that way.

[shaftmaster]

Thanks sooo much for the tips! in about a week i will have an External flash and nifty fifty, LOL Those are the two on my next pay day purchase list! Then I am thinking of the 55-250mmIS (i think thats it) but haven't decided yet on
that...

I just bought a refurbished 55-250 IS from Adorama for $199. I haven't used it yet since it only arrived yesterday, but it looks brand new.

I am still learning the modes on the camera, so any advice helps! I might have had the slower shutter speed because my room was sooo dark i needed it to get enough light in maybe? But i will keep playing with the settings that you gave and see what happens! Thanks :) Becky

For indoor shots open some window shades to get additional light or get some shots of your kids near a window. Be careful to avoid high contrast lighting where there are dark shadows. Indirect lighting is usually best. In time you will develop the ability to read the lighting and determine what will work and what won't. At night you'll need to use an external flash bounced off a ceiling or wall, but you may be able to use a fast prime lens too.