Filters

[WAL]

I have seen some great effects using lens filters, but what are the advantages in buying filters when you can do similar stuff in Photoshop with the digital cameras?

Regards

WAL

[lomond]

IMO no advantage.
Some people don't like, or can't manage, photoshop etc and so use filters.
I find CP, ND, and ND grads are indispensable, Photoshop or not.

[blue_max]

If you shoot in raw, you have much more scope to adjust the colour balance, contrast, exposure etc. You can even take two exposures and blend them together and all kinds of things. That assumes competence in Photoshop or similar.

However, if you use a filter that materially changes the original image such as a polariser, then you can add detail that is missing in the original shot without it. A graduated filter will effectively reduce the range of the shot to ensure that all the image detail is still there, where the original shot may loose either extreme.

Having genuinely recorded pixels is always preferable to stretching them on the computer to my mind. I would always strive to get the effect in the camera and 'fine tune' if required later. As always, the quality of the components may tip the balance either way.

Graham

[lomond]

However, if you use a filter that materially changes the original image such as a polariser, then you can add detail that is missing in the original shot without it.

Graham
??? You've lost me Graham.

[Carzee]

One stunning landscape by "Kafrielle" -very highly rated pic - at photosig.com has a brief explanation of a successful "golden hour" combination of grads, warming and polarizing filters:


Heavenly Sky (http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=359236&forward=)

Its a photo to die for and not to be missed.


.

[CoolToolGuy]

Certain special-effect filters such as graduated ND or multiple-image filters produce effects that are much easier to obtain during the shot than messing around in Photoshop for an hour.

As mentioned above, a polarizer is another filter that 'does its thing' better than post-processing, IMHO.

Have Fun,

[Jon]

If you use a filter up front, when you start post-processing, you'll get to use everything you captured. If you try to duplicate the effect in post-processing, you're throwing away some of what you captured. Will the difference be noticeable? Maybe not. But maybe it will. And you'll have to spend the time to do that bit of post-processing when you could have just spun on that little piece of glass in the beginning.

[I Simonius]

COLOURED FILTERS ARE HANDY TO HELP VISUALISE B+W
POLARISING FILTERS ARE DIFFICULT TO MIMIC WELL IN PSHP (E.G SEEING UNDERWATER, REMOVING FIDDLY REFLECTIONS)
UV FILTERS WILL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS IN THE DISTANCE
ND FILTERS WILL GIVE YOU MORE DETAIL IN VERY CONTRASTY SUBJECTS

[robertwgross]

Please don't type in all capitals.

That is equivalent to shouting.

---Bob Gross---

[I Simonius]

Apologies!
I hadn't noticed, I didn't check -It was the very last thingI doid before going to bed late last night