Well I went and downloaded Helicon Focus last night . Can't believe how easy it is to use ! These are the first two pictures I tried . First one is a stack of only 4 photos , not bad but could be better . Second photo has 14 layers and is much better . Still need to get the foreground in better focus .
Again, it's hard to believe that your layout is as small as it is. Just very well done, Mike! I might have to check out Helicon myself.
Nice photos and nice layout. My danged camera only manages to be distracted by other things and seems to be get color I don't even have. A case in point was a recent photo that has rail tie brown in it. The color with a fill flash came out as gray shade that is totally different than the actual object.
My white balance is off a bit ( someone on another board kindly pointed out to me there is a greenish tint in the photos ) and after trying different settings on my camera , I just couldn't find a better setting than auto . Photobucket and Google + don't seem to have very good edit programs so I'm looking for suggestions on a better , easy ,free, program I could use . Any suggestions ?
You might find a free version of Paint Shop Pro, but it's anything but "easy" unless you have some experience with computer photo editing programs. I've heard good things about Gimp too. I finally got the chance to look through the album for your layout Mike, and I really do feel like I'm back in Somerset/Fayette counties, even if all the trains are a little dated compared to my childhood railfan experiences around Meyersdale.
Faststone Image Viewer has good all around picture editting tools. You can open a picture...right click on the picture. In the right hand menu that pops up...click on 'color'. I was surprised at all the options this FREE program has !! http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm ~ disclaimer~ I am in NO way associated with Faststone. I was given the program url by a friend years ago !!!
Fixing color temperature problems can be either easy or difficult depending on your equipment. I'm a pro photographer and many times, the "correct" color doesn't capture the mood I want, so I have equipment that I can fiddle with...meaning that it has the capability for me to manually decide what I want (as well as let the camera do the thinking if I'm in a hurry). I also have two settings on my camera that allow me set every parameter for differing situations, such as "available light portraiture" or "model photography on my layout"...two distinctly different photographic applications! One of the first and easiest ways to get "good" color taking photos of your layout is to standardize your lighting. This means, get lights that have a common color temperature. I choose a slightly warmer color temperature than true "daylight" for my layout, which aids me in setting my color temp in my camera a well as when I publish my stuff online. The color temp that is best for me is 5000K. The color temperature that is "standard" for the film/movie industry for "daylight" is 5500K. "Daylight" is an arbitrary color temperature that somebody, sometime, somewhere decided was at noon on a clear day. Of course, the actual color temp of "noon" is going to vary greatly depending where you are on Earth or what time of year it is. So...I choose 5000K compact fluorescents as my "standard" and it works out pretty well for me, both visually and photographically. After you decide what standard color temperature lights you're going to have in your layout room, it's time to fiddle with your camera...if you can. Many enthusiast DSLR's nowadays have a way for you to set your color temp (white balance) manually, and it's different for every brand and even model. Read your instruction manual to see if you can do so, but usually it involves buying a standardized white/gray card (white on one side, gray on the other) to set both your exposure and your color temp/white balance. To set my white balance on my Nikon DSLR, It takes me about 30 seconds and involves pushing some buttons in a specific manner and taking a close-up photo of the white card filling my entire frame under the lighting I'm using while a little dot blinks in my viewfinder for a few seconds. I use it all the time, especially when taking photos on location under whatever lighting is available. I can go into alternate methods if your camera doesn't have a way to manually set your white balance, but it would be a big help if you would inform us of what camera (be specific) you're using. You can also alter the white balance using a photo editor. I use an older version of Adobe Photoshop, but there are free programs out there, such as Gimp which are just as competent and will allow you to really fiddle with your photos. Also, some modern DSLR's will allow you to fiddle with your photos while they're still in-camera, and they usually also allow you to mess with the white balance. Some will even allow you to re-load your photos into your card and then fiddle in camera with them...a pretty neat feature if you're in the field and don't have a laptop sitting next to you! Here is an example of using Helicon Focus, and doing a bit of messing with my white balance post-camera in Photoshop. Although the difference is subtle, it is noticeable: I did this because one of the nit-pickers over on another site didn't like the color balance on the warmer one...and I decided to see if he was right. I still don't know, as color, exposure, sharpness, composition and much of photography is simply a matter of taste...and what looks "real" to one person's eye won't to someone else. Hope this assists you a bit! Cheerio! Bob Gilmore
Thanks for the info, Bob. I also have a Nikon DSLR (a D3000) that I'm still getting the hang of. I just need to find the time to sit down with it and experiment with it.
Bob I have a Nikon D 70 that I bought used a few months back . It is definitely smarter than I am at the moment . Looked through the manual a few days ago , but I didn't see any adjustments for white balance except for the indoors , outdoors , ect adjustment . The lights I use are GE SP65 F40 Daylight bulbs . I think they are 5500K and they are the only lights in the room . I did find an online photoshop site that has a setting for green adjustment , But I'm not a great judge of color as I thought the original pics were just fine , until I saw one of them adjusted . Here's one I tried at the photoshop site . Focus is a bit off though.
I saw reference to how small this layout was. Can someone update me on what size this is. It looks like 3x5 maybe? Is there a track plan or link to a website that can be posted? From the pics it looks fantastic!
This looks pretty spot-on to me. On my monitor, there's a big difference between the white balance on this one versus the others. Here's how you set your white balance preset on most Nikon DSLRs that have this feature...and your D70 definitely DOES have it. For Helicon Focus, I always use Manual, so that there is no variation in my exposures, which sometimes mess up the stacking process...so set your camera on "Manual". You need a gray card, or white card. Lotsa photographers have differing opinions about whether a gray card or a white card is best. In my instance, I use my portable gray card because it's got a focusing mark, which allows my autofocus to quickly acquire it and release my shutter. After you position your card so that the light falls on it, take a photo of it that is "normally" exposed in which the gray fills the entire frame...and take a look at your screen to see if it looks like its properly exposed. If it is properly exposed, now, press the WB button and rotate the thumb dial until you get "pre" in your LCD display on top. Release all the buttons, then press the WB button again until the "pre" starts to blink Release the WB button and... Take a "normally" exposed and focused shot of your gray card, so that the gray fills your entire frame. Your camera will indicate by flashing "Good" or "gd" if it's a go, or "NoGd" if you need to alter your exposure and focus and do it again. John, you can do the same with your Nikon D3000, but it's a bit more convoluted unless you assign your Fn button to WB...then it's just like what I described above. Go here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3000/users-guide/menus-shooting.htm look under "White Balance" then look under "Preset Manual" to find out how to manually set your white balance using a white or gray card. Although a lot of photographers don't like Ken Rockwell, he does make some interesting points and his little treatise on "white balance" is a good read. Find it here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/whitebalance.htm Basically, Ken says that "white balance" is a matter of taste, but generally, warmer tones are more pleasing. Mostly, I agree with that, which is why I chose my 5000K lights, which are slightly warmer than "true" daylight bulbs. Cheerio! Bob Gilmore
Hm , the "pre" setting wasn't mentioned in the manual , I'll have to give that a try . Unfortunately I have more problems . While experimenting today I discovered that my tripod wasn't as steady as I think it should be , and I am thinking a cable release would be helpful . Both of which would contribute to my focusing problems . Better tripod = more expensive one , of course , and there is no provision for a cable release . I need an IR remote . Of course the sensor for the IR is on the front of the camera........Trip to the used camera store in the future......
Tried the "pre" setting but decided to go back to daylight setting . Got a work around for the cheap stand and lack of cable release . Used the timer. Kinda clunky they way it works , but the end result was much better .
Mike, If you're doing a lot of Helicon shooting, you're gonna NEED a remote release. Although the IR remote is great and inexpensive for certain shots, I use my tethered electronic remote release exclusively when I'm doing my model railroad photography. Mine plugs into several of my Nikons, by opening a little door on the side, and inserting the jack into the camera. about 99% of the time, I buy genuine Nikon accessories, and the Nikon MC DC1 remote release, if you Google it, can be found used for as little as $7.60, or new for between 22 and 35 bucks. Get one. You'll be glad you did. As to a tripod. You might want to shop online for a used tripod. No need for expensive exotic and lightweight stuff here. Good old aluminum works just fine, but sturdy is what you're looking for, with an easy to use, positive head on it. My Manfrotto aluminum studio tripod is about 30 years old, and works great for model railroad photography. If I searched online, I could probably find mine used for under a hundred bucks...maybe much less than a hundred bucks. By the way, your white balance problem appears to be worked through. Very nice! Cheerio! Bob Gilmore
