Whatever happened to....Team Suck

12/18/2006 10:21:53 PM · #2276

Originally posted by kdsprog:

Well, I'm in Pink Floyd. And quite happy with my shot for a change! I hope the submission's stay fairly low. My pet shot is still sucking at 4.5.

my pet shot is sucking right with you
Votes: 99
Views: 130
Avg Vote: 4.5960
Comments: 6

Blue Moon

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

12/18/2006 10:58:36 PM · #2277

Pet Portrait II

Votes: 247
Views: 467
Avg Vote: 6.5xxx
Comments: 27
Favorites: 3

ahem...

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/19/2006 12:51:01 AM · #2278

Originally posted by Blue Moon:

Pet Portrait II

Votes: 247
Views: 467
Avg Vote: 6.5xxx
Comments: 27
Favorites: 3

ahem...

Looks like we've got three personal bests coming this week on team suck! :)

skewsme

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens

12/19/2006 12:53:39 AM · #2279

four ;-)

noraneko

Canon EOS R5

12/19/2006 08:11:30 AM · #2280

Do you think it is okay to enter a former occupation in this challenge? I have a colorful past. (No, not like that!)

12/19/2006 08:15:28 AM · #2281

Originally posted by noraneko:

Do you think it is okay to enter a former occupation in this challenge? I have a colorful past. (No, not like that!)

as long as your current occupation isn't in the EXIF data, you have nothing to worry about. :)

noraneko

Canon EOS R5

12/19/2006 08:24:01 AM · #2282

Originally posted by posthumous:

as long as your current occupation isn't in the EXIF data, you have nothing to worry about. :)

LOL. Good one, Don :-)

mist

Canon EOS-60D

12/19/2006 08:58:19 AM · #2283

Really you could enter a shot depicting any occupation.

Just a thought.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/19/2006 10:03:27 AM · #2284

Originally posted by noraneko:

Do you think it is okay to enter a former occupation in this challenge? I have a colorful past. (No, not like that!)

If I enter this at all, I'll probably find someone in a more interesting occupation to shoot. :)

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/19/2006 10:33:31 AM · #2285

Hey fellow Suckers - congrats on all the personal bests brewing! Just stopped in to say my stuff did indeed arrive, and I'll be leaving the hotel in the morning (yay!!!) but unfortunately, will no longer have access to the internet ('cept at work) for who knows how long. Seems my request a week ago for DSL service hasn't been "confirmed", whatever that means, and until it is, I'm back to the stone ages. No phone (maybe tomorrow - the date they give you at first is just a suggestion), no TV (haven't even looked into that yet) and no internet. Plenty of boxes to unpack for entertainment, though. Plenty. I need to get rid of a lot of stuff.

At any rate, I may not be in the next few challenges (no way to upload), but I'll try to stop by at least here to see what's up when I can from work. Keep fingers crossed I'm connected by Christmas!

12/19/2006 10:39:37 AM · #2286

Originally posted by Melethia:

At any rate, I may not be in the next few challenges (no way to upload), but I'll try to stop by at least here to see what's up when I can from work. Keep fingers crossed I'm connected by Christmas!

I'll miss you! :(

snaffles

Nikon D7100

12/19/2006 10:50:52 AM · #2287

Hey everyone, if you think YOU suck...check these scores! Here are my pets and Sky respectivey. Have a shot for Brown, tried to do one for Sticky but what I shot was really more gooey than sticky, so didn't submit.

Votes: 246
Views: 301
Avg Vote: 4.4878
Comments: 9
Favorites: 0
Wish Lists: 0

Votes: 214
Views: 357
Avg Vote: 3.9299
Comments: 16
Favorites: 0
Wish Lists: 0

Better toddle off now and check what this week's challenges are...

snaffles

Nikon D7100

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens

12/19/2006 10:53:48 AM · #2288

I'm getting many comments about too much noise in my Sky pic, which I did unsharp. What exactly is noise and what Photoshop tools do I use to get rid of it?

skewsme

Canon EOS-6D

12/19/2006 10:59:30 AM · #2289

Originally posted by Melethia:

Fill up all those spare memory cards with Free Study candidates and then cuddle up with a good book :) Crossing fingers for ya.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/19/2006 11:15:08 AM · #2290

Originally posted by Melethia:

Hey Deb - you might be able to use an Internet cafe. When I've been in Europe, I've seen 'em all over the place, and they're not much money.

Your choice, obviously - I'm not trying to prioritize your life. :) Just wanted to mention that option.

quiet_observation

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

12/19/2006 11:17:10 AM · #2291

Originally posted by Hotshot7:

I'm getting many comments about too much noise in my Sky pic, which I did unsharp. What exactly is noise and what Photoshop tools do I use to get rid of it?

I believe there are different types of noise that occur in digital imaging but usually the one that gets discussed the most is a "grainy" appearance that may occur when using a higher ISO.

Two commonly used software packages to reduce grain are Noise Ninja and Neat Image.

You could look through the forums for these two packages or google for the software sites.

I rather like grainy photographs but then I'm not a wedding photographer either.

Message edited by author 2006-12-19 11:18:44.

12/19/2006 11:22:53 AM · #2292

Originally posted by quiet_observation:

Originally posted by Hotshot7:
I'm getting many comments about too much noise in my Sky pic, which I did unsharp. What exactly is noise and what Photoshop tools do I use to get rid of it?

I believe there are different types of noise that occur in digital imaging but usually the one that gets discussed the most is a "grainy" appearance that may occur when using a higher ISO.

Two commonly used software packages to reduce grain are Noise Ninja and Neat Image.

You could look through the forums for these two packages or google for the software sites.

I rather like grainy photographs but then I'm not a wedding photographer either.

I find that when my photo is not exposed properly and I try to bump up the light with a big curve, it produces "noise." In fact, I've perfected many methods for creating noise! hahahaha

snaffles

Nikon D7100

12/19/2006 11:27:54 AM · #2293

Originally posted by posthumous:

Originally posted by quiet_observation:

Originally posted by Hotshot7:
I'm getting many comments about too much noise in my Sky pic, which I did unsharp. What exactly is noise and what Photoshop tools do I use to get rid of it?

I believe there are different types of noise that occur in digital imaging but usually the one that gets discussed the most is a "grainy" appearance that may occur when using a higher ISO.

Two commonly used software packages to reduce grain are Noise Ninja and Neat Image.

You could look through the forums for these two packages or google for the software sites.

I rather like grainy photographs but then I'm not a wedding photographer either.

I find that when my photo is not exposed properly and I try to bump up the light with a big curve, it produces "noise." In fact, I've perfected many methods for creating noise! hahahaha

OK you got me posthumous - what's curve? And I too seem good at producing what I think is noise, ie the sorta broken-pixel-halo effect. Still getting used to my new camera too, so many features!

BTW anyone else here considering doing a former occupation? My current occupation is fairly diverse - I am capable of doing basically anything in my field because you have to be versatile. But I have also done stuff in the past that was very focused (and nope it wasn't being a photog)!

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

12/19/2006 11:29:51 AM · #2294

Originally posted by Hotshot7:

OK you got me posthumous - what's curve?

I couldn't possibly explain it, but you'll find it in Image Adjustments if you have Photoshop.

quiet_observation

Canon EOS-7D

12/19/2006 11:34:27 AM · #2295

Originally posted by Hotshot7:

I'm getting many comments about too much noise in my Sky pic, which I did unsharp. What exactly is noise and what Photoshop tools do I use to get rid of it?

When the sky challenge is over, if you post your original photo (without edits) and your challenge entry we might be able to offer some suggestions.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

12/19/2006 11:48:59 AM · #2296

Originally posted by Hotshot7:

I'm getting many comments about too much noise in my Sky pic, which I did unsharp. What exactly is noise and what Photoshop tools do I use to get rid of it?

Noise means little dots of color and variations in tone that come from the electronic sensor. If you know what "grain" was in film, this looks similar. Whether it's a problem depends on the viewer.

Basically, each pixel is constantly generating signals even when there's no light hitting them. With light, the noise is lower in proportion to the actual signal, but it's still there. With longer exposures, the amount of noise builds up. Similarly, higher ISO settings mean the camera "notices" the noise more.

The result in either case is those little dots.

Sharpening a noisy picture will make the noise even more apparent. See the end of my post for a tip about that.

You can reduce noise in the original image in several ways, none of which is necessarily always available:
1) Take shorter exposures. That means more light indoors or out.
2) Use a lower ISO setting. In test shots I've taken with my camera, longer shots with lower ISO produce less noise than shorter shots with higher ISO.

Of course, neither 1 nor 2 may be available if you're really in a low-light situation.

3) Buy a better camera. Low-light performance is one of the benefits of better cameras with bigger and higher-quality sensors. It's #1 or 2 on my list of why I'll eventually buy a DSLR.

Once you have the image, you can use noise reduction software to remove it. There's always a tradeoff in detail, though. Noise reduction isn't just a matter of blurring, but you do lose detail. You can choose settings to get a good compromise that looks as good as it can without looking weird. Over-use of noise reduction can make skin look like plastic, for example.

Here's a detail from the original of my current highest-scoring shot:

It was very noisy because I took a 15 second exposure at ISO 200. For my camera, that's the second-highest ISO available; 400 is basically unusable because it's so noisy.

See the little dots all over it? That's the noise. Next, look at the boxes:
1) Green box: noise reduced 100% in the sky, where detail isn't needed. This brings the sky back to a smooth appearance.

2) Yellow box: Noise reduced 50% in the mountains, where some detail is lost. A compromise, where the mountains aren't as detailed as they should be and the sky isn't as smooth as it should be.

4) Noise reduced 100% in the mountains and sky, where a lot of detail is lost and the mountains start looking like plastic. A disaster visually; looks fake.

To create my entry, I separated the mountains and sky. In the sky, I applied repeated cycles of sharpening and 100% noise reduction, giving the clouds a very smooth look. I applied much less sharpening and noise reduction to the mountains.

Here's the final entry:

I use Neat Image, which I bought, but Photoshop (at least CS2, maybe earlier versions) also has some noise reduction built in. There's also other software like Noise Ninja and others. I chose Neat Image after downloading a trial and seeing how it worked.

As for sharpening ... sharpening essentially finds edges and makes them higher contrast. It's very good at making tiny dots appear more prominent, which is why I used it to bring out the stars in that shot. But noise is also a bunch of tiny dots, and you don't want to enhance them.

The unsharp mask has a setting called "threshhold," which tells the software to ignore edges with brightness differences below that number. In some images with high-contrast edges, I've had some success setting the threshhold to 1-10. It sharpens the edges I want while ignoring the noise. That lets me use a lower noise reduction setting, preserving more detail.

There's ample discussion of noise and noise reduction here at DPC and on the Net. Just search the forums. :)

Message edited by author 2006-12-19 11:52:12.

bmartuch

Nikon D7200

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

12/19/2006 11:53:10 AM · #2297

Originally posted by levyj413:

Originally posted by Melethia:
At any rate, I may not be in the next few challenges (no way to upload), but I'll try to stop by at least here to see what's up when I can from work. Keep fingers crossed I'm connected by Christmas!

Hey Deb - you might be able to use an Internet cafe. When I've been in Europe, I've seen 'em all over the place, and they're not much money.

Your choice, obviously - I'm not trying to prioritize your life. :) Just wanted to mention that option.

I agree, we used internet cafe's while we were in Ireland and they were very inexpensive. approx 2.50 euros/hour

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/19/2006 11:57:02 AM · #2298

The Starbucks I've been frequenting does have T-Mobile HotSpot access, but it's not an easy place to get to from where I'm living. No parking, none, nada, this time of year downtown. But there is a train... Gotta figure out the train to downtown so I can get my Starbucks fix. And should I get anything worth entering (or even not worth entering) in an upcoming challenge, I'll lug the laptop with me. I'll look like a geek, but this is nothing new for me. :-)

Edit to add that the idea of sitting on my butt reading a book strikes me as an awesome plan. After I get done unpacking... And I do have a fireplace!

Message edited by author 2006-12-19 14:14:26.

Kelli

Canon EOS-D60

12/19/2006 03:47:34 PM · #2299

"Welcome Home" Deb! Oh, a fireplace... I wish I had one! Read your book, relax and enjoy.

mist

Canon EOS-60D