Portrait Artist Forum - View Single Post

Richard Budig · 08-03-2005, 07:36 AM

Chris:

Thanks for the comment. I agree, but want to ask you to clarify what you mean in reference to clumping it it's origin is film as opposed to digital.

I think I know what you mean, but could you expand on this a bit, please.

If I understand correctly, the difference is (or could be) that film has been "processed," and comes back to you as a "finished product," in that it has been transfered from negative to photo paper, where yet more "clumping" takes place.

I'm still in the learning curve on digital photo work, but it seems to me that since digital cameras have already translated the image into digital language, which is dumped into a computer that can read the language, and then brought up in a photo processor, such as photoshop, the image can then be further tweaked, including the darks. That's probably "guy-speak" for you can deal almost independently with the lights, middles, and darks in an image that comes to you in digital form.

This is getting more detailed that I meant it to be. Sorry. But, yes, finding a way to view the "big shape" patterns, such as posterizing, can be a help. Also, it seems to me, that you, the artist, can arbitrarily assign new values to the posterized values. For example, if the posterizing process (in gray scale, or b&w) gives you very dark darks, you can, if you wish, choose to bump everything up a value or two, but still use the posterized image as a guide to where your big shapes are located.

Am I thinking right about this?

08-03-2005, 07:36 AM	#3
Richard Budig Juried Member Joined: Oct 2002 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 260	Chris: Thanks for the comment. I agree, but want to ask you to clarify what you mean in reference to clumping it it's origin is film as opposed to digital. I think I know what you mean, but could you expand on this a bit, please. If I understand correctly, the difference is (or could be) that film has been "processed," and comes back to you as a "finished product," in that it has been transfered from negative to photo paper, where yet more "clumping" takes place. I'm still in the learning curve on digital photo work, but it seems to me that since digital cameras have already translated the image into digital language, which is dumped into a computer that can read the language, and then brought up in a photo processor, such as photoshop, the image can then be further tweaked, including the darks. That's probably "guy-speak" for you can deal almost independently with the lights, middles, and darks in an image that comes to you in digital form. This is getting more detailed that I meant it to be. Sorry. But, yes, finding a way to view the "big shape" patterns, such as posterizing, can be a help. Also, it seems to me, that you, the artist, can arbitrarily assign new values to the posterized values. For example, if the posterizing process (in gray scale, or b&w) gives you very dark darks, you can, if you wish, choose to bump everything up a value or two, but still use the posterized image as a guide to where your big shapes are located. Am I thinking right about this?