Kinetic 82g

[TriggerHappyDude]

kinetic,

 

How come these aren't up on your Flickr site? I'd like to see some EXIF data if you don't mind sharing it?

I'm assuming however, your secrets to the awesome tones/colors are in your post processing tricks, which is something you'd like to keep unique?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2010 by TriggerHappyDude

[HernandezJ35]

man ur pics look so nice they look fake lol...awesome tank btw

[kinetic]

kinetic,

 

How come these aren't up on your Flickr site? I'd like to see some EXIF data if you don't mind sharing it?

I'm assuming however, your secrets to the awesome tones/colors are in your post processing tricks, which is something you'd like to keep unique?

 

Oh nothing's secret, and all the processing is different depending on the photo, I don't actually have a set process. What do you want to know? I have no problem telling you how I do it. In fact I believe I've mentioned it a few times somewhere in this huge thread as well.

[disaster999]

i too want to know how to process your pictures and what kind of settings you use to take them. like how do you set the colors, contrast etc so everything pops and looks really sharp.

 

and how do you take pictures of blue objects like clam. my camera, d200, seems to be overwhelmed when i take pictures of my clam

[kinetic]

what I usually do is shoot in RAW, and then I adjust my white balance kelvin to about 14000K. This basically fights the blue spectrum, giving a little tint of blue since that's what we see. This is because the bulb is slightly bluer than what true 14000K looks like, plus I have actinic t5's powering some more blue.

 

Then, believe it or not, I decrease saturation by 10 - 80% depending. I bump up the dark levels, shadows, and make everything .5 to 2 stops brighter (over exposing and creating highlights for more dramatic of a look). Lastly I play around with a slider that's labeled "black" to bring down the light. It looks like crap right before this last slider, and it all depends on the image.

 

Lastly I add a tiny bit of vignette to everything, making the mid point all the way negative.

 

In essence I play with every slider like crazy until it looks decently fake But the above is what I usually do.

[divecj5]

Never can get enough of your masterpiece Kinetic. Thanks for sharing some more of the details of your photography...always like to learn others methods as they are so unique to each style and photograph. You'll have to check out some of my wife and my portrait photography sometime.

 

Also, it helps that you're starting with a superb capture right out of the camera The more I photograph, the more I like to get things as close to perfect "in-camera" as it saves that much more time in post processing.

 

Always look forward to your tank shots.

 

-Adam

[TriggerHappyDude]

Oh nothing's secret, and all the processing is different depending on the photo, I don't actually have a set process. What do you want to know? I have no problem telling you how I do it. In fact I believe I've mentioned it a few times somewhere in this huge thread as well.

 

You have mentioned it a few times; but I guess you basically just tell us that you mess with the sliders in your program until it looks good to you, but don't really explain or show us anymore detail. Which I know is not easy, since we aren't sitting right there next to you etc...

 

Maybe you could just bring up a photo in your tool (photoshop or lightroom), and show us a screen shot of where the settings are when you get it to the point it looks like the ones here and how you like to called a "finished" look. I guess seeing the settings or the values of the settings and how they are set when the photo looks this good would be nice to see. Also if you use any other 3rd party plugins or effects? You know you could create some photoshop actions and sell them as "Kinetic Actions" or something, and if they helped my photos look like yours do, I'd buy them! We're basically just after your darkroom techniques...and results...you get amazing outcomes.

 

Maybe you could just share a few actions with us?

 

what I usually do is shoot in RAW, and then I adjust my white balance kelvin to about 14000K. This basically fights the blue spectrum, giving a little tint of blue since that's what we see. This is because the bulb is slightly bluer than what true 14000K looks like, plus I have actinic t5's powering some more blue.

 

Then, believe it or not, I decrease saturation by 10 - 80% depending. I bump up the dark levels, shadows, and make everything .5 to 2 stops brighter (over exposing and creating highlights for more dramatic of a look). Lastly I play around with a slider that's labeled "black" to bring down the light. It looks like crap right before this last slider, and it all depends on the image.

 

Lastly I add a tiny bit of vignette to everything, making the mid point all the way negative.

 

In essence I play with every slider like crazy until it looks decently fake But the above is what I usually do.

 

Ok saw this after I posted above, you using Photoshop or Lightroom or something else?

How about a YouTube video walk through example?

And I'd still like to see the EXIF data on these latest shots...up on Flickr.

Want me to be anymore demanding?

Edited January 15, 2010 by TriggerHappyDude

[badfish816]

this tank is sick. i love the scape!

[kinetic]

You have mentioned it a few times; but I guess you basically just tell us that you mess with the sliders in your program until it looks good to you, but don't really explain or show us anymore detail. Which I know is not easy, since we aren't sitting right there next to you etc...

 

Maybe you could just bring up a photo in your tool (photoshop or lightroom), and show us a screen shot of where the settings are when you get it to the point it looks like the ones here and how you like to called a "finished" look. I guess seeing the settings or the values of the settings and how they are set when the photo looks this good would be nice to see. Also if you use any other 3rd party plugins or effects? You know you could create some photoshop actions and sell them as "Kinetic Actions" or something, and if they helped my photos look like yours do, I'd buy them! We're basically just after your darkroom techniques...and results...you get amazing outcomes.

 

Maybe you could just share a few actions with us?

 

 

 

Ok saw this after I posted above, you using Photoshop or Lightroom or something else?

How about a YouTube video walk through example?

And I'd still like to see the EXIF data on these latest shots...up on Flickr.

Want me to be anymore demanding?

 

I don't have any action things, I don't even know what they are.

 

I'm not that great with photoshop, not sure if you guys are looking for the holy grail of processing, but it's so different with each photo. The best advice I can give is play around with your sliders so much that you know exactly what they do and with a ton of practice you'll know exactly what you can do with a photo even before you start playing with sliders.

 

When I see a scene, I imagine what I can do in post process, then I go and try to take the photo that will probably lead me to being able to process it best.

 

In my head I don't think about sliders, I just think about past effects I've achieved, and I know that it's possible, I just have to go play with sliders.

 

I don't think I'll be able to say something here and have you guys able to go back with any of your photos to be able to mimic what I did. They're different photos taken with different factors.

 

I can go ahead and post a screencast of what I do with a photo, though believe me, it varies so much that the same process wouldn't work with just any other photo.

 

This just comes from years of messing around with photoshop.

 

I use Photoshop CS4 and do almost 98% of my processing in Adobe Camera RAW, even before it hits photoshop.

[TriggerHappyDude]

This just comes from years of messing around with photoshop.

 

I use Photoshop CS4 and do almost 98% of my processing in Adobe Camera RAW, even before it hits photoshop.

 

Ok, thats cool man, no biggy. What is Adobe Camera RAW? Or how do you do 98% of your processing in it? Is it part of CS4?

[kinetic]

Ok, thats cool man, no biggy. What is Adobe Camera RAW? Or how do you do 98% of your processing in it? Is it part of CS4?

 

Yeah, it's the window that pops up when you load RAW files into photoshop.

[TriggerHappyDude]

what I usually do is shoot in RAW, and then I adjust my white balance kelvin to about 14000K. This basically fights the blue spectrum, giving a little tint of blue since that's what we see. This is because the bulb is slightly bluer than what true 14000K looks like, plus I have actinic t5's powering some more blue.

 

Then, believe it or not, I decrease saturation by 10 - 80% depending. I bump up the dark levels, shadows, and make everything .5 to 2 stops brighter (over exposing and creating highlights for more dramatic of a look). Lastly I play around with a slider that's labeled "black" to bring down the light. It looks like crap right before this last slider, and it all depends on the image.

 

Lastly I add a tiny bit of vignette to everything, making the mid point all the way negative.

 

In essence I play with every slider like crazy until it looks decently fake But the above is what I usually do.

 

Ok kinetic,

 

If you were to do this same method but the aquarium lights were an 24w ATI Aqua Blue Special (more blue) an UV Aquasun light (more purple); what would you set your white balance kelvin at? Basically I'm just trying to see what you'd do differently if you had my lights and not yours.

Edited January 18, 2010 by TriggerHappyDude

[disaster999]

thanks kinetic, ill go give that a try

[divecj5]

what would you set your white balance kelvin at? Basically I'm just trying to see what you'd do differently if you had my lights and not yours.

 

Not to answer for Kinetic, but I thought I'd jump in here. I think that getting the white balance correct is one of the hardest things to do especially when you have multiple T5 bulbs that all have different color spectrums. Unfortunately, after messing around a TON in Adobe RAW and CS4, I don't think there is a tried and true method or specific Kelvin rating one can suggest. I recently changed my lighting combination so I'm back to square one with white balance.

 

That said, I think the best method for getting it just right is the following (well this is what I do) -

• Take said picture
  
• Open in Adobe CS or RAW
  
• My computer screen is right across the room from my tank. I manually adjust the Kelvin slider. My old lighting was pretty blue so I would usually end up in the 18,000 to 20,000 range. My lighting is more white now so I'm right at 5,800 now.
  
• I adjust the slider(s) and try and look back and forth between the picture and the tank to see how close I can get to reality.
  
• You can also use the white point tool and click on an area that is either neutral grey or white. This would give you a good starting point.
  
• Alternatively, if you want to get really precise, you can drop something that is white plastic in the tank (PVC pipe, etc), meter for the white plastic, take a picture, and then in RAW adjust the Kelvin slider until it is pure white.
  

 

Sorry for the hijack...just thought I would share my approach. Full Tank Shots are another story that I'm still trying to get better at.

 

-Adam

[TriggerHappyDude]

Thanks for the tips Adam, I don't think kinetic cares, he's probably glad to have us off his "how to make photo's look like kinetics" back.

 

I'll get this stuff a try.

[kinetic]

Thanks for the tips Adam, I don't think kinetic cares, he's probably glad to have us off his "how to make photo's look like kinetics" back.

 

I'll get this stuff a try.

 

Really sorry I'm not more helpful guys! I just want you to know that I'm not at all trying to hold back anything here. I'm just really bad at explaining what I do. I have no trade secrets or whatever, and I would love it if people were able to mimic and then progress off of what I do, that would definitely be an honor.

 

I haven't had much time to make a video, apart from starting a new company recently I barely have time to do anything else.

 

I wish you guys were local, because I organize a lot of photoshoots with people in the area, 4 to 20 people in a group, and we all go shooting. it's quite amazing. We share a ton of tips with each other all the time. That's the best way to learn in my opinion.

 

I'm glad you guys are sharing tips in the thread, I'm learning a bit here too!

 

Anyway, I got a DFS Real Deal Echinata which came brown, looks brown, and is staying brown =(

 

 

On the flip side, got a beautiful ORA Red Planet recently as well:

 

[TriggerHappyDude]

Wow, those are cool. Do you buy those local or online and shipped?

How about a FTS, its been a while since I've seen your aquascape!

 

PS. Wish I was local too, where is local? I'll settle with following you on here and Flickr and bugging you from a distance!

Edited January 22, 2010 by TriggerHappyDude

[kinetic]

Wow, those are cool. Do you buy those local or online and shipped?

How about a FTS, its been a while since I've seen your aquascape!

 

PS. Wish I was local too, where is local? I'll settle with following you on here and Flickr and bugging you from a distance!

 

I actually got those from LiveAquaria. I won the real deal echinata, and then also got a $100 gift certificate from Glassbox Design. Used the gift certificate on the red planet and hawkins. The ORA Hawkins died the same day, tissue sloughing off right away. I've had zero success so far with echinatas for some reason.

 

My Magnesium is pretty low these days, but I've raised it back up slowly. It was down to 1140ppm, now up to 1300ppm. I'm hoping to hit 1350ppm and keep it there consistently. All other params spot on. My NO3 and PO4 is up a bit, but nothing over 1ppm. =)

 

I'll post a FTS next week probably. Nothing much changed.

 

Oh I have a surprise next week, I hope it works out

[disaster999]

what do you dose for mg?

[divecj5]

Nice new additions!! Under your care, I'm sure the Echinata will quickly go from brown to a superb coloration. I know the Icefire Echinata frags that I have are some of my favorite although they are painfully slow growers.

 

Wish I was local as well. We have plenty of pretty amazing places to photograph around here in Charleston. Definitely lends itself nicely to some really cool urban photography.

 

Looking forward to the FTS in the coming week.

 

-Adam

[kinetic]

what do you dose for mg?

I dose a mix of magnesium chloride and sulfate from BulkReefSupply. I use a BubbleMagus to control it so it eases it over.

 

Talking about Mg, i need to test it =)

[guia x]

Very nice ORA Red Planet. Currently my favorite Acro at the moment. I just wish I knew how to mount mine with the stupid ORA plug. I don't have any holes in my rocks let alone one big enough for it. I might pop it of with a wrench like I have read in a few places.

 

I'll be doing the same thing with my Mg, as well as my Cal and Alk, from BRS. I'm just waiting for them to get their dosing pump in stock, as well as more money. lol.

[kinetic]

As promised, FTS:

 

 

You can see how boring it is right now =( brown, frag sized things, lots of fish pooping. Good things are that I'm getting all my levels in check now, my equipment is basically good to go, and the urchin is almost totally ridding my tank of coralline (save the overflow).

[kinetic]

Started dosing AZ-NO3, the stuff that claims to remove nitrates. My nitrates are pretty low already, but just wanted to try it out. Next I might try dosing the PO4 remover as well.

 

I wonder if those NP Biopellets work.

[guia x]

I just started using those NP Biopellets couple days ago. Gotta wait atleast a couple weeks, they say, to start seeing results. My nitrates and phosphates read zero on my test kits but I still see quite a bit of algae on the glass after a couple days and have some gha and bubble algae on some corals. I also feed quite heavily. We shall see if it helps.