Got myself a light box

[biglove]

$40 paid at Amazon. Learning to play with it. Non-enhanced photos.

LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/re ... 8ElCUdWrp4

[conjurer]

Dang.

[artman]

Cool shots. What camera are you shooting with?

[Thunder1]

Some sweet shots..

[biglove]

Cool shots. What camera are you shooting with?

Thanks, guys.

Shooting with a iPhone 7 Plus, of all things. Too lazy to break out the Canon DSLR.

[Racer-X]

Lighting is hard. Even with a light box, I sometimes have trouble with color shift and glare. These shots look great, but I thought your previous shots were also very good.

I am curious where jaw takes his pics. I have found the best for me to be daylight, in a car. Glamour light-box shots are nice, but that watch belongs on a wrist!

[jaw]

Lighting is hard. Even with a light box, I sometimes have trouble with color shift and glare. These shots look great, but I thought your previous shots were also very good.

I am curious where jaw takes his pics. I have found the best for me to be daylight, in a car. Glamour light-box shots are nice, but that watch belongs on a wrist!

My wrist shots are always natural light in the car or a room w/handheld Samsung phone (usually), plus always photoshopped.
If outside, overcast days are best - nature's lightbox (diffused).
Stark sunlight is tantamount to a flash...flash bad.
Rarely do I break out the lightbox (very similar to loaf's) for soft studio stuff, but you know it when you see it.

[Racer-X]

My wrist shots are always natural light in the car or a room w/handheld Samsung phone (usually), plus always photoshopped.
If outside, overcast days are best - nature's lightbox (diffused).
Stark sunlight is tantamount to a flash...flash bad.
Rarely do I break out the lightbox (very similar to loaf's) for soft studio stuff, but you know it when you see it.

Thank you jaw, that is interesting. Got a quickie on your PS process? Also interesting, I see the same pink hue in your lightbox pics that I am dealing with, think I am done with the lightbox.

[jaw]

My wrist shots are always natural light in the car or a room w/handheld Samsung phone (usually), plus always photoshopped.
If outside, overcast days are best - nature's lightbox (diffused).
Stark sunlight is tantamount to a flash...flash bad.
Rarely do I break out the lightbox (very similar to loaf's) for soft studio stuff, but you know it when you see it.

Thank you jaw, that is interesting. Got a quickie on your PS process? Also interesting, I see the same pink hue in your lightbox pics that I am dealing with, think I am done with the lightbox.

The pink could be just the shirt I was wearing. Everything emits and bounces light...physics (raytracing for you CG peeps).

Photoshop work varies for each case but the 3 standard things I usually do are dial glare/contrast management, hand paint out dust, imperfections, errant hairs (hate those damn epithelials), and noise reduction. The rest is attention to detail, composition, reflections, background shapes, etc. IOW talent

[SynMike]

Very nice. I use a tent and control the shot in advance because I can't be bothered with editing after the fact.

Here is my setup. I find my SLR too unwieldy to use inside the box. Instead I use a Canon Powershot G11, which gives full manual control when I want it. Ball head on top of tripod head. Controlling reflections is the real challenge I think. I see you in the reflection in some of your shots. I want the stainless steel (well almost all of mine are stainless steel) to be grey to white, reflecting the white walls of the box. Then I usually try to remove reflections from the crystal so the details of the dial come through. I use a big black paddle that I hold wherever I need it to make the reflections off the crystal disappear. On the other hand a reflection on the crystal is sometimes nice to see, too, if it shows off the curvature.



An example of my best results:

[Racer-X]

Photoshop work varies for each case but the 3 standard things I usually do are dial glare/contrast management, hand paint out dust, imperfections, errant hairs (hate those damn epithelials), and noise reduction. The rest is attention to detail, composition, reflections, background shapes, etc. IOW talent

Much appreciated. I was doing dust and noise but need to learn more about the rest, talent may take a while...

[jaw]

Photoshop work varies for each case but the 3 standard things I usually do are dial glare/contrast management, hand paint out dust, imperfections, errant hairs (hate those damn epithelials), and noise reduction. The rest is attention to detail, composition, reflections, background shapes, etc. IOW talent

Much appreciated. I was doing dust and noise but need to learn more about the rest, talent may take a while...

You're doing fine Russ. It takes time. Made this before/after GIF to show an example of the typical edits.
I also make sure the get the definitive photos ASAP after purchase, after that there's just too much to erase.

[jaw]

Very nice. I use a tent and control the shot in advance because I can't be bothered with editing after the fact.

Here is my setup. I find my SLR too unwieldy to use inside the box. In stead I use a Canon Powershot G11, which gives full manual control when I want it. Ball head on top of tripod head. Controlling reflections is the real challenge I think. I see you in the reflection in some of your shots. I want the stainless steel (well almost all of mine are stainless steel) to be grey to white, reflecting the white walls of the box. Then I usually try to remove reflections from the crystal so the details of the dial come through. I use a big black paddle that I hold wherever I need it to make the reflections off the crystal disappear. On the other hand a reflection on the crystal is sometimes nice to see, too, if it shows off the curvature.

Yep, that's the way to do it - any trick in the book, whatever it takes.
In my that Victorinox shot I'm wearing a black shirt but put a white envelope on my stomach out of frame to bring the inside of the bracelet out of the shadows.
Loved(and miss) my G9 for macro shots, BTW.

[Racer-X]

You're doing fine Russ. It takes time. Made this GIF to show an example of the typical edits.
I also make sure the get the definitive photos ASAP after purchase, after that there's just too much to erase.

That's awesome, hard to believe all that glare could be removed. I'm using the clone tool for hair and dust, but your edits are so much cleaner. Maybe I need to draw instead of a using circle clone tool.

[jaw]

Healing brush (Band-Aid icon) for dust unless it pulls in unwanted color (then clone). Also works well on scratches and hair. Amazing how it only removes the hair across seams and such.

[SynMike]

Loved(and miss) my G9 for macro shots, BTW.

I have a G11 now because my G10 died. But I liked the results from my G10 more. I struggle more to get the right color from the G11.

[artman]

Nice set up Syn! What bulbs are you using with those lamps?

[jaw]

Here's another technique that combines various light positions into one final. Haven't tried it myself.

https://www.timepiecechronicle.com/features/2016/8/11/press-release-magic-how-a-watch-can-change-in-photoshop

[SynMike]

Nice set up Syn! What bulbs are you using with those lamps?

Thanks.

When I had the Canon G10 I used consumer daylight bulbs, standard tungsten bulbs with blue tinted glass. I set the camera to tungsten bulb setting. I loved the color balance with that setup. Skin tone was slightly off but the watches looked great.

I was not able to get the same color balance when I replaced the broken G10 with a G11. I am now using 5000K consumer LED bulbs and G11 camera set for daylight fluorescent bulbs. It's close to what I used to get.

I have been watching Craigslist for a used G10 with low capture count to go back to my old setup. But these are photo enthusiasts models so they usually have very high count and are basically worn out when they are resold.

[biglove]

Wow!

That combined image is amazing.

[artman]

Photoshop is a hoot ain't it?

[SynMike]

Does that Attessa logo stand above the dial?
At least the shadows make it looks like is does.

[SynMike]

Do the Citizen logo & Attesa stand above the dial?
At least the shadows make it looks like they do.

[Racer-X]

Geez that Citizen has some nice angles.

[biglove]

Yeah, it really is a unique watch. Will have to pull it out of the box to have a look to answer the question.