NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Processing & Publication => Topic started by: golunvolo on February 27, 2016, 23:56:17
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I like how the d750 renders images in black and white. The following are sooc after conversion from raw file in camera. Any ideas how to get the same in the computer?
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In comparison, this is what I get when trying to duplicate the same process in lightroom:
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Paco, the lighting conditions between these batches are too different to compare the characters of these two B&W conversions. The in-camera shots are all nice snaps, and LR versions are very artistic.
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I see... let me try one conversion from the first batch in Lr
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Paco, are you sure that there is a difference?
I guess you are going to have to compare two shots of the same subject shot at the same time :)
I am curious to see the results.
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There you go: first, Lr; second, in camera
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I´m sure there is a way to adjust contrast, shadows, exposure, sharpening, noise...etc to get closer and closer but it is a lot of work. I do have several presets in Lr trying to emulate this. Just asking if there is a way to do the same and be done with it.
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Even on my 13" TN laptop screen, I can see that these two "matched" versions aren't matched for density.
I have no doubt that you will be able to create a Lightroom user preset that gives you a satisfying look.
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I've never found a one size fits all conversion for B&W. Different skin tones and lighting require different approaches to conversion. That said I do like the conversions straight out of your camera. The deepest shadows are inky black with very little highlights in them yet the midtone shadow areas on their faces maintain a good amount of detail and don't get to dark. Applying curve adjustments to your lightroom version is easy to get the midtones and highlights similar to the in camera version but difficult to make the blacks reach the same level without pulling the midtones down to dark.
Do you use the B&W mix color panel for conversion in Lightroom, or the saturation slider?
I´m sure there is a way to adjust contrast, shadows, exposure, sharpening, noise...etc to get closer and closer but it is a lot of work. I do have several presets in Lr trying to emulate this. Just asking if there is a way to do the same and be done with it.
Maybe the quickest way would be to use nikon software for your B&W conversions. I suspect it would give the same result as the camera.
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Paco, I really like your PP of the second batch. The highlights make nice contours of the subjects and create interesting light paintings.
That said, I would have to say that the SOOC B&W is more appealing to me than the LR process from the same frame. The former is more contrasty in a pleasing way, and the facial elements are better rendered.
My friend pro photog once said that the JPEG files created in the modern digital cameras are so good that it is hard to beat them by processing RAW files.
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Perhaps off topic, but it does speak about jpgs, Nikon software, Charlie's and Akira's words.
Whenever I shoot people/portraits I NEVER process the files in any other software but Nikon ViewNX2.
Whenever I open the RAW file in Adobe PS or in PhotoNinja I lose the skin colors in such a way that I cannot process the RAW file to achieve what freeware does automatically.
So Paco, I am not surprised that the BW in camera conversion is better than Adobe's one.
I am deeply sorry that there isn't appropriate Nikon software, because they for sure know how the colors and contrasts work in their cameras.
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The mono SOOC look good to me. I have also made a few presets in Nikon Picture Control for different contrast (colorfilters and/or curves, levels) and effects. They work well as long as I use Raw+jpeg so that I can go back and process them in Nik/Google silver efex if I want to.
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The shots in the opening post touch me, esp. the first one is an award winner in every respect. I feel your work in black and white always appeals to me more that your work in color. I even carry some of you shots on my phone to have a look at them sometimes, because I adore them so. Thank you for being an inspiration, Paco!
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My friend pro photog once said that the JPEG files created in the modern digital cameras are so good that it is hard to beat them by processing RAW files.
Same for my Sony, when I was using the Voigtlander 35/1.2 the camera and viewfinder were set to B&W with yellow focus peaking to improve manual focussing but quickly discovered the Sony does better B&W's than I can do in post for most images.
Only with a lot of tinkering in Capture One I could beat it but often failed to do so, partly due to my unfamiliarity with C1.
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that camera is producing some excellent crisp dense and contrasty B&W images. Mongo agrees with you that it would not be an easy task to get as good results in PP. Even with the use of specialised PP software like Silver Efex etc, it would not be as easy as pressing your shutter button. Even if the result could be duplicated in PP, it would take about 20 mins to a half hour per frame to achieve, if possible. Mongo has had reasonable results but starting with a colour image. There seems to be a lot more adjustment on the conversion to B&W than starting off with a B&W image. At least, that has been Mongo's experience.
Paco, you are on a winner with that camera and you may find it is not possible to get that result without a big effort out of camera. So, the answer to your question is, "probably not".
As a matter of interest, can you tell us the B&W setting on your D750 that give you these results ?? would love to duplicate them in Mongo's cameras if at all possible (unless this is purely a D750 thing)
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You get my point. Thanks for the options. To try to answer your comments:
I have 5 personal presets in Lr as starting points for bw and an unhealthy amount of downloaded presets from internet that I almost never use.
Haven´t tried viewNX2 yet. I´m in my way out for a couple of days but will try soon
The closest I have found with 1 click conversion is through AlienSkin exposure 7. I use it a lot.
Thanks Frank, I´m blushing here...
I wonder if Adobe have tried to make a "one fits all" or camera developers keep some tricks for themselves. Probably both...
I like my camera more and more with each use. The features it has are perfect for me and the shortcomings are not to limiting for my shooting style as well.
The steps and settings for in camera monochrome conversión:
1 view and image, press the "i" button
2 Retouch
3 NEF processing
4 MC*: sharpening 4.00; clarity +1; contrast +1; brightness 0.00; filter effects "off"; toning "bw"
5 need to execute to save it. In "fine" jpg it creates, for that last image of the couple, a 12.6 mb very detailed file ready to print.
"MC*" meaning monochrome modified
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Paco,
the in cam JPGs are quite hard, maybe I should try this also with my D750, I like it that way.
In LR or C1, I typically increase contrast (via curves, not so much the slider),
increase micro contrast (clarity) and then I play with the color sliders.
Most of the time the first in the series can easily work as a template for the rest.
cheers
afx