REVIEW: Trey Ratcliff’s Photo Course & Discount (Post-Processing and HDR Video Tutorial)

Trey Ratcliff is one of my favorite photographers and Mr. HDR. His HDR Workshop DVD set was game changing in the way I thought about how to process bracketed shots and it really tipped me off on how Trey does his magic. Little things like how he uses Photomatix in a very experimental way to how he finishes up using Topaz Adjust and Color Efex’s Tonal Contrast filter to create images that give his images the “wow” factor that many photographers seek.

Use Trey’s Raw Files To Mimic Trey’s Style With Your Own Twist

Ron’s Homework Interpretation
(Hover over for 0 EV Original)

In this tutorial you get Trey’s actual RAW files with multiple bracketed exposures of each shot. He shows how he processes most of them in Photomatix, and for many (but not all) he will show you how he processes them. These photos are good photos too, but they are effectively his runner-ups for his portfolio shots. For example, you can see below shots that I’ve processed from the homework tutorial next to Trey’s portfolio shots which are similar, but different:

Trey’s Coliseum Portfolio Shot

Ron’s Homework Interpretation
(Hover over for 0 EV Original)

Trey’s Eiffel Tower Portfolio Shot

 

Ron’s Homework Interpretation
(Hover over for 0 EV Original)

What’s Included

After downloading the Total Course with Bonus you end up with 27 folders on your hard drive of lesson images plus 10 video courses that will keep you busy for quite a while. If you bought his HDR Workshop DVD set then this is much of the same but much better done. If you passed on the DVD set due to the price, then the good news here is that this is a fraction of the price with way more content.

Conclusion

Honestly when Trey released his DVD Workshop I talked to him and said his content was invaluable, but that I felt the price was just too steep for most people. The process of manufacturing a DVD product is expensive, so there was little he could do to lower the price for that set. However, he got lots of feedback on that first attempt and took it all to heart. What we have here is a much more complete version at a fraction of the cost.

While I would rather a shorter version that is more to the point (or non-tutorial related parts broken into separate video files), there’s lots of good stuff here that helps you get into the mind of Trey Ratcliff as he edits photos. Due to my busy schedule I was only able to listen to a few hours of the content, so naturally my homework interpretation images don’t have the benefit of apply everything that you can learn form the course.

If you like Trey’s work and wish you knew how he does his magic, this is a must own. It’s comprehensive and features everything you need to know. Once you have that skill you can start putting your own spin on his technique to create your own look, so it’s an invaluable teaching aid for HDR enthusiasts.

Special Offer – 15% Off

Click here to view more details on how to order this awesome tutorial. Save 15% when you use the coupon code RONMART15 when checking out. You may also want to consider the Textures Tutorial

Trey’s Essentials

When watching this video you realize that Trey keeps going back to the same products over and over. He has his toolbox of goodies that he likes to use like we all do, so if you want to do work like Trey you might want to pick up some of those products. Here’s my thoughts on some of those products and links to where you can get them at a discount:

• HDRSoft Photomatix – This is where it all begins. Every HDR shot Trey does begins here. Sure he, like me, sees the merit of HDR Efex, but the performance of Photomatix still make it the HDR leader.
• Topaz Adjust – This is 2nd only to Photomatix for Trey’s secret sauce, so if you are a huge fan of his work this is a must. I also have on their other products that he uses like B&W Effects, Remask, Star Effects, and more. 
• Imagenomic Noiseware – With HDR comes noise, and this is your solution to get rid of it.
• Nik Software Color Efex – I call it the most important plug-in you can own and its at the top of my What Plug-Ins Should I Buy? article. However, Trey frequently demonstrates the value of the Tonal Contrast filter that is loved by the pros.
• Trey’s Textures Tutorial – This includes the textures you need to create the cool effects that give Trey’s work that otherworldly look. I talk about it in my Trey Ratcliff interview and I even use them myself in subtle ways.
• Wacom Intuos 4 – Tablet’s make life so much easier so Trey, myself and many others depend on the Intuos 4 for detailed layer mask work.

Disclosure

I was provided with free access to review the Total Package with Bonus for the purpose of this review. I also may get a commission if you make purchases using links in this article.

Trey Ratcliff’s flatbooks.com is also the publisher of my Printing 101 eBook.

Cool Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peek Videos (Updated 2/24/12)

I’ll be keeping track of Adobe Photoshop CS6 features and announcements on this landing page so check back often.

Content-Aware Improvements

OMG, Content-Aware Move and other improvements are enough to make me upgrade. This is freakin awesome:

Play in HD

 

New UI and Adobe Camera Raw Improvements

These ACR changes will apply to Lightroom 4 as well, but good stuff here:

Play in HD

Performance Improvements (Background Save, Liquify)

A pretty nice performance improvement – especially to the super annoying save!

Play in HD

 

Dashed and Dotted Lines

I could care less about this one, but I included it for completeness…

Migrating Presets and JDI (Just Do It small features)

 

Play in HD

http://www.youtube.com/user/Photoshop

Home Studio on a Budget from B&H

Photography will bleed you dry of every penny you’ll ever make if you let it. However, there are places where even guys like me who don’t like to settle for second best (I hate junk) can cut some corners and it not have a major impact on the quality of our work.

One of the easiest places to do this is in your studio. For those who are just getting started, this is also a good primer on some of the things you need. This article is for those who want to just buy something rather than using PVC pipe and buying material at the local fabric store. You can get cheaper than even this, but if your time is important this is a practice solution to help cut costs without cutting the quality of your work.

Background Support System

Step one to any home studio is a background support system. There’s a wide variety of solutions, but most typically go with something like this when they get started:

Impact Background Support System - 12' Wide – only $99.99*

This one is actually very nice and even comes in a nice bag that holds the parts individually and even the stands in their own pockets. It makes it nice to collapse up and bring with you. It’s also nice for those of you who don’t have dedicated studios who need to tuck away your studio gear in a closet. This stand is quite large as well so I was pretty impressed with it. Unless you are going to go with a with an expensive Manfrotto Complete AutoPole Kit ($414.95*) in a place with the walls to support it (my angled ceiling doesn’t like these), you’ll be hard pressed to find something measurably better and definitely not for this great price.

I’d highly recommend a copious amount of Impact Sandbags for all of your stands. You’ll need to buy the sand yourself, so don’t freak when they arrive empty.

Backgrounds

Once you’ve got something to hold your backgrounds it’s time to get the basics to get you going. Many people like to start out with a green screen like this:

Chroma Green Screen Background
Impact Chroma Sheet Background - 10 x 12' (Chroma Green)

Click here to see my review of this Impact Chroma Green Screen Background, and check out the comments for some advice from other readers and experts. For $58.95* it’s a simple way to get a background that can sometimes be easier to remove from your image than black or white.

For me my favorite is white as shown here:

I tried both the Impact Muslin Background - 10 x 12' (White) for $58.95* and Impact Muslin Background - 10 x 24' (White) for $114.95* and found the 24’ to be waaaaayyyy too big for my needs. You’ve gotta have a monster size studio for something that huge. If you are going to do white, then it’s usually a good idea to pick up black too so I’d go for the Impact Muslin Background - 10 x 12' (Black) for only $52.95*.

Muslin backgrounds are basically just like bed sheets so they aren’t anything fancy and it’s a much more economical solution than paper.

Collapsible Backgrounds

Lately collapsible backgrounds have started to become popular because they setup really easily and store away nice and compact. While they can be used without a background support, you’ll generally find that they work best with one. In fact, they’ll include Velcro tabs to secure them to a background support or boom. Here’s my favorite:

Impact Collapsible Background - 5 x 7' (Black/White)

This $69.99* background features two colors in one and just collapses like a reflector so they are very compact and portable. Once again, they are the perfect solution for those of you who have to pack your studios away when you are done shooting. Here’s a shot I did using the black side of this background:

You can also a get humongous Impact Super Collapsible Background - 8 x 16' (Black) or Impact Super Collapsible Background - 8 x 16' (White) for only $99.95. I found these to be too large for my needs and a bit difficult to work with, but the nice part is that they include material you can pull out to cover the floor. Here’s what they look like:

These pictures don’t really do them justice though – here’s a real shot of just how big they are:

These things are HUGE!

Adjustable Height Posing Stool

A comfortable model is always going to give you better results than a tired one. To that end, posing stools have been a long-time secret of the trade. Here’s a nice solution for only $58.95* that gets the job done:

It also comes in a posing stool and table kit.

Umbrella Kit

I talk about this kit in my green screen article, but its basically your strobist kit by Impact.

Impact Digital Flash Umbrella Mount Kit ($98.95*)

I’ll admit that I prefer this kind of umbrella adapter rather than the cheap ones included in this kit. In fact, I don’t even use a cold shoe – I just screw my 580 EX II flash directly into them using the little stand that comes with my flash (it has a screw mount on the bottom). I’m pretty sure this works for Nikon’s too, but honestly I haven’t ever tried it with something like a SB-900 or SB-910.

This is probably the most “cheapo” solution in this article as the umbrellas are small and the black covers leave residue on them. However, I used this kit exclusively for the photos of Kimberly featured in this article. As you can see from those, they get the job done just fine.

Reflector Kit

People usually have no problems understanding why they need a reflector, but often they forget that they actually need someone else to hold that reflector for it to be effective. For those frequent times when you don’t have that extra set of hands you’ll need a reflector holder like this $79.95 solution:

Impact Multiboom Light Stand and Reflector Holder - 13' (4m)

You’ve gotta be careful as its easy to strip the handle out, and Sandbags are a must! However, this is a good start solution before you get into buying expensive booms.

For the studio and when possible outdoors I like a bigger reflector. I find this 5-in-1 solution to be a superior alternative to the reflectors I carry in the field:

Impact 5-in-1 Collapsible Oval Reflector - 42x72" (1x1.8 m)

Light Stands

As you move on from speedlights to studio lights you are going to need a lot of stands. Here’s some economical solutions that get the job done for a fraction of the price of their expensive Manfrotto (parent of Avenger) counterparts:

Impact Master Century C Stand Kit with 42" Riser, Grip Head & Arm 10.75' ($128.95)

See my review called Impact Master Century C Stand Kit - Avenger Quality without the Avenger Price! on this. It’s really very good and an awesome price. I highly recommend this stand for studio lights over the others mentioned here. You’ll still need sandbags though.

Impact Air Cushioned Heavy Duty Light Stand, Black - 13' (4m) – $69.95*

This stand is nice because its air cushioned which means when you loose it and don’t have a good handle on your heavy lights they don’t come crashing down. Instead they’ll glide down softly. I prefer C-Stands, but I own a couple of these as my lighter weight and more portable solution.

Impact Heavy Duty Light Stand, Black - 13' (4m) – $52.95*

If the budget is tight then you can save $17* and go for these which are the same but they don’t’ feature the air cushion.

Light Tent for Product Shots

Odd color insert shown here not included,
but nice translucent base inserts are included

For only $63.95* this Impact Digital Light Shed – (Extra Large - 24x24x36") is probably the best deal in this whole article. I really like this tent and it’s just dirt cheap. To illustrate a point, I took this shot using speedlights but personally I’d use my Quadras for a shot like this in real world use:

Works great to avoid reflections and hot spots as seen here
in my Vello BG-C2 battery grip review

On the Luxury Side

This just in – Chimera has released a new all-in-one lightbox solution for speedlights that looks like a great deal to me. I’ve always thought the Westcott Asymetric Strip Softbox with Magic Slipper Kit was stupid expensive at $499 – especially for a cheap brand like Westcott, so I was pretty jazzed to see the premium soft box maker Chimera come out with a better solution for only $379! Here’s what it looks like:

Chimera Strobist Kit

You can buy the kit or if you already own Chimera boxes then you can just buy the $140 equivalent to Westcott’s overpriced magic slipper:

Chimera Adjustable Versi Bracket Octa Speed Ring

I’m seriously thinking about picking one of these up as it would be way better than an EzyBox for location shooting.

* = A word about prices in this article

All prices are as of 2/12/212 from B&H and are subject to change without notice. Please follow the links for the latest prices and more information.

Conclusion

All of the products in this article feature name brand equivalents that in many cases are of significantly better quality. However, you’d be hard pressed usually to se the improved result in your post-processed photos. As a result, the need to spend more for what in most cases will be “good enough” doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. There’s more than enough ways to spend your money on photography related equipment, so this is one place where you can skimp and get away with it. If you are just getting started and are looking for an affordable solution to build your own studio then this is definitely it.

If you enjoyed this article, then you’ll definitely enjoy these:

• Vello BG-C2 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II–$69.95
• Pocket Wizard Mini TT1, Flex TT5 and AC7
• Rogue Gels
• Sketching Light
• Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It
• Off-Camera Flash Techniques
• X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

Disclosure

I was provided with some of the products featured in this article for review. If you make a purchase using the links in this article I may get a commission.

REVIEW: Vello BG-C2 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II–$69.95 at B&H

Vello BG-C2 Battery Grip after being used on my Canon 5D Mark II 

The Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip has been on my wish list for quite some time, but I just couldn’t get myself to spend $235.95 for a battery grip. I loved the Canon battery grip I had on my Rebel XTi years ago, but I just always found a better place to spend $236 bucks.

Now over time people have shown me their cheap knockoffs from China that they bought off eBay, but honestly I don’t like shopping on eBay. Call me old fashioned, but I’d rather work with a retailer I trust (and who will take returns if I’m unhappy). As a result, I never ordered any of these cheap knockoffs.

Recently B&H told me about the Vello BG-C2 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II which is only $69.95 (at the time of this writing), so I thought I’d finally give it a try. After all, it’s only 30% of the cost of the Canon equivalent, so it would really have to suck bad not to make it worth while for the casual shooter.

The Verdict

I’ve included two very crude and mostly untouched shots (only cropping and basic exposure adjustments during RAW processing)  of this grip on my own 5D Mark II so you can get an idea of what it’s like. As you can tell from the photos it looks the part very well. It looks like the real deal and it has the redundant buttons that make it a great addition for portrait shooting.

The question I’ve always wanted to know about these things are:

1. Does it suck?
2. Is the plastic really crappy?
3. How do the buttons feel?

Well, my honest answers are:

1. If I had the money, I’d get the Canon, but I don’t so this gets the job done.
2. Yes, it’s typical cheap China plastic, but it should be fine for normal use.
3. Nothing like the Canon buttons – the Canon buttons have a firmer spring and just feel much better.

That’s the cold hard truth, but there’s another reality – for some this may not matter.

If you are using your camera as a studio camera or you take pretty good care of your gear then I think the quality will be good enough to get the job done. At this price, you could actually go through three of these and still come out ahead of the cost of the Canon grip.

If you are a rough and tumble pro / photojournalist then I’d say this isn’t for you. Of course, I’d say the 5D Mark II isn’t for you either and you' should be carrying around a 1D series body.

So my net verdict is that yeah, it’s a cheapo knock off, but it gets the job done for an unbeatable price. It looks the part very well too, so you’d actually have to use it to tell it apart from the real thing. This means you’re friends will certainly be fooled, so you don’t have to worry about it screaming “knock off”.

Conclusion

If you need a battery grip for your 5D Mark II and can’t justify the Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip, then give the Vello BG-C2 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II. I think you’ll find it gets the job done sufficiently well. If you disagree then B&H has a great return policy so you aren’t screwed like you would be if you bought from eBay.

Personally I’m using mine full time and I feel smart for having a more economical solution than Canon offers.

Click here to learn more about the Vello BG-C2 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II at B&H.

Disclosure

I was sent a unit to review from B&H. If you make a purchase using links in this article, I may get a commission. Thanks for supporting this blog by using my links and sharing this article with your friends.

NEW: Pocket Wizard Plus III–Only $139 and SanDisk Specials

Click here to learn more and pre-order from B&H.

Adorama has SanDisk specials again:

• SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO Compact Flash Memory Card - up to 100MB/sec write speed - reg 849  special 819  will expire 2/29/12
• SanDisk 32GB Extreme Compact Flash Memory Card - Up to 60MB/S Read/Write, UDMA Enabled Reg 159.95 now 119.95
• SanDisk 64GB Extreme Compact Flash Memory Card - Up to 60MB/S Read/Write, UDMA Enabled This item was recently announced and is available for preorder 299.95
• SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro CF90 Compact Flash Memory Card  reg 134.95 spec 99.95
• SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro CF90 Compact Flash Memory Card reg 249.95 spec 179.95

Disclosure

I may get a commission if you make a purchase using links in this article.

Happy Anniversary

My apologies, but this weekend I’ve celebrated the marriage of my brother-in-law and tonight I celebrate the wedding anniversary to my beautiful wife. I’ll resume my normal blogging schedule tomorrow.

Best wishes,
Ron

Automotive Photography Legend Tim Wallace comes to Kelby Training (Discount Available)

Copyright (c) Tim Wallace - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

My favorite automotive photographer Tim Wallace has come to Kelby Training to show you how he does his magic. I can not wait to watch this class, but I thought I’d share this announcement with you so you can enjoy it as well.

Click here to read my review of Kelby Training and enjoy a discount. There’s a lot of great stuff on Kelby Training, so this is just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll love it!

Portfolio Review Service Now Available

Ron Martinsen’s
Personalized Service Offering

On January 18th, I asked the readers of this blog what type of services that they would like me to offer. The top responses were Portfolio Reviews and Personalized Training. In this article I’ll address the first request by offering some services based on the responses I received. At a later time I’ll address the topic of Personalized Training.

Based on your feedback, it was clear that the budget for a portfolio review was a huge spread. One reader suggested free (sorry, that’s not gonna happen unless you are close personal friend, paid student or volunteer) up to $800 for an exhaustive review by another reader. However, the consensus among most readers was that they wanted flexibility to chose an offering that was in line with their budget and expectations. This is my attempt to make offerings which align with those requests and the value of the limited spare time I have to do this work.

Bronze – $60

You send Ron a link to your website and he will send you a personal email with the following feedback:

1. Overall impressions of your site along with any recommendations for improvement on the overall presentation of your web site.
2. Ron’s picks for the top 5 photos on your site along with any recommendations on how those photos may be improved in the areas of composition, exposure, and post-processing.
3. Ron will offer recommendations on books, software, and/or gear that you may want to consider acquiring to take your portfolio to the next level.
4. You may submit one question (with no subparts) and he will provide a personal reply.

The time spent reviewing and composing the email will be a maximum of 45 minutes.

Silver – $120

All of the Bronze features in a personalized private video instead of email where Ron may offer more observations and tips as he reviews your site on his MacBook Pro.

For this service Ron will pick the top 10 photos (total) for your site along with any recommendations on how those photos may be improved.

You may submit two questions (with no subparts) and he will provide a personal reply via email and/or video.

The video will be a maximum of 15 - 20 minutes, but the time spent preparing for the video will be one hour. He will also offer a limited follow up email with links to related information discussed in the video.

Gold – $250

All of the Silver features in a one on one phone call (Skype, Lync or Messenger may be used when possible) instead of email or video.

For this service Ron will pick the top 15 photos (total) for your site along with any recommendations on how those photos may be improved.

Ron will spend a maximum of 90 minutes on the phone and offer a limited follow up email with links to related information discussed over the phone.

Platinum – $250/hr ($500 minimum)

You make the rules. Ron is available to field your questions, review your images in the format of your choice, and communicate his feedback via the mechanism of your choice.

If a face-to-face meeting is desired then contact Ron for a full quote based on your plan. This can include travel (you pay the expenses) and one on one instruction using your gear at the location of your choice (including Ron’s studio, your home, or even a travel destination of your choice).

Topics may include Photography, Photoshop, Lightroom, Printing, Working with Models, Studio Lighting and more.

If models are required then you will be required to pay all costs for models and assistants, although every effort will be made to keep this cost down to a minimum.

Limitations & Requirements (Excluding Platinum)

To offer the most helpful advice, some preparation work is required on your part. The following will be required to participate in this service:

1. The photos that you wish for Ron to review should ideally appear in one gallery, but a maximum of five galleries will be reviewed. The maximum total number of photos in all of the gallery links submitted should not exceed 40. It is also recommended that you make your best effort to limit your photos to your best selections and try to avoid more than one from the same shoot and/or spot as much as possible. Under some circumstances a review of prints or email attached photos may be considered, but please discuss with Ron in advance as certain restrictions or fees may apply.
   
2. The server hosting the photo galleries is expected to load and display photos in a timely fashion (within 5 – 8 seconds per image). In the event that the site is too slow you will be contacted for one reschedule review, but if the performance still remains slow this may impact the number of photos that Ron picks and discusses.
   
3. Ron is only available for phone calls, video chats, etc… on Monday’s, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 PM until 11:30 PM Pacific time. He may also be available for limited weekends from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on select Saturday’s and 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM on Sundays – Pacific time. Please keep this in mind if you choose a service that requires personal interactions. The platinum service is an exception, but will be booked based on different schedule limitations.
   
4. Once work begins, this service is non-refundable. Ron is happy to discuss any concerns or complaints via email should you be anything less than 100% satisfied. When possible he will make every effort to ensure your satisfaction using remedies at his sole discretion.
   
5. In the event your portfolio includes material that violates any laws or is questionable (i.e., stolen work, inappropriate images of minors, peeping tom footage, etc…), the service may be terminated immediately. In cases where this is determined early enough a partial refund may be made. Reviews of nude or sexually suggestive material is acceptable when all laws have been obeyed and in some cases model releases and age verification (license or passport evidence) may be required. Illegal material such as inappropriate images of minors will be reported to the authorities immediately and without warning.
   
6. Ron’s opinions offered are just that - his opinions based on his experience as a photographer and a well-known photography/photo editing blogger. He makes no guarantee of any specific outcome of your future performance as a photographer based on this feedback. In short, your future is in your own hands and this service is Ron’s attempt to offer his opinion on where you are at the moment in time of the review.
   
7. This is a service offering and not an employment arrangement. Fees will be paid in full in advance of the service being performed via PayPal only. You are responsible for informing Ron of any laws (i.e., tax or otherwise) which may apply to your area.
   
8. Each review or Platinum service will be reviewed and accepted at Ron’s discretion. Terms will be established in advance
   
9. Prices and service availability subject to change without notice. Your confirmation email will include details of what is included for your service and you will have the ability to cancel anytime up until the service work begins. An email will be sent notifying you of when the review related work has begun.

For questions, please use my contact form.

Payment Information

Please use the following link or contact Ron if you wish to use another method:

Portfolio Review Service

Bronze $60.00 USD Silver $120.00 USD Gold $250.00 USD

Platinum payment will be billed after the consultation email exchange.

Best of ronmartblog.com: Photomatix & Topaz Reviews

Someone said to me recently that “there’s a bunch of great stuff on your blog if you look for it, but after it’s off the main page nobody’s likely to find it.” That comment inspired me to try out a little “Best of the Blog” idea where I remind people about some of the popular articles of the past that are still relevant today.

I hope you enjoy the blast through the past here. Click the heading (in blue) to go to the topic and use the images below them to jog your memory about the product in question.

HDRSoft Photomatix Pro 4.x

Here’s a wild HDR images created with a Canon 8-15mm Fisheye Zoom (review)

Topaz Adjust 5.0

Trey Ratcliff secret sauce:

Topaz Labs B&W Effects

After this article, some say that this contender wasn’t a pretender and felt it was nearly as good as Silver Efex Pro 2…

Topaz Labs DeNoise 3.0

Topaz Labs InFocus

Hand your camera to a bartender in a dark pub in Dublin and a blurry photo is sure to follow. Now how do you fix it? Learn here…

After InFocus and basic sharpening
(Hover to see the before & click for a larger version)

Topaz Labs ReMask 3.0

Complex masking sucks, but ReMask 3 makes it pretty simple to get 95% of the work done in a hurry…

Topaz Labs Star Effects

Add some extra sparkle to your images…

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy this blast from the past! Enjoy the discount coupon code page for discounts on ALL of these products.

Disclaimer

I may get a commission if you make purchases using links in this blog. Thanks for supporting this blog by using my links!

Background Replacement By Shooting On A Chroma Green Screen

Chroma Green Screen Background
Impact Chroma Sheet Background - 10 x 12' (Chroma Green)

When readers and my students ask me how to do background replacements on shots and generally I’ll tell them to just shoot on white or black and use the techniques found in Photoshop Compositing Secrets or The Photoshop Channels Book to mask out the background. This works for me, and if I do a good enough job lighting the background then I can also just drop a U-Point control on the entire background and dial up the brightness in Viveza shown in this example here:

Viveza background substitution from white background
shot using a Elinchrom Quadra Ringflash

However, the industry practice for video (i.e., your local weather forecast where the weatherman walks around with the map behind them) is done with what is called a chroma green screen.

To do this technique yourself you need a lighting setup that can be as complex as mine, or as simple as this kit that you can pick up for less than $100 at B&H:

Impact Digital Flash Umbrella Mount Kit (<$100 at B&H)

For this article, I used the kit above but I’ll admit that I prefer this kind of umbrella adapter rather than the cheap ones included in this kit. In fact, I don’t even use a cold shoe – I just screw my 580 EX II flash directly into them using the little stand that comes with my flash (it has a screw mount on the bottom). I’m pretty sure this works for Nikon’s too, but honestly I haven’t ever tried it with something like a SB-900 or SB-910.

You also need a green screen of course, so for this article I chose the Impact Chroma Sheet Background - 10 x 12' (Chroma Green) which retailed for < $59 at B&H. I tossed this on a Impact Background Support System (12' Wide) and I had Kimberly sit on a posing stool. I positioned the white shoot through umbrellas (with the black covers removed) on the left and right of Kimberly and let ETTL do the rest. My handheld shot with my Canon 1D Mark IV was taken using a 70-200mm lens set to 102mm at f/2.8 using ISO 320 for 1/60 sec. The result was the shot at the top of this article and also shown later when you hover over the shot where I’ve replaced the background.

Replacing the Background in Photoshop

The key to replacing the background in Photoshop is the Color Range dialog that you’ve probably never used before. However, it’s easily found under the Select menu of CS5 (and presumably in the same place in earlier versions).

Once you have this dialog the easiest way to get the results you want is to HOLD THE SHIFT KEY and drag downwards over the areas where you know your background appears. REPEAT this process for the big areas until you get something that looks like the screen shot above.  Click OK and you get a selection like this:

To fix the eyes you can just use your favorite method of removing an unwanted selection. I like the quick mask tool, but a minus selection using lasso would work (as would many other ways).

Once your selection is good, then go to the select menu and inverse your selection. This selects the subject instead of the background. You can now do a CTRL+J (or CMD+J) to create a new layer with just your subject as shown here:

From here you can either fill your background layer with another color or just replace the background layer with a new background. For this example, I chose to replace it with black:

This of course reveals what I hate about using Chroma Green Screens – the horrid green fringe! If you are lucky you can go select the layer with your subject (Layer 1 in this example) and then go to Layer –> Matting –> Defringe. Enter a value (usually try 1 and work your way up from there) and voila the green halo goes away. However, that never seems to work perfectly from me (although it does help).

The easy way to remove the green screen

I use the free version of a tool called Easy Green Screen found at http://www.photoshopgreenscreen.com/ that just works at getting rid of most of that nasty green screen. Here’s a quick video that shows how it works:

Play in HD

With a simple few clicks I ended up with a much better separation of my subject from the green screen and doing a 1px Defringe fixed 99% of the problem. The net result of the before and after (using a new background is shown here):

Mouse in and out to see the before and after

There’s a little area by her right arm, hair and shirt that isn’t 100% perfect but I honestly called it close enough for this article. In a real shot I might spend the time fixing it, but honestly that’s what I don’t like about green screens – you have to fight the green halo issue.

Of course you can use tools like Remask and Perfect Mask to quickly deal with contamination issues like this, but they can also be used to remove more complex background when you didn’t use a green screen in the first place.

Conclusion

This article shows that you don’t have to spend much money to do simple background replacements and that there are a wealth of tools to help you get perfect results. Lightroom users are probably better off using a white background and my Viveza trick for the cheapest way to just get a pure white background. However, Photoshop (and equivalent) users can use a product like Easy Green Screen and get great results in a hurry. The biggest tip to remember though is to be sure you get enough light on your background as the more evenly lit and bright it is, the easier it will be to remove it.

Disclaimer

If you make a purchase using the links found in this article, I may make a commission. Thanks for supporting this blog by using my links!

HANDS ON: Canon EOS-1D X (sample images and video) 2-11-12 update

View sample images here and videos on how to use this cool new camera.

At Photo Plus Expo in New York last week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Canon Advisor of Technical Information Chuck Westfall and a reporter from Rangefinder Magazine to discuss the Canon EOS-1D X (press release article).

I’ve suffered through the pains of the 1D Mark III, but I’ve enjoyed my 1D Mark IV despite its few warts. I’ve also had this strong desire to take a 1D Mark IV, 1Ds Mark III, 5D Mark II, and 7D and mix them all up to create the perfect camera. From what I’ve seen so far, it seems that is what Canon appears to have done and I couldn’t be happier. Everything I love about all of those cameras is present in the X (and much more), yet all of the frustrations and limitations of them appears to have been addressed.

Sensor Details Still Leave Room For Concern

Canon says this sensor offers a 6.95 pixel pitch (µm) compared to 6.4 for the 5DM2 and 5.7 for the 1DM4 (see more comparisons here). This is very important because if you imagine photons as rain as illustrated here, then the pixel pitch is like the size of the bucket catching the rain. The bigger the pixel pitch, the better the image quality – sort of. For example, the original Canon 1D had a 10.9 pixel pitch, but many other modern advancements in sensor technology make its images far inferior to those of a 1D Mark IV so when comparing pixel pitches you need to think about the generation to which the camera belongs. In this generation, 6.95 is great, but still smaller than the 8.4 found in the Nikon D3s. This would make one wonder if this is really the D3s killer that the Canon shooters like myself hoped it would be, or if we still be lusting for the next Nikon flagship camera that will replace the D3s.

With a sensor that is effectively the same size as the D3s, yet nearly 6 megapixels more packed into each image, the big question is going to be about image quality – especially at higher ISO’s. Canon claims that with in-camera JPEG’s the image quality will meet or exceed what is seen today in the 1Ds-Mark III/5D Mark II. That’s a tall claim, but my hands on experience at the Expo seems to indicate this is true. I was unable to test the RAW performance, which Canon naturally acknowledges isn’t as improved as JPEG, but was unable to commit to how much of an improvement due to the pre-production nature of these bodies. Time will tell if it is simply a match to the D3s or if they will be competitive with the D3s replacement.

Sports Shooters Will Be Pleased

My unscientific testing yielded 52 full-size RAW frames
in 12fps burst mode before the buffer started to stutter

When I read about the 12fps performance of this camera I was excited – especially given the larger image size – but I was also worried as my 10fps performance of the 1D Mark III & IV has always been significantly limited by its puny buffer. In my early testing with what I was told was a slow CF card, I was able to get 52 full-size RAW frames in burst mode before the buffer started to stutter. That’s up from 30 in the 1D Mark IV, so that’s promising given the significantly larger file sizes. However, I would have really loved to have seen that number closer to 100 for RAW. RAM is pretty cheap, so I’m always frustrated there isn’t a way to add RAM or do something to overcome this limitation. With that gripe aside, the 52 RAW frames is going to be usable enough in most practical scenarios so this is a welcome relief. This also means that sRAW or JPEG only shooters will find themselves with an endless supply of buffer for sports shooting.

I didn’t have enough time to test buffer flush performance, but the Mark IV smoked the D3s (see here) so I’d expect the X to be the fastest camera on the market in this measurement.

Of course, the biggest problem with prior Canon 1D cameras wasn’t FPS performance – they were the leaders at 10fps RAW – it was the usability of the AF system. When used properly, the Canon pro AF system was unbeatable and it could give you a ton of in-focus images. However, when used improperly (which was VERY easy to do) it could be a disaster and lots of images would be out of focus. The reality was that just like a pro photographer must know the triangle of setting ISO, aperture and shutter speed to get a good photo – Canon shooters had to know how to coordinate four different AF settings to get a good result. Despite my attempt at writing a guide to help with this problem, the truth is that many still failed to get the most out of the system – myself included. This has left IV owners envying 7D owners zone system.

AF Point Selection is RADICALLY improved
and features enhancements over the 7D zone system

Fortunately Canon has added that system to the X (see above) along with many other autofocus improvements. The net result of this is that the new system is less prone to user error. The advanced ability to change these settings still exists, but presets have been added with additional help information to aid photographers in quickly knowing which setting to use for a variety of common situations. I think these changes will help photographers maximize the potential of the system. One example is shown below in the new 5 page AF menu that features help with a press of the Info button:

Auto Focus gets 5 pages of AF menus
On the first page are 6 different case presets
to help dialing in the correct AF results

Here’s a table that shows some pretty crude shots of each of the case settings (all of which are customizable and feature help when you press the info button):

Case Settings will be a welcome addition to newbies
as well as existing 1D owners confused by the AF system 

14fps Super High Speed

Yes, it can do 14fps but don’t get too excited…

Make no mistake, this is a 12fps camera despite the presence of a 14fps super high speed mode. The reason why I say this is because during the 14fps mode the mirror is left up so you can’t see through the view finder and the AF are fixed. In addition, it only supports JPEG so its pretty useless in most scenarios. Sure if you have a fixed point to focus on and want to bang out the most shots possible (which is the case in skiing sometimes), this might be useful, but I think most will find it frustrating to use. That said, I’m sure some will be glad to see this added but I doubt I’d ever use it.

Only the REAL AF Points Are Shown Now

Another huge improvement is that the confusion about what AF points worked with what lenses has been removed. Before you would always see the same number even if some were not active for the lens you were using. The X will only show you the focus appoints that apply to your lens and more cross type sensors have been added to improve the accuracy of subject tracking.

Wedding Photographers Rejoice – Low Light Nightmares Addressed

One of my frustrations with my 1D Mark IV was that its low light auto focus performance was mediocre at best (worst than the 5D Mark II’s antiquated system). As a result it wasn’t a very good camera for situations like concerts, night clubs, etc… which is really where you want a high ISO pro camera. It seems that the advancements in metering with the new 100,000 pixel RGB metering sensor and its dedicated DIGIC 4 processor and a leap from 63 metering points to 252 will result in far fewer scenarios where you push the shutter release and nothing happens because it can not meter the contrast and/or acquire focus.

Canon has also made significant strides to not only catch up with the mighty Nikon D3s (the current high ISO noise champion), but from what I saw in these early cameras it possibly has surpassed it. The formerly useless ISO 12,800 is now usable and appears to look at least as good as what ISO 1600 looked like on the 1D Mark IV. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any of my own images for closer scrutiny elsewhere, so the judge is still out on this. At a minimum it seems that Canon has matched the Nikon D3s and is definitely 2 stops better at high ISO performance, but I think it is higher than that. It certainly seems to be a camera where 12,800 and lower all seem like very usable ISO’s from what I saw.

Videographers Rejoice

While video files are still limited to 4GB, Canon has come up with a seamless scheme for allowing multiple video files to be created and transparently stitched together for a maximum of 29 minutes and 59 seconds of its highest quality HD video per individual clip. This coupled with improvements in additional compression modes will be a welcome relief to many videographers.

The biggest improvement in HD video has now been improved to prevent any moiré (i.e., that annoying effect you get when videoing someone in a herringbone suit) as well as better compression. Video will also now embed a time code which will be a big benefit to cinematographers.

I had a chance to sit one-on-one with Hollywood Director of Photography, Shane Hurlbut, and he was thrilled about the video improvements. He felt like Canon addressed his major pain points he faced when filming his upcoming movie, Act of Valor, with the 5D Mark II.

Multiple Exposures On A Single Frame Now Possible

In the film days you could take multiple shots on the same frame of film by simply not advancing the film after the shot. Nikon added this feature a long time ago to their cameras, but it has been missing from Canon. I’m pleased to say that Canon has addressed this by adding an advanced version of this feature.

Built-in Chromatic Aberration Correction

Per lens chromatic aberration correction is built in

While this feature was available for select Canon lenses in DPP before, its now possible in camera where people will actually use it. Woohoo!

Battery Change

One interesting change is that due to safety regulation changes in Japan, a new battery has been introduced. The good news is that your old 1D Mark III & IV batteries will work in this camera, and the new batteries will work in your older cameras. They are the same size but have a different charger which is backwards compatible. It’s rare for camera companies not to screw us over by changing the battery size, so it was a relief to see Canon care enough not to do that here.

Other Random Notes

A new stand-alone Quick Menu button is nice to have in low light

• An Ethernet cable can transfer data from the X to your PC at speeds up to 300mb/sec
• Bracketing now goes from +/-3 to +/-5 scale with the same maximum number of bracketed exposures. This will help with the new built-in HDR processing as well.
• Button redundancy is greatly improved with a joystick and front buttons being repeated for easy access in both portrait and landscape mode
• The scroll wheel has a really nice rubbery tactile feel that is much nicer than all current Canon cameras
• Dual compact flash instead of CF/SD
• The EOS-1D X allows users to save up to 3 sets of customized camera settings that can be selected via the mode button and main input dial. They're listed on the LCD data panel as C1, C2 and C3. This puts the 1D X on a par with other current EOS bodies above the Rebel series in terms of its ability to store user-registered custom camera settings.

Other improvements include a much nicer feel for the scroll wheel, an easier to use joystick controller, programmable redundant front camera buttons. I was also happy to see Canon finally do away with the SD card slot and go to dual Compact Flash slots.

Conclusion

If I had to summarize one theme of Canon’s work on the 1D X it has to be “we’ve heard you”. Canon as done so many things to catch up with the Nikon D3s and D3x as well as extending its lead in video. Of course if they just did that then there would be little to be excited about, but I’m pleased to say that this is just the beginning. In fact, I’d probably put you to sleep if I listed everything here and I’m sure I have only discovered the tip of the iceberg.

Of course one difficult situation Canon has put me in is that they’ve finally built the camera I hoped I was getting when I made the leap to get my 1D Mark III, but they’ve priced it to be as insanely expensive (yet still cheaper than a 1Ds Mark III). I have a fear of ending up with the state-of-the-art promise only to be disappointed with a nightmare performance like I had with the Mark III. Fortunately, I’ve been assured by Canon that I’ll get a better chance early next year to give one of these cameras a test drive to give you my honest opinion on this camera. From everything I’ve seen so far I’m afraid I need to make a lifestyle change so I can start saving for this camera, but I’m also so pleased at what I’m seeing that I might be putting both my 1D Mark IV and 5D Mark II on the market to help pay for it.

Make no mistake, if this camera is stable and works as advertised, this is the greatest camera Canon has ever made. It appears to be well worth the upgrade for any Canon shooter with an existing pro body. Everything I’ve seen show signs of greatness and frustrated Nikon D3 and D3x owners might want to start planning for a platform change this Spring. Canon has finally listened so I’m very pleased I didn’t make the move to Nikon. Thank you Canon!

For more information, see my press release article or visit Canon USA's web site.

Preorder Info

Canon made it very clear that this camera still isn’t out of development yet, so the earliest we could hope to see it is March 2012. If history repeats itself, then that date could really end up being summer 2012 because the 1D Mark IV was supposed to be out in November/December of 2009 yet it didn’t start getting distributed into the channel until February 2010. In fact, those without connections or good luck were lucky to see them by summer of 2010.

As of the time of this writing, no legitimate online reseller I know of is taking true pre-orders (meaning you are guaranteed a spot in line when they come in). Click here to pre-order at B&H when they begin taking orders (perhaps by the time you read this).

More Expo Hands On Reviews

If you enjoyed this, then you’ll probably love these articles here as well:

• HANDS ON: Canon s100 and Fujifilm X10
• HANDS ON: Photo Plus Expo 2011 NYC Summary Part 1 of 2 –> Products from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, and more...
• Part 2 coming soon – check http://ronmartblog.com for the latest posts

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Disclaimer

My information was obtained by a hands-on experience of PRE-RELEASE versions of the EOS-1D X, so my facts and those who I spoke with at Canon are subject to change prior to the final release. I’ve made every attempt to share the facts as they are known now and to confirm with highly reliable sources. If any information here is proven to be inaccurate or misleading, I’ll update the article immediately so check back for updates.

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