Thursday, July 26, 2012

Tutorial: What's easier to edit? Overexposed or Underexposed?

What is the point of editing a photo to be correctly exposed? It's because we just took a photo that is good in many ways, but the light is way to bad. Too dark? Too bright? Don't even know? Look here.
So, what can you do to a photo that is overexposed or underexposed? Edit it! That's the best you can do, since you've taken the photo already. And it's probably the only good shot compared to the rest of your shots. But, even though you can edit it, I prefer editing the exposure on an overexposed shot mainly because it will darken the whole shot, and it won't add any noise to the processed shot.
So here's an overexposed shot:


I prefer using Lightroom 2 over Photoshop because it's quicker and easier to process compared to Photoshop. And I could easily import my photos into the album and edit them. 



So this is the edited version of the overexposed shot. It's a shade darker, and there's less flare on Toad's green cap. The details on the cushion are also easier to see. The sky outside is also bluer, with less flare dulling the colour.

Now onto the underexposed shot. The main subject is dark. It's lacking detail, the sky is dominating the photo, and yeah, you can't really see Toad.

So here's the edited version. Toad has brightened up and the cushion has the details. The sky has been exploded with  light, and you can't even see it. But what is the real problem in this picture? It's the noise. There's far too much noise on Toad, and the cushion, and it's just gross. That's the problem with editing an underexposed shot. 
Let me explain. When a picture is taken, the light hits the sensor, turning it into the pixels. So, if majority of pixels are dark, when you brighten them, they will go bright, but will cause discolour in them.

So what's the best type of exposure to edit? My personal preference would be the overexposed shot. It has less noise, and it keeps and adds details to the shot.
There are a few ways in trying to nail the exposure correctly in any situations and they are (come on, add some drum rolls):

Buy a D4.
Use a tripod.
Use flash.
Tell your friend to stay still.

And here's a nailed pic

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