Exposure Compensation

[tlc]

Hi Guys, Im hoping there is a simple answer to the question Im about to ask.

I was wondering when you are shooting on a day that is over cast say slightly blue sky but mostly cloudy and white, If I tune down the ex cop so that the sky is not blown out, it then makes the bottom of the photo darker so then in PP I bump up the exposure to compensate for the bottom of the photo being dark so I can see whats going on but then it just blows the sky out, defeating the whole purpose?? Im at a loss can anyone help with an easy expliination. Ill post pics so you can see what I mean!!

[tlc]

Is the only way I can keep the sky is to do it in PS in layers. Is there anything I can do in light room to keep the sky but lighten the rest? I am shooting in raw.

[Luke W]

I'm not a lightroom user - but it has a gradient tool:

http://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_review/lr2-review-3.htm

[tlc]

Thanks Luke, Ive bookmarked the page so I can have a read.

[ruthless]

Either that or a graduated filter on your camera.

[kja]

Expose for your subject first and foremost.

Then if you can't live with the blown sky, try to work it in Lightroom or even do a sky replacement in photoshop (I've been told it's not that had but wouldn't have clue how to do this, one of the PS guys here should be able to point you in the right direction).

Lightroom's gradient tool is a dream as is its adjustment brush tool.

You can also purchase filters to add to your lenses so you can expose for a wider range of brightness on the spot. I don't actually even own any filters - I either blow the sky, use a flash to fill the subject or expose as close as possible for the subject and then tweak in LR. Usually LR tweaks take about 30 seconds.

HTH

[persephone]

..or crop the sky out!

[tlc]

..or crop the sky out!

Thanks for the replys, I wil have a go in light room and see how I go. do love light room and havent used ps at all since starting with it. But I usually only tweak the exposure and the temp, the clarity and the blacks. and depending on the pic a bit of vignetting. so very basic edits but they do make all the difference. The only way Id know how to change the sky color in PS would be to select the sky and change the color that way which looks a bit dodgy. Wil have to give it a try and see what happens.

Luke You must really love your editing software. Your pics are always awesome, but I cant believe you dont use lightroom. Have you tried it??

[Freckles]

I pinched your photo as an example of layering in Photoshop the edited version over the original and then removing the edited sky so the true version you like is revealed.

You can also do other editing to brighten or darken or even completely change the colour of the original sky to just how you want it and again layer the edited scene shot over that too.

[Luke W]

..or crop the sky out!

Thanks for the replys, I wil have a go in light room and see how I go. do love light room and havent used ps at all since starting with it. But I usually only tweak the exposure and the temp, the clarity and the blacks. and depending on the pic a bit of vignetting. so very basic edits but they do make all the difference. The only way Id know how to change the sky color in PS would be to select the sky and change the color that way which looks a bit dodgy. Wil have to give it a try and see what happens.

Luke You must really love your editing software. Your pics are always awesome, but I cant believe you dont use lightroom. Have you tried it??

I never really got into Lightroom. I have used it very briefly.

I use Adobe Bridge CS4 plus the RAW processor. It's very similar to Lightroom.

I've used Photoshop since way back when, used Bridge as soon as it came out - I've never felt the need to change to Lightroom.

The RAW processor in CS4 serves the same function as the RAW editing in Lightroom.

Do you use all the cataloguing functionality in Lightroom or do you just use it's RAW processing and image editing functions?

I've considering changing my workflow to Lightroom to add the cataloguing and keywording functionality but I don't don't enough photos nowadays.

[Poo d'état]

Great job there Freckles.

Tlc those are some nice clouds in the shot, worth saving the detail rather than blowing out, imo.

Luke i too haven't gotten into Lightroom, though it's mostly because we don't have it at work; Bridge i think is great though.

Lightroom users - how good are the keywording/organising/cataloguing functions?

[kja]

In a word, excellent.

[tlc]

Excellent Freckles, I love what you did so the sky is still good and you can still see the subjects clearly too, its excellent. I only just come back to this post. Luke I didn't even understand half of what you asked me about light room!

(Do you use all the cataloguing functionality in Lightroom or do you just use it's RAW processing and image editing functions?

I've considering changing my workflow to Lightroom to add the cataloguing and keywording functionality but I don't don't enough photos nowadays.)

I dont even know what cataloguing is? Gee I sound like I havent got a clue, I guess compared to a lot of you guys i dont!! I just import the pics I want to edit in light room and if they are raw images it just converts them and then I export them back into my pictures as jpegs, but I keep all the raw images as well as jpegs. I really need to do a course of some sort to learn how to use light room and PS properly but I have come a long way just from all the experts on DOL and thier fab advice. I havent really used PS since starting to use lightroom I just love the ease of light room it is so easy to edit the images, I find it much better than PS. All I need to learn is how to do a watermark in lightroom.