Photo Question...transfer of images

CHESSNUTDOG

Just took a bunch of pictures with my coolpix 4500 and transferred them to my computer. When I took them all the colors were right and bright, but when I transferred them when I opened up the Nikonview5 browser all the images were very dark. Is this the way it is or did I do something wrong...any help appreciated. Its the first time I transferred...thanks Mike. Is this why you need a photoshop to manipulate the images or should they come over the the computer just the way you shot them?

Placid

Try adjusting the white balance on the camera if it allows it.

spy88

Chestnut, your pics should have transferred as "seen" by the camera. The only thing I can think of that might be the problem, is the white balance you had set when you took the pics. If they were taken at a "-" WB, they may have looked ok on the camera but in actuality, may have been too dark to begin with.

WB is very important for a pic of a coin to be "as is in hand" quality. Try playing with it, and I think you'll find this will help. Run up 7 or 8 pics with different WB settings keeping track of what they were
(- or + or 0) and see which one your computer comes closest to representing the actual coin.

CHESSNUTDOG

Placid,
When I originally took the pictures, they were beautiful...nice a bright with the colors brought out...It was only after I transferred them to the computer that they were dark and blurred. Thanks anyway...Mike

mgoodm3

If you're comparing the pics off the camera screen to the computer, they are commonly different looking. I have a Nikon also, but mine generally is brighter on the computer. I don't use the Nikonview software so I can't tell you much about it. I never installed the software provided. I just plugged the camera into the computer and it worked fine. I use Photoshop Elements for image processing.
Oh, also the camera screen has a sharpening algorithm the sharps the pics a bit for the small screen. Judging focus off of the small screen is useless for me, except that it's close.

CHESSNUTDOG

Spy,
Now Im lost...I shot most of them using an ott light or daylight and had white balance set for daylight and used mostly neg setting on the EV to block the glare coming off the slab...They sure looked bright and pretty when I took them, but like I said...very dark once transferred to the computer...HATE TO SHOOT ALL THESE COINS OVER AGAIN.., but oh well Im learning..

mgoodm3

I generally make them look a bit too bright on the screen, they always look better on the computer.

SDCollector

<< <i>...and had white balance set for daylight >>


That's probably the problem. At least on my Olympus, all of the automatic white balance settings, including daylight, indoor, etc. produce poor results. If possible on your camera, set the WB manually by pointing the lens at a white object and locking the WB setting. You may need to tweak it a little, but I bet the results will be much better.

Also you may want to consider buying Paint Shop Pro or PhotoShop Elements. Both are around $100 (or less). Most camera-provided software is not very good.

Barry

Chessnut,
I have the same camera. I suggest you do a custom white balance. Read the book on how to set it. Save it in one of the three User Profiles. What mode are you using? Auto? Personally, I shoot in Aperture Priority mode. This allows me to set a higher F-stop than default, for better depth of field. SInce I'm using a copy stand, long exposures (1/8-1/60 sec usually) aren't a problem. The camera does a pretty good job with exposure. If you are shooting coins with a white background, such as NGC or ANACS slabs, an EV of +0.7 to +1.0 works best for me. BTW, I use regular incandescent bulbs. I tried Reveal and didn't like them.

If you have a real graphics editing program (not Nikonview), such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, you can probably salvage your underexposed images with the Levels command. Also, make sure your monitor is calibrated. With Photoshop, you get Adobe Gamma to help calibrate. Otherwise, there are online tools to help. Just do a Google search to find one.
Good luck!

spy88

Chestnut, it will take a lot of trial and error, but you'll get it. As you are using an OTT (as am I), put your camera in fluorescent setting. This is how I do mine and it works great!

As Barry has the same camera, I would suggest all his advice be your guide.