Photo experiment - whaddaya think?

messydesk · May 24, 2005 8:53AM

I was experimenting with the camera and accessories today. I like the way the $10 Liberty turned out better than the $2.50 Indian.

dwssws · May 24, 2005 8:55AM

I agree.

MikeInFL · May 24, 2005 8:56AM

I'll second that.

What are you experimenting with?...Mike

nwcs · May 24, 2005 8:57AM

That indian is flirting with me. I think she wants to stop by for a while....

robertpr · May 24, 2005 9:06AM

I think the color looks a bit "off". OTOH, I don't have the coins in-hand to compare.

messydesk · May 24, 2005 9:17AM

Both are PCGS 65 coins taken through slabs. I used a diffuse light pretty much straight on, so the picture was through nice, even slab glare, which I reduced with Photoshop. The $10 Liberty is truer to the original coin, which has a little of that olive/orange toning gold can get.

BloodMan · May 24, 2005 10:38AM

Excellent images. The scratches on the obverse of the $10 seem to be holding it back.

Question: What was your process using Photoshop for cropping the coin image from the slab holder in the background and adjusting the background color? I can achieve this with raw coins on a black mat (see example), but with slabbed coins I am having trouble.
Do you have any difficulty with clipping off an edge of the coin while cropping the circular image?

Thanks for any help.

messydesk · May 24, 2005 11:44PM

The scratches you see on the $10 on the cheek and at 8:00 on the obverse rim are on the holder, not the coin.

The cropping was done inside Photoshop. When using the elliptical marquee, hold the shift key down, and it will constrain it to a circle. Draw the circle. You can then move the circle into position, then copy and paste into a new image. Repeat with the reverse. Works like a champ.

Smittys · May 25, 2005 12:06AM

<< The scratches you see on the $10 on the cheek and at 8:00 on the obverse rim are on the holder, not the coin. >>

I was wondering how it made 65 with those scratches.
I too think the second pic is much better, nice Job

AlaBill · May 25, 2005 12:57AM

Thanks messydesk for the Photoshop tip. I'm trying to get better with coins photos too.

Longacre · May 25, 2005 2:09AM

I agree that the second looks better than the first. How close are the colors in #2 to the original coin?

messydesk · May 25, 2005 2:14AM

It's pretty close, maybe a little richer in the picture.

K6AZ · May 25, 2005 2:17AM

I don't really care for diffused lighting, especially on gold. It makes the images look flat to me.

mgoodm3 · May 25, 2005 2:29AM

Those type of images are nice for seeing the details of the design and for showing color if present. But, you lose all of the luster and can miss dings and may hide problems.

JrGMan2004 · May 25, 2005 2:32AM

<< Excellent images. The scratches on the obverse of the $10 seem to be holding it back.

Question: What was your process using Photoshop for cropping the coin image from the slab holder in the background and adjusting the background color? I can achieve this with raw coins on a black mat (see example), but with slabbed coins I am having trouble.
Do you have any difficulty with clipping off an edge of the coin while cropping the circular image?

Thanks for any help. >>

Easiest way I've found, is to square crop it, so that the edges of the image is right up to the edge of the coin... then switch to the circular crop, and drag from corner to opposite corner... hopfully, it'll circle the coin just right

Adjust and practice until you get it right

messydesk · May 25, 2005 2:54AM

<< I don't really care for diffused lighting, especially on gold. It makes the images look flat to me. >>

That's the only thing I don't like about it. You can't tell that the $2.50 Indian is a gorgeous coin. I had to deliver the coins to their owner today, otherwise I'd spend more time playing with getting some of the luster back into the images. I shot a similar picture of a proof (RB) Indian cent as well, but it requires more experimentation to get it looking good.

Longacre · May 25, 2005 2:57AM

<< I don't really care for diffused lighting, especially on gold. It makes the images look flat to me. >>

KA-- are pictures that "look" like that the result of diffused lighting? Take a look at the Goldberg catalog (the gold coins) and they all show those types of colors. Does the diffused lighting cause an unrealistic look regarding the color of the coins?

K6AZ · May 25, 2005 3:15AM

<< KA-- are pictures that "look" like that the result of diffused lighting? Take a look at the Goldberg catalog (the gold coins) and they all show those types of colors. Does the diffused lighting cause an unrealistic look regarding the color of the coins? >>

Goldberg uses it, as well as Superior, and many others. For sellers, this is a great way to make your coin look several grades higher than it is. As Mark noted above, it's great for showing details but it hides all but the most serious marks on a coin.

Longacre · May 25, 2005 3:23AM

<< 

<< KA-- are pictures that "look" like that the result of diffused lighting? Take a look at the Goldberg catalog (the gold coins) and they all show those types of colors. Does the diffused lighting cause an unrealistic look regarding the color of the coins? >>

Goldberg uses it, as well as Superior, and many others. For sellers, this is a great way to make your coin look several grades higher than it is. As Mark noted above, it's great for showing details but it hides all but the most serious marks on a coin. >>

Thanks. I agree. Each of the coins that I see pictured with this type of lighting look great to me, especially the color. In hand, though, the color isn't as intense as in the pictures.

jonesy · May 25, 2005 3:26AM

Not bad at all!!

messydesk · May 25, 2005 4:45AM

<< 

<< KA-- are pictures that "look" like that the result of diffused lighting? Take a look at the Goldberg catalog (the gold coins) and they all show those types of colors. Does the diffused lighting cause an unrealistic look regarding the color of the coins? >>

Goldberg uses it, as well as Superior, and many others. For sellers, this is a great way to make your coin look several grades higher than it is. As Mark noted above, it's great for showing details but it hides all but the most serious marks on a coin. >>

Heritage does not use it in their catalogs. Their photography has received poor reviews on this board (including from me), but in many cases it isn't a result of the lighting technique, just lack of care in applying it.

Photo experiment - whaddaya think?

Comments

Leave a Comment