Setting Output Levels

SG
Posted By
Scottie_G.
May 23, 2004
Views
259
Replies
6
Status
Closed
An agency of mine wants me, if I submit images digitally, to set output levels a 4/248. I did a test shot in the alley with a white apartment building on the left.

Now the apartment building has readings in info palette of 250 -255 etc.

so I change the output levels buy inputting 4/248 by hand.

So now, these blow out whites don’t read over 248. But as I look at building at 200% I see pink tint. It is as if Photoshop has added some new detail there in pink? Is this what happens? You can lower to 230 if you want, but building just becomes pinker. In others words, you can’t bring detail in if it was blown out to begin with, so what is Photoshop doing?

Also, I was told to look for spikes on the histogram on LCD of the camera (Canon 1ds) Now I did not see any spikes on LCD. But there is huge spike in Photoshop levels? why not on the camera’s LCD?

Lastly, saved as PSD with new 4/248 output in levels, but when I re-open images output reads 0/255. Info palette reflects a 4/248, but I though odd I would not see 4/248 upon re-opening image.
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TL
Tim_Lookingbill
May 23, 2004
What color space did you open the file? Assign? Convert? If it’s untagged, the data will show how AdobeRGB or what ever space you’re viewing in sees it no matter where the data came from.
SG
Scottie_G.
May 23, 2004
In Camera Raw box color mode says RGB. Opens up Adobe RGB. no assigning or converting, that I know of. Is this vital info to know vis a vis my questions?
AS
Ann_Shelbourne
May 23, 2004
Just move the top of the Red curve downwards (towards the Cyan corner) a tiny bit.
RM
Rick_McCleary
May 23, 2004
Perhaps an easier way to do this would be to define your black point/white point in Curves at the specified levels rather than monkey around with the output slider in Levels. I suspect that you are getting the pink because you have not started with a good neutral white point.

By setting your bp/wp, you are, in one step, taking any color cast out of your image and setting the maximum and minimum levels.

BTW, when the agency is asking for 248, I don’t think they are referring to specular highlights, only highlights that must carry texture. (The old Zone VIII value). If you take your speculars to 248, you’ll end up with a rather dead image.
TL
Tim_Lookingbill
May 24, 2004
Scott, my question was mainly to eliminate any CM issues which by your answer you’ve cleared up. As for your problem, Ann and Rick pretty much covered it.

I’m having spectral blowouts beyond 245 on a Fuji minilab I’m using. Clearly reality dictates that the whitest white is subject to lighting conditions and the way the human eye can detect detail with transmissive light (your monitor) as apposed to reflective-how dark or bright the paper you’re printing on.

Under different lighting conditions it can be very hard to see any difference between 245 to 255 RGB on a print.
SG
Scottie_G.
May 24, 2004
This gal said to just go to the output boxes and enter 4 and 248. Of course, this sounds like painting by numbers.

Is the side of a while building specular highlights? Rick, what you are saying sounds right, but I think she said not to screw around and just to plug in those numbers. And then I got what I described.

But what about my other points: that if the white apartment building was overexposed, then it does not matter really what you do, there is no detail there? and was photoshop adding detail as I set the point number lower?

And about the histogram LCD — are they not always accurate — showing that spike? I did not see spike, however I did set feature to show blown out highlights to flash and it did that.

I also noticed the same with shadows: if a shadow reads at 0, you set it to 4 — well it now reads 4, but with no more detail.

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