How do you get those underwater pics?

Travel discussion for St. John
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sasky
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:37 am
Location: Boston

Post by sasky »

Does anyone have any simple photoshop tips for underwater pics?

I have Photoshop, but I get overwhelmed with it easily.
sailorgirl
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Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm

Post by sailorgirl »

sasky wrote:Does anyone have any simple photoshop tips for underwater pics?

I have Photoshop, but I get overwhelmed with it easily.
Just start with the auto correct feature. I think that's the name.
djmom
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Post by djmom »

OOOHHH JMQ--Mothers Day-May. Our 14th anniversary-May. Fathers Day- June

Our St. John trip- June.

This is lookin' good. Real good.
"Sponges grow in the ocean...I wonder how much deeper it would be if that didn't happen."
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Pickle
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Post by Pickle »

I am another happy Canon and its housing user.

In the shallows, if the conditions of the water are right (clear water, abundant light, etc.), it takes good enough photos that they don't necessarily have to be PhotoShop-ed. I was pleasantly surprised how well my little Canon caught the colors underwater, especially in the clear shallows. Of course, if the photos are taken in deeper water or under less than perfect conditions (which is a majority of the time), they need a little (or a lot of) help from PhotoShop.
Underwater photos (some are photoshop-ed): http://public.fotki.com/Pickle-Pickle/s ... ohn--2008/

It took me a while to finally get a housing for my Canon, and I am very happy that I did, but now, as jmq said, Canon is introducing a new underwater camera (no housing needed) in May. I am looking forward to seeing the PowerShot D10.

Regarding PhotoShop, currently mine isn't running in English, so it's not easy for me to describe the names of the features, sorry...
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JC
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Post by JC »

Pickle...that is the finest set of UW photos that I've seen...here anyway. Well done! I have some from our March trip that I am currently working on. Hope to post some soon. Wow. Well done. :wink:
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"I didn't come here...and I ain't leavin'"
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liamsaunt
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Post by liamsaunt »

sasky wrote:Does anyone have any simple photoshop tips for underwater pics?

I have Photoshop, but I get overwhelmed with it easily.
Me too! I know the program can do so much more than I ask it to. I think I need to take a class.

I've only used the autocorrect features--color, levels, and contrast. Oh, and crop, and the red eye tool. The autocolor correct is the one that pulls all the blue out of the underwater pictures. The difference is really amazing.

My above water pictures are pretty hopeless. I need to get a camera that I can put a polarizing filter on.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
ifloat
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Post by ifloat »

liamsaunt, I can use a polarizing filter on my little Canon A720IS. I bought the extension tube and a circular polarizing filter, and a rubbery lens shade. I can use them all together.

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Problem is, you can't see the effects of the filter thru the optical viewfinder, and out in the bright sun it's hard to see the effects on the screen. Plus, because the filter is a couple of inches away from the lens, every speck of dust shows on the images. I finally quit using it.

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I do like using the rubbery lens shade when I am taking pictures thru glass. I press it right up against the plane/zoo/whatever window and it reduces glare, protects the glass from marring, and helps stabilize the hand held shots in low light.

Just have to watch the wide angle shots to make sure you aren't getting any vignetting from the hood...
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Carolyn
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Location: Jersey shore

Post by Carolyn »

Once upon a time I knew much more about Photoshop but it's a use it or loose it deal, and I lost it.

The "Dummies" series of self-help books has one for Photoshop or another good one is the visual quickstart guide series:

http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Windows ... 032121353X

Honestly I gained alot of insight right here asking for suggestions from others.Liamsaunt had some links a while back that were helpful. A search ought to show them.
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