Hadier Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 i know im becoming a regular to this sub-forum but i have a lot of questions so here is another one for you. i just bought a Nikon Cool-pix L120 and im getting pretty good body shots but how do you guys get your real close ups? faces, gems, etc? do you use a photoshop program and zoom in that way? thank you i have 14 days to make a return so im trying to decide if i keep the camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddot Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I read in a tutorial that a good method is to use a larger MP setting and cropping and enlarging it a bit. Basically, the idea is that there will be more pixels in the "close-upped" area and thus less degradation in picture quality when you enlarge it. For example, if the picture comes out as a 320x640 on one setting and 640x1280 on another setting, there will be twice as many pixels in the same area (ie, face shot) using the second setting. Sorta like graphics settings in a computer game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadier Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 ok well i can go as high as 4320x3240 so i guess ill use that and man my painting looks like crap under such detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddot Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 At that resolution, you're picking up eevry little imperfection, especially if the subject is well-lit. I recently started experimenting with some finished models. My Basilisk Drake, who is pretty sweet in-person, had all sorts of little problems in photo. Try a set up with one mini at as many resolution settings as possible. Crop the face on all of the pics and resize them to 600x600, then figure out which one best represents what the mini looks like "in person". Mini photography is an art form with as many subtleties as painting. Just keep experimenting with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lead Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Ironically I was just looking at that camera as a replacement for my aging Sony DSC-H1! From the macro pics I took at Frye's the Nikon looked pretty darn good, though I wasn't happy with Nikon's menu structure and having to use a dedicated "macro" mode for close-up shots... But I digress... A few things you can try to get close-ups without the "HDTV-level blemish details" of megapixel shots. One, you can take the pic at full size, and crop, as has been suggested, but then downsize the image in Photoshop, etc. It doesn't have to be 600x800 for the web or anything. But taking something 4320x3240 and cutting it down to half that will still look good without magnifying every farkle... The same principle as printing comics - the originals are drawn at something like 16"x20" and shrunk in printing to 6"x8". It makes the image seem more crisp. The other thing is keep the megapixels reasonable off the bat and move the camera closer to the subject. I do this often to capture a face, etc. I made a slider rail from an old photo enlarger, but just moving your tripod closer will do the same thing. Take care, Laszlo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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