Matching backgrounds of a triptych?

[Jono1100]

I photographed a triptych of work which is mounted on identical backing. I shot each in RAW and adjusted the colour and contrast. This has meant that the backings no longer match. I'm not sure how to get them to match exactly without affecting the texture of the backing or the colour and contrast of the work. Any advice would be great.


Many thanks in advance.

 

[Tom Mann]

Without seeing what you are dealing with, we can only make very general statements. So, can you post before and after versions of each panel? If you are worried about anyone stealing your images, just down-rez them to say 700px in the longest dimension and they will be so low resolution, no one will want them, but we'll be able to get an idea of the problem you are facing.

Tom M

 

[Jono1100]

This is my problem. I'm trying to get all 4 backgrounds to match in colour and tone. Ideally I don't want to adjust the colour of the leaf in front. I just can't get it right. They are individual images that I've put together for illustration purposes. Any help would be great. Many thanks. Owen

 

[Tom Mann]

Welcome back, Jono. When we didn't hear any more from you, I figured you had sorted out your problem.

So, first some questions about your workflow:

1. From your description, I can't tell if (a) the triptych was already complete and you are now photographing it, say, for a catalog or for advertising, VERSUS (b) you are in the process of assembling it yourself from scratch and the final result will be a triptych consisting of three photographs. Which is it?

2. When you photographed the individual panels, was the lighting absolutely constant over time and uniform from point to point? If it was, why are you getting these variations in color and tonality?

3. When you did the raw conversions, were the settings all the same, or did you have to adjust the settings for each because of #2 (the light wasn't constant or not uniform in space)? I'm trying to determine if your fundamental problem is in the lighting and photography or in the processing.

T

 

[Jono1100]

Ok, maybe I should've started a new thread for this as it is a different project with the same underlying problem. Solving this issue will mean I can finish the triptych project I initially posted about.

This collection is intended as a set of coasters. They are carved leaves which have been mounted on card then been scanned into photoshop. The backing is the same material/colour and the settings on the scanner were identical.

Welcome back, Jono. When we didn't hear any more from you, I figured you had sorted out your problem.

So, first some questions about your workflow:

1. From your description, I can't tell if (a) the triptych was already complete and you are now photographing it, say, for a catalog or for advertising, VERSUS (b) you are in the process of assembling it yourself from scratch and the final result will be a triptych consisting of three photographs. Which is it?

2. When you photographed the individual panels, was the lighting absolutely constant over time and uniform from point to point? If it was, why are you getting these variations in color and tonality?

3. When you did the raw conversions, were the settings all the same, or did you have to adjust the settings for each because of #2 (the light wasn't constant or not uniform in space)? I'm trying to determine if your fundamental problem is in the lighting and photography or in the processing.

T

 

[Tom Mann]

OK. Thanks for the clarification. So it sounds like the answers are:

#1 = b, i.e., you are scanning / photographing original items and will assemble the resulting prints into a triptych.

#2 = it was a scanner, so there shouldn't have been any difference between scans unless the scanner was set to "auto" exposure and / or auto white balance. Was this the case?

#3 = Although you didn't give a direct answer, it sounds like you were forced to use different RAW conversion settings because the output from the scanner didn't have consistent color / tonalities. Is this correct?


Tom M

 

[Jono1100]

#1. I am scanning original items.
#2. I am using 'professional' mode on my scanner, so there are no automatic settings which I thought may get caught out by the different colours and try to compensate.I scanned one item after the other, all flat to the glass and as I mentioned with identical mounting.
#3. I'm not sure what you mean by RAW here as I scanned not photographed them. I am unaware of a RAW setting on my scanner. I scanned as TIFFs and opened directly in photoshop.


I hope that all makes sense?

owen

 

[Tom Mann]

Ahh. Ok. Got it now.

I asked about RAW because that's what you said you used in the 1st post in this thread. Now, I realize that you are doing things somewhat differently with the scanner. (BTW, some high end scanners and scanner drivers do indeed have the provision for RAW output format. This also threw me off.)

OK, now that the basics are squared away, my first thought is that in the "professional mode", many (most?) scanners still default to auto WB and auto-exposure. This should be the very 1st thing that you should check. If this info is not in your manual, then just do an experiment with your scanner to check this: Do two scans. Each is of a large square of a highly saturated colored paper and gray paper. The only difference between the two is the color. If it's on auto-WB, the gray paper will pick up the complement of each of the colors.

If the WB and the exposure are all locked down, then you shouldn't be having this problem.

Tom M

PS - I have to go out for a couple of hours. I'll be back later this afternoon.

 

[Jono1100]

Thanks for that Tom. Ill have to get into the nitty gritty of my scanner and see if there is an auto white balance hidden in there.

Do you think there is a way to get those backgrounds to match without having to rescan and resize everything? I only ask because it's taken me quite a while to get to this stage and I'm loathed to go back to the beginning.

Owen

 

[Tom Mann]

I presume that it's an Epson scanner since they use the term "professional mode" in some of their software. What model?

Also, yes, there are indeed ways to do after-the-fact corrections like u want, but the results are never as good, and certainly not as consistent as getting it right in the first place. My guess is that unless there is a huge ammt of work required to prepare each sample for scanning, you'll spend just as much time trying to fix each one in PS as compared to simply rescanning each one. For example, it's quick & easy to get the WB, but what about the color balance for the mid & dark areas? What about the inevitable changes in contrast that accompany simple WB fixes?

T

 

[Jono1100]

Hi Tom,

I have a epsom V700. I think to get things 100% I'll rescan. If I have any more problems I'll get back to you.

Thank you so much for your help, it's very much appreciated.


Owen

 

[Tom Mann]

Hi Jono - I also have an Epson V700, but I almost always use Silverfast as the scanner driver, not the Epson driver that was bundled with the scanner.

I can't do it now, but either very late tonight or early tomorrow morning, I will fire up the scanner and the Epson software and let you know about the auto-WB and auto-exposure. I'm 99% sure these will be on, even in "professional" mode unless you have redefined that setting. I'll also try to figure out how to turn these "features" off in the Epson software.

Also, be aware that you absolutely must leave a small gap (say, 1/4 inch) between the end of the object you are scanning and the end of glass plate nearest the hinge. The scanner uses that gap to set the WB and pure white exposure level. If you don't provide this gap, you will get *very* inconsistent results.

More later,

Tom M