Finished this painting yesterday. I'm happy with the painting itself, but I'm having problems with the camera. Sometimes obtaining a clear, sharp image of my work is a challenge. I'm getting to know the camera and its settings. Its a Canon Powershot A530. Yesterday all the pics I took seemed not so sharp. I'll try again this weekend for better results-I've gotten them before! I'm not a photographer, so it is taking some trial and error. The other problem with this camera is that it shows lots of blue tones. Where there are purples in a painting, they show up blue. So I tinker with photoshop and adjust it, but its not quite true. What to do?
Back to work today. Shocking...summer vaca seems like a dream!
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If your photos are not color accurate, are you setting the 'white balance' on your camera? I have a Canon Powershot s500, and the auto white balance works great for general photography, but it never does a good job when photographing paintings for some reason. What I do is:
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2) Then replace the painting with a neutral white or gray surface. You can get a photo gray card made for this purpose, or a sheet of pure white foam core works pretty good.
3) Set the white balance in your camera - it should be an option in the camera functions menu.
4) Put the painting back in place and take the photo.
This way, your camera's idea about "white" is tailored to the exact lighting you are using and you shouldn't need to mess around in Photoshop afterwards.
Hi Joe, I talked to a coworker today about the white balance. So between your advice and what he said I am going to try again. Thanks and I'll let you know what happens, hopefully with a shot that is excellent!
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