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LateStarter63 — Histogram adjustment tutorial for graphite drawing
#adjustment #artwork #drawing #gimp #histogram #photograph #photography #tutorial
Published: 2016-07-01 14:13:29 +0000 UTC; Views: 3163; Favourites: 45; Downloads: 48
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Description
This tutorial shows how the histogram of a photograph of a black and white artwork can be adjusted to match closely the appearance of the original prior to its submission to DeviantArt, by using the free photo-editing program GIMP (Version 2.8.14). Other photo-editing programs are likely to offer similar facilities for this correction.This is one of a series of tutorials covering photographing a drawing, correction of barrel distortion, correction of perspective distortion and adjustment of the histogram of the photograph (in this tutorial ).
I have submitted three other tutorials in this series
Minimising Graphite Shine
Barrel Distortion Correction
Perspective Distortion Correction
These tutorials update my earlier Tutorial in which I used a less versatile free photo-editing program and mentioned GIMP only in an update in the description below the tutorial. I hope that these new ones will clarify the methods that I use.
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Comments: 22
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Indeed it does. It makes it easy to avoid excessive adjustment.
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Woohoo !! Just successfully straitened one of my curved out of square photos of a drawing ... Only thing that eluded me was crop / aspect ratio ... Entered measurements for a smidge bigger than A3 (300:420, or 420:300) but the crop box only filled half of the image. ... I'll practice some more, as GIMP-2.10.4 is still very new (I'm used to PaintShop Pro 7).
BIG Thank you ...I'd of never understood all the steps without your tutorials
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You need to enter the exact size (or the same ratio) as your paper. You then drag the sides or corners of the crop rectangle to just outside the edge of your paper in the photo. Click within the rectangle to crop. Then using the perspective tool drag the corners of the image of the paper to the corners of the picture area (hold down left click). Then click the Transform button.
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:} My 2nd and 3rd attempts worked much better, , , Previously on the 1st attempt, I'd saved the image between steps and somewhere in doing that I made an error with the ratio . , , , Really fun how this fixes curved edges and moving the corners back to square 
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I am glad that you are finding my tutorials useful, and thanks for the faves.
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You do not use flash when photographing a drawing, do you? It will reflect from shiny graphite and may reverse contrast as in one of my photos in my graphite shine tutorial, although there it was light from a window. You want diffuse light from the sides and nothing from behind the camera - hence the dark cloth that I hold behind the camera.
If you are photographing a b/w drawing set the camera to b/w, or convert to b/w in a photo-editing program. I have not photographed colour artwork, but the colour temperature of the lighting will obviously be very important so as not to introduce a colour-cast to the photo.
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Flash I'd say 50/50 ... If the cameras set to "Portrait" or "Aquarium" it set's the flash a fraction before the shutter opens. ... It's pretty random, and only reduces the chance of flashback effect. ... Any other setting reflects like in your tutorial, or looses much of the dark tones and fine details.
My other blunder was diffusing the light. . . my best spot is the kitchen table, with a window on the right, and fluorescent light to the left. ... with a NO dark cloth behind camera (I'd been using a light background - lemon fizz wall and gloss white door). ... I'm sure I can rustle up something dark to sit behind the camera
My hands never steady taking photos, so I use a mini tripod set on the same table the drawing rests (so about 2 - 3 feet away) ... If distance + light is right, it allows macro - without flash, and has settings to take b&W photos.
The colour, , even the instruction book is vague on what to do if "purples look blue" (it's something to do with Hue, Saturation, and light source ... warm lighting adds yellows to reds ... cool lighting adds white to blues) ... Auto spray painting we colour matched old cars by eye, and clear sunlight was often the best over inside lights.
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Haha.. I am one of the 'poorly presented'.. Guilty as charged
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Thanks Mandy - I was not getting at you, as I am sure that you know! It updates and improves upon a tutorial I made a couple of years ago. Thanks for the fave.
I am virtually finished my next drawing - only a few final touches to be made now. I found it very difficult to start it. I very often find this after I have completed a drawing that I felt went well as I fear that my abilities have been exhausted in some way and I will be unable to follow it with another good drawing! It was for this reason that I started on the series of tutorials, but soon after I started them I craved to be drawing again. I have just one more tutorial to go, a basic one on photographing and lighting a drawing, but this is pretty well covered in my old tutorial so the need here is not pressing.
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I was being mischievous
and I do truly appreciate the 'tuts'.
Work is ruling my life at the moment...grrr ... But when I have breathing space I am going to revisit my sketches and re photograph❤️
I am seriously excited at the prospect of a new submission from you.. Always a beautifully executed treat!! I will sit on pins and wait.... X
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Woww!! This is really helpful thank you soo much!!!
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I an glad. Thanks too for the fave.
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Awww... You're so very welcome---Mind if I call you Grandpa??^^
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I do not have children, so no grand-children and so never have been called Grandpa. It makes me feel very old, but particularly as when I am drawing I do not feel old at all. In fact I still do all the early stages of my drawings, before I need to look at the reference in detail on the computer, whilst lying on the floor, as I would have done when I was a child!
I think I would prefer to be called Clive, unless you find this difficult in view of the generational difference.
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Awww... Sure then Clive!! I just have a high respect for old people (as a half-Korean) and I feel awkward calling them anything else unless they'd like it... Since you'd like I'd be delighted to Clive!!^^^
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Oh.......well done for this.
I have spent a LOT of time trying to help artists get better images.
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Thanks, Jenny, and for the fave and adding it to your new group. Yes, there are so many poorly-presented artworks on dA that could look so much better with just a few minutes' work.
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Yes especially in Traditional art.
One time a ver nice person here on d/a informed me how to set my scanner to get good reproductions of drawings.
I don't think I can remember it now!
Well done.
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