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Leica glow from raw?


rjsplace

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That's a tough one. So far nobody has been able to give a definitive answer even to "what is leica glow?" Nobody can deny that Leica makes some of the best glass on the market but to define a distinct Leica look is another story. Maybe it's more about the style of shooting rangefinders are mostly for.. maybe there are certain constant characteristics throughout their lense line but it's still very hard to define.

 

So based on that, there are no "leica look settings" to apply to your raw files.. besides settings always need to be adjusted per picture anyway. There are rarely any settings you could just copy&paste from one raw to another (besides white balance in same shooting session).

 

Anyway keep shooting and have many good moments with your Leica!

 

//Juha

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I drive an Opel. I was told, that Ferraris are tuned for a specific sound.

Now I doubt, that you can reach the same roaring sound if you buy the necessary parts and try to tune your Ferrari by yourself.:D

Jan

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Good and thoughtful posts.

So I dont shoot Raw and shoot jpg the same scenes with DMC_LC! and Digilux 2

how will they appear different? Only guess is that the DMC_LC! would have more saturated color but how much and what other changes?

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ths a pure jpeg..Does it glow" you tell me!

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No, no, this is not the right argument. The emperor wore new clothes! I have seen them!

New page.

Does Leica hide a sign (a dimmed red dot for instance) in the jpeg pictures? And is that perhaps the glow?

Just to be able to check, if a picture really was made by a Leica camera.

 

If rjsplace could succesfully add Leica glow to a Canon/Nikon/etc picture, it is possible, that we have to visit him in the jail in the near future.

Jan

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ths a pure jpeg..Does it glow" you tell me!

 

To be honest (and you need honesty, not flattery...): NO!

 

While there´s nothing wrong with the image as concept, as shown it is nowhere near what the DL4 can produce. The most disturbing thing is the smearing all over the image, which is an artefact (I assume you haven´t used any "artsy" filters... I have no experience with these). Either you used a low resolution or high compression in the camera setup, or there´s some very heavy-handed noise reduction at play. Or, possibly the software you used to get the uploaded file was up to no good....

 

Look at this site: Leica D-Lux 4 Photography by Jim Radcliffe

 

That will give you an idea of what the DL4 can do... And, there´s nothing wrong with your image as such, so I´m sure you can do it, too. Just don´t be content with what you get now (and that´s the key to getting better at whatever one does...).

 

Good luck! :)

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Now dont get me wrong I am not making comment on any picture posted in this thread or on the site as a whole or anything like that, what I am about to say is a generalist personal view on 'The Leica Glow'

 

What jlindstrom says about it really sums up the 'Glow' scenario it is a very hard to define phenomenon. Yes some images taken with leica equipment does have that special look about it.. I have chosen my words carefully here in using the word 'some'.

 

On its own a Leica camera and the best Leica lenses are just as capable of outputting total garbage as can any other camera. What makes the difference is the right hands and the right equipment. Traditionally the Leica has been owned and used by real enthusiasts who have taken the time and trouble to master their equipment and get the best from it. The camera/lens combination on it's own will never produce the 'glow' images in the wrong hands, except by accident! It's a combination of knowing the art, using the right techniques and the right PP or combination of developers/papers and timings that combined with the Leica kit and the right subject matter produce the image that is special and has that 'glow'. Those special images do not magically appear just because you buy a Leica!

 

Bottom line is yes the Leica is special and with care, the correct use and application of techniques will provide special images, on its own its a camera and it will not out of the box instantly transform anyone from an average photographer into a great photographer with glowing images you have to work to achieve that, and sad truth is that as hard as many may try they will never achieve it. I am one who can produce those images, I'm afraid not I am still working away to try and get that perfect image time after time thankfully I may never attain that goal my interest stays alive though constant learning.

 

Many may disagree with what I say, thankfully, as we all have our own take and personal opinions what I say is simply mine.

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ths a pure jpeg..Does it glow" you tell me!

 

No, this one looks like taken with a toy camera, actually. As already said, the details are smeared and the picture appears flat in colour and contrast. Look at the bottom of the rear wheels, they are almost dissolved by the ground texture. I assume you couldn't see the glow either, hence the question. You might have some problems with the settings or your software, as elgenper suggest, because it shouldn't look this bad, not even with the most dreadful overcast light situations. :o

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Shoot only in DNG, jpgs out of the M8 are rubbish, they were meant to be. To see the so-called "glow" use symmetrical lens designs with rare earth optics like Summicrons, or try the recent fast ASPH lenses, like the Lux 50mm. To make a glowing silver print simulation on your PC screen is another story. :cool:

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Pick a lens that glows, ie highlight flare.

 

Absent that, make a dup layer, add a luminosity mask which selects pixels brighter than 50 % in proportion to their brightness. go to Layer-layer mask- reveal selection and the layer is masked. Add some glow with filter -blur- gausian blur. Add slight blur or heavy blur and cut back layer opacity.

 

Or make luminosity mask, cntl or opt (Mac) click to move the selection only to a new layer. Paint with low opacity white and build up slowly. start with 1 % opacity white.

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Shoot only in DNG, jpgs out of the M8 are rubbish, they were meant to be. To see the so-called "glow" use symmetrical lens designs with rare earth optics like Summicrons, or try the recent fast ASPH lenses, like the Lux 50mm. To make a glowing silver print simulation on your PC screen is another story. :cool:

Umm-the OP is referring to a Digilux 2, which has a fixed lens....

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I've thought a lot about this, for 30 years, since I realized that you can spot which images were made with a Leica by looking at a reasonably sized print....it isn't as much from the color (remember, all of the old guys shot B&W!!!).

 

It is because Leica lenses have amazing local contrast. I heard it described that other camera mfgers optimized their lenses for resolution, but Leica went for contrast. That is what gives the "snap" to an image.

 

I get that in digital both by using Leica lenses and by simply doing a local contrast bump in Photoshop...Unsharp Mask, Amount 10 (+ or - a little), Radius 50, Threshold 0.

 

Try it. The M8 images are already so sharp that this is all they need. General sharpening often just makes them look like generic images...this preserves the Leica snap.

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Good and thoughtful posts.

So I dont shoot Raw and shoot jpg the same scenes with DMC_LC! and Digilux 2

how will they appear different? Only guess is that the DMC_LC! would have more saturated color but how much and what other changes?

 

RJ:

 

Two articles for you:

 

Leica Digilux 2 / Panasonic DMC LC1 -Tete-a-Tete - Journal - Motorsports Photographer ~ John Thawley :: Photography of American Le Mans, Grand Am, SPEED World Challenge

 

And a three part series on Workflow.... Part 2 should be helpful:

 

Post Shoot Workflow ~ Part Two of a Three PartSeries - Journal - Motorsports Photographer ~ John Thawley :: Photography of American Le Mans, Grand Am, SPEED World Challenge

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