photo editing software

[Brad Lilly]

So what's everyone using for photo editing software? I'm trying to adjust my lighting levels on the cheap. My setup is washing the colors of my knives

 

[John Wilson]

picasa is free. it's basic, but for simple adjustments it doesn't get any easier.

 

[KenH]

Are you looking for windoz based or Linux based photo editing software? Photoshop for Windows does most everything, and Gimp for Linux is pretty strong - both have a decent learning curve.

 

[Smallshop]

Anytime it is overcast...is a good day for product photos. Sometimes artificial light can be a booger to adjust while that nice even overcast light is pretty easy to work with.

 

[bladegrinder]

Anytime it is overcast...is a good day for product photos. Sometimes artificial light can be a booger to adjust while that nice even overcast light is pretty easy to work with.

Yep, I try and use a light box usually but a lot of the pictures I take are actually on the tailgate of my truck with no sun shining on them. I also hold a piece of white construction paper over it, moving it and looking at the camera display till it looks good.

I use a pretty good camera but not over the top, set on a tripod. I set it to macro and 10 second timer, then when everything is just right, hit the button and let it count down.

I've found that Damascus is the hardest to get a good picture of, especially in a light box.

 

[12345678910]

I believe you can get photoshop CS2 free

 

[Erin Burke]

I started using Gimp back when I was running Linux as an OS. Now I use Gimp for Windows. It is very versatile, and it's free.
There can be a bit of a learning curve with any of these feature-packed software packages, but Gimp has always treated me well.

If you're having trouble with your lighting setup -- and you're willing to try something completely different -- I'd give light painting a try. After watching the video below a few years back, I have gone almost completely to photographing my knives this way. The guy in the video does a lot of fancy editing, combining multiple shots/exposures; but this is seldom necessary. All I need for my shots is a dark room, a tripod, a DSLR that allows me to manually set long exposures, and a nice flat light source (I use my iphone or ipad with a softbox app). With a bit of experimentation, this method allows me much more control of my lighting. I've also found it much easier to get good exposures on my hamons.

I'm still growing in this style of photography... but, for me, it's way easier -- and I get much better results -- than with a light box.
Best wishes.
Erin

 

[KenH]

Now THAT is impressive! Makes me think of my days in a darkroom where I could "burn" and "dodge" parts of a negative to improve. I'll have to try some of that. I've found knives to be among the hardest stuff to photo.