TheGooseWhisperer Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I was pokin around lookin for some zoas and came across an online dealer that has lots of colorful varieties. I was getting pretty interested when I came across the following picture: The color is way too saturated not to be doctored up by something like photoshop. So that got me wondering, to what extent have the rest of the images been altered? I was wondering what you all think of these. I'm especially hoping to hear from some folks who own these varieties... bloodbath enchanted meadow/magma cone caldera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I would say the first one is. Or its just a real bad pic. 2 and 3 are pretty normal standard zoos and the last just has actinics on. The main thing you look for in doctored pics is the surroundings. Later Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algae Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 #1 is far from true! It may not be intentional. The photos are all of poor quality. It is really hard to tell. Many dealers are upset, and justifiably so, that other dealers photos are heavily manipulated. TEC is one. Most dealers are not great photographers and I wouldn't expect them to be. I do wish they could improve, however. Assuming no PS (Photoshop) or other major manipulation; I look at the eggcrate and try to facor on the lighting used.Even then coralline buildup can change the eggcrate color. I wish that all photos included a color chart and a ruler! Even then, without a calibrated monitor you are still going to be off. If you look at #2 and #3 the eggcrate looks different. Part of the reason is that there is a shadow area in #2. Sometimes it is a crapshoot for us. # 4 has a beautiful blue oral disk. Is it true? No eggcrate to get a general idea. A little dark which could favor a darker blue. A reputable dealer is a protection that I usually use, however it is kinda fun to gamble every once in awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Also, what color bulb did they use for the photo? If the pics were all under 20K lights, or heavy on actinic suplements, then they won't look that good in your tank. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefaquarist Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 i can take pics of corals and sometimes i forget to set the white balance and they look so much more colorfull than they are. then with some pics i set the white ballance and they look way dull comprds to what they are because my lights are all white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I have a feeling that the site you are referring to isn't the only one that PS's their pic's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 what does setting the white balance do? I can't ever seem to get much color in pic's of my corals, even thuough in person they are vibrant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algae Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Here is a thread to help you. http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm . I really don't see anything wrong with photo manipulation of corals with the caveat that it is not used to deceive. A post photo editing tool is the equivalent of a darkroom. It can allow you to get back to the correct color of the coral. All color that you see in a photo is an approximation. There are a LOT of variations that change your approximation of the image. If an in-camera or image manipulation tool allows you to do this, use it. A number of camera settings are just "off". If you need a decent photo tool I can recommend Corel Photo Pro Ultimate X2. It costs 35.00 and does a lot of what the 500lb. gorilla (Photoshop) does (also has a nice little monitor calibration tool). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefaquarist Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 id say photoshop cs3 ftw how else can you waste hours putting random celebritys heads on other bodys and vice versa(laugh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (laugh)roflrofl(crazy)(puke)rofl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 id say photoshop cs3 ftw how else can you waste hours putting random celebritys heads on other bodys and vice versa(laugh) This is how my friend has a sweet pic with her boyfriend Tom Brady (naughty) (I'm a graphic designer!) I agree that it's not wrong to photoshop the pics as long as they are adjusting them to represent what they look like in person. A good way to tell in these images is look for something you know should be white and use that to guage it... for example: the pic of the bloodbath the egg crate looks blue so probably he upped the blue on the zoas .... just realized this is an old thread.. oh well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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