Quick Tip 285 - Working from Photos

Here are some answers to an often asked question. How to work from a resource photo when it's the only option.
www.diannemize.com

[@user-oy3jr3cv1o]

Dianne you're a gem . I'm trying to catch up with all your previous classes & take in as much as I can . It's overwhelming .

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Take your time. They are not going anywhere 😊

[@grantfleming]

Excellent advice, particularly addressing how to overcome limitations in painting from only one photograph. I wish I had seen this quick tip years ago !

[@ShahanoorMamun]

Good Lesson! I've been watching your videos very recently , I have a lot to learn from you. Respect & Love 💖

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Wonderful, and welcome aboard.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

I'm glad it was helpful, Grant.

[@tvb2928]

Another great video! It’s as if this video magically appeared as I wanted to learn how to work from a photograph for a while now.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Great! Have fun with it.

[@ivoted-5489]

💐💐💐 Everything you post is so helpful and I really appreciate the time you take. Thank You!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

It's my pleasure to share these.

[@joanistotler8804]

Wow, some great practical tips - thanks, Dianne!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure, as always.

[@katpaints]

So perfectly well said! On my camera, a decent non-SLR model, I can change the kind of metering - from the very center in a small to large area to the whole screen to moving it where it gives the most information. Digital is SO handy!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Have fun with this, Kathleen.

[@katpaints]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction And, it printed out wonderfully. My main problem is that I used copy paper and glued it to cardstock. NOT a good idea since it warped. I need to reprint it on heavier paper.. I was really surprised how good those colors on the color wheel looked when putting them next to my acrylic swatches. I have a color laser printer and it usually looks great but sometimes I think an inkjet is more accurate.

[@rebanelson607]

These quick tips are like going to art school in 10 minute sessions! Many thanks.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Great to hear! Enjoy the journey.

[@anneburke2405]

Thank you Dianne, you did shine the light.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Great!

[@walterpierluissi1379]

I will agree with you but I took my pictures with my Nikon 300 and depends on the scenario I could use a variety of lenses and filter that will compensate the possible mistakes on the photo. Another strategy I use is the Bracketing capability of my camera which takes various shots of the same scenarios in variations of settings which give me a better view of the area I am shooting. I like to work from photos because that way I will always will control my very own environment while I am painting, and also I like to hear classical music while I am doing my art.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Right, Walter. You have a camera with the capability to do that, but most folks these days take photos with their phones which do not (yet) have those capabilities. P..S. I, too, love listening to classical music while painting.

[@oldepersonne]

Good tips. I always take several photos but really didn't know what to shoot for. Thank you

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You're very welcome!

[@ZacharyZorbas]

I’m loving these quick tips!! Thank you ❤️

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You're so welcome!

[@csabaveress8862]

Thanks for the tip, very helpful!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure.

[@solar979]

I learn from you soooo much. Thanks.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You are so welcome!

[@danm94]

The best high megapixel consumer camera you can buy barely have a little over 150MP and might cost as much as a premium sedan, the human eye is 576MP and we have 2 of them processed by a very powerful processor - our brain. But, well, we might have a bad memory problem so we take pictures. I like to consider them as my assets for composition rather than a reference I have to copy from. I usually take many pictures with my phone with different settings that the camera app offers me. Maneuvering contrast settings also can help to better appreciate what's in shadow and what's really not in shadow. But I'd say our own eye is the best _camera_ you can have and it's free. Pretty nice and simple explanation, Dianne, thank you.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You are right, Dan M. Our eyes are the best cameras ever.

[@desMotslire]

Thank you so much for the tips! Been following the channel for some time, really appreciate that you share your experience! Greetings from Portugal

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

It's a pleasure to share these. Thanks for watching.

[@mariegamber]

Thank you Dianne. I too have had this problem with photographs. I also find viewing on my computer or iPad does the same sort of thing. Thnank you for your suggestions for correcting the problem.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure, Marie. Most of the time, we can find ways to compensate for what our cameras cannot do.

[@jamesu.9235]

My wife will adjust her photos in Photoshop before she paints... moving some objects, enhancing color, and doing tonal studies to better see details.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

That's a good practice. Thanks for sharing it.

[@barbarakemp8630]

I love the way you explain things. Thank you Dianne 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@alkasarin1073]

Great tip..very useful .thanks

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure 😊

[@mikeswiftart01]

OK, I think your videos are always helpful and blessed with good sense. The only thing I would add to this is: too much time doing prep with all the photography. I'm way too impatient for that approach. I rely on my own perception of color and value in order to get on with it. Thanks for your work and instruction.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Yes, perception of color and value are key, but understanding the technical stuff is important towards creating more awareness of perception.

[@mikeswiftart01]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction So true. Thank you. I have an impatient temperment.

[@vbiggsable]

There's an additional trick you can try to look into the shadows. (Save your photo and work on a copy) In whatever photo editor you use lighten the photo or increase the exposure or brighten it or whatever they call it in that program The chance are good you will be able rescue some detail from the shadows. The reverse of this for may also work for bright spots, but not as well and many times not at all. If you have one of the expensive cameras Diane mentions then learn about bracketed exposures and HDR.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks for adding this.

[@irinatsernikova3043]

Thank you! Very helpful!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You're welcome!

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

Wow...pros and cons...list so useful.... excellent topic...thank you for such deep insights 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure 😊

[@PetrikNZ]

I had been waiting on this one. So with the exercise we should then get trained to be able to adjust any photo? Your last tips gets you out with a camera, but if you take a photo from pixabay, you have just that photo. So I guess by doing the exercises with your own camera, even just as an exercise without doing paintings from them one will know what/how to adjust when one only has a single image to work with. I come from a photography background and in the film days you used to use an 18% grey coloured card to take an exposure reading of in the light conditions you were taking the photo under. As you mentioned the camera is designed to average the whole scene to an average value, hence loosing a lot of the details in the lights and darks.

[@ivoted-5489]

Petrik Oud I was a film photographer as well. God, I miss it. Anyway, I compensated for these conditions by pushing or pulling my film during exposure and in the processing and development. I know Photoshop had some plugin or whatnot that would allow me to pull the image from the shadow if the information was there to be bad. Probably need your own photos for it to work best. I’m not sure what it’s called as I left photography when it went full on digital and put me behind a desk staring at a computer....I tried, but I just couldn’t fall in love with that. I’m curious, if you wouldn’t mind me asking....Has it been an easy transition for you to go from photography to painting? I am struggling with the lack of instant gratification I got from photos. Diann is an inspiration and I really appreciate her teaching style and have learned much. I’m considering buying a course from her.✌🏻

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Petrik, I too miss those old days when we could manually adjust how the camera behaves, then make further corrections in the darkroom. Most folks these days are filming with their cell phones--a convenience, but oh so limited.

[@kimlanoue2033]

This was helpful and I have experienced this multiple times. but can I ask you to take this a step further. I’ve heard the best room for a studio is a North facing room or something like that. Well we all can’t achieve this luxury in our homes. What we have is what we have. I have noticed a lot of glare on my substrate interfering with my painting. I have my easel straight up and I have moved my studio in different positions. Can you please do a video on studio lighting. This would solve so many problems, value, hue, color and temperature! Thank you.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Kim, I will put your request on our schedule, but we film these several weeks in advance, so it will be November before it appears. Meanwhile, find a way to light your studio with a mixture of warm and cool light to about 5000K. The light should be diffused and not too bright. Also, if you tilt your easel slightly forward, that should cut down on the glare.

[@kimlanoue2033]

In the Studio Art Instruction thank you. I haven’t tried that. Looking forward to this! Kim.

[@LyubomirIko]

There is other things to consider too: 1.Make the surface smooth. Canvas with lots of bumps gets you a lot of reflections. Full the bumps with gesso, also sand it down. Or use smooth panel. 2.Brushstrokes and paint consistency. Using the paint without enough medium will get you rough brushstrokes that will shine a lot from different angles. Experiment with more liquid consistency of the oils. If you put enough medium in the mix it will even out the rough brushstrokes.

[@fayee8986]

Thank you very helpful

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You're welcome!

[@marybethw8121]

What if you take your photo (I have an iPhone) then go into edit and edit the photo until your photo corresponds to what you see? iPhone has saturation, tint, value etc to help you. Actually about 8 choices.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Do what works. The new iPhones are a great help in that respect.

[@bnataliya]

Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You're very welcome!

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

I noticed many differences myself when I go Plein air and come back home to paint....l was shocked to see not much being captured by photos in shadows...when I recollect there was a lot inside the shadows too in reality

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Yep.

[@phyllisjeanfulton]

Oh thank you so very very much 🙏🏽

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure.

[@katherinelove7358]

Very helpful! Thanks

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure.

[@sameehakhaliq8327]

Thank you great tips. But I didn't get the last tip in which you used paper. Shall we zoom in the camera to study the shadow area or do it with bare hands?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Either walking towards it to get a tighter frame in the camera or using the zoom feature works. The camera will adjust to what it "sees".

[@sameehakhaliq8327]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thank you ma'am

[@enjerutsubasa]

Thank you so much. There is a way to apply this to human figure or portraits?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Yes. All principles are universal. Switch your attention from with it is to the lights and shadows that cause you to see it the way you see it--whether the human figure, portraits, landscape or anything you are observing.

[@yshcordaro5254]

Thanks Dianne, it is a great video as always, My phone camara turns every view more bluish, when I paint it I have already forgotten the original color. how can I compensate for this without using photoshop when painting?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

It depends upon the settings on your phone. If it has settings for different lighting, experiment to find out which gives you the most accurate color. Otherwise, if you don't have Photoshop, you don't need it. That is a free app called Irfanview that you can download and quickly make basic changes.

[@yshcordaro5254]

Thanks a lot Dianne, it is a speedy reply.

[@anncoffin9675]

Thanks Dianne, I am learning from your videos! I looked for irfanview both on my Android phone and my iPad and couldn’t find it in the App Store. Can you make another suggestion for one?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Did you try this link-- www.irfanview.com/ ?

[@anncoffin9675]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction I did but it won’t let me download to my iPad. I’ll try on my laptop. Thanks.

[@jenna2431]

A photograph is a tool, not the product. That's where your artistry comes in. Decide if you want a photograph or if you want a painting.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Right! A photograph is a reference only.

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

How to find ones own style in art?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

See Quick Tip 245.

[@janmullan42]

How can I find tip #206

[@SusanOJohnsey]

Here is the link to 206 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqXJo2xqpZ59m8U

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Jan, you can find any tip by typing it in the KZbin search bar. Just type Quick Tip and the number you're looking for.

[@gary313]

There are tricks using the iPhone to overcome the cons you mentioned.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Not everybody has an iPhone. Mainly, though, this was just to make folks aware of what most photos will do.

[@tamarar9803]

If you have an iPhone what" tricks" can you use to overcome the cons please?

[@gary313]

@@tamarar9803 It is too long to put in this reply and I don't want to list my email or phone number. I asked Dianne to call me so she could include it in her KZbin but she wasn't interested. Sorry

[@tamarar9803]

@@gary313 If you're ok with emailing it still [e-mail] If not thank you anyway.