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Bill FreemanFrédo DurandMIT - EECS6.098 Digital and Computational Photography 6.882 Advanced Computational PhotographyHow to Take/Make Better PicturesPoisson image editing• Two aspects– When the new gradient is conservative: Just membrane interpolation to ensure boundary condition– Otherwise: allows you to work with non-conservative vector fields and • Why is it good? – More weight on high frequencies• Membrane tries to use low frequencies to match boundaries conditions– Manipulation of the gradient can be cool (e.g. max of the two gradients)• Manipulate local features (edge/gradient) and worry about globalconsistency later• Smart thing to do: work in log domain• Limitations– Color shift, contrast shift (depends strongly on the difference between the two respective backgrounds)Other functionals• I lied, some people have used smarted energy functions: Todor Georgiev’s initial implementation of the Photoshop healing brush.Plan• How can you improve?– Critique– Look at good pictures– Be critiqued– Missions– Find something you like• 20 tricks• Composition– Viewpoint– Rule of thirds• Harmonic analysis– Background, clutter– Gaze, saliency– Gestalt• Photos that “pop”• Portrait– Lighting– Makeup– Digital makeupWhat do I know about good pictures?• Not much: amateur photographer, mostly birds and candid portraitsIs there a science of aesthetic?• Well, that’s an interesting question…Are there rules of aesthetic?• Well, that’s an other interesting question…View it as a vocabulary to talk about pictures• It’s like wine: you describe taste with lots of poetic and metaphorical words• It does not matter if they’re meaningful• It gives you a support to think about it• If you don’t need it: good for you, ignore what I sayComputational photography• When studying good photography principles & techniques, you might want to wonder:– Can we automate ?– Can we facilitate? Provide easier manipulation tools? – What are the dimensions of variation, what “aspects,”or “components” of images are importantHow to improve?Take pictures, critique your pictures• And get them critiquedLook at good pictures!Copy photographsCheck out the webMissions• Give yourself a theme, constraints• Look at contests online:– http://www.dpchallenge.com/– http://www.fredmiranda.com/– http://www.nyip.com/sub_idx_pgs/contestidx/wrldwide.php• Work with friends, critiqueTipsTechnical points• Know your equipment• Understand the parameters– Shutter speed, aperture, focal length, depth of field– Debrief your photos, look at the EXIF metadata– See Lecture 2 & Eric Chan’s slides: http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/tmp/photo-2005-11-11-ec.pdf• Check your exposure– Histogram, blinking highlights– Unless you shoot HDR• Sharpness matters– Choose the right shutter speed– Use a tripod– Image stabilization rocks– Focus on the appropriate thing• Optics matters– Use a good lens– Put the hood on42 advice• Collected from random books, • Just guideline• When you do an effect, exaggerate. No middle ground. In particular, if you break one of the advice after, do it frankly• Don’t just take photos, edit them, study what went well, what’s wrongComposition• Find a center of interest• Don’t center everything (e.g. rule of the thirds)– Careful with autofocus• Change your viewpoint, move your feet!– Get close (if you can’t get it good, get it big [John Shaw])– Try unusual viewpoints• Try different focal lengths– Telephoto, wide angle– Focal length allows you to control the relative size of elements at different depth (moon in particular)• Careful what you cut off– Sweep edges of frame• Build on lines and curves– But careful with near-parallelism– Careful with converging perspective• Include framing elementsFramingDon’t centerRule of the thirdsNational Geographic Photography field guidePhoto John ShawDon’t center: CropDon’t center, especially for motionSweep the frame to check for trouble• Cropped element, distracting object, non-parallel lineCareful with frame edgesPhotoshopFrame your subjecthttp://www.fotofinish.com/resources/centers/photo/takingpictures.htmUse natural framesTighten the composition (Photoshop)Viewpoint, perspective, focal lengthGet close• Our eyes tend to “zoom” and forget how small the subject is• or crop (but then you lose resolution)http://www.fotofinish.com/resources/centers/photo/takingpictures.htmViewpoint• High viewpointUse unusual viewpointsPhoto National GeographicAvoid accidental alignmenthttp://www.fotofinish.com/resources/centers/photo/takingpictures.htmAvoid accidental alignment…• Unless you mean itSpecial effects• In general, accidental alignments are badLensesNational Geographic Photography field guidePerspective vs. viewpoint• Focal lens does NOT ONLY change subject size• Same size by moving the viewpoint• Different perspective (e.g. background)Snapshot-Perspective-Speed, aperture-Filter-Lighting-Processing & Print-Make up-RetouchingFocal length & composition• With the focal length, you control the relatvie size of objects at different depthsTry unusual focal length• Wide angle for portrait• Telephoto for landscape & architectureIsolate detail (crop)Isolate detail+ boost colors with curvesDetail/patternPlay with reflectionsFrom Digital Photographer’s HandbookA little bit of geometry• Build on lines, curves, convergence, and repetitionBuild on linesBuild on lines and curvesFrom Digital Photographer’s HandbookBuild on lines and curvesBuild on lines and curvesWarning: near-parallelsim• In particular, keep horizon level• Use crop with rotation to fix thishttp://www.fotofinish.com/resources/centers/photo/takingpictures.htmTry unusual angleshttp://www.fotofinish.com/resources/centers/photo/takingpictures.htmUnusual anglesAvoid near-parallel lines…• Unless you mean itCorrect perspective (perspective crop)+ you control reflection and perspective independentlyLook for patternsLook for patternsBackground, clutter• Pay attention to negative spaces– Accidental alignments– Cluttered background– Sweep the edges of your frame• Manage depth of field• Simplify compositionNegative space• The ground defines the negative space• Usually overlooked• Fundamental for balance– Also for typographypicture figure negative spaceAvoid cluttered background• Again, move your


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MIT 6 098 - How to Take/Make Better Pictures

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