So I have a Nikon Coolpix S550 and a Nikon D60 SLR, and I'm having problems with the photos being under & over exposed--but ONLY after I upload them onto my computer. I've tried using different memory cards, using a mini-usb cord, and using different software, but nothing helps.
The weird thing is that the photos are gorgeous on the viewer on the back of the camera--they just go bad when on my computer.
Anyone have any idea what might be the problem?
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One of the things we learn is never to trust the appearance of the images on the on-camera LCD. The histogram is the more reliable of the indicators. If you have a properly exposed image, it will be evident on the histogram. Then, if you're not satisfied, (and you've had the forethought to shoot RAW), you can then tweak the image to your satisfaction.
Therefore, trust the histogram, not the LCD. If you don't understand the histogram, then make that your primary objective.
Expose a few shots in your camera so that it looks great in the camera.
Download to computer, is it still great? No?
Take shots on memory card to local camera store photo lab and have them make a few prints. Are they great? If so, chances are your settings for the video card in the computer or the settings on your monitor need to be set correctly. If the prints look awful, take the camera in with you to the store and ask why.
Chances are the computer is the problem, not the camera. Computers are more prone to people screwing things up than cameras, but you never know.
Both answers previous are correct. An image can't get changed just because you have transferred it to the computer. Of course, if the settings on the video card or screen are way off, your computer is showing you a bad version of a good image.
So I have a Nikon Coolpix S550 and a Nikon D60 SLR, and I'm having problems with the photos being under & over exposed--but ONLY after I upload them onto my computer.
What about them makes you consider them "overexposed"?
Not likely your issue. But, make sure your cameras are set to sRGB in the camera and not Adobe RGB if you plan to upload them straight to the web w/o any processing. Adobe RGB files look flat/ dark on the web.
The above comments about trusting your lcd are probably the most likely culprit. However, there are so many potential issues including color calibration of your monitor, etc. It is hard to know exactly where to start.
Perhaps uploading a few examples of the full res files would help.
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Thanks,
Drew
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I find that on my Nikon cameras, D1x, D2x, and D200, the LCD is far too bright, and I turned them down to -2. I did the same thing on my new D700, and over exposed all my shots, so go figure.
A good way to check exposure on LCD's is to use the 'blinking high-lights' setting. If you can see the image on the LCD, and only the specular high-lights (bright spots in clouds, reflections off water and glass, etc.) are blinking, the exposure is good. If you have big blocks blinking, you're over exposed, and if you can't see anything, you're under exposed. If it looks really bright on the LCD, and you aren't getting any blinkies, then turn it down. If it looks dark, and you're getting big blinking spaces, turn it up.
On your monitor, check exposure by zooming in on the high-lights. If you're losing detail in large sections of the image, then you're over, and if you're losing detail in large sections of the shadows, then you're under exposed.
Also, do yourself a favour and get a good monitor calibrating tool, like a Spyder or something. You can get one with some friends, I only check my monitor about once a year, and it seems fine, so it's any easy thing to share around. There's no way you can do accurate post processing without a properly calibrated monitor. Life will be much easier for you if when you look at your shots on your monitor, you can trust that it's an accurate representation of the file.
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