Hello Kevin,

Without mucking around with egg whites and nasty chemicals, what you're after is possible in PhotoDirector. In some other software, there are "vintage" filters that attempt to replicate the original processes, but that's all most of us can do - attempt.

Once you understand the "look" you want, you can start to make adjustments to a photo. Once you're happy, you can save those adjustments as a preset (that's what the other software gives you - someone's idea of "vintage").

These adjustments were all made in PhD... I've named them Albumen & Daguerreotype & they may or may not suit what you want.



PIX PIX YouTube channel

Hi PIX,

Thats exactly what I wanted! Thank you for such a wonderful response -- I loved the video!

May i ask, will you possibly be uploading those various presets to DirectorZone to share with others, or maybe make them available in this thread? I didn't see them anywhere but would love to just mouse over them to see if that is the look I want and then click on the one I decide to go with.

Thanks again!

Hello Kevin,

I'm glad I was on the right track. Unfortunately, when I was making all those adjustments for the video I didn't save them as presets. Generally, I only do that when I think I'm "onto something". During that process, I was exploring rather than showing a solution.

Honestly, the best way to learn & get control of things is to "play". You may end up with a mountain of virtual copies or exported photos destined for the recycle bin BUT the learning on the way is invaluable.

I have uploaded one preset to DirectorZone. You might use it as a starting point. It's Albumen 1 (link). You'll see it uses many adjustments, including split toning to give that sepia look.

Feel free to share what you're doing here in the forum. We're all learning

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Hi PIX,

Thanks so much! When I went to DirectorZone, however, I noticed something different about your Adjustment Parameters...

So I go to look at, or play around with some of the specific edits you made using my trial version of PhD6, but I couldn't even find where they were. May I ask, what version of PhD are you using? When I look under Tone, I do not have Black Levels, Highlights or Shadows in my trial of PhD6. I'll paste some images below.

Now mind you, I have PhD3, and it DOES have Black Levels, Highlights and Shadows.

What is also of interest is the same preset in both versions of PhD (3 & 6) produces some wildly different results. I left the History panel open to show you that everything is the "same" (although it is not). Here are the images:

First, in PhD6:

http://s23.postimg.org/rw7wy3sij/Ph_D6_Copy.png






Next, in PhD3:

http://s10.postimg.org/799tzb0vt/Ph_D3_Copy.png

Hello Kevin,

Thank you for your appreciation. I also appreciate the way you're investigating this

You've alerted me to something I hadn't noticed before. The illustration of the adjustments on DirectorZone is NOT accurate. They're not even the same parameters. This may be to do with changing versions of PhD, so that illustration may only be intended as a rough guide. Split Toning, for example, isn't included at all. The White Balance/Temperature setting is shown as 0, but I had in fact shifted it to the left a tad.

N.B. It was a RAW .CR2 file I was editing and that affects some of the numbers. I hadn't thought of that till just now either!

Here are the actual adjustments I made:



The only possible explanation I can think of for the difference in treatment between PhD3 & PhD6 is that PhD6 may have different features (e.g. split toning) that change how it interprets the preset. I can't even remember if PhD3 had split toning. It's been a long while.

In any case, Kevin, you're getting on with it & soon you'll be more in control

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Quote: Now mind you, I have PhD3, and it DOES have Black Levels, Highlights and Shadows.

That's it! That explains why the DZ illustration isn't consistent with current versions of PhD. It's based on PhD3!

I'll mention this to the team at CL. It would be worth making that image more current.

PIX PIX YouTube channel

PIX:

Thanks again for your detailed response! I greatly appreciate you going into such detail with me.

I will more than likely tweak things but my trial finishes up tomorrow, and while I will probably purchase the upgrade, the trackpad on this new laptop died on me over the weekend. (I'm actually waiting to mail back my laptop until the trial is over. ) So, I'm a bit hesitant on doing anything until that is resolved. (I haven't accidentally disabled the touchpad either. I've done the appropriate Fn key combo to be sure.) I know I will have to send it in under the warranty but don't want to purchase an upgrade if the hard drive errantly gets wiped, they have to give me a new computer, etc.

Anyway, thanks again!

PIX,

I don't suppose I could gently twist your arm to share the Daguerreotype preset, just to give me a nudge in the right direction?

Thank you so much!

- K

Hello Kevin,

Please don't take this as in any way definitive. It most certainly is not!

If you know anything of the original Daguerreotype process, you'll know that it's difficult to produce digitally without adding metal texture layers (which can't be done in PhD yet). You'll probably also have noticed that it's very widely interpreted by photo editors.

I went back into the project where I was trying to replicate similar effects and took screenshots of the settings I'd used for Daguerreotype-9 in the video. I've uploaded it as a preset to DirectorZone - http://directorzone.cyberlink.com/detail/124825949 It's a starting point anyway.



I've come across quite a few sites that offer online "vintage filtering" of photos, with dozens of variations & interpretations. You may be interested in these.

http://www.4h7.net/vintage/black-and-white/daguerreotype.html

https://pixlr.com/

I also toyed with overlaying metal textures in a separate image editor, but haven't achieved anything worth sharing yet.

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Just a quick question, how does the color accuracy of the monitor affect the images? I use a colorimeter to calibrate my monitor. Are modern monitors more resistant to color drift. Does the white balance cancel out the issues? .
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BoilerPlate: To posters who ask for help -- it is nice to thank the volunteers who try to answer your questions !
Anything I post unless stated with a reference is my personal opinion.

PIX,

Once agan, so informative! Thanks so much on so many levels. That gets the creative juices flowing.

I understand your idea on metal texture layers, and it is very clear when you look at several of the 4h7 b&w vintage filters. Why is it that PhD does not have layers? I have to admit I found that strange when learning about, and how to use, the program.

I was not familiar with either of those sites you posted (thank you!), but both of the Pixlr sites (Editor and Express) come with soooo many Filters. I really like the Filters on Editor because you can "dial in" the degree of the effect/filter to your desire. There are also several Adustments that are very nice. Some of what you see in the Filters and Adjustments areas are things I hope to see when PhD7 comes out. It gets away from what might be thought of as traditional photography and editing, but digital editing and effects are the evolution of this art. Best I feel to embrace it, than reject it. A bit extreme, but nobody wants to be the next Kodak (king for a long time but bec. they didn't evolve, or evolve quickly enough, that it's basically gone now). Again, I digress.

And thanks for your Daguerreotype Preset! Very cool! (It's also very thoughtful of you to include the manual edits of the Global Adjustment Tools.) I'd love to see a whole progression of photography in PhD, up to color process and the like.

Again, THANK YOU (shouting on purpose)!

Quote: Just a quick question, how does the color accuracy of the monitor affect the images? I use a colorimeter to calibrate my monitor. Are modern monitors more resistant to color drift. Does the white balance cancel out the issues?

Steve,

I'm not qualified to answer, but I'll add to the conversation.

I can tell you when I was purchasing my laptop (past two months) that the way the image was presented (reproduced?) on the monitor was important to me, and there is a huge difference between vendors. The monitor from one major brand was just too dull (flat and lifeless), and not that sharp. On the other hand, another major brand was both sharp and vibrant (nice saturation). Of course I didn't buy either, but it really showed me what I wanted. Actually, I got a great deal on one of them from a reputable company online, but I had to literally send one of them back for a refund (never opened the box) after having viewed it at a local computer store. (You'll notice I intentionally left out the brand names.) I believe the color accuracy greatly affects the images. (Same Windows operating system with sample images yet way different looks.)

So what I am saying is, for me anyway, that there needs to be a level of precision and accuracy out of the box before I would even introduce cailbration equipment.