Expert: Eric C. M. Basir - 10/1/2008

Question
I have to ask a new question, too many follow ups apparently. Thanks for your
kind and encouraging words. I never use a flash and I have Adobe photo
elements 4 on my Mac.

Answer
No problem. Let's start from the beginning. From now on, when you photograph roses, shoot one with flash and one without. Your D-70 has a respectable built-in flash. If you haven't tried it, now is the time.

The reason: Automatic flash like these can "fill" in critical mid-tone areas and balance highlights when lighting is not ideal (whether the rose is in the shade or basking in high-contrast sunlight). Yes, you can fix any picture with Photoshop (Mac or PC). But why work hard in Photoshop to fix something if you can shoot the rose just right in the beginning?

When you have a rose picture with and without flash, you can begin to "standardize" your images. They will all have the same starting point. It is also important to never alter your original files. When you work on them, duplicate the original file and save it as a "working" copy. I like to but an "R1" or "V1" at the end of the file-name to designate my working copies from originals.

The next thing you should do is make sure your monitor is calibrated. Your iMac has an easy-to-use a built-in calibration control. It's found in System Preferences=Displays. When that Preference Pane opens, click the "Color" tab. Then click the "Calibrate" button. When it opens, make sure the "Expert Mode" is UN-checked.

After all of that, then I'd like you to follow the process shown in this video I did for you. Here's the links (this is a temporary location; it should be up permanently at http://photografix.pro/Restoration/PGXU_Store-VDA-D.html within a week or so):

http://www.brightcove.tv/channel.jsp?channel=1273034772

View the "019 Roses" set. It's in 3 parts.

I hope this helps!