February 2010 : Lightzone Raw Contest #1

Brian Mosley · #1 February 7th, 2010, 05:26 PM

February 2010: LightZone RAW contest #1

Prize provided by LightCrafts (producer of LightZone)

This is the beginning of a new series of LightZone contests, inspired by Uwe Steinmuller of digital outback photo who devised and hosted the first series in 2006.

As with Uwe's original series (now, sadly lost), this will be an opportunity for our members to share all imaging steps (including selective corrections) with other readers.

You will simply upload a LightZone lzn.jpeg file to our Feb 2010 Contest Gallery.

There's a brief introduction to Lightzone for photographers here.

And a set of tutorials on the simple tools here.

The lzn.jpeg file will contain all steps and operations you performed on this image. If you don't own LightZone please install a demo version. Contact LightCrafts if your demo already expired. Olympus Photo Safari Group members have access to the best available discount (100% of the discount is passed on to Safari Group members) for Lightzone.

The main goal is to share imaging techniques and visual interpretations among all of our readers.

We provide the original raw file for you to work with :

You produce your interpretation (e.g. color, B&W, colorized) of this image using only LightZone 3.8 or newer.
Example interpretation :

Finally, you upload your saved LZN jpeg file to the Feb 2010 Contest Gallery.

Your contest assignment

Your task is to create your interpretation of the supplied raw file - try to find a creative interpretation which emphasises the character of the image as you see it.

* Download the original raw file attached to this post. (read the copyright notice below)
* Only LightZone 3.8 or newer may be used
* Open the raw file in Lightzone... apply the tools and finish with "Browse" to exit and save a lzn_jpeg with the name _8122966_lzn.jpg
* Rename the lzn.jpeg file to : your_identifier_8122966_lzn.jpg
* Upload the lzn jpeg file to our Feb 2010 Contest Gallery.
* You may also add a short descriptive outline of your workflow to your Gallery entry.
* You grant the free public use of your instructions used in the Lightzone jpeg file

Rules and procedures

* Contest is open to all people having no affiliation with LightCrafts Inc.
* You can download other entries to learn from the processing stacks used - but try to make your own distinct interpretation.
* On the first 5 days of March 2010, all members can vote on the results to select their favorite interpretation
* LightCrafts may select one or more of these LZN files and feature the result on their own website.
* Contest voting must be completed by the 5th of March. Winner announced 6th March.
* The image with most votes will be awarded 1 full, non-transferable license for Lightzone.
* If the winner already owns Lightzone, the license will pass to the next member in rank of votes. In the event of a tie, voting will be extended until a winner emerges.

A Note on Copyright: This image may only be used in the context of this contest and the only site that has the right to publish images is mu-43.com (or other sites that are granted permission, in this case also LightCrafts). If you want to use this image for any other purposes (e.g. marketing) you may request a license from the image owner.

We will use this thread to discuss the contest and to help each other master Lightzone for photographic post processing.

Raw image attached.

Brian Mosley · #2 February 7th, 2010, 05:43 PM

Please ask any questions you may have here - I'm off to bed, but will be back with answers in about 7hrs

Here's another interpretation - there are many possibilities for creative crops within the original image.

If the image is too tall for your screen, using Firefox you can press Ctrl-click drag the mouse up/down to zoom in/out.

When you're done, press Ctrl-0 to reset zoom to 100%

If you right-click and Save-As the image above - to the same folder you've saved the raw file from the first post... you can open the file in Lightzone to see all of the steps taken to create the image here.

Cheers

Brian

BBW · #3 February 7th, 2010, 06:04 PM

So the discount for buying it is back on for The Olympus Safari Group?

Brian Mosley · #4 February 7th, 2010, 06:07 PM

I'm working on it... should certainly be there by the time your trial expires

But hey! give the exercise above a go... not only will it help to learn the software, you may even win a license for free!

Cheers

Brian

BillN · #5 February 8th, 2010, 02:21 AM

Very full explanation, but a bit complicated Brian? - for me anyway - or maybe just a little too intellectual

I thing that I'll stick to "street walking" for a few more weeks - need to practice and maybe it will be more "profitable"

Brian Mosley · #6 February 8th, 2010, 02:24 AM

Hi Bill,

thanks for the feedback.

Just watch the tutorial video for now...

...and I'll try to simplify the steps when I get back from the school run.

Cheers

Brian

noa · #7 February 8th, 2010, 03:08 AM

But how do you resize the image for web without losing the lzn info? All I could see was a "convert" option but tht sems to remove all the layer info?

Brian Mosley · #8 February 8th, 2010, 04:27 AM

Hi noa, and welcome to the forum!

You don't have to do anything to create the _lzn.jpg file... this is created automatically by Lightzone to store your adjustments, in the form of a jpeg with embedded data.

* So, you open Lightzone.

* Browse to the folder with your original image (or the raw file attached to my first post in this thread).

* Double click on the image in the bottom browser window to open it in the editor.

* Add an adjustment layer (say the Relight tool).

* Click on Browse, top left menu to left of Edit

This exits the editor, creating the preview with your edits embedded.

Then simply rename and upload this file (ending in _lzn.jpg) to the gallery.

Does that make sense?

Cheers

Brian

BBW · #9 February 8th, 2010, 06:59 AM

I found that because this is a completely new program, it was a little confusing at first... I ended up clicking on the image - which apparently brings it into Edit mode - and that is when I finally saw what had been done to create the black and white version... Don't ask me if I understand it all

but I'm trying.

1. Brian, I have been afraid to even touch the black and white edited version...which I know we're not supposed to change but I was wondering if it is in a "locked" mode...in other words is it in a form that we can't even by accident change?

2. Am I correct that the file/image that we are to make our changes on already shows Relight tool 2 having been used along with "Raw Adjustments" that show? Please bear in mind that I have never ever even seen a Raw file other than in a video. I just want to be sure that I didn't inadvertently do something to the file already. It says at the bottom "As shot".

Hope this makes sense.

(Your second explanation makes sense to me, by the way.)

Brian Mosley · #10 February 8th, 2010, 07:12 AM

Hi BB, thanks for trying - we'll just take things one step at a time!

I'll see if I can find the time to start doing some video screen tutorials in due course - just wanted to get this first discussion going, so we can attract some more people with experience of Lightzone to help out

Don't worry about editing the B&W _lzn.jpg version you've downloaded here - it's a great way to learn from what I've done.

If you click on the raw file, you'll start out with a blank version (with the default raw and level adjustment for the E-P1) - you can then crop the image to bring out the section you want to work with, and start to add adjustment layers.

Once you have something you want feedback for - just upload the _lzn.jpg as an attachment to your post here, and I can download it to have a look.

The best way to learn with this package, is to start playing with each of the tools... the lightzone video tutorial gives you a good start.

Cheers

Brian

BBW · #11 February 8th, 2010, 07:28 AM

View image in gallery

OK, I am attempting to attach a screenshot of what the file we're supposed to work on looks like to be sure this is the way it is supposed to be at the outset of this little workshop.

I have looked at the tutorials but will have to embed them in my brain, I think.

P.S. Well for some reason I can't make an attachment here. I will try uploading it to my own Lightzone Test gallery.

P.S.S. I am now using the one stored in my gallery to post here.

Brian Mosley · #12 February 8th, 2010, 08:08 AM

Oh, yes - the Relight 2 layer can be deleted (just click on the x top right), or you can play with the sliders.

The Shadows slider lifts shadows as you slide to right.
The Highlights slider brightens highlights as you slide to left.

and opposite effect as you slide opposite directions.

The Detail slider controls how local the contrast effect will be... 0 has the effect of softening contrast - 1 is neutral 1.5 and above gets more dramatic.

The Depth is a wider version of Detail - I usually have this all the way over to the right.

Fuzz is how pixel level transitions are handled (say for bright to dark horizon edges in landscapes) - 0.28 seems to give the smoothest transitions.

Have a play with different Blending Modes, and use the Tool Opacity slider to control the strength of the layer.

Cheers

Brian

BBW · #13 February 8th, 2010, 08:10 AM

Thanks Brian but can you tell me is that the way the original one you had us upload looked? My reason for asking is that I don't recall changing it and saving it and wanted to be sure I hadn't messed the original up.

Brian Mosley · #14 February 8th, 2010, 08:18 AM

No, it was blank (just the two RAW adjustment layers for the E-P1).

You don't have to worry about messing anything up - you can just download the copy from above at any time.

I've only just realised, in organising this workshop that the jpegs can be used to share lightzone post processing stacks like this.

Cheers

Brian

BBW · #15 February 8th, 2010, 08:23 AM

OK, thanks. Who knows how I did that or perhaps it was the beginning of my "artistic edit". Glad to know.

(As for the jpegs part.. I had to resize the file and the only way I could figure out how to do it to make it small enough was probably convoluted. I added the screenshot to iPhoto, exported it in a smaller size and saved it to upload.)