I am hoping to start a thread on Darktable tips and tricks here. A few of my tricks I want to share:
I have created various presets within each module.
Lowering the Color Balance ‘gamma factor’ a bit. This darkens the mid-tones quickly by applying a concave curve. Presets include -0.02, -0.04, -0.06.
Create 3 presets in Global Tonemap: leave default values, apply parametric mask, lower only top input triangle all the way to 0 on the L channel, set blend to uniformly, blend mode to subtract, and then save three different presets: opacity 5%, opacity 8%, and opacity 20%. This adds some contrast to the darker tones, similar to haze reduction (great module!) but without the saturation increase.
Create a preset for Perspective Correction by setting ‘automatic cropping’ to ‘largest area’ (and do nothing else in module, save preset with this change only). Then I can right-click the module header, select the preset, and then continue to apply the ‘automatic fit.’ I find this easier that fussing with it inside the module.
Highpass: sharpness 6%, contrast boost 15%, blend mode ‘uniformly’ set to overlay, then save two presets, one at opacity 60%, another at opacity 80%. This is a gentle way to sharpen edges only (thank you Harry Durgin).
Speaking of Harry Durgin, I also created a Lowpass preset called ‘Balanced’ that maintains the lightness of the image, but must be further processed after applied. Leaving radius alone, I change contrast to 0.90, brightness to 0.03, and saturation to 0 [save preset]. Once this is applied, I can adjust the radius to maximize the tonal roundness I want to achieve (think cylinder shading gradient, for example a tree trunk), then I apply blend uniformly with blend mode softlight. This preset seems to keep the histogram in place, rather than shift to the low end. Adjust opacity to taste.
Lastly, I have saved presets named ZERO in the Shadows/Highlights and Local Contrast modules, bypassing the default settings, so I can gradually modify these from a blank slate.
I have also created presets in Tone Curve and Exposure modules—too much detail to share here—but the overall idea is to create parametric masks on the L channel (without changing the default module parameters) that mask highlights and shadows to varying degrees. Once applied, the value adjustments only affect the masked areas; for example, to raise the shadows in the Exposure module, without getting the halos common in the Shadow/Highlight module. In combination with the Shadows/Highlight module, this can be very effective.
I had started compiling little things like this a while ago. I need to share it! I started categorizing them by what the effect on the image was, with the idea of eventually having a reference book.
Check amount and location of a module: Change the module’s blend mode to “difference”. This one is so important, it would deserve a hotkey for temporary activation of this mode. This is of particular help e.g. to determine the threshold for sharpening. Example:
I learned this one from one of Harry Durgins videos.
Quick rating of images: Import with no star rating, then set view mode in lighttable to “unstarred only”. Now, set screen to show only one image (I do typically “alt-1” to show only one image, “f11” to go full screen and “tab” to hide panels). After giving a star rating by pressing “1” to “5” or “r” for “reject”, the current image disappears and the next one is shown.
When denoising high ISO pictures, I found that doing the following is sometimes quite efficient:
Use the bilateral denoise with radius set to the maximum, red and blue to the maximum (or close) and green to the minimum.
The red and blue channels are frequently more noisy than the green one, and using this parameters allow to smooth them without losing too much details.
Please note that this technique is inefficient if any denoising smooths the color before this module in the pipeline. For example, if you use denoise profile with wavelet in “color” mode, this technique will not give proper result.
Thus, when I use it, I smooth color noise later in the pipeline, with a second bilateral denoise module in “color” mode
Not sure where I got this, probably Harry again, but I named this style ‘Denoise Gentle’ as it removes some of the noise without turning the image into a watercolor. Play with it, I get good results, sometimes I increase or reduce the Equalizer mix to fine tune.
nice! i’m thinking we should maybe ship some of those with stock dt. presets can be a good starting point, source of inspiration and hands-on documentation.
One of Harry D’s presets that I frequently use. It does wonders for opening-up and providing texture to the deepest shadows. A very important tool in my processing.
Tone Mapping: Compression=1.66, Spacial=6%, Para Mask on ‘g’ with settings= 0 0 0 8 and Normal blend.
I setup this Tone Mapping preset, but I’m not seeing much changes in the dark areas. I do confirm the mask is picking the very darkest parts of the picture. Maybe its because I’m working with jpg?
Now I’m activating “bloom” module in “effects tab”, increasing size to 70% reducing threshold to about 25% and increasing strength to 70%.
blend - uniformly
blend mode - multiply:
The values of bloom module, which I mentioned above, are of course adapted to the corresponding motif. Accordingly, they serve only as an orientation.
It is important to first illuminate the area of the image that you want to emphasize according to your own imagination and “bloom” module makes sure that this emphasization is smooth.
This preset will only effect the very darkest elements of your image .. (those values between 0 to 8 on the gray scale of 100). If you click on the mask display you will see exactly which area is being changed. The changes are also progressive so that the darker the element, the greater the change.
It is possible to change the 8 value to a higher number so as to effect a wider shadow scale. Tone Mapping can be a very aggressive function if used over wider areas so you should understand it better and use it with caution .... it is not a quick fix for underexposed shots.
If you are having under/over exposed problems sometimes using 'fusion' processing (in the base curve module) can assist.
darktable is designed primarily to be used with RAW camera data and not JPEG files that are already preprocessed and compressed within the camera. The use of the Tone Mapper on JPEG files may well not produce the designed results. If you are serious about getting the very best out of your personal skills and the camera's capability, you should really work in the RAW format.
This preset will only effect the very darkest elements of your image … (those values between 0 to 8 on the gray scale of 100). If you click on the mask display you will see exactly which area is being changed. The changes are also progressive so that the darker the element, the greater the change.
It is possible to change the 8 value to a higher number so as to effect a wider shadow scale. Tone Mapping can be a very aggressive function if used over wider areas so you should understand it better and use it with caution … it is not a quick fix for underexposed shots.
If you are having under/over exposed problems sometimes using ‘fusion’ processing (in the base curve module) can assist.
darktable is designed primarily to be used with RAW camera data and not JPEG files that are already preprocessed and compressed within the camera. The use of the Tone Mapper on JPEG files may well not produce the designed results. If you are serious about getting the very best out of your personal skills and the camera’s capability, you should really work in the RAW format.
