Normally I shoot a Pentax KP - always in raw (PEF) and I’ve been using DT for god knows how long, still learning new stuff every single day and by no means proficient. I recently purchased a 2nd-hand K-5 and had it converted to 630Nm infrared. These are literally my first steps on the infrared path, using DT to swap channels and finetune the resulting image but also bringing in Digikam and Gimp where it makes sense.
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Hey Mike, welcome to the IR fold! Its a lot of fun and opens you up to shooting in mid day sun, which is something I’d otherwise not do.
Some tips I’ve learned:
- I use wb only in the modern workflow. Color Calibration freaks out. White Balance really matters, make sure your camera white balance is properly calibrated.
- Use the Color Calibration module to swap the R & B channel
You can also snag a filter that’ll give you IR B&W around 800 Nm. You’ll only loose 3-4 stops.
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Would there be some step-by-step tutorials for beginners?
What steps do you have questions about?
I understand the channel swap; however, how was Mike able to get the “color” of the vegetation (grass) this way; 1st pic and last pic. I am able to get to something like the 4th picture. I guess I have to play with it a bit more.
@Bernhard_Vogler what wavelength of infrared are you shooting? That has a lot to do with the color, along with the white balance.
780 at this point.
Is your foliage in direct sunlight? Do you have a converted camera?
You can have a look at what the different wavelengths produce here: Life Pixel Digital Infrared Filter Comparison Photos
You’re somewhere between “standard color” and “deep black and white” which might explain why your colors aren’t like Mike’s, he’s at 630Nm.
Thanks. I will have a look there. Will be on travel, so I won’t have time to look into this immediately.
@Bernhard_Vogler Can you share a raw file? That would give me a chance to come up with a step-by-step but with 780Nm the colors will not be as expressive as noted by @paperdigits
I’ll see what I can extract from such a file. I purchased a couple of 720Nm filters myself and I know the difference with 630 is rather extreme.
Mike
Thanks. The link @paperdigits gave is fairly helpful. Let me try that, if I still need help I’ll get back with you.
Bernhard